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Was the tomb empty?

The news this week will be full of stories about the upcoming documentary about the discovery of the tomb and bones box of Jesus and his family. This is, of course central to our faith so I just wanted to put up a post with some links to resources in regards to this story. I want to point out myself something that should make you take this new information in with some hesitancy. This tomb and the 10 bone boxes were discovered in the 80’s and a BBC documentary aired in Britain over a decade ago. The information then was criticized not only by clergy, but also by archeologists. Since the DaVinci Code there is a popular trend to undermine Christianity for a lot of money. So, keep in mind how carefully orchestrated these press releases have been, and how they coincide with the release of a book and a documentary to be aired this Sunday. There is money to be made. In the “documentary” the Israeli archeologist that oversaw the project thought the claims were a stretch and he was not included in the film. Along with that there are many other problems that these links will point out.

I hope these help to answer any questions you have.

Associated Press article, Dr. Witherington’s blog post, Jerusalem post, A good article by a Christian apologist

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Where your treasure is…

…store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:20-21

These words from Jesus’ teaching in Matthew come from the Sermon on the Mount, a great section of teaching from Jesus, and a very challenging section of scripture. Many times these verses above are connected with storing up monies or wealth or stuff here on earth as opposed to treasures in heaven. And, while this connection is a good one to make, I wonder if there isn’t much more to it than that.
The Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday includes some portions of Matthew 6, namely verse 1-6 and 16-21. In these verses Jesus instructs his followers on things such as fasting, and alms giving. He is giving them basic instructions on piety, and he says in verse 1 that we should not practice our piety in front of others in order to be seen by them. In fact, he says, “beware” of doing that, because then you won’t be rewarded by your Father in heaven. So, what is going on here? Is it as simple as God’s not liking show-offs, so God won’t reward you if you do? Perhaps, but that seems a bit trite I think. Maybe there is something else going on. Continue reading “Where your treasure is…”