E.A.S.T.E.R.
So Peter and the other follower started going to the tomb. They were both running, but the other follower ran faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down and looked in. He saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter finally reached the tomb and went in. He saw the pieces of linen lying there. He also saw the cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. It was folded up and laid in a different place from the pieces of linen. Then the other follower went in—the one who had reached the tomb first. He saw what had happened and believed. (These followers did not yet understand from the Scriptures that Jesus must rise from death.) (John 20:4-9)
Easter. A celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and an opportunity to give praise to God who moved the stone that day. And God still does. But what does Easter stand for? In a universe of possible answers, let me share six (6) of my favorites.
First, Easter is the empty tomb that provides hope to a hopeless world. A father and his teenage son were living in Mexico City. They had had an argument one day and the teenage son, Paco, cursed his father, stormed out of the house and didn’t return. Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months and Paco had not returned. The father desperately searched the city over and finally, in desperation, went down to the local newspaper office and took out an advertisement. It said, "Paco, if you read this, I want you to know that all is forgiven. I love you, and I will be waiting for you this Sunday at the entrance to the city park. I hope you show up. Love, Dad." That Sunday morning, 200 Paco’s showed up at the park, all looking for forgiveness.
There are so many people who are searching in this world: searching for forgiveness, for hope and for meaning. And the good news of Easter is that the empty tomb provides that hope to a hopeless world. Matthew 12:20-21 says, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope.” A bruised reed. A smoldering wick. Does that describe you? Bruised by the trials of life; bruised by harsh words, or a friend’s anger, or a spouse’s betrayal, or by your own failure, or the failures of those around you. Or maybe you feel more like a smoldering wick. At one time your passion for God and for life itself was flaming high, but the Santa Ana winds of life have blown in and now you feel like you’re one step away from flaming out.
If it’s any consolation, there are a lot of bruised reeds and smoldering wicks in the Bible: a woman standing before an angry crowd wanting to murder her for her sins; a leper – an outcast – shunned by society; a blind man on the side of the road; a paralytic lying on a stretcher; a woman with a 12 year illness. Bruised reeds and smoldering wicks. The world is quick to break reeds and snuff out wicks. But what did Jesus say? He said, “A bruised reed I will not break, and a smoldering wick I will not snuff out until I lead justice to victory. In my name you will put your hope.” (Id.)
And the great message of Easter is that if Jesus Christ was powerful enough to move the stone and overcome the grave, then he’s powerful enough to move the stones in our lives. The resurrection gives us hope in the face of the world’s unfairness. It gives us strength and courage in every situation. Gary Reading, in his musings on the Civil War, recounts a story about a Union soldier from Ohio who had been shot in the arm during the battle of Shiloh. His captain saw that he was wounded and barked out, "Gimme’ your gun, Private, and get to the rear!" The private handed over his rifle and ran toward the rear, seeking safety. But after going about two or three hundred yards, he came upon another battle. So he ran to the left, and found himself in another part of the battle. He then turned to his right, but encountered more fighting there as well. Finally, he ran back to the front lines shouting, "Gimme back my rifle, Cap’n. There ain’t no rear to this battle nowhere!"
Frankly, when it comes to the troubles of the world and daily life, "there ain’t no rear to this battle nowhere!" And that’s why the Easter story is such good news. The resurrection, which validates every promise Jesus ever made, is the good news that gives hope and light and encouragement when everything else looks bleak.
Easter is also about an angel who invited Jesus’ followers to look. Matthew records that when the women came to the tomb, the first thing the angel did was to invite them inside. He said, “Come and see the place where he lay.” (Matt. 28:8) In other words, “Take a look at the evidence.” And God invites us to do the same. The evidence is there if you investigate: an empty tomb, undisturbed grave cloths, a stone the weight of a mid-sized car that’s been rolled away (up a slope, no less), and over 500 eye witnesses to the resurrected Jesus, most of whom were alive between 53 to 57 A.D. when most scholars believe that Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthian Christians. (See, 1 Cor. 15:3-6)
Consider, too, that the disciples did not go to Rome or Athens to preach of the resurrected Christ. Rather, they went right back to the city of Jerusalem where, if what they were teaching was false, the falsity would have been evident. Paul Althaus states that the resurrection "could have not been maintained in Jerusalem for a single day, for a single hour, if the emptiness of the tomb had not been established as a fact for all concerned." Do you know that if we had each person that witnessed the resurrected Lord talk for just 15 minutes apiece, giving testimony as to what they saw, it would take over 125 hours to hear each of them – for just 15 minutes. That’s a little over 5 days. The evidence shows that he rose again, that the tomb was empty and that the soldiers had no story. In 2 Timothy 1:12, the apostle Paul wrote, "I know WHOM I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him for that day." Note that Paul did not say, "I know WHAT I have believed." Instead, Paul said, "I know WHOM I have believed...."
Easter is also about an empty grave. A little boy, about four years old, was sent one Sunday to his Sunday school class with his offering in hand – the class that Sunday was about “giving.” After class, his dad noticed that he still had his two quarters clenched tightly in his fist and asked, “Why didn’t you give your offering to Jesus in your class?” With all the seriousness a four year old could muster, he said, "Dad, Jesus hardly ever shows up down there." Not many people expected Jesus to show up on that Sunday morning either, and what a surprise his resurrection caused.
Everyone involved was surprised at how Easter turned out. The Soldiers didn’t have an answer, and the Pharisee’s were caught trying to come up with a backup plan. The religious leaders, who thought they had buried the man who had challenged their way of life, were shocked when Sunday morning rolled around and they found the stone was rolled away and Jesus Christ risen – victorious over sin and death. That’s the greatest surprise this world has ever known.
Easter also commands us to tell his story. After the angel invited the surprised women into the tomb, they were told to go and tell the good news to others. The command was given, and yet this is the one that so many of us choose to ignore. Those of us that have searched and satisfied the Jesus question in our own lives are now commanded to go and tell others. And yet we sit quietly by as opportunity after opportunity passes us by. Do you know how most people come to know Jesus? 90 to 95% of all decisions for Christ come after a person has accepted an invitation to attend church – just like the woman at the well that went back to her town and said, “Come and see a man who knows all that I’ve done and yet still loves me.” (John 4:29)
We are all in this mission together. We all play a part. What did the Apostle Paul say? “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” (1 Cor. 3:6) We do it together. And people come to know Jesus because grandparents sow, Christians pray, friends invite, people talk, and greeters greet. And while we’re doing that, God is working in the midst of it all. The Holy Spirit is convicting men and women as circumstances soften their hearts. So, go and invite someone to hear the good news. Better yet, tell them yourself.
Easter is also about excitement. In an old Good Friday Family Circus cartoon, Little Billy and his brother are walking through a store looking at all the Easter eggs and candy on the shelves. Billy says, "This may be Good Friday, but Sunday’s gonna be even gooder!" That may not be the best English, but it’s profound. Early that first Easter morning, the disciples and the women who were the first to find the tomb empty didn’t realize just how much "gooder" Sunday was going to be. And we don’t always see, at least right away, how things are going to turn out. That’s how it was for the disciples on Friday and Saturday. But what a difference a day makes. There are many of us that live in day one: a time of trial and conviction. We’re hit on all sides. It’s here and it’s now. Life is pouring in on us and if you’re there, if you are in the midst of day one, don’t lose hope because what a difference a day makes.
There are probably even more of us living in day two, like the disciples on Saturday. The heat of trial may be over, but now is a time of confusion, frustration and discouragement. Maybe your faith is weak; perhaps the future seems cloudy and the outcome uncertain. If that’s where you are, keep your faith because, again, what a difference a day makes. And all of us are facing day three: a day of victory; a day of good news; a day of renewed hope. And, if you aren’t there now, be sure that it’s coming, because Jesus Christ has won the victory and day three means hope. Day three means a change of fortune. Day three means victory, now or in heaven. Since one day can make a difference, maintain your hope; maintain your faith. Be encouraged and excited about day three. Maybe we’ll see the victory in this life, and that’s all well and good. But all of us as believers in Jesus Christ have a day three coming: a day when we will go to be with him – a great day of victory. We ought to be excited about that.
Easter is also about a resurrected Lord who is living today. Mohammad, Buddha, Confucius and Joseph Smith are still in the grave. Only in Christianity do we find a resurrected Lord. Only faith in Christ is valid, because only Jesus rose from the dead. No other religious leader defeated death, so none other can make those claims. A Sunday school teacher had just finished telling her third graders about how Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb with a great stone sealing the opening. Then, wanting to share the excitement of the resurrection, the teacher asked, "And what do you think were Jesus’ first words when he came bursting out of that tomb alive?" A hand shot up into the air from the rear of the classroom. Leaping out of her chair, the little girl shouted out excitedly "I know, I know, teacher!" "Terrific," said the teacher, "Tell us, what were Jesus’ first words?" Jumping up into the air while extending her arms, she shouted, "TA-DA!"
The resurrected Lord is the central event of our faith. It’s the "TA-DA!" of Christianity. And because of Easter, we know that God, through Christ Jesus, is more powerful than anything in life, even death. The resurrection is not just another thing we believe as Christians; it is the very center of our faith. Everything hinges on the resurrection. In our deepest, darkest moments, when we don’t think it can ever get better, the resurrection gives us hope that it can. When we are in the midst of day one or day two, the resurrection gives us hope that there is a day three, and that victory is coming.
Kay Arthur is a writer and lecturer, and thousands of people have been impacted by the numerous Bible studies put out by Kay. She is now a committed Christian woman, but she wasn’t always that way. Many years ago, when Kay was in her twenties, she was as far away from God as a person could possibly be. She was living with her husband who was a manic depressive. In a word, she got tired of living with him and had an affair with a married man. Her husband eventually found out and became so depressed that he threatened to commit suicide. Upon hearing her husband’s threats, Kay was so crass, so uncaring, that she said, “Go ahead, kill yourself. I can use the life insurance money.” And so, he did. He hung himself.
Kay said that as she drove away from the cemetery after the conclusion of her husband’s funeral, she felt like such a failure as a wife, as a mother and as a person. She felt anger, frustration and pain. And as she drove away that day, she shook her fist at the sky and screamed, "To hell with you God." Kay recounts, "(w)hat I didn’t know until later was that was exactly what he did for me. He gave his life, he went to the very gates of hell. And he did it for me." And you know what? He did it for you and me, too. The title of Kay’s book is, Lord, I Need Grace to Make it Today. And maybe you’re feeling the same way: you need grace and forgiveness and hope. The good news is that you’ll find it in a risen Lord and Savior.
His name is Jesus.
Grace,
Randy
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