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Printer Friendly VersionThere are a lot of misunderstandings about Easter! I’m
not sure if that could be more apparent these days than simply entering a
grocery store and seeing the stacks and shelves of chocolate bunnies and multi-colored
jellybeans.
There have always been misunderstandings about Easter.
My wife and I were watching television not too long ago and
they showed a clip from Art Linkletter’s show where he asked children
questions. They often gave their own unique and humorous answers. On this
particular clip, he was asking them about their favorite Bible stories. One
little boy had all the details. His favorite story was the story of Jesus’
resurrection. He said that Jesus had been hung on a cross. He had died. He
was buried in a cave. He was in there for three days.
I mean he had the story down. He knew all the right words like
“crucifixion” and “resurrection.” And then he said that
on the third day, Jesus rose up from the dead and came out of the tomb . .
. but when he saw his shadow . . . he went back inside!
Somewhere the story of Easter had gotten crossed with Groundhog’s Day.
That’s a misunderstanding of Easter. It’s not hard
to see. But, there are some other misunderstandings about Easter that are
rather sinister. They’re more difficult to detect. They sometimes are
simply assumptions that are never questioned. And I want to address four of
those misunderstandings about Easter and look at them through the “lens”
of this story.
The first misunderstanding is this: “Easter can be proven!”
One of the most fascinating things about the Scripture and its
account of these last days of the life of Jesus on earth is that there is
no description . . . no account of the actual resurrection of Christ!
Now, there are lengthy descriptions of his trial.
There are long descriptions of his death on the cross.
There are even significant details given about his burial.
But, not a single gospel gives us a description of the resurrection!
None of them tell us exactly what happened when Christ was raised from death
to life. None of them!
The gospel of John is a perfect example. We began reading in
verse one of chapter twenty. If John was going to give us an account of the
resurrection it would happen between the end of chapter nineteen where Jesus
has been laid in the tomb . . .and the beginning of chapter twenty where .
. . by the time Mary gets to the tomb . . . Jesus is already risen!
End of chapter nineteen, he’s in the tomb.
Beginning of chapter twenty, he’s alive and walking around
the garden.
There is no account of the moment of resurrection . . .the moment when God the
Father breathed new life into Jesus the Son!
It cannot be proven! I hope that doesn’t disappoint you
this morning. That hasn’t been my intention. I simply want to dispel
the misunderstanding that many folks have that the resurrection of Christ
can be proven!
But, I want to quickly move to the next misunderstanding about
Easter and that is that “it must be proven.”
Neither is that true.
If Easter . . . if the resurrection of Christ must be proven,
then there is no room for faith! If Christ being raised from the dead must
be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, then Christianity becomes a religion
of merely cause and effect . . . and pure logic . . . and ultimate reason
. . . and utter rationalism. And that’s not faith!
That’s not confession.
That’s not trust!
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a God that
is bound by the rules of logic. I don’t want a Savior that is limited
to what is reasonable and explainable and humanly understandable. I want a
God who can break the chains of death. I want a God who can make old things
new again. I want a Savior who can touch blinded eyes and speak peace to raging
storms. I want a Christ who can bring comfort into the most miserable situations
imaginable.
I need a God who is beyond what’s logical . . . and above
what’s rational.
Don’t you?
I mean, I’m not going to give myself . . .and entrust my
life . . .and exercise my faith . . . in something that can be put down on
paper. . 1, 2, 3. . . in some utterly logical way.
I want a God who can speak worlds into existence . . .and can speak to me!
I want a God who flung stars into space . . . and yet knows
my name.
I need a God who was before time began . . . but stepped into
time . . . and hung on a cross . . . to reveal his love and forgive my sin.
That’s not rational. That doesn’t make a whole lot
of sense. That’s why . . .to be Christian . . . we must be people of
faith and trust!
When the beloved disciple got to the tomb, the Scripture tells
us that after Peter went inside, he too went in . . .and at the end of verse
8, it says: “He saw and believed.”
He didn’t see Christ.
He didn’t see the Risen Lord.
What he saw was an empty tomb and empty grave clothes. That’s
what he saw. Christ wasn’t there . . . in front of him . . . in the flesh.
Just like he’s not here . . . in front of us . . .in the flesh . . .
today.
But the beloved disciple believed.
There is a misunderstanding these days that the resurrection
must be proven. It is simply not so. What we must see is that, as Christians,
we are people of faith. Like Christ said: “Blessed are those who have
not seen and yet believed!”
Misunderstandings about Easter. There are misunderstandings
that “Easter can be proven” . . . and that “Easter must be
proven” . . . and I think there is the misunderstanding that “the
goal of Easter is proof.” That’s not the case!
When Jesus met Mary in the garden, she didn’t recognize him. Maybe it was foggy.
Maybe she had tears in her eyes. Who knows? But, when he spoke
her name . . . she heard his voices . . . like a sheep that knows its shepherd
. . . she realized that it really was Jesus.
Jesus didn’t ask Mary to get out a piece of paper and take
down all the facts. Jesus didn’t try to explain to her how everything
had happened . . . what the process had been . . . how the moment of resurrection
felt. Jesus didn’t introduce her to angels who could serve as eyewitnesses
to verify what had taken place.
The goal was not proof.
The goal was proclamation.
Verse 17 says: “Go to my brothers and tell them, “I
am returning to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God.”
“Go and tell!”
That’s what Jesus wanted Mary to do. That’s still
the purpose of Easter. Easter is about proclaiming the good news that Christ
was dead at one time . . . he was hung on a cross for you and for me . . .
but now, he’s alive . . . for you and me . . . forever making intercession
for us!
That’s why in so many churches the preacher proclaims “He
is risen!” and the congregation proclaims in response “He is risen
indeed!”
That’s our goal.
That’s our purpose . . . proclamation that Christ is alive
in the world . . . changing hearts . . . transforming lives . . . making old
things and old ways and old patterns new again!
That’s the good news of Easter! It’s the news that
so many in a hurting world are longing to hear and experience. And we must
be proclaimers of the Easter news.
I don’t know anyone who has been “proven” or “convinced”
into the Kingdom of God.
But, I know a host who have heard the message proclaimed . .
. who have felt the conviction of God’s Spirit . . .and who have repented,
been forgiven, and become a “new creature in Christ Jesus.”
It can happen to you!
And, finally I believe that the most dangerous misunderstanding
about Easter is that “it doesn’t really matter.”
Call it spiritual apathy. Call it the seed falling on hard ground.
Call it distraction or misplaced priorities. Call it sin and separation from
God. One of the greatest misunderstandings about Easter is that what happened
has no effect upon my life and how I live. In reality, what we celebrate here
. . . regardless of whether everyone recognizes it . . .is an issue of life
and death importance!
I don’t know what other pastors and others churches may
be saying today. My guess is that some are talking about springtime and blooming
flowers and signs of new life that we see all around us . . . and “hope
springs eternal.”
What we are doing here is more important than that!
Easter is an issue of life and death. Not just for Jesus, but
for you and for me . . .for an eternity. If you are our guest this morning,
I want you to know that I would be doing you a disservice to not tell you
that. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 10:9: “If you confess with your
mouth: ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised
him from the dead, you will be saved.”
That’s clear. That’s pointed and simple. You’ve
probably heard it before. But, let me phrase it another way: “If you
do not confess with your mouth that ‘Jesus is Lord’ and you do not
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will not be saved.”
It won’t be God’s fault. It won’t be God’s
responsibility. It won’t be an angry God condemning you . . . unrightfully
. . . to eternal separation from Him and His presence. No!
God doesn’t separate himself from anyone.
God doesn’t send anyone to hell. Anyone and everyone who
goes there . . .chooses to go there of their own accord . . .and to get there
they have to crawl over an old, rugged cross and detour around an empty tomb!
Easter does matter! Easter is important! Easter is crucial!
It’s an issue of life and death for each and every one of us! And I proclaim
to you this morning that Jesus is alive. He’s risen. He’s victorious
over death. He had defeated the final enemies. He’s conquered the principalities
and powers of this world. And I remind you of what he told his disciples in
John 14:19: “Because I live, you also will live!”
He is risen!
He is risen indeed!