With Easter weekend upon us, I thought it appropriate to take a break from the weekly political news to contemplate the meaning of Easter.
Palm Sunday
Luke 18:31-34, Then he took the Twelve aside and told them, “See we are going up to Jerusalem. Everything that is written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For he will be handed over to the Gentiles, and he will be mocked, insulted, spit on; and after they flog him, they will kill him, and he will rise on the third day.” They understood none of these things. The meaning of the saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.
Before entering Jerusalem, Jesus told his followers that he would be put to death and would rise again. As he entered the city, Jesus knew what was awaiting him. But the disciples and those in the crowd could not fathom the depth and scope of the salvation that Jesus had been saying he would bring all along. To the crowds, their minds were so focused on the narrow view of their moment in history that there was simply no room to grasp the idea of eternal salvation. The excitement and praise they felt upon Jesus’ arrival into Jerusalem was fueled by a relatively insignificant hope that God would grant their wishes in their time and manner. No thought was given to what Jesus had previously taught, to surrender one’s will to the Father’s.
Two thousand years later, as we read and hear the story again, we are faced with the same questions that faced the crowds on Palm Sunday. Do we expect the Father to deliver our wishes for our conceptions of justice and salvation? Or do we surrender our own wants and desires willingly to the will of the Father? What are the consequences of such a surrender? What are the consequences of not surrendering? Are our hearts in line with the Father’s will? Or do we attempt in vain to bend the Father’s will to our own hearts’ desires?
Good Friday
Luke 22:41-44, Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me – nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” Then an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him. Being in anguish, he prayed more fervently, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.
The terrible consequences of surrendering to the Father’s will came with crushing brutality on the Friday after the triumphal entry of Palm Sunday. In his anticipation of the suffering and death he was to endure, Jesus demonstrates his full humanity. The terror of and the desire to be free from suffering is on full display. Yet in the midst of his anguish, he doesn’t run from the Father but becomes more ardent in his cries to the Father. Jesus knew what surrendering to the Father would mean for him. But he also knew what it would mean for you.
Luke 23:44-46, It was about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three, because the sun’s light failed. The curtain of the sanctuary was split down the middle. And Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.” Saying this, he breathed his last.
Easter Sunday
Luke 24:1-8, On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes. So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground. “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” asked the men. “He is not here, but he has risen! Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, saying, ‘It is necessary that the Son of Man be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day’?” And they remembered his words.”
The story did not end on Friday. If it did, pain, suffering, and death would have no meaning. The Father raised the Son up from the dead and the new life given to the Son is promised to all who ask for it.
Pain, suffering, and death are inevitable. Those reading this may be recalling a time of suffering, or are presently enduring pain, and we all will suffer in the future. There is no sense in trying to avoid this reality. But what we are assured is that pain and suffering is not the end of the story. After all, what is a finite moment of suffering compared to eternity? Consider these words from the apostle Paul.
Romans 8:18, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.
Romans 10:9-13, If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with mouth, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Colossians 1:27, God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
This is not meant to flippantly dismiss the pain that is endured in this life. We see Jesus himself sweating blood over the anticipation of suffering. Nor in a political context is this an argument meant to belittle the importance of good governance and the actions made by nations and its citizens. Quite the contrary. What we do and say here matters since this is the time and place that the Father has willed. But what we always ought to remember is that despite all the sufferings that are to be endured, there is a hope of glory that we hold on to. Next week, news stories will break to describe more instances of suffering. That is generally what news is these days, reports of suffering. But we need not be consumed by the frustrations or agonies of the present day. We have victory through Christ because He has risen!