7. Ark of the Covenant
Key Verses: John 20:11-16, Exodus 25:10-22
The Ark of the Covenant was the Holiest object in the Tabernacle. It sat behind the veil and was the place that GOD would meet with Moses. The Ark was a box made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold. Two cherubim were positioned on the top lid and faced each other. This was known as the “mercy seat”. Blood was placed there to atone for sin. Inside the Ark, there were placed the two stone tablets, the rod Aaron, and vessels of manna. Throughout the Biblical story, the Ark of the Covenant has stood in as a representation of God’s presence going before the people. Following the history of the Ark, you will be able to follow the history of the Jewish people up to their captivity by the Babylonians.
Unlike other surrounding nations who worshiped gods of stone and wood, the Israelites did not worship the Ark of the Covenant. Instead, they saw it as the place to meet WITH God. Only the Levite tribe was allowed to move the Ark. Even so, they were only allowed to carry it by its rods and not touch the main body. Uzzah touched the main body of the Ark in 2 Samuel 6:3-8 and was immediately struck dead.
Mary Magdalene at the Tomb The Gospel of John has been our guide through the Lenten season. We have seen how John uses the stations of the Tabernacle in Exodus to outline how Jesus is the Tabernacled presence of God on earth. After Jesus’ crucifixion in John 20, Mary Magdalene journeys to the tomb where his body is laid. She is startled by the sight of the tomb open and empty. Running back to the disciples, she alerts Peter and John. Peter and John investigate and return to the other 9 disciples leaving Mary Magdalene to cry at the entrance of the tomb.
Tombs and dead bodies were seen as highly unclean things for the Jews. If you were to touch a dead body, you would be considered ceremonially unclean and would have to cleanse yourself in order to resume participation in religious rituals. John says,
“Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.” (John 20:11-12)
It’s interesting that John describes exactly where the angels positioned inside of the tomb. What Mary sees inside the tomb is very similar to what Moses would have seen inside the Holy of Holies. The Ark of the Covenant was the place where God dwelled and the Tomb was the place where Jesus’ body was laid. The place where God is meeting with Humanity in John is in the most unclean place. This signifies that the unclean has been made clean. By having Mary Magdalene be the one who sees this revelation, he puts a women in the position of High Priest!
Jesus’ absence from the tomb also signifies that God is meeting with people in a new way. Mary turns to see Jesus there, and he addresses her by name. The Cross couldn’t hold him down. Death couldn’t push him away!
