Easter Perspective: Easter Grace

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Easter Grace

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff -
they comfort me.

Psalm 23:4 (NRSV)

And He walks with me, and He talks with me
And He tells me I am His own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known

From "In the Garden" by C. Austin Miles

It is early Sunday morning, a few days after Jesus was executed by crucifixion.  Mary Magdalene, a woman who loved Jesus dearly, goes to His tomb and finds that His body is missing.  She tells Jesus' disciples, and two of them go back with her to inspect the tomb.  The two disciples return to their meeting place, while Mary stays at the tomb, weeping.¹

At one point, a man who appears to be a gardener approaches Mary and asks her why she is crying.  She replies, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away."²

The man simply says, "Mary!"  Mary then realizes that Jesus is standing before her.³

That evening, ten of Jesus' disciples are gathered in their meeting place.  They have locked the door, because they are afraid of what will inevitably happen when people discover that Jesus' body is missing from the tomb.  Mary has told them that she has seen Jesus alive and well, but her news just seems too good to be true.⁴

Suddenly, Jesus appears in the room with His fearful disciples and says, "Peace be with you."⁵

Unfortunately, the disciple named Thomas is not with the others when Jesus appears to them.  The others find Thomas and tell him that Jesus has been raised from the dead, but Thomas does not believe them.  He says, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."⁶

A week passes.  Jesus' disciples are once again gathered in their meeting place, and this time Thomas is among them.  Once again, Jesus suddenly appears in the room with them and says, "Peace be with you."  He turns to Thomas, shows him the scars from His crucifixion, and says, "Put your finger here and see my hands.  Reach out your hand and put it in my side.  Do not doubt but believe."⁷

Thomas exclaims, "My Lord and my God!"⁸

Some time passes.  The disciple named Simon decides to return to his former life as a fisherman.  When Jesus was arrested, Simon denied knowing Him three times, so now he can no longer think of himself as a disciple.  Some of the other disciples decide to go fishing with him.⁹

The group of disciples spend a night on the sea, failing to catch any fish.  In the morning, a man calls out to them from the beach and suggests that they throw out their net from the starboard side of the boat.  When they follow the man's instructions, they miraculously catch a net full of fish, and they realize that the man on the beach is Jesus.  The disciples haul the fish to shore, and Jesus cooks breakfast for them.¹⁰

After breakfast, Jesus takes Simon aside and asks him three times, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?"

Three times, Simon replies, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you."

Three times, Jesus says to Simon, "Feed my sheep."¹¹

---

The Easter story is a story of grace.  It is a story of the Risen Christ's meeting people who are hurting where they are and giving them what they need.

Jesus meets Mary Magdalene in her grief and calls her by name.

Jesus meets the Disciples in their fear and gives them a blessing of peace.

Jesus meets Thomas in his doubt and gives him a reason to believe.

Jesus meets Peter in his guilt and gives him an opportunity to redeem himself.

Christ has a way of meeting people where they are, even in places of grief, fear, doubt, and guilt.  These are not exactly what one would call "mountaintop" experiences, and they might not be the kinds of places one would expect to encounter Christ.  The mountaintops of life can be few and far between, but the good news is that the One who rose triumphant over death itself walks with us through the valleys of life as well.  If you, dear reader, are trudging through a proverbial valley right now, know that the Risen Christ walks with you.


Notes:

1. John 20:1-11
2. John 20:14-15 (NRSV)
3. John 20:16
4. John 20:18-19
5. John 20:19 (NRSV)
6. John 20:24-25 (NRSV)
7. John 20:26-27 (NRSV)
8. John 20:28 (NRSV)
9. John 21:2-3
10. John 21:3-12
11. John 21:15-17 (NRSV)

Jesus Appears to the Disciples was painted by William Hole in 1906.