Easter changes the reality and truth we have about ourselves. It changes our complete understanding of life and death.

This supports the idea that Easter isn’t just a story we have read about, but an experience people had first hand. It is an experience that you and I can also have today.

Here’s a story in the Bible that can help us understand why and how Easter can change the way we think about ourselves and life:

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Easter is the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Christ’s death and resurrection are the defining elements of the Christian faith. If Jesus, after His death, had not come back to life, our faith would have been in vain. Paul talks about that in one of his letters in 1 Corinthians 15.

The question is: what’s the significance of Easter in our lives?

Here is what I think Easter is all about:

Easter helps us capture and take hold of God’s reality and truth about who we should always be.

What that means is our reality and truth about life are different from God’s reality and truth about us.

Also, it means that on our own we cannot discover the reality and truth about ourselves.

The Bible says:

My plans aren’t your plans, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my plans than your plans (Isaiah 55: 8-9, CEB)

In another Bible version, it reads:

My thoughts aren’t your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways… (NIV)

Based on that verse, we already realize that God’s thinking process is different from ours.

Do you know what that means?

The perception of life and everything else is guided by our thinking process, which can be influenced through relationships and what we go through in life.

So, what we see and the way we think dictates how we define our reality and the truth about ourselves.

It all begins at the cross

The cross was the path Jesus had to take to get to Easter. You cannot talk about Easter with no mention of the cross.

The cross represents the place where we take our failures, sins, imperfections, burdens, illnesses and more.

That is also the place where we take our corrupted reality and truth about life. We take ourselves there and dump all our bags filled with stress, depressions, addictions, mistakes, bad behavior, and the list goes on.

But, you don’t have to stay at the cross because that’s not where you should be. The cross is a dumping site where you leave every heavy burden.

You have to go the tomb! That is what the disciples did.

Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the council (according to Mark 15), asked Pilate for Jesus’ body. He would have a tomb cut out of rock. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph say where the body of Jesus was laid (according to Mark 15).

Reality and Truth

On the third day, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (mother of Joseph according to Mark 15) go to the tomb. According to Mark 15, they were there when the tomb was cut out of rock. They knew the place where the body of Jesus was laid to rest.

As you can tell they did not stay at the cross. You have to follow Jesus.

But, in the story, they followed a dead Jesus. They went to the tomb to take care of the body of Jesus Christ.

According to Mark 16, the two Mary’s (Magdalene and mother of James (known also as Joseph) and Salome would go to the tomb, not to look for a Risen Lord, but “to anoint Jesus’ body” (Mark 16: 1).

About Fear 

The women got to the tomb, not probably expecting to find an empty tomb (verse 5). The reason they were afraid of was that they witnessed what an angel of the Lord had done.

He came down (verses 2,3) from heaven and rolled back the stone. He then sat on it.

The guards and the women who saw him said that “his appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow (verse 3).

Because of fear, the guards froze and became like dead men (verse 4).

The dictionary defines fear as /an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger or threat.

The fear with no faith will hurt you. That’s why the guards probably got to the point of becoming like dead men (verse 4). That did not, however, happen to the women.

Religious mind and dead ends

Our religious mind makes us want to search for goodness or perfection. Doing so leads us to a dead end road.

It also makes us want to look for proof. When we get there, what we see or perceive is the end of the road. 

Easter: New Truth and New Reality

Go quickly and tell the disciples

• • The truth always comes up.
  • The truth will propel you to share it with others.
  • The truth begins with listening to God (information or news — God has the best and truest news ever about every one of us). 

Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee

• • The new reality, according to what God has to say about us, is that the road does not end here (unlike our reality). God’s reality is grounded in the Truth (Jesus Christ is the Truth, the Way, and the Life, John 14: 6).
  • The Truth makes a new way and unlocks the dead end.
  • The Truth places a bridge between our reality and God’s reality.
  • Instead of “Dead End” the sign is changed into “50 Miles to Your Destination.”
  • The Truth will take you to the right place.

There you will see Him

• • Because the Truth (Jesus) will take you to the right place, that is where you will be able to see Jesus Christ, Himself.
  • Fear and Joy combined*
  • Fears are transformed into awe and amazement. That’s what happened to the women at the tomb.

EASTER therefore means:

• • Jesus’ death and resurrection have changed our reality to God’s reality.
  • God has thrown out a party for you. It’s a celebration of God’s victory, which has made you a winner.
  • What seems to be a dead end for you today, Jesus transforms it into the start of a new journey and He will lead you where God wants you to be in life.
  • God’s reality wins over your reality. You can live now because of Christ.
  • He’s risen so that His Life becomes yours too.
  • God’s Joy and Peace are now yours.

The Lord has Risen. Jesus is Alive and He lives forever and ever. Praise the Lord!

Please, share this story with someone you know. Thank you for doing so!