is conclude Matthew (Matthew 28)

Mary Magdalene and another Mary arrive at the tomb.  An earthquake occurs and an angel arrives to roll back the stone.  The angel tells them not to be afraid, that Jesus has been raised from the dead and gone to Galilee.  They see that the tomb is empty and race to Galilee where they meet Jesus on the road.  Jesus tells them to go to Galilee where he will meet with the disciples.

While the women are doing that, the guards go to the priests and tell them what has happened.  The priests bribe them to say that the disciples stole the body while they were sleeping.  They do so and Matthew makes note that the Jews continue to tell this story.  

Jesus meets his disciples and tells them that he has been given all authority over heaven and earth.  He tells them to baptize others and to spread his message and that he will be with them forever.

So ends Matthew, and we can quickly summarize.  Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  He taught compassion, love, forgiveness, and generosity.  He performed miracles and healed people.  His teachings threatened the church authorities.  He was arrested, charged with blasphemy, and crucified.  As he predicted, he rose from the dead.

As a reader, I am trying to figure how much I am moved by the story.  And let’s face it; it is a pretty good story. I can appreciate the passion that Jesus had for the people and the lessons he hoped to pass on.  I can sympathize with the fact that he died attempting to do good.  But I cannot accept the fact that he was divine or that he was chosen by god or that he rose again.  In other words, for me, this is a good fictionalized account of a life based on some history.

Recently a friend lent me Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom.  I had read two of Albom’s books other books.  One dealt with a man’s chance to spend one more day with his long dead mother and the other described the five people that one man meets when he enters heaven.  Both books had ideas that might help people live a more compassionate, fulfilling life.  I had no problem with what Albom was attempting but the message was somewhat diminished because I kept questioning the premise.  “That wouldn’t happen.  Why’s he doing that?  That’s just silly.”

So when I borrowed Tuesdays with Morrie, I was worried about how I would respond to it especially knowing how deeply the book had affected my friend.  There was no need to worry.  Like Jesus, Morrie suffered and not just for a few hours but for several months from a debilitating, degenerative disease (ALS).  Morrie has a lot of lessons for us, but his real lesson is how to approach our own deaths and how we should lead our own lives knowing that we are dying.  This, in a sense, is what Jesus was trying to do.  But at no time did I get bogged down by the concepts of a divine birth or supernatural episodes, or a judgmental god or a resurrected body.  Just a man dying (living) with dignity. 

But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from Matthew. Do unto others and love thy neighbour are obvious but this is my favourite. Matthew 25: 34-40

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Whether you believe in God or Jesus or a Kingdom or a Judgment Day, it is still a good sentiment to live by.