Untold Stories

Do you ever wonder about the details biblical authors chose to omit?

When James and John left their fishing business to follow Jesus, they "left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men" (Mark 1:20). Did their dad agree with their decision? Did the hired hands resent it when James and John left them with all the work to do?

Four men tore a hole in the roof of a house where Jesus was teaching and used ropes to lower their paralyzed friend down on a mat. Imagine the stunned faces in the crowd as chunks of dirt began falling from the ceiling and a desperate man descended through the hole, courtesy of a crude human elevator. Did the homeowner appreciate having a new skylight in his roof?

A poor widow put the only two copper coins she owned into the temple treasury. After all her money was gone, did her family take care of her? My heart says the Lord wouldn't allow her to live the rest of her days in poverty and die penniless; but since the Bible doesn't say what happened to her, we're left to wonder about the rest of the story.

Did the woman caught in the act of adultery go and leave her life of sin, as Jesus instructed? What about the man who had been blind from birth? After Jesus miraculously restored his sight, did he spend the rest of his days serving the Lord with a grateful heart? We presume that he did, but the Bible doesn't provide all the details.

What about the rich young ruler who turned away when Jesus told him to sell his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor? Did he ever realize the folly of his choice? Did his prickly encounter with the Lord jab at his conscience for the rest of his days?

What happened to Barabbas after his unexpected reprieve? After Pilate freed him, did he return to his previous role as an insurrectionist and a murderer? Did it ever cross his mind to thank the man from Nazareth who died so he could be set free?

A few sad days after Jesus was crucified, some women came in the early morning to anoint his body, but as it turned out, there was no dead body to anoint! What did they do with the unused spices—place them on a shelf at home? Did they smile when a whiff of the sweet aroma turned their hearts back to that joyful Sunday morning?

And what about the soldiers who guarded Jesus' tomb? Paid off by the priests, they spread the false report that Jesus' followers had come during the night and stolen his body, but the guards knew what really happened. Surely they never forgot their terrifying encounter with the angel.

What did Joseph of Arimathea do with his tomb after Jesus rose from the dead? The Lord barely needed it for three days. Did Joseph find extra comfort in the thought that his own body would one day lie in the very spot where Jesus' body rested before rising to life again?

The Bible doesn't answer every question our curious minds can invent, but this we know for sure: The story of Jesus didn't end at the cross. The old, bold story of his resurrection remains so real and relevant it can turn every day into Easter. The Lord's victory over death is the ultimate source of hope. That's why it's a story we must never leave untold.