The Truth About Jesus' "Tomb"

by The Rev. Ted Lewis, Resident Theologian
All Saints’ Church
Chevy Chase, Maryland

Recent news reports have featured the discovery of tombs containing the remains of Jesus, his mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, and the putative son of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.  And the Discovery Channel on March 4 was to present James Cameron’s documentary, “The Lost Tomb of Jesus.”  The documentary, like the reports, appears to lack any real scientific basis.  It follows the story line of “The Da Vinci Code,” which although avowedly fiction, presented as fact much that far from being so.  Perhaps Cameron supposed that if people believed “The Da Vinci Code,” as apparently many did, they would believe his documentary too.

The real question is why people are prepared to accept accounts such as these, flying as they do in the face of the biblical testimony to Jesus’ resurrection, and likely his crucifixion too.  In part their credibility may be due to widespread biblical illiteracy, found not only outside the church but also, sadly, within it.  But there is likely a deeper reason as well: the human tendency to want to be in control, to dictate the terms of our existence.  The Christian faith, which asserts that God is in control, stands over against this tendency.  Therefore our impulse is to cut Christianity down to size, to assimilate it within our own structures.  The process began with the ancient heresies.  It may be seen as underlying the divisions in the church today.  “The Da Vinci Code” and the current documentary are but further manifestations of it.   But we need to resist it resolutely.  For not in opposition but rather in submission to God’s will for us, as set forth in Holy Scripture, lies our salvation, our peace, and our joy.

For a discussion of the basis, or lack thereof, of the claims about Jesus’ “tomb,” see the following link:
http://www.tfp.org/TFPForum/catholic_perspective/jesus_family_tomb.htm