EASTER: BECOMING MORE THAN A HOLIDAY

A few nights ago I watched the Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson with some friends.  I know that this movie was produced and directed by a fallen man, just like the rest of us, but was struck with the portrayal of Jesus’ humility nonetheless.  

After a year of God redefining my heart and life in so many ways, this movie came alive to me unlike any other time I have watched it.  And the Easter story now makes sense at a whole other level to me…the tensions between Jesus and the Pharisees, the interactions of Jesus with Pilate, the thieves on the cross, etc.  Watching the movie helped me to realize how easily I could have been one of those crying out for my Messiah, Savior and coming King to be crucified.  That even now with all the Biblical knowledge that I know concerning the purpose of the cross and resurrection, and all that it accomplished, that I could still be offended by the life that the Father asked Jesus to walk out by the Spirit. 

I was taken back by how crazy Jesus must have looked to so many, and offending several others in that day who thought they knew better.  Would I have followed this Man?  Do I follow this Man? Can I hear the Shepherd’s voice and would I be willing to follow it to death? Or could I merely follow it unto something that is not the norm, but may be ridiculed and rejected?  Or eventually follow His voice into and through persecution, for the message/gospel that I carry?  It is in wrestling with the answers of those questions, at a heart level, where I find the truth of what kind of witness I really am at this point. 

Jesus did what His Father said to do. Amazing!  He wasn’t manipulated by the opinions or thoughts of anyone but His Father. So simple. Yet so hard to do. And in it all, He maintained humility!! 

The other day on Twitter someone put this: “Jesus knew the answer ALL THE TIME, and kept silent MOST OF THE TIME. That’s patience. Humility. Meekness.” Watching the portrayal of the decietfulness of the Pharisees and their scheming to discredit Jesus, while seeing the meekness of Jesus in the midst of accusations, blew me away! I was shocked by the humility that was portrayed in Jesus and was shaken by the lack of it in my own life. JESUS IS GOD!! He left the height of the heavens, stepped into a human body and entered into this age of darkness on earth. Let’s stop there. WHAT?! When we taste the glory of His Kingdom following the resurrection of our own body, I think we will have a far greater understanding of what kind of humility it took for the Son of God to step out of that type of glory, and into our world of wickedness. Let alone the way He handled Himself in the midst of accusations, etc, as the future King of the restored earth.  

The last thing I want to touch on is the very last part of the movie, where it shows the burial garment of Jesus sitting empty in the tomb. There is a Day of resurrection. If we believe in the resurrection of Jesus, then we must believe in the resurrection of all humanity following Jesus’ return to earth. Once again, I was blown away watching the Passion of the Christ, realizing that Jesus was so abounding in the hope of resurrection and what that meant for all humanity, that He endured all that He faced while on this earth. The afflictions were but for a moment in light of the anchor He had in what would be. May I follow Him in the example He has set. There might be a day coming where my physical body would be beaten and broken for the message that I carry. And if that day comes, may my hope be ABOUNDING and FULLY set on the day of His appearing, so much so, that I call persecution “momentary light affliction” (2 Cor. 4:17).

I will leave you with just a few passages from the Word:

For to this you were called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in his steps. He committed no sin nor was deceit found in his mouth. 2:23 When he was maligned, he did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened no retaliation, but committed himself to God who judges justly.  1 Peter 2:21,22

So, since Christ suffered in the flesh, you also arm yourselves with the same attitude, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin, in that he spends the rest of his time on earth concerned about the will of God and not human desires.  1 Peter 4:1,2

For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the glory that will be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility – not willingly but because of God who subjected it – in hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now. Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.  Romans 8:18-25