Thoughts on Easter...a little late :)

When I was in Jerusalem for a study abroad during college, I had the opportunity to be there during Easter. Palm Sunday was awesome. Christians packed the road from Bethany to Jerusalem, about 2 miles, and many held huge palm leaves. We sang songs (Glory, Glory, Hallelujah) and rejoiced that Jesus is the King of Kings. The procession went over the Mount of Olives and through Lion's Gate (since the East Gate is permanently closed) and ended at the Church of St Ann (across the path from the Dome of the Rock, aka Holy Mount) where a band was playing and people were dancing. And we joined in the festivities, too.

On Good Friday, we walked the Via Delorosa, the Way of the Cross, which begins just outside the Holy Mount and ends up at Catholic site of the tomb. The small streets were packed, and some people carried their own crosses as they walked that path. That day was more somber. Other Christians went to the Garden Tomb, which is another site that is traditionally believed to be Jesus' sepulcher. On one evening, several of us got together and went from the Upper Room where Jesus and his apostles ate the Passover. We read scriptures and sang songs. Then we went to the Garden of Gethsemane and read the scriptural accounts of Jesus' suffering there. From there, we went to a church that is built over what is believed to have been Caiaphas' house. Jesus was imprisoned there overnight and that was where Peter denied knowing Jesus 3 times before the cock crowed thrice. Roosters still crow near that site. By then, it was really late and really dark. We walked to a dark street in Jerusalem near the ruins of the fortress of Pilot where we read the scriptures about the people choosing to crucify Jesus and let Barnabas free. We read about His crucifixion. The darkness of the night was heavy by then. We felt sad and tired and lonely as the streets were deserted.

Easter was a gloriously beautiful day. We made our way to the Garden Tomb. The flowers were in bloom, the trees were green. We brought our scriptures and read of the Resurrection in Luke and John. I learned that Jesus, in addition to appearing to Mary in front of the tomb, appeared to the other women who had left her in order to tell the other disciples what the angels had told them. On the door of the tomb is a wooden plaque that says, "He is not here, for he is risen." The disciples didn't believe the women...it's not like he had fallen sick and died like Lazarus, whom Jesus brought back to life. He was crucified, tortured to death, and pierced to the heart after he died to confirm that he was dead. But Jesus didn't come back to life. As the Son of God, He had the power within Him to be resurrected. The disciples finally believed when they saw this glorious being and touched Him and conversed with Him and ate with Him. The prophesies were fulfilled. Jesus the Christ broke the bands of death. He was victorious over the grave. The true Pascal lamb had been slain and the law of Moses was all fulfilled.

Just days before, Jesus ate the Passover feast with the Jews, which they did in remembrance of the destroying angel passing over the Hebrews and slaying the Egyptian's first-born--the Hebrews soon to be delivered out of Egypt. How many Jews realized that that Passover was actually a symbol of Jesus and His atonement? It's not a coincidence that Jesus bled from every pore in Gethsemane as He took upon himself the sins of the world...the same night he ate the Passover feast with His disciples. It's not a coincidence that Spring is a time of rejuvenation and renewal in the natural world, as it is the time we celebrate our Savior's resurrection...which is a gift, like the blooming of the flowers, to all of us. I rejoice to know that we will all be resurrected someday.

He Lives!