Eating Together Just Like the Wolf and the Lamb

Ed, my old neighbor from Saskatchewan, phoned last week to say that he and Ruby have been getting along like the wolf and the lamb. I was not certain what Ed was referring to by his reference to the wolf and the lamb. Was Ed the wolf and was Ruby the lamb? Usually, when the wolf and the lamb get together, it doesn’t turn out well for the lamb. Wolves have a solid reputation for being hungry for lamb chops.

My old neighbor was referring to the wolf and the lamb grazing or eating together as described the Bible. He and Ruby had been eating out too regularity for his waistline. Church suppers, invitations to meals with friends and relatives, and dinners in support of various organizations had Ed loosening his belt. Ed said that as one of the dinner guests he cannot eat lightly, or he would offend his hosts.

I suggested that there would be no need to diet in heaven as all foods will be calorie free. Ed rejected my suggestion that there will be no calories in heaven. Like Doubting Thomas, my old neighbor must see and touch heaven for himself before he would considerate it to be true in any way.

I asked Ed, “Once you are dead will you see and touch your dead body in your coffin?” He said that he couldn’t, as only others would see or touch his dead body in the casket. Some things, I told Ed cannot be viewed or handled ahead of time like heaven. I reminded Ed that, “The tomb of Christ is famous because of what it does not contain.” (Sam Morris) “We live and die; Christ died and lived!” (John Stott) The resurrection of Jesus changed the dead end, hopelessness of the grave.

Jesus proved that death is not a prison but a passage into God’s presence. After his crucifixion, Jesus’ dead body was in a tomb, but he arose from the dead and is alive forever. The Bible says it this way, “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

When the women went to the tomb of Jesus to anoint his dead body, they had no belief that the last enemy, death, had been destroyed. They found the stone rolled away from his tomb. When they entered the tomb, they did not find the body of Jesus. They were perplexed that the body was gone, but two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. They were frightened, and the men asked them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen. Remember how he told you that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”

When the women told these things to the apostles, they did not believe them. Peter, however, ran to the tomb and found the tomb empty except for the linen burial cloths. The Bible confirms, “And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.” (To heaven)

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