I've been doing a lot of deep thinking lately and questioning some things that we just say on a normal bases. Easter is on Sunday and I can't help but think of how everyone is out buying Easter dresses, baskets, candy, nice clothes, dinner and/or lunch for the entire family that has traveled for hours to arrive for a short visit, eggs to paint with bright silly colors/ pictures, plastic eggs that we put out in the yards so that the younger kids can look and have a blast searching for that short 10 minutes or less to find them(even though it took twice along to hide them) and last but not least the well known Easter Bunny!
So what is Easter all about then? Do we even know what the true meaning is anymore? Or do we just pretend that it's all about Jesus but really we've changed it to be all about the Easter bunny and childish games? When did Easter become about buying the best dress and making sure you look great that Sunday in church? When did it become about hiding Easter eggs in the yard so that children go hunt them? What does Easter eggs have to do with God???? Oh wait that's right it say's in the book of Matthew that Jesus rose from the dead and then the Son of God and the disciples went and had a egg hunt on the mountain side to celebrate that lord had risen! What's that you say? It didn't happen? Exactly my point! So will someone please explain to me why Church's are more worried about making sure that they have the biggest egg hunts then about preaching the word of God? Also the Easter Bunny has nothing to do with Christ! No where in the Bible does it mention a giant bunny that leaves presents for kids. However it does mention something better in the bible!
I think that we have all become Numb to the amazing Easter story. We have all heard this story year after year at Church's but are we actually listening? Are we actually allowing God to come into our hearts and open our hearts ears for what the Lord is trying to tell us and show us. I believe that to almost all of us the Easter story has numbed our hearts just like so many other amazing stories in the Bible because we just don't allow our heart's ears to truly be open to hear about what really happened.
Do you realize that when Monday came around Jesus was treated with such high respect. People gathered from all around just to see him. They began to take off their top layer of clothing and started cutting down palm branches to make a pathway for Jesus to ride into town on so that his colt would not touch the dirt ground. Do you understand what I just said here? People took off their clothes and laid them on the ground for Jesus to go across. Would you do that today? I would imagine not! Back then even the rich people didn't care about how much their robe cost and the poor didn't go this is all I have left I won't give it up. NO! They all took off their robes and laid them at the feet of Jesus.
This blows my mind. That everyone just put aside their money differences, put aside their class and riches all to lay their clothes at the feet of Jesus.
Then everyone and I do mean everyone begins to shout and praise Jesus as he rides through the town. They are not full of rage or anger but they are full of joy and shout out loud praises to Jesus! It's like for a moment the world seems to understand and treat Jesus the way that we often think that he should have been treated when he came down to earth. Glory to God! What could be better than this? First you have a pathway full of clothes and palm branches marked all the way out for him and then people are giving him the praise and encouragement that he has deserved all of his life. Have you ever thought about this?
Now have you ever thought about this? When all the trials were going on and Jesus kept quiet during each and everyone of them. Knowing what has to come next he follows and obeys everything that God asks of him. Finally he gets sent to be beaten. This is where I think that we have become numb to all of the stories that we have heard just to many times, like were just rolling through the emotions. Do you know what the beating really involved? Have you imagined how much pain that he actually went through just in the beatings alone??? Let's look at the beatings a little more closely. First of all of the men who did the beating were PROFFESIONALS. That was their job to give beatings to whom ever the king sent down to them. They were the best of the best. They were top notch, if they didn't do their job well then they would be killed. These men didn't play around when it game to their job, they took it very seriously. Next point is the weapons or tools that they men would use to beat their victims with. They used long leather belt type items that had shards of broken glass, bones of dead animals or even bodies that were sharp and pointy at the end, pieces of medal that was also sharpened to a point and also more leather all tied to the end of this. So when you would swing and hit the back of this person all the glass, bones, nails, leather and medal would sink in and grab through several layers of skin and then they would immediately pull back with a hard tug yanking all that flesh and maybe even some bone out with it.
Now imagine this.... Jesus is sitting on his knees. They have his wrests chained up to a wooden stump in front of him. There is a huge crowd of people standing all around(the same exact people who were cheering Jesus in to the town not even a week before) now they are cheering on the beating. There are at least two guards who are well trained and ready to do their jobs standing behind Jesus preparing to give him 39 lashes plus 1. Then with weapons in hands they begin one after another hitting Jesus, slowly digging deeper and deeper into more layers of skin and bone. If you records into he Bible that Jesus didn't even make a sound! Now I don't know about you but I have broken many bones and have had many concussions and each time I cry in pain and anguish. But did you hear me when I described what Jesus just went through or did you hearts ears go numb again? Jesus went through having bone, nails, glass and medals ripping apart his flesh and bones in his back again and again 40 times WITHOUT MAKING A SOUND!! This is unbelievable!!! What a love this is! That Jesus would endure all of this and yet still is willing to keep on with the rest of the pain that is still yet to come!
Now comes the death of Jesus. This is the part where I truly believe that we all have become numb to what really happened and how it should change what's inside of us. So let me just repeat this to make sure you heard! JESUS DIED!!! Now let me ask you this question? Have you ever lost a family member of your family or a best friend or someone very close to you? What happened when you lost that person? How did it make you feel? I know that when I've lost people who I've really loved I cry and even lose control of all my emotions. So how come when we read that Jesus died and was beaten, tortured and hung on a cross left to die that it strikes no emotion from us? How come no tears come from eyes? We all become NUMB! Now don't get me wrong I know what happens three days later but, does it not bother you like it bothers me that Jesus suffered so much and yet we can't even manifest a tear for the death of Christ?
So why have we allowed ourselves to become so numb to what really happened? We've changed Easter from being about the death and resurrection of Christ and how Jesus died to allow us to have everlasting life but now its become some type of silly circus act. Its all about the best clothes, best shoes, the biggest Easter egg hunts, the big Easter bunny, painting eggs, driving for hours to spend small amounts of time with family. PLEASE STOP ALL OF THIS MADDNESS!!!
This is not right!! EASTER is not about any of that!!!! Easter is all about Jesus and all the pain and suffering he went through and how he died on a wooden cross but then rose again three days later to save all of use from spending eternity in hell. Its about the ultimate LOVE that only Jesus could provide and give. and he gave us that love when he died on the cross and took everyone of our sins away from us. That's amazing love. So this is Easter I have just one question for you
ARE YOU GOING TO CONTIUE ON WITH THE WORLD'S CIRCUS ACT OF EASTER AND JUST BE NUMB OR ARE YOU GOING TO OPEN YOUR HEART AND ALLOW GOD TO WORK AND SHOW YOU THE REAL MEANING OF EASTER WITHOUT ALL THE WORDLY TRADITIONS?
Think about it!
I choose to no longer be numb!
Sam Jervis
