Article March 29, 1999 Issue

Easter gladness, not sadness

The resurrection: no cause for gloom

By Beverly Goldsmith

IT's EASTER AGAIN. For many people here in Australia, this means crisp autumn mornings, the smell of oven-warmed hot cross buns, and children hoping to receive brightly wrapped chocolate eggs from family members or friends. Some people will visit their favorite camping spots during this holiday period. Others will observe the religious significance of the season. While those who live "down under" usually enjoy this time of year, there are some who don't. A friend made me aware of this. Normally a bright, happy person, she looked downhearted the day I came across her in the supermarket. When I gently inquired what the matter was, she said, "Oh, nothing really. It's just Easter." Then she confided, "I get sad thinking of Jesus and the cross. I feel so sorry that he died. I find it all so depressing, don't you?"

In the past I would have agreed with her. For a number of years I, too, experienced deep sorrow each Good Friday. But now things are different for me. The unhappy feelings are gone. The understanding that Jesus' experience is about Life not death, about triumph not defeat, about gladness not sadness, vanquished the gloom.

The cross and grave are an integral part of Jesus' history, but they do not constitute all of it. Nor are they the climactic ending to his ministry. The Bible records that after his crucifixion and entombment, Jesus rises and comes forth from the sepulcher, he speaks with a woman named Mary, and he meets and talks with his disciples (see John, chaps. 20, 21). For another forty days, he teaches and encourages those who will carry on his Christly mission of healing (see Luke, chap. 24; Acts, chap. 1). In other words, Jesus' life and work continued here on earth, until his ascension.

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