EASTER SUNDAY

As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.”
Mark 16:5

The Easter I grew up with was about baskets filled with plastic grass, colored eggs, and candy. It was a happy holiday, with pastel colored eggs hidden and found and pretty new dresses for all the girls in the family. Baby chickens and prolific rabbits reminded us that life contains the hope of new beginnings. After I became a Christian and began to go to church I saw that the ugly cross of Good Friday was always covered with flowers by Easter morning and fragrant lilies decorated the front of the church. Everything was beautiful.

In addition to Easter I knew that Good Friday had happened a couple of days before Easter, but it really wasn’t emphasized, and I didn’t go to a Good Friday church service until I was well into middle age.  At that service the horrific events that resulted in the death of Jesus were emphasized. We sat in the dark and heard the story of religious leaders who betrayed one of their own to preserve the status quo, which included their own prominent positions and ideas. It included the willingness of those leaders to collaborate with a corrupt civil government to secure the death of an innocent man. It included a bloodthirsty mob which turned on a man who had miraculously provided food and healing from disease for them and their families and friends. It included friends of Jesus who abandoned him in his time of great need because they were terrified of their officials.

I don’t think I ever heard anything about the very dark time between Good Friday and Easter. But a dark time it was. It was a time of regret for personal failure, disappointment in things hoped for, great sorrow for the loss of someone deeply loved, confusion, and intense fear of corrupt and vicious governments, both religious and secular.

The most famous example of personal failure was, of course, Judas selling out Jesus for money, then, in remorse, killing himself.  There was Peter’s denial of even knowing Jesus, shortly after bragging that he loved him more than anyone else did. Those were the biggest examples, but there was plenty of guilt to go around. None of Jesus’s friends could stay awake and pray, even though he had asked them to do so and he was obviously highly distressed. Then all his followers abandoned him when they were faced with danger. Peter had to confront his failure when Jesus’s prophecy about his betrayal of Jesus became true. It was a hard thing to face about himself and he wept bitterly.

There were many tears shed.  Mary Magdalene and others went to the tomb of Jesus at the first opportunity, around sunrise the day after the Sabbath, to see that his body was properly cared for. But it wasn’t there. The tears began again at what seemed an additional indignity to the one they loved; someone had stolen the body. They had no idea what had happened to him.

We can hear disappointment in the words of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.  When asked what they were talking about they told their companion about Jesus, who was “a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God” whom they had hoped “was the one who was going to redeem Israel.”  Thomas was obviously greatly disappointed after the death of Jesus.  He declared he would not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead, as some were telling him, unless certain impossible criteria were met. His attitude seemed to be “Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice — not gonna happen.”

It is interesting that there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of disappointment in the Pharisees, who were the religious leaders of the people. It seems that everyone knew how corrupt they were. High moral conduct was not expected from them. Fear of them is mentioned, but not disappointment with their behavior even though they sent an innocent man to his death, paid to cover up their crime, and collaborated with the enemies of their people to get what they wanted. However, their power was still feared. All that happened between the crucifixion and Easter. After the murder of Jesus those who were close to him stayed behind locked doors “for fear of the Jews” (the Jewish leaders). A week after the resurrection they were still meeting behind locked doors.

Even after Jesus’s followers became convinced of his resurrection, there seemed to be confusion. He would appear among them, then disappear. They still didn’t know what the future held for them. Once, during that time of uncertainty, Peter reverted to the habits of his former life. “I’m going fishing”, he said. The others responded, “We’ll go with you.” And they did. And they caught nothing.  They caught nothing until the Lord Himself stepped into the situation, and then the boat began to sink from the large catch of fish.

There was no more confusion.  “It is the Lord”, John said, and Peter was so excited at this return of the one he knew and loved that he jumped overboard to swim to shore, leaving his friends to cope with the boat and the fish. Jesus was waiting for them on the shore. He had prepared breakfast for everyone. Everything was restored. The confusion was gone. Clarity was given to them about what they were to do, so much so that, later in life, even in prison, they sang songs of joy.

What does this say to us about Easter and our celebration of it? We know that life is still full of troubling circumstances and that many in this world live in danger. We know that the Lord still loves us and comes looking for us and provides for our needs, as he did at the seashore so long ago. That is reason for celebration.

As I’m writing this, egg dye is sitting on the kitchen counter, waiting to turn boiled eggs into things of beauty and cheer. A couple of baskets have been chosen to hold them, the plastic grass, the chocolate eggs and jelly beans that will make centerpieces for the long table where guests and family will congregate after church. On Easter we will remember what Jesus has done, and continues to do, for us. We will remember with joy that He is risen. He is risen indeed.