Day 54 - Easter is Over for Another Year, did we learn anything?

The question here is, “Is Easter ever over?” The answer is “NO!”

Luke 24:11 says that, following Jesus’ women disciples finding His tomb to be empty, they went to the apostles to tell them, the apostles ‘did not believe the women, because it sounded like nonsense’.

That’s the mystery that it never going to be over. Of course, it sounds like nonsense that a sealed tomb should have yielded its contents. Nonsense that a three-day dead corpse which had been grotesquely tortured should be replaced by shining beings that inspired awe. Foolish to believe that the tomb’s initial occupant should have told His friends that He would rise from the dead. Idiotic that the people to see the evidence of the defeat of death should be merely humble women.

The mystery is that what the apostles began in terming ‘nonsense’ is the very truth upon which our whole faith depends.

Why is it that so many of the multitudes of humans currently populating the planet also think it nonsense? Why even many churchgoers don’t accept that ‘you can’t kill God’.

Then, why is it that the original believers, parties to the resurrection, were just some lowly women who wanted to try to put preservative herbs around Jesus’ body.

The answer is that, although everything else that we know about dies and decays, love does not. The women visiting the tomb saw through the facts of crucifixion and entombment, and instead they were able to perceive truth. That is because they loved Jesus and so were able to see Him become Christ.

Many of us are more like the apostles, understanding somewhat of the wisdom of Jesus’ life and works but becoming sceptical about physical resurrection. That is why Easter is never over; part of our pilgrimage will be a frequent return to doubt. The apostles did that too.

Earlier in Luke’s account, 18:15-17, we hear Jesus telling us that we need to approach God as small children would. With simple acceptance rather than worldly wisdom.

Death is no longer an enemy; of all of the world’s pleasures, only one will not decay. Love owes no debt to death, that’s why we are saved.

1 John 4:7-21 explains this in detail. Verse 16b says “God is love. Those who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.”

Jesus lived in love and inspired the likes of Mary Magdelene and Joanna to be able to grasp that ‘you can’t kill God’. Because of that living in love, the apostles came to be able to see the truth too. The apostolic church grew rapidly from that. Paul helped to spread the truth far and wide, he understood the nature of true love, famously in 1 Corinthians 13. The message continued until it reached us in our world which is largely full of people who believe that the empty tomb is ‘nonsense’.

Churches distracted by worldly pursuits really hamper the continued spread of the Truth. Live in Love. Know for yourself that you can’t kill God. Easter really is never, ever over.

John Cartwright