Easter Without Good Friday
I'm sure you're familiar with the phrase, "Sunday is coming!" It has become a popular saying in the church in recent years, often associated with Easter. "It's Friday, but Sunday is coming!"
While the sentiment is appreciated, it's imperative for us to not overlook the significance of Good Friday.
To illustrate this, think of the symbolism of a cancer patient "ringing the bell" at the oncologist's office, signifying the end of a long and difficult cancer treatment journey. The celebratory act of ringing the bell wouldn't hold any significance without the challenging and painful experience of treatment; the ringing of the bell essentially proclaims that the treatment is over, done, and complete.
Easter Sunday is a core Christian belief; it signifies Jesus' resurrection, proving His divinity and victory over death (Romans 6:4; 14:9).
However, to reach Sunday, we must first acknowledge Friday. Jesus' death and burial hold their own meaning, and understanding that is crucial to fully appreciating the Easter message.
Jesus did what he needed to do - not for Himself, but rather for us. Only us. Consider this powerful prophetic scripture from the eighth century BC. Although it is indeed eloquent, it is full of significant truth.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned – every one – to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. - Isaiah 53:5-6
Pause with me and consider the descriptive words: pierced, crushed, chastised, and not to mention wounded.
As we all gather in our church homes on Good Friday to “celebrate” the piercing, let's likewise look forward to the healing, and prepare to ring the bell of salvation on Sunday morning!
Irrational Fear
Recently a group of Ebola workers traveled the remote village of Womey in Guinea, Africa in the hope of saving lives there by educating its people on how to help prevent the spread of the virus. The volunteers were seen using a disinfectant spray which somehow became rumored to be the cause of the disease itself. The lie was believed and a mob rushed the workers with knives and machetes. Nine were killed, the bodies all but one thrown in a latrine. A news report says, “The killers murdered, in cold blood, the very people that came to save them.”
There is no feeling among humans more powerful than fear. It blinds the mind and cripples the conscience. It was an irrational fear that led the Jewish leaders to join forces with the Romans to kill Jesus, the Messiah. Fear moved them to kill the very man who came to save them, not by educating them, but by the very death he died.
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18).
Absurd Enough To Be True
"The difference between truth and fiction," said Mark Twain, "is that fiction has to make sense."
Is there anything more absurd than the idea that God would humble Himself by becoming a man, or that the Creator would be rejected and killed by His own creation, or that He would then be raised from the dead? It's all too fantastic for fiction but just absurd enough to be true.
"Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe" (John 20:27).
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