2
0
It doesn’t seem possible that Easter is right around the corner. 2024 is flying by as spring has sprung, even as the last bits of cold try and hang on a little longer. With the celebration of Easter fast approaching, I feel that has to be the topic of this blog. However, not in the conventional sense.
Most of us will find ourselves in a church service over the weekend. Easter is one of the big two, after all. Christ’s death and resurrection will be praised and celebrated as it should. I just wonder if we have forgotten other portions of the miracle that should never be lost. We dress up, go to church, sing, listen to the Easter story, and head to Grandma’s house for ham and a traditional egg hunt.
There is nothing wrong with that. Easter should be spent with family celebrating Jesus’ ressurection. However, there are pieces we just don’t typically go over on that Sunday in March or April that should never be forgotten.
MOUTH-GAPING AWE
I love movies and TV. I know that it is often a waste of time, but I admit it is a guilty pleasure. My brother Josh and I love to talk about those shows with crazy twists and turns that catch you off guard. Money Heist is one of our favorites, and it is laced with those types of moments. Those moments that leave you staring at the screen in awe. Jesus’ resurrection should leave us mouth open, gaping in awe whenever we think about it, but does it? For many we find more awe in what Jamie did to the Duttons on Yellowstone than we do for what Jesus did for all of us.
For his disciples, it shouldn’t have had this shock effect. He told them He would rise. However, they still didn’t see it coming and were left in total shock and amazement. For us, we have heard it forever, and I believe many of us take the amazement for granted. JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD! How many others you know have done that? Think about this for a minute.
If you’ve ever seen The Passion of the Christ, you have had a chance to view the brutality that Jesus went through. His body was mangled and broken before He breathed His last breath. He was crucified and placed in a tomb. Gone for three days, yet He came back!
This is the awe moment! This is a twist and turn that left nature on its head. Yet we seem to often just gloss over it. They used to say that those moments on TV we didn’t see coming caused water cooler chats at work the next day. Jesus’ resurrection is the water cooler of all water cooler moments, and we should be awestruck by it every time we think of it!
GUT-WRENCHING EMOTION
This has really been on my mind as of late. I think it is because Pam and I are finally watching The Chosen. Everyone was right; this is a great show. In watching this show, I believe I have a better understanding than I ever have had before of Christ’s humanity. I’ve heard since I was a little kid that Jesus was fully human and fully God. But until watching this show I don’t think I grasped the fully human aspect.
Something that comes along with being human is our emotions. At times they can absolutely devastate us. This is what we can’t forget about Jesus. He went through every emotion that we do. He wasn’t spared these because He was also God. Often on Good Friday we focus on the physical pain Jesus went through and oh my, it was massive, but what about the emotional pain heaped on top?
Jesus was betrayed by His friends. Not just Judas, but all of His friends scattered and pretended not to know Him. I know people who have been betrayed years and years ago, and it still affects them to this day. How about humiliation? Think about a time you’ve been embarrassed. How you want to crawl in a hole and hide. I know I’ve been there more times than I want to admit. Jesus was stripped, He was spit on and mocked. I can’t even imagine a greater embarrassment, a greater humiliation, a greater shame. Jesus went through every painful, gut-wrenching emotion any individual can have.
This is something we can never forget. Not just because it adds to the sacrifice He made, but because it draws us even closer to Him. When you’re curled up in your bed not knowing how you are ever going to get past that betrayal, embarrassment, gossip, or whatever, you know your Lord has been there, He has walked that mile. A mile that draws Him near to us; a mile we can never forget.
KNOWFUL WILLINGNESS
Now I know “willingly” is a word that gets thrown around when talking about Easter. However, there just isn’t enough onus put on it. At this time, we are often reminded of the prophecy in Isaiah that talks of Him being led like a lamb to the slaughter. I get the metaphor of innocence here. I get the symbolic nature of the old ways and sacrifice. But what I think some of us forget is that lambs have no concept of what is happening. Jesus did!
As He sat on that donkey coming into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He wept. There is that emotion again. This time the emotion was because He knew what was coming and knew those around Him didn’t get it. As He prayed in the garden, He had drops of blood sweat from His pores. Yet even in that anguish, He said to His Father, “Your will be done.” Did He want to go through this? No, who would?
He could have called down a thousand angels at any time to wipe out those who came against Him. Would any of us pass up that chance to not only save ourselves, but to exact revenge? The point of this is that although Jesus KNEW all of these things, He still went through every bit of it for us. If you have ever questioned whether Jesus loves you, remember this part of the story. How much love does it take to willingly go through the physical and emotional agony He went through?
I hope your Easter is filled with joy and plenty of time spent with family and friends. As you celebrate, I hope you take a second to remember these three things as well. Until next time….
