Reflections on Life and Faith,
by David Keating

Tragedy into Triumph

Easter 2008

When I was doing a bit of research around dates and times and such I found it interesting that there's some discussion around whether Jesus died on Friday or maybe Thursday. Or even Wednesday. Pointless discussions; characterizing a meaningless search to make the stories of the Bible into "history". It doesn't matter what day of the week it was. It doesn't matter if it happened the way Matthew recorded it, or whether Mark had the more accurate record. Was John's reporting of the Last Supper the right one, or did Luke do a better job? It doesn't matter how "historical" it is at all.

Issues like these are just distractions. In fact, they're distractions that have helped turn the Christian faith into over thirty thousand fractious denominations and sects.

How you interpret the Easter story is intensely personal. Just as our relationship with God is personal.

For people like Mel Gibson, whose movie "the Passion of the Christ" stirred so many emotions, a Christianity without the suffering of Jesus is no Christianity at all.

Others find it impossible to accept a God who would actively seek out the torture and death of an innocent.

The two views often have trouble understanding each other, let alone accepting that each has validity for those who believe it.

I have had the privilege of meeting people from many different faiths and perspectives over the years. People of powerful passion and intense belief. People for whom God, in one form or another, is a constant companion. I have learned something from all of them. Not the least of which is that God won't be boxed in by any of the limits we attempt to hang on the Creator of all things. And that, for me, is the message of Easter.

In the Jerusalem of two millennia ago, so go the Gospels, the followers of Jesus were in disarray in the period between what we now call "Good Friday" and "Easter". Those who had thought they'd be embroiled in a full scale battle with the Romans by now had thrown up their hands in disgust and gone home. They'd already written Jesus off as just another hair shirt prophet who couldn't deliver the goods.

Some of them no doubt felt sorry for the way things had ended for him. After all, crucifixion wasn't a very pleasant way to go.

Others would have figured he got what he deserved for raising their hopes like that, only to, as they saw it, back down at the last minute.

Jesus' inner circle was keeping a low profile. They weren't exactly in high favour at the moment, either with the crowd or the authorities. Those were mean streets outside their doors. And they were trying to make sense of things.

Take a moment and put yourself with them if you can. This is the between time. The time when they felt totally alone. Jesus was gone and all this metaphysical stuff about coming back wasn't very reassuring. How empty they must have felt. Triumph had become tragedy.

But wait until tomorrow. Wait until the Resurrection proves once and for all that God cannot be done away with. That it's impossible for priests or kings or swords or anything else to sever our connection to the Creator.

Today, let's look inward to confront our doubts and fears. Today, we can be forgiven for thinking of tragedy.

Tomorrow, lets start looking outward.

Tomorrow, tragedy becomes triumph.