It's officially Easter, and I couldn't be more excited, honestly. Easter is one of my favorite times, next to Christmas, and not only because it means time off work. ;) My family has a tradition of getting together on both the holidays and having celebrations of some sort. My grandma almost always makes us a big huge lunch, and I almost always see most of my family, or at the very least hear from them. Then again, that's probably one of the perks of being such a close knit family.
More than that, though, these times of year are deeply spiritual. You'll have people who will remind you that both holidays were adopted from pagan celebrations, but I tend to find I don't much care what those people have to say about my favorite time of year, because to me, they're God centered. As a "church kid" they've always had a strong God focus, and we've gone to church for both. I've grown up hearing the stories over and over again, and for a time, they seemed a bit boring. Having dived into them myself, in recent years, though, I've come to realize they're so much more important than being treated as the same old boring story you've probably heard for years.
For those of you who don't know, the jist of the Easter story is the story of Christ rising from the grave. Good Friday is reserved for his death, but Easter? That's all about his resurrection and the reminder that Jesus Christ is God's son, and that he's preparing a place for us in heaven.
The longer version, however, is so much better. If you're looking to dive into the comprehensive story from four different points of view, you'll have to go through the first four books of the New Testament (though it goes a bit past his ascension in Acts). These four versions can be found in Matthew 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, and John 17-21 (also Acts 1-2).
Today, I'll be focused on Matthew.
Matthew 26 starts the story of Jesus' crucifixion with his reminder to his followers that he will die in three days time. Matthew 27 brings along the brutal beating, the crown of thorns, and the death upon a cross. It proceeds to describe the darkness that covered the land and the veil that was torn upon Jesus' death. It culminates in the burial of Jesus, and the reminder that Christ announced he would return from the dead in three days, at which Pilate had two guards stand at his tomb entrance to guard him, so that his followers didn't try to fake his resurrection.
Matthew 28 is where the Easter story truly takes place. Three days pass with no disturbances at Jesus' tomb. It's sealed and there are guards stationed day and night, in order to deter his followers from stealing his body away.
The third day, his mother, Mary, and Mary Magdalene go to visit the tomb. As soon as they arrive, there's a massive earthquake and angels descend from the heavens to roll back the stone sealing the tomb. The guards become so afraid that Matthew 28:4 says, "they shook and became like dead men."
The angel speaks to the women, he tells them not to be afraid. In a story of victory and grace, he adds, "He is not here. He has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay." They're instructed to go tell the disciples, then go into Galilee where they can find him. Of course, the women run to tell the disciples, and they're greeted by Jesus! They fall to their knees and worship him.
Here is where I have to pause this story, for one simple reason. We've all heard it time and time again. We've all heard about how Jesus rose from the dead and met his followers. But can you imagine being the woman that raised him, and going to your son's tomb only to find an angel sitting on a rock, telling you he's alive? Can you even fathom what you would feel to be stopped by him in the middle of the road? Just take a moment to think about that. You just saw him die, three days ago, on a cross after being brutally beaten. And now he's standing here before you glowing with the light of the Lord. You run over and fall at his feet, and he's real. Just think about the thoughts that must have been going through Mary's mind at this point.
Unpause. So Jesus stops them and he tells them, "Do not be afraid." (I'd probably still be a little terrified.) They worship at his feet, and he urges them to go tell his disciples to meet him in Galilee.
So they run off and tell the disciples. While they're on their way, these paralyzed-in-fear-guards finally regain themselves, apparently, because Matthew 28:11 tells us that they ran into the city to tell the chief priests everything. The chief priests meet with elders, and they come up with this "brilliant" plan. They pay the guards, and in return, the guards tell everyone that the disciples came during the night and "stole them away while we were sleeping," because that's obviously brilliant.
Back on track with the disciples, though. Mary, Jesus' mother, and Mary Magdalene get word to the disciples, and they go on to Galilee. They meet him on a mountain, and some of them doubt that he's really Jesus, that he really has risen from the grave. So he goes to them and he shows them the wounds in his hands, and he makes believers out of them. (Again, can you imagine being selected to bear witness to this amazing event?!)
After he makes believers of the doubters in their ranks, he gives them one last command from God, and one final promise from him. Jesus tells them, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Jesus doesn't just show up and make himself known. He doesn't go all through the world and show everyone that he's risen from the dead, and he doesn't force the unbelievers to believe in him. He tasks his followers with spreading the word. He pushes them all to go out and share his word with all the nations.
But he's not all business in his final statement. Jesus doesn't just leave his friends, his family, his people with a final command. He promises them all that no matter what, he's always with them. And to me, that's the beauty of the resurrection story. There's hope and joy and a miracle in his resurrection, but there's reassurance and strength and comfort in his final goodbye. He'll always be with us. He's always at our side, and he's always there for us to call on. All we have to do is close our eyes and let his love wash over us. He promises us not only that he's with us in our living days, but that he'll be with us even to the end of the age.
So when you go on your egg hunts, and you're opening your baskets. When you're eating Easter breakfast and sharing in fellowship with your family. Whether you go to the sunrise service or just the normal Sunday morning church service, do it all for him. Remember that he's not dead. God is alive. Jesus is alive, and he's living in us. He's with us always. There's no doubting that.
More than that, though, these times of year are deeply spiritual. You'll have people who will remind you that both holidays were adopted from pagan celebrations, but I tend to find I don't much care what those people have to say about my favorite time of year, because to me, they're God centered. As a "church kid" they've always had a strong God focus, and we've gone to church for both. I've grown up hearing the stories over and over again, and for a time, they seemed a bit boring. Having dived into them myself, in recent years, though, I've come to realize they're so much more important than being treated as the same old boring story you've probably heard for years.
For those of you who don't know, the jist of the Easter story is the story of Christ rising from the grave. Good Friday is reserved for his death, but Easter? That's all about his resurrection and the reminder that Jesus Christ is God's son, and that he's preparing a place for us in heaven.
The longer version, however, is so much better. If you're looking to dive into the comprehensive story from four different points of view, you'll have to go through the first four books of the New Testament (though it goes a bit past his ascension in Acts). These four versions can be found in Matthew 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, and John 17-21 (also Acts 1-2).
Today, I'll be focused on Matthew.
Matthew 26 starts the story of Jesus' crucifixion with his reminder to his followers that he will die in three days time. Matthew 27 brings along the brutal beating, the crown of thorns, and the death upon a cross. It proceeds to describe the darkness that covered the land and the veil that was torn upon Jesus' death. It culminates in the burial of Jesus, and the reminder that Christ announced he would return from the dead in three days, at which Pilate had two guards stand at his tomb entrance to guard him, so that his followers didn't try to fake his resurrection.
Matthew 28 is where the Easter story truly takes place. Three days pass with no disturbances at Jesus' tomb. It's sealed and there are guards stationed day and night, in order to deter his followers from stealing his body away.
The third day, his mother, Mary, and Mary Magdalene go to visit the tomb. As soon as they arrive, there's a massive earthquake and angels descend from the heavens to roll back the stone sealing the tomb. The guards become so afraid that Matthew 28:4 says, "they shook and became like dead men."
The angel speaks to the women, he tells them not to be afraid. In a story of victory and grace, he adds, "He is not here. He has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay." They're instructed to go tell the disciples, then go into Galilee where they can find him. Of course, the women run to tell the disciples, and they're greeted by Jesus! They fall to their knees and worship him.
Here is where I have to pause this story, for one simple reason. We've all heard it time and time again. We've all heard about how Jesus rose from the dead and met his followers. But can you imagine being the woman that raised him, and going to your son's tomb only to find an angel sitting on a rock, telling you he's alive? Can you even fathom what you would feel to be stopped by him in the middle of the road? Just take a moment to think about that. You just saw him die, three days ago, on a cross after being brutally beaten. And now he's standing here before you glowing with the light of the Lord. You run over and fall at his feet, and he's real. Just think about the thoughts that must have been going through Mary's mind at this point.
Unpause. So Jesus stops them and he tells them, "Do not be afraid." (I'd probably still be a little terrified.) They worship at his feet, and he urges them to go tell his disciples to meet him in Galilee.
So they run off and tell the disciples. While they're on their way, these paralyzed-in-fear-guards finally regain themselves, apparently, because Matthew 28:11 tells us that they ran into the city to tell the chief priests everything. The chief priests meet with elders, and they come up with this "brilliant" plan. They pay the guards, and in return, the guards tell everyone that the disciples came during the night and "stole them away while we were sleeping," because that's obviously brilliant.
Back on track with the disciples, though. Mary, Jesus' mother, and Mary Magdalene get word to the disciples, and they go on to Galilee. They meet him on a mountain, and some of them doubt that he's really Jesus, that he really has risen from the grave. So he goes to them and he shows them the wounds in his hands, and he makes believers out of them. (Again, can you imagine being selected to bear witness to this amazing event?!)
After he makes believers of the doubters in their ranks, he gives them one last command from God, and one final promise from him. Jesus tells them, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Jesus doesn't just show up and make himself known. He doesn't go all through the world and show everyone that he's risen from the dead, and he doesn't force the unbelievers to believe in him. He tasks his followers with spreading the word. He pushes them all to go out and share his word with all the nations.
But he's not all business in his final statement. Jesus doesn't just leave his friends, his family, his people with a final command. He promises them all that no matter what, he's always with them. And to me, that's the beauty of the resurrection story. There's hope and joy and a miracle in his resurrection, but there's reassurance and strength and comfort in his final goodbye. He'll always be with us. He's always at our side, and he's always there for us to call on. All we have to do is close our eyes and let his love wash over us. He promises us not only that he's with us in our living days, but that he'll be with us even to the end of the age.
So when you go on your egg hunts, and you're opening your baskets. When you're eating Easter breakfast and sharing in fellowship with your family. Whether you go to the sunrise service or just the normal Sunday morning church service, do it all for him. Remember that he's not dead. God is alive. Jesus is alive, and he's living in us. He's with us always. There's no doubting that.