Heart Message

The Tomb of Cyrus

Much of life is filled with words that are designed, crafted and edited to achieve a purpose. We are bombarded with falsely motivated sales talk all day long.  Television is false world.  The media is contrived. We relate to one another with our guard up, editing booth operational, presenting a polished and/or safe image for public consumption. I suspect that we are all guilty of this, even though we think ourselves noble. (Rom.3:4) 

But for your consideration, on the Tomb of Cyrus, we may have something real.  He could have placed majestic language equal to his royal dignity upon it, perhaps threats and curses like some of the Pharaohs, or a litany of his accomplishments, all of which we would filter and place in our "Last Lies of Great Kings" category. But instead Cyrus reaches down deep before his death and comes up with something that survives a universal gut check.

The king of the great Persian empire realizes that after he dies, the least person alive will be more powerful than he and able to desecrate the final destination of his body. This worries him.  He also understands that his empire will only protect his tomb for so long and it too will perish, like all empires. So he writes a note to any and all who might come upon him in the distant future and for the ages to come. He has this plea inscribed on his tomb. 

"O man, whoever you are and wherever you come from, for I know that you will come--I am Cyrus, son of Cambyses, who founded the Empire of the Persians and was king of the East. Do not grudge me this spot of earth which covers my body." - Cyrus".

For thousands of years this humble inscription honestly voiced the vulnerability of a powerful King facing his mortality and inability to protect the last remnant of himself on earth.  His self-protective motivation is transparent and refreshingly honest.

But the implication of his humble plea hits hard: we shall all die too.  We will all relinquish our own personal kingdoms and leave behind whatever we thought was so important while we lived.  We are all this vulnerable.  May we offer up our weakness to the saving strength of our Lord and Savior.

It is better to go to a house of mourning Than to go to a house of feasting, Because that is the end of every man, And the living takes it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, For when a face is sad a heart may be happy. The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.  (Ecc 7:1-4) 

Tie the strings to my life, my Lord,
Then I am ready to go!
Just a look at the horses-
Rapid! That will do!

Put me in on the firmest side,
So I shall never fall;
For we must ride to the judgment,
And it's partly down hill.

But never I mind the bridges,
And never I mind the sea;
Held fast in everlasting race
By my own choice and thee.

Good-by to the life I used to live,
And the world I used to know;
And kiss the hills for me, just once;
Now I am ready to go!

-Emily Dickinson

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Emily Dickinson (1830-1886). Unknown except by a few in life, over 1800 of her poems have since been published after her sister found them in a dresser drawer after her death.