So what exactly happened on that first Easter Sunday morning?
You know if we’re honest with ourselves we can’t be sure about the details.
If we turn to the Bible the 4 gospel writers don’t agree:
Was there one woman who found the tomb empty (John), two (Matthew) or 3 (Mark)?
Was there a young man (Mark), two men (Luke) or an angel (Matthew)?
Did Jesus appear outside the tomb (Matthew and John) or not (Mark and Luke)?
And what of the nature of the risen Jesus? That’s a mystery too.
He was clearly of a physical nature – Thomas could put his hand into Jesus’ side; (John 20:27), he could eat a meal (Luke 24:30) – but he could also enter a locked room (John 20:26) and walk for miles alongside his followers without being recognised (Luke 24:16).
But the tomb was empty.
If you are reading this today you are probably, like me, convinced that something unprecedented and extraordinary happened on that day many centuries ago – something we know as the Resurrection. What persuades me more than anything are the consequences of the events of that day in convincing the disciples that they needed to share what they had experienced with the world, despite the risks to themselves.
We may never fully understand the Resurrection, but that is entirely reasonable in light of its world-shattering impact. Mystery is OK.
However I think it is self-evident that not believing in the Resurrection is also an entirely understandable position for a person to come to. Does this mean that such a person is lost? Is belief in the Resurrection a pre-requisite for getting to know Jesus? An obstacle that must be jumped over before they can engage with the Gospel?
I don’t think so.
To me what’s much more important than beliefs about Jesus is belief in him. Belief that his message of love, of putting the outsider at the heart of things, of living our lives to make this world a better place for all those we share it with is a message for absolutely everyone whatever their position on matters of theological doctrine. That’s what matters to me.
So while we rightly celebrate the Easter story and the stone that was rolled away to let Jesus out of the tomb let’s not replace it with another one that prevents people from coming in to join us.
Mark Taylor
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