Happy Pandemic Easter!
Given the social distancing necessary for combating COVID-19 pandemic, this Easter will undoubtedly find most church buildings empty– a scenario that is not completely unheard of.
You know, the first Easter was not one of filled chuches.
On the first Easter, there was no celebration. The previous Friday, one of Jesus’ disciples, Judas Iscariot, sold Jesus out to the religious authorites, who chose to illegally arrest Jesus at night for fear of public reaction. The remaining eleven of his inner circle were scattered, and Peter, the one who boasted that he would never deny Jesus, did so three times before dawn of Saturday morning– just like Jesus told Peter he would.
Jesus’ inner circle didn’t know what hit them. It isn’t as though Jesus kept his imminent betrayal and death a secret– they just couldn’t hear it because they were already convinced that Jesus intended to ride his popularity into the political arena and become an earthly king, end of story. They even fought among themselves concerning who was greatest among them. Why, the mother of two of that inner circle, James and John, even asked Jesus to guarantee her sons top positions in his kingdom– which really miffed the others.
So, when Jesus was publicly and brutally put to death, his inner circle was stunned.
They were not quick to catch on to the “kingdom not of this world” and its CONTINUE READING: Happy Pandemic Easter! | deutsch29