Tillich, 1948. Chapter 20, "Born in the Grave"

Chapter 20, “Born in the Grave” pp. 164-168

Matthew 27:57-66

Tillich tells the story of people during World War 2 who escaped gas chambers and lived in hiding in a graveyard. A baby boy was born in a grave then, after three days, had nothing to drink but his mother’s tears. “Could this be the Messiah?” asked the grave-digger. Tillich’s observation for us is that we are not easily enough shocked by the accounts of the Gospel or the Creed. The Messiah must be one who dies, as he is overcoming death. The Christ was dead and buried. He was all the way dead, really dead. There is no sugar-coating to the work of Jesus. However, he rose again from the dead, an act which shows his victory. It is only when we grasp the reality of Jesus’ death that we can comprehend the wonder of the resurrection.