What is the impact of Easter?
This may seem like an unusual question to ask, but it is worth asking.
Traditions like Lent have resurged in practice, particularly among the Protestant sector of the church. However, it seems all too easy for Christians to relegate Easter to a “one-time” event, one to look forward to and joyfully celebrate, of course, but easy to forget about in the hustle and bustle of life.
This year, it is fitting that Christians celebrate Easter by reminding ourselves and each other of the life-transforming consequences of the Resurrection of Christ from the grave. But that leads to another question:
Did the Resurrection even occur?
While this may seem like another pointlessly obvious question, many worry that the answer has become less clear, particularly in the last hundred years. Countless articles have attempted to debunk the historical veracity of the Resurrection. Others, particularly from liberal theologians, relegate the Resurrection to mere symbolism. They argue that Christ never rose from the dead, but such an idea became an inspiring symbol of His beautiful ethical and philosophical teachings.
A common argument held by both approaches against the Resurrection in popular culture is that it is simply one of the countless “dying and rising god” mythologies found in cultures across history. Scholars like Joseph Campbell popularized such theories in books such as The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Is the story of Jesus just another “dying and rising god” myth, or could there be another explanation? Does the existence of these myths necessarily mean that the Resurrection is merely another myth?
But take heart! The answer to such a question is a resounding no. Multiple scholars have pointed to evidence such as eyewitness testimony and the accounts in pagan and Jewish writings as evidence of the authenticity and reliability of the New Testament’s account of the Resurrection. Rather than a story, the Resurrection was an actual event occurring in history.
As C.S. Lewis put it:
“The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact. The old myth of the Dying God, without ceasing to be myth, comes down from the heaven of legend and imagination to the earth of history. It happens – at a particular date, in a particular place, followed by definable historical consequences. We pass from a Balder or an Osiris, dying nobody knows when or where, to a historical Person crucified (it is all in order) under Pontius Pilate. By becoming fact, it does not cease to be myth: that is the miracle” (C.S. Lewis, Miracles).
The historical evidence of the reality of the Resurrection is not a copy but a culmination. The reoccurrence of the dying and rising god motif suggests that it reflects a common longing of the human heart for renewal, for death not to be the end, for the chance of leaving the old world behind and stepping into a new and better kind of existence.
Instead of being a copy of myths, the truth is that the Resurrection is the culmination of the stories of cultures across time. It is the answer to the longing in every human heart. We long for resurrection because resurrection is truly possible.
So, again: what is the impact of Easter?
The answer, of course, is that Easter changes everything. It means that, contrary to popular opinion, we are not operating in a meaningless universe. We are part of a grander narrative, one that ends in joy. What we see is not the final story.
Because of the Resurrection, we can be confident that redemption and renewal are parts of the larger story. So, with our actions, whether as parents, students, artists, businessmen, teachers, or any other professional, we can do our work knowing that we are participating in this story of renewal. Small, thankless tasks are part of a grander story of God redeeming the world and an opportunity for us to join with him in His work. Redemption and renewal can be seen even in something as simple as a smile, a kind word, or a small gesture of gratitude. With a Resurrection perspective, each action becomes an act of defiant hope and a demonstration of our assurance that this darkness will not endure.
Such a remembrance is vital in the time in which we are living. These past few years have been incredibly difficult, from the COVID pandemic to political turmoil. Loss, isolation, heartbreak, death, and destruction seem to have struck deep wounds in many hearts and lives in the wake of worldwide disease, wounds that are still healing.
So, I call on all my brothers and sisters this Easter to lift our voices together and declare our faith amidst the darkness in the ultimate victory and our confidence that, in the end, everything sad will come untrue.
He is risen. He is risen indeed.
