Holy Week: Easter

The central component of the Christian faith is that of Jesus rising from the dead.  In the history of the world, there has never been any other person who could claim to have raised Himself from the dead.  The words which Jesus had spoken, "No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down of my own accord, and if I lay it down, I have authority to take it up again" are proven true as Jesus rose from the grave.  Unlike Lazarus, no one was standing outside the tomb, calling for Jesus to come out.  In fact, with guards in place, stones rolled over the entrance and sealed, it seemed rather that everyone was determined to make sure that Jesus was dead and gone.

Yet, the first events of that morning likely served to only deepen the confusion surrounding Jesus than to bring clarity to what His life was about.  There was the earthquake as the angel moved the stone away from the entrance to the tomb, which apparently happened as the women approached the tomb early that morning.  The guards were terrified, and ended up running away, only to be told to say that the disciples had stolen the body (which happened to be the very thing that the guards had been put there to prevent).  Some of the disciples came to the tomb, after hearing from the women, but found it empty except for the grave cloths.  And only a couple of people, such as Mary Magdalene, had actually seen the resurrected Jesus.

It is interesting that the biblical accounts of that day don't really say a lot that happened until later that evening, then.  It's likely that the rumors began to circulate in the city, with the Jewish ruling leaders wanting to cast the blame for the empty tomb on the disciples.  Fearing the repercussions, they gathered together in a locked room, only to have Jesus show Himself to them.  He gave them proof of His life by eating with them, and preparing them for the new journey that they would be undertaking.  Jesus had come to forgive the sins of the world, and now they would be His messengers in that task.  He breathed the Holy Spirit upon them, and told them that He was sending them as the Father had sent Him.

If anything, the first Easter did not have the joy and fanfare that you likely have celebrated already today.  Confusion and fear seemed to be the most dominant things from that first day.  Yet, the events of that day have truly served to change the world.  After all, it's not every day that a man raises Himself from the dead.