Easter is the apex of the Christian calendar. Everything in the Christian life rises and falls on the empty tomb. There is typically a flurry of activity at this time of year involving everything from church musicals to chocolate rabbits to baked hams. It is easy to inadvertently focus on the non-essentials and overlook that which is most profound. Yet it is often the straightforward, obvious things that are the most significant.
As I reflect on Easter, these are some of the most important observations that loom large for me:
1. God takes sin seriously.
Don’t ever think that in our modern, psychologized age, sin is an outdated, puritanical concept. If you are tempted to downplay God’s detestation of sin, turn your gaze to calvary. The cross is God’s definitive statement on how seriously he takes sin.
2. God will go to any length to save people.
How far is the throne room of heaven from the cross? If you could measure the distance, you might have a better sense of the lengths God would go to save you. If you could measure the effort involved for God to become a frail human baby, you would be able to determine the energy God would expend in order to rescue perishing humanity.
3. No evil is too great for God to overcome.
We cannot fathom the heinous power of evil that desperately sought to keep Jesus’ corpse imprisoned in its tomb. Every power of Satan and his sinister legions was fully unleashed to ensure that Christ would no longer be engaged in human affairs. Death had never surrendered a captive. Yet after three days, Christ burst forth from the tomb and decisively defeated humanity’s most lethal enemies. If we could grasp the enormity of what happened at Easter, we would be forever undaunted by any hardship we face.
4. Christians need not fear death.
Before Easter, funerals were miserable affairs. People wept bitterly, because they had no hope of ever seeing their loved one again. Death was humanity’s relentless, heartless, invincible foe. Yet at Easter, Christ burst the doors of Hades open and made a path for people to experience eternal life. Ever since Easter, funerals are occasions for celebration, as believers know their loved one has entered into heavenly bliss.
5. Believers have hope.
Easter celebrates victory over humanity’s worst enemies. If Satan, death, and hell cannot defeat us, then we need not fear anything or anyone who may come against us. Easter ensured that every believer can live with hope. Easter promises that the best is still to come. Things may be dark now, but there is no darkness that God’s light cannot dispel. There is no evil that God’s power cannot overcome.
Easter is a vast reservoir of positive messages for believers. These are some of the most important ones. It is fine to have a pleasant family dinner over Easter weekend. You may enjoy attending a musical at your church. But don’t overlook the important truths of Easter, for they are the most profound realities for your life.
