The Road from Easter – Walking with a Risen Savior

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I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen. –Matthew

Don’t be alarmed, he said. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. – Mark

Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen. – Luke

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” – John

He is risen! Words that brought hope and joy to those who followed Jesus then, and words that have vibrated through the ages for those who follow Jesus. The Road to Easter had been a tumultuous and challenging time for each person in Jerusalem that week. Expectations had been all over the place, with many looking only for a political Messiah, a few for an economic Messiah who would restore Israel’s dominance, and others a compassionate Messiah who would heal the sick and care for the poor and needy. Still, very few had been looking for a sin-bearing Messiah.

Friday probably represented the end of their hope. Jesus had been crucified and placed in a tomb. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had tenderly washed and anointed his body with spices, wrapped his body, and placed Jesus in the borrowed tomb. Their Road to Easter had come to an end.

The disciples were scattered throughout the city, hiding behind locked doors and mourning the loss of not only their friend but the one they thought was the Messiah. There were the faithful women who followed Jesus and others who looked with hope to Jesus. Their Road to Easter had come to an end.

Yet something strange was happening on that early morning, word was spreading that a group of women had braved the darkness and morning chill to go to the tomb, only to find it was empty. What have you done with the body of Jesus?  Could it be true?  Then the hushed whispers turned to shouts, He is not here, He has risen! “He has risen” became a roar throughout the city and the generations beyond. He has risen!

Jesus understood that the Road from Easter would not always be easy. It would be filled with pain and often suffering, but He is the risen intercessor on our behalf. It is easy to be fearful, which could be a reason that Scripture tells us over 350 times, “Fear Not” or its equivalent. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” –Hebrews 4:14-16 NIV.

Jesus was offered an easy way out, but he chose the road he had to walk, even though the pain and agony of the cross would be the result. Jesus knew that sin was destructive and ultimately would lead to death. The cross was the only answer! “The cross is the ultimate demonstration that sin is real and has consequences, but also that God’s mercy is real and will ultimately triumph over judgment. Because sin is the bad news we have to accept, grace is the good news we all need to hear and believe. No one is without a need for grace. No one. (Paul David Tripp)

Though Dietrich Bonhoeffer was martyred, he knew what it meant to be a disciple on the Road from Easter. He preached a morning message in the concentration camp where he was a prisoner, concluded the message with the words, “This is the end—for me the beginning of life,” and shortly afterwards was led to the gallows. “When they are welcomed into a house, Christ enters with them. They are bearers of his presence. They bring with them the most precious gift in the world, the gift of Jesus Christ. And with him they bring God the Father, and that means indeed forgiveness and salvation, life and bliss. That is the reward and fruit of their toil and suffering.” (Bonhoeffer)

How will we walk on the Road from Easter? We walk with a bold confidence that our Savior has risen. A Savior who walked before us and now with us to enable us to carry a message of hope and redemption. The only message that brings life, filled with faith and with promise.

We can walk as ones who are redeemed, no longer carrying the baggage of our past but with the freedom of thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail. British pastor Pete Greig writes, “It’s easy to assume that my past suffering and sin have disqualified me from God’s best for my future. That the world, the flesh, and the devil have somehow successfully conspired to derail me from God’s absolute best purpose for my life…There is no such thing as a Plan B…Whenever I lose my bearings and return to him, he simply finds a way to map a new Plan A. He recalibrates, like a GPS, to give revised directions to my original destination. I rejoice that the Lord sees me not as the person I was, nor even as the person I currently am, but as the person I am becoming in and through his Son, Jesus Christ.”

“He is risen” captures one of the most beautiful yet powerful statements ever spoken. In those words, we can now walk this Road from Easter with a quicker, lighter step because of Easter morning. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Thank you for being on this journey during this Lent season as we walked the Road to Easter and now travel together the Road from Easter.

God is great! He is risen!

The Road to Easter – The Road Jesus Walked

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1,14 NIV

Ask any Oklahoman if they know the name Baker Mayfield, and you will likely get a thumbs up even if they are not Sooner football fans. The best word to describe Mayfield is colorful. Wherever Mayfield plays, whether at college or in the pros, he creates excitement as well as controversy. He became the first and only walk-on to win the coveted Heisman Trophy.

Winning the Heisman Trophy, being a No. 1 overall draft pick, a consistent playmaker, and just as consistent a play dropper, you would think he was at the top. Yet in all the spotlight, he was searching for something. Mayfield said, “God taught me a lesson. He had to take my career down to the studs and make me realize that I’m more than a football player.”

Mayfield found himself in a downward spiral in 2022 with a public departure from the Browns, shoulder surgery, bouncing between the Panthers and the Rams, marital problems, and finally a temporary football home in Tampa Bay. Mayfield admitted life wasn’t going well, which allowed God to get through to him. He became vulnerable and open to accepting the grace that Jesus offers.

When asked how he would describe Jesus to a young teammate, Mayfield said, “Jesus is obviously the Son of God. But it is grace, it’s perfection. Somebody who sacrificed everything, who gave us this opportunity to live life. For me, when you say he’s your Lord and Savior, you proclaim it whenever you can. But he’s the reason we’re here, and the story of Jesus walking among the flesh, the only perfect man and to be sacrificed on the cross and die for our sins forever. And when you accept that grace, it’s an unbelievable feeling.” (Stephanie Martin article)

What changed Baker Mayfield is why Jesus took the Road to Easter for us. Christmas, even for non-believers, is a feel-good holiday. Christmas allows us to focus on the humanity of Jesus, who doesn’t like a cuddly little baby?  Yet it is Easter that gives Christmas the ultimate reason to celebrate, as the fullness of Jesus’ divinity brings salvation and redemption. Christmas and Easter are the bookends that bring hope for humankind in Jesus, who is fully man and fully God.

Though the manger was important to hold the Savior of the world, the cross was essential to hold the Savior of the world. Ray Stedman wrote, “Take the cross out of Christianity, and Christianity collapses. It is the cross that makes Christianity Christian. You cannot preach Christ without preaching the cross.”  Paul wrote of the centrality of the cross in Galatians: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”  (Gal 6:14)

Jesus chose to walk his Road to Easter with his humanity on full display. As each whiplash tore into his flesh, his cries of pain were for us. As the man-made thorn of crown was shoved onto his head, he felt the rejection of mankind. As the soldier hammered the nails into his hands, he felt the agony of sin’s power.

Jesus had the power to save himself. “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt 26:53) Yet he chose this road for us. “But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” (26:54)

The Road to Easter for Jesus was not lined with easter eggs and colorful baskets but with purpose, suffering, and love. “When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:33-34a)

“Forgiveness is the most powerful thing in the world, but because it is so costly we prefer to settle for second best. Jesus, already on his way to paying the full price, offered nothing less than the best.” (N. T. Wright)

Isaac Watts left a powerful legacy of hymns that have lasted beyond his death in 1748. It was his practice to compose a new hymn or psalm for every sermon he preached. (George Grant). This rich treasury of hymns gave us a strong foundation of theology and worship. Among the most beloved of his works that have impacted each generation is “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” Words that echo Paul’s words, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“When I survey the wondrous cross, On which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God; All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to his blood.

See, from his head, his hands, his feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down; Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown.

Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.” (Baptist Hymnal 1975 edition)

On your Road to Easter, as we move into Holy Week, I trust these words from this old hymn will be a fresh reminder of the cost that Jesus paid for us that we would have life. “Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.” …When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:28,30)

What more can be said except, Thank You Jesus!

God is great!

 

 

The Road to Easter – Packing the Essentials for the Journey

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When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Luke 22:45-46 NIV

What do you need for your trip to the beach? You have a general idea that you will need swimming suits, shorts, and flip-flops. More than likely, you wouldn’t pack your snow skis, gloves, or heavy jacket. You normally pack for a specific journey, not for all the various possibilities you might encounter. That is, unless you are Lewis and Clark.

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to undertake a precarious journey that would eventually take them on an 8,000-mile, two-year trek through the recently acquired Louisiana Purchase. So, what do you pack since Walmart will not be where you are going? Starting out in the spring of 1804, the two intrepid explorers had spent a year accumulating what they thought would be needed. According to original packing lists, over 180 items were purchased, such as coats, weapons, food, and survey instruments. Yet like all good travelers, they still forgot a few things.

We all know the challenge of getting ready for a trip. It takes lots of planning and preparation to get everything together. That is true for a vacation but even more so for a spiritual journey such as the Road to Easter. Jesus had spent years teaching his disciples, sharing what truth looked like, healing and restoring people. Every step along this road we have everything we need because of Jesus’ preparations. One of the most critical pieces we have is prayer.

“Prayer is one of life’s great mysteries. Most people pray at least sometimes; some people, in many very different religious traditions, pray a great deal. At its lowest, prayer is shouting into a void on the off-chance there may be someone out there listening. At its highest, prayer merges into love, as the presence of God becomes so real that we pass beyond words and into a sense of his reality, generosity, delight and grace.” N. T. Wright

Jesus fully knew how desperate we would get and would need to make prayer a central component of our lives. Nestled in the middle of his life-giving, life-changing Sermon on the Mount, he gave us a beautiful framework for praying out of intimacy with God. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6:9-13)

Jesus knew we could get lost if we failed to keep God as the focal point. “Following Jesus is not just a matter of skill and grit; it is made possible through a life of being with God in prayer.” (Rich Villodas) There are lots of religions that focus on the repetition of words, believing that the number of words said over and over is the only way God can hear. Jesus laid the groundwork of praying by saying, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen…And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words…For your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:6-9)

Throughout the four Gospels, we get brief pictures of Jesus’ prayer life. We get little of his dialogue, but enough to show us the importance of prayer. We can see the gift of prayer as Jesus prayed. Each of the Gospel writers invites us into the final days of Jesus’ road to Easter and his intimate encounter with the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

Jesus knew that his earthly ministry was ending. Unlike most leaders who would spend the days strategizing on how to increase the ministry, naming who would fill key positions, and how to ensure a smooth transition, he spent the time in worship and prayer. The road forward would not be conventional but super-natural.

There was a vulnerability in how Jesus prayed when he tells his disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Matthew 26:38) Somehow, we think we are not being spiritual if we allow God to see our pain and hear our hurts, but Jesus prayed out of a soulful vulnerability. “By enduring our trials with our eyes fixed on Jesus, we submit our trials to Him. He is with us through our trials, one painful step, one ragged breath at a time.” (Megan Fate Marshman)

There was an openness in how Jesus prayed. “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.” Jesus prayed honestly and what He desired to be the outcome. We don’t have to play a form of spin-praying, praying words that we think a good Christian should pray. We pray what we desire to the One who hears and wants to hear us. However, if our only desire is to get something out of God, then we miss the beauty and intimacy of being with God.

There was submission in how Jesus prayed. “Yet not as I will, but as you will…My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” (Mt.26:39b,42) Submission is never easy when we must give up control or do something we don’t want. Yet Jesus prayed one thing, that His Father’s will be done. “As His disciples, our lives must be a holy example of the reality of our message. It takes a heart broken by conviction of sin, baptized by the Holy Spirit, and crushed into submission to God’s purpose before a person’s life becomes a holy example of God’s message.” (Oswald Chambers)

God is great!

 

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