BY CHRISTINA BAIK and SETH DONOUGHE

In print | Published April 13, 2006

Easter, as a word, has its roots in a pagan fertility festival and usually evokes images of candy, colored eggs, and the Easter Bunny. Easter, as a Christian celebration, is the commemoration of the most pivotal sequence of events in the Christian faith: the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

After three years of ministry, Jesus knew that his time had come. He allowed himself to be arrested, found guilty at an unfair trial and condemned to death by the very people who welcomed him into Jerusalem not too long before. He was then insulted, tortured and literally nailed to a wooden cross because he identified himself as the Son of God. After hours of public humiliation and agonizing physical pain, Jesus breathed his last. It was the greatest sacrifice the world will ever know. Jesus willingly and humbly took the punishment that humankind deserved upon himself, thereby forgiving the sins of everyone, believers or not. This is unconditional love.

Jesus’ corpse was taken to a tomb and placed under guard to prevent its removal at the hands of his followers. But on the morning of the third day, the grave was empty and Jesus was miraculously brought back to life. Jesus’ resurrection demonstrates that even such amazing, undeserved forgiveness is not all God wanted to give. By living again, Jesus revealed how his death was not a tragedy to grieve over, but essentially a gift to appreciate and celebrate. His resurrection also shows God’s incredible power by making it evident that death has no power over him nor the Son he sent to earth.

There is a lot to think about here. In our column so far this semester, we have asserted the importance of uncontrived emotional investment in life around us and stressed the need to challenge one another’s thoughts while questioning complacency with our own. But these means of seeking understanding are still limited by our inabilities as human beings. God’s great plan for the world, captured by the story of Easter, is difficult, if not impossible, to accept if we limit ourselves to human conversation, thoughts and feelings.

Fortunately, the story does not end there, and it is this that provides such hope in the Easter season. We cannot “achieve” God on our own, but he willingly comes to meet us partway. That is the great message of Easter, and it is what should give us joy. Jesus, in his death and resurrection, enabled a personal relationship between humankind and God. John refers to Jesus in saying that “The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” God, in all his greatness, is never mystical, distant or too beyond us to reach in a meaningful way.

Christina and Seth are sophomores. You can reach them at cbaik1@swarthmore.edu and sdonoug1@swarthmore.edu.

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