So it's Easter... (Part 3)

So… Jesus is dead. Like I said, if He was a fictional character, He was not a super great one. He was not a political super hero. He was a radical. Jesus was the most out of the box thinker that has ever existed in time and space. He went to the cross and the world was plunged into darkness. His mother, the Twelve and his followers were distressed, to put it mildly. Imagine having the rock of your life brutally surrender His life in a very public setting… it is beyond the scope of my imagination, truthfully. I can only realize how truly hopeless and afraid they must have felt. So afraid, in fact, that the disciples hid in a house, worried that they were pegged as the next victims of the Pharisees. Joseph of Arimathea, wishing to give Jesus a proper burial, petitioned to have his body removed from the cross and placed in his family tomb. He wrapped his body in linens and rolled a stone over the opening of the tomb, sealing the Savior inside, dead.

Day 1: Many were in mourning. The religious leaders continued to plot, thinking that Christ’s followers may stage a rebellion to overthrow them. They moved to have Roman guards placed outside of his tomb to “prevent anyone from stealing the body.” Um, okay? Seems like a pretty flimsy excuse… and why are they afraid of a dead guy anyway? Unless… Day 2: 24/7 Roman guards outside the tomb. Disciples still hidden, afraid and hopeless. Would they be next? The Pharisees are starting to breathe a little easier. If Jesus was the Messiah, He would have come back by now. He must have just been a normal man. We have nothing to worry about. But maybe we do… Day 3: The Pharisees are finally relaxed. He’s really dead. There’s no one getting past the guards, after all. All his followers are in hiding, still, afraid to even be seen on the streets. Jerusalem is quiet. Still trying to process what they saw a couple of days ago. Jesus, crying out on the cross, asking God to forgive those who had beaten him, offering the man on the cross next to him a place in heaven, crying out to the Father.. Followed by an earthquake and utter darkness. The veil in the temple, separating the outer and inner courts, had ripped from top to bottom...

And Mary Magdalene went to the grave, wishing to give her Lord the proper burial treatments according to their customs. Jesus’ mother, Mary, and Salome, went with her - all overcoming fear to offer their last act of worship and love to Jesus. As they walked, they looked at each other and murmured quietly, “Who will roll the stone away once we get there?” But they walked on anyway, feeling the tug to offer this last service. Once they arrived, they saw the stone had been rolled away and a young man, dressed in white, was near the entrance. The women all begin to wonder - where was Jesus’ body? When the young man spoke, He said, “Jesus is no longer here, for He is RISEN! Go tell his disciples that He is doing just as he said.” Long story short - no one believed He was risen until they saw Him for themselves. Thomas the Doubter (kind of an unfair title in my opinion) didn’t believe until he had touched the holes from the nails in His hands. With His death and resurrection, Christ conquered sin and death. We no longer have to fear separation from Him eternally - He has made a pathway for us to be redeemed! It’s His free gift. Read this story for yourself in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Let it fall on fresh ears for you this Easter. Be captivated by the beauty of Jesus, the Redeemer. He is for you, and so am I. If the family of God has never seemed inviting to you before, I am sorry. That grieves me deeply. I urge you to get to know my Jesus, who was gentle as a lamb, and fierce as a lion, who loved people deeply, who changed water into wine, raised the dead to life, and surrendered Himself so that we could be saved. Give Him your time - you won’t regret it. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.” Mark 16:6 Reflection Questions: What is your view of Jesus? Would you have helped roll the stone away? Which disciple would you have been?