“But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay.’” -Matt. 28:5-6
What is the first thing that you picture when you think of Easter? If you are like me, you were introduced to the fanfare before you came to understand the significance. Perhaps your earliest memory is dyeing eggs and eating marshmallow peeps. Maybe you remember sitting in a Sunday church service and the phrase “He has risen indeed!” quickly became commonplace and mundane.
Why do you think it is so easy to lose sight of Easter’s significance?
There is a curious interaction in the Gospel account of Matthew. In Matthew 28 an angel communicates the death-defying power of God to a few of Jesus’ female disciples. The women are simultaneously overcome with fear and joy. (This is not the strange interaction.) Sandwiched in between this story and The Great Commission of Jesus, we read of how the Chief Priests and the guards who were employed to patrol Jesus’ gravesite responded to the absence of His body.
In Matthew 28:11-15 we learn that the Jewish leaders that wanted to eradicate this problem named Jesus paid the guards to fabricate and perpetuate a lie: “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’” As the passage goes on to explain, the guards took the bribe and parroted the story of the religious leaders, and it spread like wildfire. This was a bald-faced lie to cover the back sides of the guards and the authority of the power-hungry, threatened religious leaders.
The Jewish leaders were well aware of the significance of this event. The elders actually met together and decided what to do about this scenario. It does not say that they deliberated over whether Jesus’ empty tomb was from God or a result of Jesus’ renegade disciples… instead, they simply tried to cover it up.
I have a two-year-old son, Micah, who has become pretty mischievous in the last couple of months. Micah knows that if he gets caught disobeying or hurting his one-year-old brother there will be consequences. He has learned to employ it carefully, but Micah will occasionally try to lie about something naughty that He has done, like sitting on top of His baby brother’s head. Do you know why my toddler lies? He does not want to deal with the inevitable consequences of the truth! He will distract by trying to tell another story. He will run and hide. He will justify his actions.
The religious leaders of the day were no different from my toddler, and oftentimes many of us are the same.
It is a wonderful thing for us to join together with family and celebrate. There is nothing spiritually wrong with eating marshmallow peeps (although there are negative physical results if you eat too many). Dyeing eggs and wearing pastel colors is not evil either.
Let me ask you again, why do you think it is so easy to lose sight of Easter’s significance?
I think many of us are scared to slow down long enough to realize what Jesus’ resurrection means. If Jesus rose from the dead, then it changes everything! It means He deserves everything. It means that my dependence upon things other than God must be demoted to their rightful location.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had every reason to cover up His resurrection because it would put them out of business. It would mean that they were wrong and they needed to change.
Satan has every reason to level accusations at the reality of Jesus’ resurrection because it shows his utter and humiliating defeat. It would mean that anyone who learns the truth would be freed from his influence.
Our flesh has every reason to distract from the reality of Jesus’ resurrection because it would mean that our desires need to submit to the authority of His commands and pleas. It would mean that He is the rightful King and we are called to serve Him.
We, however, as Christians, have every right to revel in Jesus’ resurrection because it proves our freedom. If Jesus rose, we will rise. If Jesus moved that stone, His death has been enough to substitute for mine.
Don’t fall into the trap of walking through the motions this Easter. Slow down long enough to reflect on the fact that Jesus’ opponents felt the need to cover-up His resurrection. Stop and think about the necessity of Jesus’ physical resurrection for you to have hope in Him (see 1 Cor. 15:14). Stop long enough to give Jesus thanks for doing the impossible, and doing it for you!