The Scripture: An angel of the Lord came down from heaven and going to the tomb rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. (Matthew 28:2-4)
One word listed in a Greek manuscript for what the angel did with the stone on Easter morning implies that the stone was actually rolled uphill. The angel is very much in control of the stone. The angel is having no trouble at all moving the stone.
The stone is being moved not to let Jesus out but to let his disciples and the world in to see that he is no longer there. The light from Jesus’ tomb is shining around the prostrated soldier.
The light coming from the tomb is the same light of the dawn (orange). During the crucifixion we heard that the sun stopped shining. And of course, the Son stopped shining too! But this is the resurrection and there is a sun rising and there is the Son rising. Jesus is the light of the world. So the similarity of color for the two different light sources.
The weapons of the soldier are lying useless on the ground. (In the crucifixion window we can see these same weapons being brandished.)
The soldier has his hands extending out of the window. This shows symbolically that man had no hand in Jesus’ resurrection.
The hill is pictured skull-like. You can see the sockets of the eyes under the crosses in the distance. This is Golgotha…”the hill of the skull.”
The tomb where Jesus was buried was in Joseph’s garden. The tree is green here as it could have been in Joseph’s garden. (On Palm Sunday people tore branches from the trees along the road the Bible tells us. So there were trees in the vicinity.)
There is a comparison between the green tree of the garden and the dry trees on the hill in the background (the crosses). Jesus had said, “If they do this to the green tree, what will be done to the dry?”
The dark glass at the top of the picture is to suggest the early dawn and give contrast to the breaking of the day.
The star is in the sky because that is where the morning star is located. This star has always been in the dawn. It is a special sign too for those who watch for the morning. Jesus also is called “the Bright and Morning Star” in the book of Revelation (22:16). He surely is our hope for a new day.
CROSS AND CROWN WINDOW
Cross and Crown Lutheran Church
Georgetown, Texas 78628