LogoDiocese of
Hong Kong Island
LogoDiocese of
Eastern Kowloon
LogoHong Kong
Sheng Kung Hui
LogoDiocese of
Western Kowloon
LogoMissionary
Area of Macau
Logo

The bones of Jesus

Have you been following the story of the recent discovery of King Richard III’s remains? It is a remarkable tale of dogged archeological perseverance, detective work, and forensic science. King Richard’s remains have been discovered under a car park in the city of Leicester in the UK.

richard III

Archeologists from Leicester University had been on the hunt for the remains that for centuries had been lost.  Richard III was killed in battle in a field near the city of Leicester in 1485. He was hurriedly buried in a grave of a church that was destroyed during the reformation in the 16th century. Archeologists had to locate both the place of the church and the possible burial site. Then they had to trace Richard’s descendents to any living ancestors in order to verify the remains through DNA testing.  In another twist in the tale the DNA strand that would confirm the King’s identity is only passed through the maternal blood line. The present day relatives are all males and so that maternal blood line is about to end. Nevertheless DNA testing has demonstrated that the remains unearthed in the car park are in fact those of King Richard III. Further analysis of the skeletal remains has also shown what a grisly and violent death he suffered.

I think this is also fascinating from a theological point of view. Clearly this is not the person himself. It is simply what remains. But how do we compare this to the death and resurrection of Jesus? Is there a place somewhere that Jesus’ remains could be found? Well that would take some extraordinary detective and archeological and forensic work! But is it even conceivable? After Jesus’ life were there any bones left behind? This is a topic that raises strong feelings in people. For some the resurrection of Jesus is a physical rebirth. For many Christians Jesus rose with bones and organs and, I guess, still breathing the air we breathe. So the question is how did he then get to heaven? The answer would be he ascended in bodily form. There a number of obvious reasons why many other Christians are more sceptical about this. Besides, the bible is far from clear. The narratives distinguish Jesus’ resurrection from the acts of resuscitation attributed to Jesus in his ministry. The gospel writers are saying the risen Christ is not simply the same as before.  He is not recognised by people, he can appear and disappear. The encounters with the risen Christ have an internal and spiritual dimension as much as an external and physical aspect to them.

rolling stone tomb
I think this gives extra credibility to the truth of the resurrection. If someone would have invented the story it would have been much simpler. But the mystery and ambiguity underlying the attempts to describe the resurrection point to a real historical root to these experiences. They also suggest that Jesus’ resurrection was experienced by many people and therefore in diverse and personal ways. Moreover there is a sense that the experiences happened for a while and then ended. Paul says his was the last.

That is why I am not worried about archeologists one day discovering the bones of Jesus, highly unlikely as that is! For me, Jesus is alive today! He was never contained in any tomb. Death could not hold him! He lives in each of us and amongst our families and communities. His peace and joy and love continue to transform us from within and to empower us to continue what he set out to do: to make heaven on earth through living God’s rule of love.
Mark Rogers, 03/04/2013
Feedback:
(page   1   2   3   4)
high risk credit card processi (Guest) 18/09/2018 19:00
Get all kind of merchant services and processing details at the Merchant Stronghold including High Risk Merchant Account, High Risk Payment Gateway, Low Risk Merchant Account, and other similar service. Also, you can get the Merchant Account for Online Business, Merchant Account Payment Gateway, High Risk Credit Card Processing details for your business by analysing the Merchant Account Provider.
http://app.merchantstronghold.com

123.hp.com/setup (Guest) 18/09/2018 19:00
123.hp.com/setup – HP provides a vast range of peripheral devices such as DeskJet, OfficeJet, OfficeJet Pro, All-in-One and Envy printers etc. The HP printers use the latest technology and advanced features which helps you to print, copy and scan as well with ease.
http://contactassistance.com/123-hp-com-setup/

norton.com/setup (Guest) 18/09/2018 19:00
Norton.com/setup Online Help – Step by Step guide for Norton Setup, Download & complete installation online. We are providing independent support service if in case you face problem to activate or Setup Norton product.
http://setup-activate.com
office.com/setup (Guest) 18/09/2018 19:01
office.com/setup - Office Setup can be downloaded and installed on your devices by visiting the link office.com/setup online. Microsoft Office suite includes a number of world-leading applications like MS Word, MS Excel, and many others. Every version of the Office product requires a product key to activate the subscription. Let’s discuss the process of downloading, installation, and activation of your version of the Office product.
http://www.office-com-setup.me
Lucia Mandela (Guest) 25/09/2018 22:30
We provide free office Setup Technical support, customer service & online support for install ms office ,Get Live Chat Help & Support
https://offiicecomms.com/
https://my-notron.com/
https://usofficesetup.com/

Sophie (Guest) 09/10/2018 18:04
Very interesting to read this article.I would like to thank you for the efforts you had made for writing this awesome article. https://www.idolnetworth.com/
http://avast-avast.com (Guest) 12/10/2019 04:04
Avast Refund Customer Support phone Number +1-855-619-5888. as to sue in the Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android is Avast Antivirus. Your device with Avast! One of the members of internet security application which was developed.


http://avast-avast.com (Guest) 12/10/2019 04:12
Avast Refund Customer Support phone Number +1-855-619-5888. as to sue in the Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android is Avast Antivirus. Your device with Avast! One of the members of internet security application which was developed.

(Guest) 25/01/2021 21:06
zdvxfdbxb
José Trinidad Marín Mother (Guest) 08/12/2022 18:10
José Trinidad Marín mother name is Catalina Pérez, was a Cuban woman of African descent. His father, Antonio Marín, was a Spanish soldier who had been stationed in Cuba. José Trinidad Marín grew up in poverty and experienced racism firsthand. Despite these hardships, he excelled in school and went on to become a successful lawyer and politician.


(page   1   2   3   4)