The Easter Story

The Easter Story

The long gravel driveway cracked and popped as the large rubber SUV tires slowly creeped over it. Dan and Lisa Meyers were coming home from Easter Sunday church service...and with them was their three sleeping children. The distinct gravel-crunching sound caught the attention of their next door neighbor, Rick who watched them drive up. Rick walked closer, as Dan parked the vehicle in front of his house. Lisa helped the kids out of the truck.

“Just get back from church?” Rick asked. He noticed Dan's family dressed in fancy clothes. Rick, who was dressed casually in shorts & t-shirt, was taking a short break from his yard work, while his two kids were playing with the hose under the large sycamore tree. It was hot out – and Rick's children were busy getting wet in the shade.

“Yes,” Dan answered. “It was a great service. We missed you.” Dan's three children, now wide awake, immediately darted towards their friends playing under the tree. “Hey guys, STOP! First get inside and change your clothes!” Dan barked. Lisa took them inside to change out of their Sunday best.

“I was up really late last night...couldn't get to sleep,” Rick explained with a look of guilt on his face that betrayed him. “I know you want me to go to church, but that's just not my thing. All of that Bible stuff never meant anything to me. Stacy used to do all that with the kids...before...”

“You guys can still come to the important part tonight,” Dan interrupted before Rick was finished.

Rick studied his face, “What do you mean? What's tonight?”

“It's our traditional family Easter activity we do every year.” Dan said. “We do an Easter egg hunt, then Lisa makes a ham dinner, then I read the Easter story from the Bible.” Rick said nothing as he looked at the ground. Dan could tell he was uncomfortable. “Dude, I can't imagine what it's like for you to lose your wife. I know this past year has been incredibly hard for you guys. I'm just trying to encourage you...not just to go to some church service, but to get involved...to have some fun.”

“Look, Dan...” Rick tried to reason with him. “I'd really love to come over, but I'm probably not the best guest in the world.”

Dan smiled, “Your kids will love the egg hunt.”

Silence.

He continued, “And you're gonna love Lisa's apple pie!”

Rick looked down at his feet, “Okay, we'll be there.”

Dan smiled, “Awesome, buddy. We'll see you at five.”

The egg hunt and the dinner was a big hit for everyone, but Dan could sense some uneasiness from Rick whenever anyone talked about the Bible story at the end of the night.

“Would you like another slice of pie with your coffee?” Lisa asked Rick.

“No thanks, Lisa. I'm so full right now – everything was perfect. Really. Thanks for having me over. My kids had a blast.”

Lisa didn't want him going home now and she could sense that he was thinking about it. Not before the story, she thought. She quickly added, “You guys can't leave now...not before the important part.”

Dan yelled out from the living room, “C'mon, guys. I'm in the living-room with the kids.” As soon as everyone was settled in and comfortable and holding their coffee, Dan continued, “I'll be reading from the Gospel of Matthew. Dan started to read:

(Matthew 27:27-28:20; The Message)

The Crucifixion

27–31  The soldiers assigned to the governor took Jesus into the governor’s palace and got the entire brigade together for some fun. They stripped him and dressed him in a red toga. They plaited a crown from branches of a thorn-bush and set it on his head. They put a stick in his right hand for a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mocking reverence: “Bravo, King of the Jews!” they said. “Bravo!” Then they spit on him and hit him on the head with the stick. When they had had their fun, they took off the toga and put his own clothes back on him. Then they proceeded out to the crucifixion.

32–34  Along the way they came on a man from Cyrene named Simon and made him carry Jesus’ cross. Arriving at Golgotha, the place they call “Skull Hill,” they offered him a mild painkiller (a mixture of wine and myrrh), but when he tasted it he wouldn’t drink it.

35–40  After they had finished nailing him to the cross and were waiting for him to die, they whiled away the time by throwing dice for his clothes. Above his head they had posted the criminal charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews. Along with him, they also crucified two criminals, one to his right, the other to his left. People passing along the road jeered, shaking their heads in mock lament: “You bragged that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days—so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you’re really God’s Son, come down from that cross!”

41–44  The high priests, along with the religion scholars and leaders, were right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at him: “He saved others—he can’t save himself! King of Israel, is he? Then let him get down from that cross. We’ll all become believers then! He was so sure of God—well, let him rescue his ‘Son’ now—if he wants him! He did claim to be God’s Son, didn’t he?” Even the two criminals crucified next to him joined in the mockery.

Dan glanced up from his reading and noticed a puzzled look on Rick's face. “You okay, Rick?”

“Yeah, I'm fine...it's um...it's just that this is the sort of thing I could never figure out. Why didn't Jesus just perform some great miracle right then, so they'd all believe?”

Dan smiled, “Hold on, Rick...I'm about to read the greatest miracle in the history of the world. But...it looks like you have another concern.”

“Yeah...kind of.” Rick continued. “What I don't really get is the dying part. I mean, why did Jesus have to die? What's with the Bible and all that blood? Isn't the Bible full of people making animal sacrifices all the time? Or are we too sophisticated to do that now?”

“That's actually a great point,” Dan said. “You're right, the animal sacrifices were done in the Old Testament time. In fact, that's the whole meaning of Easter, really. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. He offered his life on the cross, so we never have to offer an animal sacrifice ever again.

“But it's more than that. Before sin ever came into the world, God made it clear from the beginning that death would be its price. Well, that never changed. In fact, it's still true...death is a result of sin. And the bad news is that eternal death is the ultimate price for sin.

“For centuries, God offered us a temporary solution...which was animal sacrifices. The animals paid that death-price for us. But the examples in the Old Testament were merely shadows of things to come. The purpose of the Old Testament was to point to Jesus. The problem was, is that no animal can ever be perfect. And no animal can be holy. Only God is perfect and holy and he requires nothing less. And that's why he sent his only son to Earth. Jesus was the perfect Lamb. Jesus didn't come to make a sacrifice for our sins, he WAS the sacrifice. He actually became sin on the cross. He did this because he loves us. But it's not just his death on the cross that gives us hope...Easter celebrates the fact that he rose from the grave. This gives us the ultimate hope...that we can have eternal life with him.”

Rick thought for a moment, and then he spoke up. “Okay, I sort of get what you're saying, but I still can't get over the part that Jesus had to die.”

“The fact that Jesus died for us is very important,” Dan added. “Listen to what Paul said in Romans (6:8-11 CEV):

'Since we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that Christ has been raised from death and will never die again—death will no longer rule over him. And so, because he died, sin has no power over him; and now he lives his life in fellowship with God. In the same way you are to think of yourselves as dead, so far as sin is concerned, but living in fellowship with God through Christ Jesus.'”

Dan went on. “Christ is there to deal with all the junk in our lives. If we place our trust in him, he takes all that junk and nails it to the cross. No other religion is like that. All other religions create rules for us to deal with our sin by ourselves. Only Jesus can forgive us.” Dan continued reading from Matthew:

45–46  From noon to three, the whole earth was dark. Around mid-afternoon Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

47–49  Some bystanders who heard him said, “He’s calling for Elijah.” One of them ran and got a sponge soaked in sour wine and lifted it on a stick so he could drink. The others joked, “Don’t be in such a hurry. Let’s see if Elijah comes and saves him.”

50  But Jesus, again crying out loudly, breathed his last.

51–53  At that moment, the Temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom. There was an earthquake, and rocks were split in pieces. What’s more, tombs were opened up, and many bodies of believers asleep in their graves were raised. (After Jesus’ resurrection, they left the tombs, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.)

54  The captain of the guard and those with him, when they saw the earthquake and everything else that was happening, were scared to death. They said, “This has to be the Son of God!”

55–56  There were also quite a few women watching from a distance, women who had followed Jesus from Galilee in order to serve him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the Zebedee brothers.

Dan momentarily looked up to glance at everyone. He saw tears in Rick's eyes. Then he continued:

The Tomb

57–61  Late in the afternoon a wealthy man from Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, arrived. His name was Joseph. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate granted his request. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in clean linens, put it in his own tomb, a new tomb only recently cut into the rock, and rolled a large stone across the entrance. Then he went off. But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary stayed, sitting in plain view of the tomb.

62–64  After sundown, the high priests and Pharisees arranged a meeting with Pilate. They said, “Sir, we just remembered that that liar announced while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will be raised.’ We’ve got to get that tomb sealed until the third day. There’s a good chance his disciples will come and steal the corpse and then go around saying, ‘He’s risen from the dead.’ Then we’ll be worse off than before, the final deceit surpassing the first.”

65–66  Pilate told them, “You will have a guard. Go ahead and secure it the best you can.” So they went out and secured the tomb, sealing the stone and posting guards.

Risen from the Dead

1–4  28 After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God’s angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn’t move.

5–6  The angel spoke to the women: “There is nothing to fear here. I know you’re looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.

7  “Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.’ That’s the message.”

8–10  The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. “Good morning!” he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, “You’re holding on to me for dear life! Don’t be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I’ll meet them there.”

11–15  Meanwhile, the guards had scattered, but a few of them went into the city and told the high priests everything that had happened. They called a meeting of the religious leaders and came up with a plan: They took a large sum of money and gave it to the soldiers, bribing them to say, “His disciples came in the night and stole the body while we were sleeping.” They assured them, “If the governor hears about your sleeping on duty, we will make sure you don’t get blamed.” The soldiers took the bribe and did as they were told. That story, cooked up in the Jewish High Council, is still going around.

16–17  Meanwhile, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw him they worshiped him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.

18–20  Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”

Dan finished with a short prayer, but when he looked up, Rick was gone. He had excused himself during the prayer while everyone had their eyes closed. Right away, Dan walked out to the back porch and found Rick there, weeping.

Rick looked at him through his tears and said, “Now I know what Stacy was talking about all those years. Now I know why she took the kids to church and pleaded with me to go with her.”

Dan said to him, “You can see Stacy someday, you know. You and your family can be with Jesus forever, if you want.”

“I've done some horrible things in my life.” Rick said.

“It doesn't matter,” Dan explained. “Jesus died for you and he will forgive you for all your sins. Are you ready to tell Jesus that you're sorry for sinning – are you ready to accept him as Lord?”

Rick's voice cracked, “Yes.”

Dan placed his hand on his shoulder and the two of them began to pray.