Is Easter something we can safely ignore and just get on with life?
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This picture of a man taking a selfie grabbed my attention. For him at that moment nothing else mattered apart from being caught on his own camera so he could share it with the world. When I was studying at university there was a lively debate going on between people who believed in the resurrection and those who didn’t. Among my friends there was widespread agreement that your view on this really mattered. If you believed that the resurrection of Jesus actually happened you called yourself a Christian and, generally speaking, a belief in the authority of the Bible went along with it. If you didn’t believe in the resurrection you probably wouldn’t call yourself a Christian.
Things have changed radically. The way we understand our personal world is much less dependent on verifiable facts for which there is compelling evidence. We each have our own story to explore, our own beliefs to reflect on. So the question “Did Jesus rise from the dead historically and bodily?” is no longer one we debate with any gusto. And why? Because most people feel it doesn’t really matter any more – taking a selfie is much more fulfilling.
Our culture resists most attempts to define patterns of behaviour or truths to believe in – especially if they require me to change my lifestyle. Why should I bother to mould or change my life to fit anything I don’t find personally convenient? In other words the spirit of our age is “Truth, for me, is what I find acceptable and helpful” So (we are told) if believing in the resurrection floats your boat, then believe it. And if it doesn’t, then find something else that inspires you. The choice is yours.
The disturbing thing about Easter is that the story itself demands we take a view on it one way or the other. Most people reading this will have lost a loved one at some point in their lives. If that’s you, then imagine how you’d feel if a friend of yours said “Dead? No, Tim isn’t dead, I’ve just seen him on the train!” That statement would either cause you to roll your eyes in disbelief (and ignore its implications) or compel you to investigate further. Maybe, just maybe, Tim really is alive.
That’s exactly where the disciples were the day Jesus rose from the dead. In their day the word of women couldn’t be taken as gospel (excuse the pun) but when some of the women claimed to have seen Jesus in rude health only a few days after they’d seen him brutally executed, something had to give way. Either they were nuts or they had just been part of and event so momentous it could change the course of human history. Then other reports began to emerge. Jesus had appeared to both men and women, appeared in the town and in the country, appeared in people’s houses and walking along the road. He’d been seen cooking and heard talking. Finally he was seen by a group of over 500 people, and at that point it was no longer a unfounded rumour anyone could be casual about. You either believed it or rejected it against the body of evidence.
The issue is this: his resurrection demanded a response. It was impossible to be neutral about it.
Some things don’t change.
Have a wonderful Easter
Ian
