Easter 2022 is around the corner! I’m quite excited about it because a few friends are coming over to ours to have lunch with dad and me. I’ve already ordered the food. A friend has bought loads of Easter egg chocolates for our lunch, and another is helping me pick the food up from the caterer. We’re anticipating a lovely afternoon together. My dad is also quite excited about it. It will be wonderful to have these dear brothers and sisters back in our home. I’ll be saying extra prayers that Loki behaves. I think he too can sense the excitement. We’re looking forward to a celebration. As I think on this little get together that is bringing me so much joy, my mind cannot but help think on what my dad, brothers and sisters in Christ and I are celebrating.
Christians celebrate Easter because Jesus rose from the dead. It must sound rather bizarre to a non-believer’s ears. We believe that Jesus rose from the dead! It’s not an instance where we’ll need to run out and call the ghostbusters or anything like that. I don’t watch enough horror or zombie movies to make an even more specific reference to them, but Jesus’ rising from the dead is nothing like what is depicted in this genre. Easter has also got nothing to do with bunnies and chocolate Easter eggs! Nothing at all. I am very grateful for those chocolate Easter eggs but that’s nothing compared to why we really celebrate Easter.
Jesus rose from the dead. It’s scary to think about it. If such power does exist, it must be very big. It crushes the authority of death. It’s overwhelming to consider it. It goes against the very grain of human thought. There are very few things in life that are certain, and one thing that no one escapes is death! Even people who don’t believe in God or people who profess other faiths, all believe in death. I can imagine a sensory overload for anyone who even starts to contemplate the fact that Jesus rose from the dead.
The question that comes up almost immediately is, if Jesus is this power that can defeat death, how could he then have died? The Bible tells us He laid His life down for us. I guess that then begs the question, why? Why would this almighty, powerful being, with the ability to crush death, lay down His life? The answer that must follow is not popular. Jesus died for our sin. He died to reconcile us to God. It was a thoughtful, loving, merciful and generous thing that Jesus did for us. He died to reconcile us to God because our sin had broken that communion we had with God.
It is quite difficult to grasp this idea of sin. In today’s culture, we seek to constantly affirm everyone. We tell people how they are amazing and how they’ve got this or that. We affirm their decisions and lifestyle choices. This really doesn’t work very well. There is a sense of injustice that we feel when someone wrongs us. If we go by the modern standard of affirmation, we’d probably have to consider the person’s culture, whatever trauma they’ve been subjected to and factor in whichever orientation or identity they lean towards as well as some very subjective beliefs they may hold. We find some way to justify and affirm them, to give them reprieve. Yet, this isn’t something we can do when we are wronged. We are aggrieved or indignant when someone treats us wrongly, and it is because there is a sense of right and wrong that we somehow adhere to. If we didn’t, then no one would flinch at some of the wrongs that go on. It wouldn’t matter what serial killers, paedophiles and fraudsters do. It wouldn’t matter if someone yelled at us wrongly or thinks unkindly of us when it isn’t justified. Even if we’ve been overcharged or given poor advice, we feel wronged. The reality is, it does matter when someone wrongs us. It follows then, that it matters that humanity has wronged God. Sin matters.
If sin matters, then there needs to be some consequence. It isn’t necessarily a good thing to be able to ignore a wrong. To imperfect people, turning a blind eye to sin may be doable. We may not always speak or stand up for or against something at the right times. We may be willing to overlook things quite easily because we don’t always want the hassle. It gets tiring doing the right thing, and quite frankly, we don’t really want to be dismissed or cancelled out for trying to address a wrong. We sometimes get a bit judgmental and say it’s a matter of karma. You reap what you sow. Except that you get what you deserve doesn’t work well when you are unjustifiably wronged. For a holy God, this option of ignoring sin is unacceptable. All wrong must be addressed. Therefore, Jesus died for us.
Jesus’ role in this entire series of events is staggering. He is God. He was present at the creation of the world. His glory is inherent. Yet, He emptied Himself of this glory to be born as a human being with the sole purpose of paying the penalty for our sin. It isn’t easy for us to grasp how big this is, simply because we don’t have anything that is inherently glorious and all things that we attach significance to, from which we derive our glory have no inherent glory of their own. In fact, any glory they offer or any significance they pretend to have, is temporary. Think about it. Our careers, homes, looks or body image, relationships, travel destinations, knowledge, lifestyles, etc. are all things that bring us glory. That is why we attach so much significance to them. The list is endless. Yet we know that none of these are permanent. We have so little control over how they pan out and things go wrong so easily. It is hard to imagine what it would’ve been for Jesus, who is inherently glorious, to lay this down and become one of us. He is completely striped of any glory when He is humiliated, beaten, and worse still, He is deserted by close friends. He is then crucified, and as if the pain of losing all significance isn’t enough, it is compounded when He is forsaken by the Father. That is the ultimate break. The pain must have been simply unbelievable. Yet, because of God’s attribute of holiness, sin had to be dealt with. God’s attribute of mercy kicks in, and He takes it upon Himself. All our pain, all our suffering didn’t fall on us, where it rightly belongs, but fell on Jesus.
The story doesn’t end there. Jesus rose. Ahh, but was he dead in the first place? Jesus’ death had been confirmed by Roman centurions. They pierced His side to make sure of it. He died. He was buried. His disciples were shattered. They were afraid and lonely. Sorrow permeated and dark days seemed to lie ahead. A visit to the grave three days later, threw everyone into further confusion. Jesus’ body wasn’t there. Mary and the other disciples wondered if His body had been stolen. A new trauma faced them. Where was Jesus’ body? The cloth used to wrap his body in was folded tidily. An angel declared that Jesus was risen! No one knew what hit them. There were no immediate shouts of joy or celebration. They still didn’t know. They didn’t fully understand. It was only when the Holy Spirit, the promised comforter, who would teach them all things came, that they could well and truly appreciate what had happened. How that strikes me.
Why does it strike me, you ask? I guess it just goes to my love of celebrating things. I love celebrating birthdays, success, and any sort of good news. Easter is great news! It’s the best news possible. We derive joy from many things, such as relationships, work, recognition, etc. Again, it’s another endless list. However, these joys are short lived. They are circumstantial. People pass away or leave us. Work situations can be frustrating. We don’t’ always get the recognition we crave. Circumstances change. How different it is from the joy a believer gets from the good news of Easter.
What is this joy that Easter gives a believer? It is reconciliation with God, through the death and resurrection of Jesus. That is something that is perfected. It is done. It’s not going away. It’s not a circumstance. It’s fact. Thanks to the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes to scripture, we know that Jesus is our advocate with the Father. He demands justice for us, and He gets it because He paid our penalty under the law. Clothed in His righteousness, we are free from the web of sin. We will see this certain promise play out when He comes again. Right now, we still have struggles with sin. We fall and fall again. Our imperfections hurt us and hurt those around us. We are constantly struggling against sin. It’s not easy. The world is so full of sorrow and troubles. Yet, we have the guarantee of Jesus’ promise, through the Spirit. He reminds us, instructs us, and enlightens our hearts. He convicts us of our sins and focuses us on the joy we have in Christ. Though we have pain from our circumstances, our souls know joy because of the resurrected Christ. That is well and truly something for us to celebrate!
I know that any celebration I have planned pales in comparison to heaven’s glories. Yet, with all my heart and soul, I want to joy in this moment, as I remember the glory of my risen Lord. He has defeated death so that I can live! How can I not celebrate this?
Grace for the soul 
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