Following Easter
Dying eggs. Baking a ham and whipping up fluffy salads. Picking out the finest pastel dress from your closet and maybe a matching hat. Hiding those eggs for little kiddos to find (or maybe just your friends). Picking up some chocolate bunnies and sugar-coated marshmallow chickies to nibble on for weeks to come. Despite their fun and entertainment, the accessories of Easter can take a lot of work and attention. It is easy to get wrapped up in all of these activities and forget what Easter is.
It is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a promise that death has been defeated. It is a reminder that my sins are no longer a blemish on my soul. It is a confirmation that we now have access to the Holy Spirit.
And that’s why Easter - and everything it is - deserves more than just one egg-filled, pastel-colored Sunday morning. When we allow Easter to permeate the rest of our Sundays and the rest of our lives, it takes on a much greater meaning.
Death has been defeated.
When the women arrived at the tomb early on the morning of the third day, they found an empty tomb. An angel came and told them exactly what had happened (Luke 24:1-8). And yet, the disciples were filled with fear rather than relief or celebration (Luke 24:9-12 ). Even as Jesus literally walked with two of them, they were locked into their fear and uncertainty.
“Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” -Luke 24:13 - 18
As they walked along, Jesus spoke to them, explaining the Old Testament prophecy regarding himself. Eventually, they invited this stranger over for dinner.
”When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. -Luke 24: 30 - 31
The tomb was not the place for Jesus. Death could not hang on to him. He has defeated death and, as Christians, we can step into that knowledge with faith. We don’t need to look back at empty strips of linen like Peter (vs 12). Instead, we can celebrate with the proclamation that The Lord is risen!
Jesus released you from sin.
If we continue reading in Luke 24, we’ll see that Jesus rejoins the disciples in his human body. He assures them that he is real and not a ghost - they touch him, he eats some fish. And then he reminds them:
“This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. -Luke 24: 46-47
This is why Jesus lived, died and lived again. He did not allow himself to be crucified for any selfish gain. And he did not not allow himself to be crucified for no reason! Instead, he did it so that we could be released from our sins, forgiven.
In 1 John 2:1-2, John writes “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” Other transitions (KJV, ESV, NASB) say that Jesus is the propitiation for our sins. He makes the situation right after we have done something wrong.
This is a beautiful piece of the Easter story that we tend to forget. As humans, we are sinful. But Jesus’ death and resurrection removes those sins from the equation and allows us to have greater intimacy with God.
You have access to the Holy Spirit.
In the Luke 24 story, Jesus continues in verse 48 and 49 with, You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. With that Jesus ascended into heaven and the disciples remained behind, praising God. But you have to wonder, did they know what would come next? Did they understand what the Father had promised? Were they waiting for some golden-edged, white robes in order to be clothed with power from on high?
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound liek the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. “- Acts 2: 1-4
If you go back to the story of Jesus’ death on the cross as told in the Gospel of Matthew, you will read that:
“At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” - Matthew 27:51a
That curtain has - for many, many years - served as a division between the open, public portion of the temple from the holy of holies (learn more in Exodus 26). Once a year, the high priest would pass behind the curtain and offer a sacrifice. It was a physical division between believers and communion with God. And it was a reminder that we were sinful and unholy, unable to access His presence.
But, when Jesus freed us from our sins, this veil was torn in two. We no longer had that physical separation from God. And in Acts 2, we see just what that means for the early disciples. What does it mean for us?
It means that our faith looks the way it looks. We can pray and worship in any time and place. We do not have to offer blood sacrifices or “purify” ourselves before walking into a church. Yes, God wants us to make different sorts of sacrifices (time and resources) and to keep ourselves pure (we are holy, set apart). But that looks very different than it did before Jesus’ death and resurrection.
MOVING FORWARD
As we move past Easter Sunday, we know that there we’ll have leftover Easter ham and we’ll find the forgotten eggs for a few more weeks. We’ll buy discounted candy at the grocery store and have a sugar rush for two or three days. And that pastel colored dress may or may not see the light of day before being donated. But we can afford to let go of those Easter accessories.
The pieces that need to move forward with us - Jesus' defeat of death, our release from sin, and the opportunity to commune with the Holy Spirit - should never leave our hearts or minds.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mary Elizabeth spent the past six years doing life in Nashville, TN…from grad school to working in a pie shop to running after-school programs. But then she got a little antsy. She’s currently in a season of “wandering”…exploring the people, tastes and experiences that the country has to offer. As she set out on this journey her hope was to engage with people in more authentic ways and to hike everything possible.