Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seemed to be going right? Every time you turn around and everything you do or say just doesn’t seem to go well. You are working on a project, and nothing seems to be coming together. It’s like trying to work on a puzzle, and you have looked at every single remaining piece and declare that the piece you need is missing.
I cannot imagine how the followers of Jesus felt when he died on the cross. Their leader. Their savior. Their warrior king that was going to free them… dead. Now what? They thought he was the missing piece to the puzzle, but now it just doesn’t seem to fit. It’s time to give up and move on. Put the puzzle back in the box because that piece is missing.
This last week, I wrote about unexpected surprises. The best things in life often come when you do not expect it, and they often come after a hard struggle when it you are about to give up. Jesus, their warrior king, their hero, is suddenly no longer in the tomb. He is no longer dead. Even though he told them in advance and the profits of old had foretold of these events, this was the ultimate unexpected surprise.
But what does all this mean? Why is the celebration of Christ rising from the dead such a big deal? Why do we celebrate Easter? We celebrate this because he died so we could have life. Too often, we walk around like we have been defeated. But this son of God became that missing piece and made everything else fall into place. I am a sinner. But, if I choose to trust in God, follow him, and “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,” then everything else will take care of itself. If we remain faithful and live a life that honors God, we will finish that puzzle. Everything will fall into place. We will win the war.
