An Easter Message
“Simon Peter said unto them, I go fishing.” John 21:3
Easter opens the door for spring. It elevates our spirits in a renewal of the earth’s grandeur. For Christians it’s also a time of quiet reflection and a vicarious reliving of the events surrounding the final days of Jesus’ life.
For those in the Biblical account, the Feast of the Passover was a time of high religious enthusiasm. Perhaps a spectacle resembling a religious Mardi Gras. We can only speculate.
In re-reading the Biblical accounts, I’m struck by the cast of characters in the scene. What were they thinking? I wondered about their faith, its foundation. So, I de-constructed the scene to see what would appear.
The short list of the cast gives some clues:
The multitudes mingled
Jesus prayed
Disciples slept
Judas betrayed
Peter denied
Pilate plotted
The soldiers tortured
A thief repented
The disciples hid
Spectators mocked
Women wailed
Jesus crucified
Imagine if we had been there. What role would we have played?
Emotional fervor intensified during Passover. The multitudes expected miracles. Euphoria energized them. But wait, Jesus rides in on a donkey? What’s this, the Son of God, the Redeemer of Israel riding on a lowly animal? They’re perplexed, confused. Is this a hoax? Their faith falters.
Emotional faith lacks solid foundations. It’s based on the secretions of the adrenal gland. It’s centered in the limbic system of the brain, the central processing area for feelings, moods and emotions. Its zeal is a raindrop. It evaporates instantly in the desert dust. It’s a faith that leans on a weak reed. It has the hand-grip strength of a newborn baby.
We’re defined daily by our responses to life’s events:
When life kicks down the door
And assails us like a beast,
When its teeth rip raw our flesh
And tears drip down our cheeks,
When all of life seems hopeless,
Where do we go for faith?
Jesus found this life waiting for him in Jerusalem. Where did he go? To the Garden of Gethsemane. What did he do? He prayed.
When caught in the vortex of tragedies, our faith seems to abandon us. How do we endure the fallout from unmitigated disasters? How do we summons up something as ephemeral as faith? Much less trust or depend on it.
Oh, yes, our faith is strong when the storms of life hit other shores, when we’re healthy, prosperous, satisfied, trouble free. But let life’s crises claim us, then see where faith goes. It seems to flee, to leave us forsaken. We’re not alone. Scripture says all forsook Jesus and fled. Even on the cross Jesus cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” (My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?)
The chain of events in the Easter story exposes us to:
The humiliation,
The torture,
The brutality of human cruelty.
Crucifixion is barbarism on display, revealing the wild innate nature of man. The world of mankind at its core drips with blood, tooth and nail. Can any faith withstand this?
We’re vicarious spectators when Jesus is betrayed, arrested, arraigned, condemned, beaten, crucified, dead and buried. We’re cowards along with the disciples, quavering behind closed doors. We’re with the women at the empty tomb. We meet the risen Christ. We’re on the road to Emmaus when Jesus walks with us. Like the others, we’re often confused, conflicted, perplexed. Where do we go from here? Where’s our faith now?
I can relate to Peter, who said, “I go fishing.” His faith faltered, even as ours does. Others joined him. They returned to what they knew, to the place where Jesus first found them. And Jesus found them again, just as before. I’m certain the subject of “fishers of men” came up.
Even though our fledgling faith is often fleeting, God will find us again, whispering His promise, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” That’s where real faith is found…in God’s promises.
Soon the Easter egg hunts will end, the Easter bunny will return to his burrow and the Easter lilies will wither. We will be left to ourselves again. Where will we go to renew our faith? Will God find us again? I ask myself these questions. What about you?
May our risen Savior find us again, revitalize our faith, strengthen us in all good works, and fill us with His Holy Spirit for greater service to Him and our neighbors.
Bud Hearn
March 29, 2018