This Easter, a breath of fresh air

Uncertainty and fear are on the prowl. A group of people who are used to meeting and being together are forced to separate because of a threat to their life. Rather then stay together they retreat to be by themselves and with their families. Anxiety and fear dominate this new terrain.

This description of events could describe what is happening across the world right now, but it could equally describe the state of the disciples at the time of Jesus death. We read that John is the only one present at the cross, Peter is off denying Jesus in different places, and when the disciples do come together at the discovery that Jesus is alive, we hear that Thomas is not there. There is of course evidence that the disciples remained together, or at least had time together, but fear and panic had struck, to such an extent that Peter could not remember Jesus’ prediction of denial, and denied him all the same.

We too, the local and global church, have been forced to disperse. Panic and anxiety have struck, and lockdown has been enforced, so how do we respond? We are about to celebrate Easter, an interesting time of year for these events to take place, perhaps not as significant as Jesus death being at the time of passover, yet significant all the same. At Easter we remember Jesus’ death, the accomplishment of his earthly assignment, “it is finished” he declared. We also, more importantly, remember Jesus coming back to life. Jesus, who told us he is the resurrection and the life, came back to life, defeated death, and gave us a way back into relationship with God, the very purpose of our existence.

Jesus came into a hurting, broken world, to fix it, but not with pomp and grandeur but with love, servitude and the laying down of his life. The disciples at the time of his death represent the state of all of us in our brokenness; confused, worried, fractious and fearful. Jesus died, and rose again so that our story did not have to play out in that playground, but so that we could know peace in our hearts, even if the world was full of trouble.

In John 20 we read of an encounter the disciples had with Jesus after the resurrection, where Jesus breathed life into them. Many of you might have seen a famous tele-evangelist “blowing away” the coronavirus, but Jesus didn’t breathe on them to change their external circumstance, but to enable the new life within. Jesus does not promise to remove our external hurt, pain or trouble, but he does offer us new life, from the inside out, a peace that transcends all understanding. He may not blow away the virus from us, our nation or our families, but he has defeated death, he is alive and he is with us always no matter what we face.

This Easter we have an opportunity in the midst of our anxiety, uncertainty and isolation to experience the living God. The God who stepped into our hurting broken world, and embraced suffering, so that we could know a peace beyond understanding in the midst of ours. And we have an opportunity to do so, in a completely different way to the years before. This year we will miss meeting together and partying, but this is a chance for us to realise what we have perhaps taken for granted, that Jesus death and resurrection really mean something, especially when the rubber hits the road.

In John 20 the disciples are behind a locked door, and yet like some kind of magic trick Jesus appears. This was no magic, however, it was the King of kings, alive and kicking, showing his followers and friends that nothing could separate them from him or him from them. Jesus commissions them to go and then he breathes on them. He breathes on them. Just like God did for Adam, the first human being, so that he could live, Jesus breathes on us so that we can know new life, a life to the full, even when our lives seem empty.

Ever felt like you just need to take one deep breath? Maybe even a few? I feel like that at the moment, as I watch the news, or go to get some shopping, the need to take a deep breath. what if we could take a different kind of deep breath, one that boosts our soul? This is what Jesus was doing for the disciples, he was showing them a different way to be, a new way to be human. For many of them they would face gruesome terrible deaths but they were willing to go into the fire, because they had a greater fire that burned inside.

This is the kind of breath Jesus offers you today. Resurrected, fully alive, fully active Jesus. The Jesus who loves you, who died for you and who has so much more for you then fear and anxiety. In the uncertainty and worry, take a deep breath with him today, ask him to meet with you as he did those disciples on the first Easter, and may this Easter be like that one, a breath of fresh air.

Photo by Victor Garcia on Unsplash