A World Without Easter

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Sometimes we take things for granted.  It seems like it’s inevitable.  We take a spouse for granted.  Or a friend.  We take our health for granted.  Or our job.  We take for granted that we have clean water.  Or the freedom to worship.  And then one day, the person or thing that we have taken for granted is gone.  Then we find out just how important they or it was.  By then it’s too late.

The same could be said for Easter.  For Christians, Easter is the highpoint of the entire Christian calendar.  It represents everything that we believe in.  Jesus rose from the dead on the day.  By doing so He defeated death.  The grave.  Satan.  And the power of evil.  As such, we have the same hope.  That as we place our faith in Jesus as our Savior, we will share in His triumph.  We, too, will be resurrected.  Death and the grave will not be able to hold us.  Satan has no power over us.  Good will triumph over evil.

So what would life be like without Easter?  Have you ever thought about that?  The secular world would sure like to see this.  They view Easter as some myth that we as evangelical Christians believe in.  Jesus is just some Jewish guy who was crucified by Roman authorities in antiquity.  And now we have elevated Him to the status of God.  Yes, the secular world would like to see Easter just go away.  Of course, they would like to keep the rabbit, the eggs, and all of the non-religious stuff.  But really, what if there were no Easter?  What would life be like?

First of all, there would be no Christmas.  The only reason we celebrate Christmas is because it is the birthday of Jesus.  The One who died on the cross and rose again.  On Easter.  So just scratch that holiday, all of it, right off the calendar.  It never was.  No carols.  No cards.  No presents.  No decorations.  No money pouring into the tills of businesses.  No time off.  No Christmas cheer.  Or displays of love.

Secondly, there would be no personal relationship with God.  You see, even though Jesus died on the cross on what became known as ‘Good Friday’, to atone for the sins of humankind, the resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning was God’s validation that the sacrifice was acceptable.  If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead then, as the Apostle Paul states in I Corinthians 15:17, we would still be in our sins.  Translated = there would be no relationship with God.  We would still be under the Old Testament sacrificial system.  Of course, as Gentiles, it is doubtful whether we would even know about this.  Or have access to it.  Basically, we would all be doomed to an eternity in Hell.

Thirdly, there would be no hope.  As a pastor I have officiated at quite a few funerals over the years.  One verse that I always share, because it brings such hope, is Jesus’ words in John 11:25 - “I am the resurrection and the life.  The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die.”  If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead that first Easter, then nobody else is going to rise from the dead either.  As Paul again states in I Corinthians 15, this means that those who have died earlier are lost.  For all eternity.  Of course, without Easter there would be no hope for a better day.  Since Jesus didn’t rise again, He won’t be coming back again.  He’s dead.  In a tomb somewhere.  No millennium.  No defeat of sin and evil.  Wow, is that depressing!

Of course, without Easter there would be no coming of the Holy Spirit.  Forget about the entire book of Acts.  And the spread of the Gospel.  It never happened.  No Easter would also mean no New Testament.  It was never written.  To date, the only copy of the Scriptures would be the Hebrew Old Testament.  And it is very probable that we would have no Old Testament either.  Just look at the Jews track record for several centuries before Jesus.  It’s not like they were trying to export the Scriptures to the rest of the world.  They were basically trying to guard them instead.

And there are many more things that I could mention that we wouldn’t have today without Easter.  You see, Easter changed everything.  Radically.  Permanently.  The way God relates to us.  The way we relate to God.  God’s work in the world.  The salvation of untold hundreds of millions of people.  The Gospel’s influence upon society.  And the world.

So I hope as you celebrate Easter, you realize just how important it is.  It is priceless.  It is of eternal value.  It is something that we need to be thankful for.  And continue to proclaim to a world that desperately needs it.

Lord, thank you for Easter and for the empty tomb.  He is not here.  He is risen.  Have there ever been more important statements made?  I thank you that because Jesus lives, so do I.  And though death will one day overtake this body, it will never overtake my soul.  I will receive a glorified, resurrection body.  Like Jesus’.  And live forever with Him in Heaven.  In His name, Amen.