By Catherine Ulrich Brakefield
They heard their Jewish leaders cry
crucify him! They heard the Roman whip, saw the scorn and watched the spit cover
their Lord’s face. They watched Jesus drag that heavy cross through the street
to the place called Golgotha to be crucified. Could they be next? What person
welcomes suffering with open arms? Is it no wonder that first Easter wasn’t
celebrated like our Easter celebrations of today?
Pagan symbols and ancient Jewish
sacrifices pop up in a pleasing similitude to our traditions today. Our past
Easter celebrations with fluffy bunnies and basketfuls of colored eggs all
symbolize pagan rituals.
The female rabbit was recognized as a
symbol of fertility in ancient Egypt. The belief spread to the Greeks. It was
during the Middle Ages that the rabbit and the egg became a symbol of fertility
and rebirth of spring.
The egg in pagan times represented the
rebirth of the earth. After winter, the earth was reborn, just like the egg,
miraculously bursting into new life. It didn’t take Christians long to embrace
this symbol and liken it to Christ’s resurrection.
Chocolate lambs and cakes symbolize the
Jewish Pesah, or Passover, when the Jews sacrificed a lamb, called a paschal
lamb. Christians would interpret the sacrifice of the paschal lamb as a forecast
of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, as stated in John 1:29, Jesus became “the
Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (All forthcoming Bible
verses will be NKJV).
Our
Easter message could have been lost if Jesus’ disciples had refused to
witness to the world about Christ Jesus.
The
truth was startlingly clear to these meek Jewish disciples of Christ—the fear
of their Jewish leaders and Roman punishment outweighed the thought of
proclaiming Jesus’ message of salvation.
Would the Jewish scribes and Pharisees
come for them next? When the sound of someone
rushing up the stairs reached the disciples’ ears, they were uncertain whether
to run, hide, or give themselves up.
Relief swelled through the group seeing Mary Magdalene burst into their room. But when she declared to Simon Peter, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him” (John 20:2), sudden panic clawed at his throat.
Would the soldiers blame them for taking Jesus’ body? Had one of the Roman centurions done this evil deed? Simon Peter and the disciples hurried to the tomb. Peter saw the linen cloths lying there. The handkerchief that had been around His head was not lying with the linen cloths but folded together in a place by itself. “For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead” (John 20:9).
They returned to the upper room for fear of the Jews. We are told in John 20:19-23 that Jesus appeared in the midst of them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he showed Peter and the disciples his hands and His side and said, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
That didn’t impress Peter or the
disciples much. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus continued to reappear to
Simon Peter, John, and the other disciples as they went about their daily
tasks. The Apostle John tells us that Thomas who had not been in the upper room
when Jesus appeared said he wouldn’t believe it was Jesus until Thomas saw “…in
His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the
nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25) Jesus
appeared and told Thomas to do so.
Jesus did many other signs in the
presence of His disciples. Then when Simon Peter decided to go fishing in the
Sea of Tiberius, Jesus suddenly stood on the shore, only the disciples did not
know it was him. They hadn’t been lucky at their fishing until Jesus told them
to cast down their net on the right side of the boat. Coming toward land, it
was the Apostle John who exclaimed to Simon Peter—it is the Lord! When Peter
heard this—he plunged into the sea (John 21:7).
Was
he attempting to run away as his kindred Jonah had? Was the thought of the
humiliation of public opinion too much? Did Peter fear Jesus would force him
and the disciples to preach? After all, it was easier to live one’s life going
with the flow than battle against public opinion. Doing what Jesus wanted meant
facing death daily.
Peter loved and trusted Jesus; yet, when faced with conflict, Peter struggled to remain loyal to Christ over his carnal fears. Had Peter thought himself a coward and decided to live a more peaceful life?
This
is more evident on the night of Jesus’s betrayal, Peter denied Christ first to
a servant girl, then to a girl outside the gate, and lastly to an entire group
of bystanders (Matthew 26:69–74). Jesus told Peter beforehand while suppering
with him that he would do this, which Peter emphatically denied (Matthew
26:34–35).
He
had no intention of witnessing about Jesus Christ to the multitudes or anyone
else. That was obvious during that early morning fishing excursion. Yet, here
stood Jesus again. You’d think by now, after three strikes against him, Peter
would be struck off Jesus’s list. So much for that “on this rock I will build
my church” (Matt. 16:18).
At
one time, Simon Peter was ready to obey. His words are written in Matthew
16:16, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Then and there, Jesus
changed Simon Bar-Jonah’s name to Peter, which means rock.
Had
seeing Jesus tortured and then bloody and hanging on that wooden cross been too
much for Peter to comprehend the fulfillment of Christ’s words to him?
Tossed
to and fro in the foaming seas of fears and forebodings amidst these pagan
rituals of torture by death, Christ’s message of love, forgiveness, and eternal life could well have been lost…
Jesus understood. He never lost
faith in Peter or any of His apostles. Though it looked like the
apostles had—Jesus Christ had not. He told them where to cast their nets so
there would be fish aplenty for breakfast. He played the servant and started a
fire for cooking the fish. After they had eaten breakfast, a conversation broke
out.
“Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me
more than these?”
Peter promptly replied, “Lord; You know
that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
Three
times Jesus asked that same question. Peter was trembling by now. Was he
recalling the time Jesus predicted Peter would denounce Him three times before
the cock crowed? Or was Peter foreseeing his own death hanging upside down on a
cross because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as his Lord, Jesus?
What happened that would cause the
trembling Simon Peter and the other apostles to become brave witnesses for the
gospel of Jesus Christ and boldly spread the gospel far and wide throughout the
world? And why did the lily become known to Christians throughout the world as
the Easter lily?
See
tomorrow’s Blog for the answer. PLEASE VISIT THE BLOG TO COMMENT ON THIS POST.
The Destiny Four Book Series:
Beginning in the Antebellum Era and ending with World War II, The Destiny Series gives the reader CHRISTIANITY—ROMANCE—PATRIOTISM in a sweeping saga of True-to-life adventures.
"…of Waltz with Destiny… I was reading
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An award-winning author, Catherine’s inspirational historical romances include Wilted Dandelions, her Destiny series Swept into Destiny, Destiny’s Whirlwind, Destiny of Heart, and Waltz with Destiny. Her newest book is Love's Final Sunrise. She has been published by Guideposts Books, CrossRiver Media, Revell Books, and Bethany House Publishers. See catherineulrichbrakefield.com
Thank you for your thoughtful post today.
ReplyDeleteConnie, Praying you had a very blessed Easter with your loved ones, too! God is Good!
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