Easter: (If you know, you know)

“Happy Easter” is a greeting for everyone. Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a central tenet of the Christian faith. As described in the New Testament, Jesus left his tomb and was victorious over death and sin, offering hope of salvation and eternal life.

Easter is the hardest of the holy days to comprehend because it demands ultimate faith. 

“There is no other way to approach the crucifixion of Jesus and its aftermath in a celebratory mood, unless you accept the whole package: God, sacrifice, death, resurrection, and redemption,” writes J.T. Young, in his essay about the “most demanding holiday.”

Of Christianity’s two most-observed holy days, Christmas is the celebrated by society in general, as it is easier to understand, at least in some ways Young writes. There is a birth to celebrate, and then there is the grand secularization of Christmas, which has overtaken much of the original meaning. All of this makes it more approachable.

But then the baby Jesus grew up to be a man who was vilified, tortured, and who died an agonizing and painful death.

For Easter, the focal point is the suffering and martyrdom of Jesus.

“Society tries to secularize it as best it can — eggs, bunnies, chicks, all elements of new birth and the spring season in which it occurs. But those elements are really the opposite of what is outwardly taking place: suffering, public execution, shame, ridicule. Death,” Young writes. And on the third day, the conquering of death. That takes faith, and a lot of it. Many Christians puzzle over how that can be. How did Jesus defy Biology 101?

“For those who struggle with making the ascent to Easter’s full demands, they are not alone. The disciples of Jesus could not — would not — grasp the manifest aspects of Easter. And they refused to accept the pronouncements of Jesus about it — to the point that Jesus rebuked Peter harshly, “Get behind me, Satan! (Mark 8:33) When it finally occurred, just as Jesus had foretold, only John would approach — and then out of familial duty, not discipleship. Nor did John go to celebrate; he went to comfort Mary, the mother of Jesus and his relative,” Young writes.

Read Young’s insightful essay at RealClearReligion, at this link.

And have a Happy Easter!