Easter: Christianity On Trial

March 27, 2005

Read Luke chapter 24

• Verses 1-11 tells us some important facts about the first Easter; there was:
  1. Confusion - perplexed (v4)
  2. Fear - afraid (v5)
  3. Doubt - idle tales (v11)
  4. Anxiety - worry according to Mark 16:3 (they wondered who would roll away the stone)
• Today for the most part there is still much confusion, fear, doubt and anxiety when it comes to Christianity. Before Jesus came on the scene there had been 400 years of silence, and in the meantime three empires had taken turns enslaving Israel. By now the Greek culture had spread deep inside Israel's culture. The Roman's allowed Israel to practice their religion as long as it was controlled by the Greek way of thinking, which was, anything that brought pleasure could not be wrong--whatever pleases you, do it without shame--no apologies
• Think about this today. People don't mind if you say you're a Christian, but if you live under the creed that you're going to examine and scrutinize everything by scriptural standards then there's a problem. The Jews wanted a Messiah; they just didn't want the Messiah of the bible. Just like today - people want Christianity, but is it the Christianity of the bible?
• History suggests that as the oldest sibling, Jesus took care of his mom after Joseph died and his younger siblings. So for the first thirty years Jesus was seen as a good family man. It was these last three years that stirred up a whole lot of commotion. What did He do? Two things:
  1. He spoke up
  2. He spoke out
• He spoke out against the religious atrocities of the day - at the beginning of His public ministry (John 2:14-21) and at the end (Mark 11:15-18); He spoke up about the defilement of the temple, even going as far as to cleanse it. What was His reward? They sought to kill Him. Let's fast forward to the trial. There were three wrongs associated with the whole thing:
  1. Judicially - John 18:3 tells us they arrested Jesus at night and then hurriedly tried him. This was against the law (Jewish) because you could not try a person at night.
  2. Morally - Mark 14:55-56 - they did not care whether the accusations were true as long it suited their purpose.
  3. Spiritually - Matthew 26:60-61 - they attempted to condemn Him for speaking out against their precious temple. Just like today, people are more concerned about the building than the souls. As we noted earlier, this is not what He meant (John 2:19).
• Here was the problem, and I suggest it still is: John 11:45-48, the leaders were fearful of two things:
  1. Losing position - our place
  2. Losing rights - our nation
• Just like here many see the hand of God at work in and around their lives. They see the signs but then the question surfaces, "If I surrender, what will people think? I am known and respected as (you fill in the blank). I may lose my position that I have worked so hard to attain." Or, "If I become a Christian, people will walk all over me. What about my rights? I can't afford to and I will not change." So they disregard all that God has shown them. Here's a spiritual nugget to hold onto: Many would risk losing their souls in order to keep their sin.
• In closing, the first Easter began in shakiness, but Luke 24:36-53 tells us it ended gloriously. Depending on where you are with the Lord, your Easter may be a little confusing. You may be experiencing some fear, doubt or anxiety but it doesn't have to end that way. Because just as Jesus came and brought peace, calm, understanding and great joy to the disciples, He will do it for you. All that's required is surrender.