Opinion
Supporting the winning side this Easter
Jane Walters reflects on the role we might have played during that first Easter weekend, and gives thanks for Jesus’ eventual triumph.
There’s a song that starts, ‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord?’ I’m picturing it as I saw it once on Songs of Praise, the small group of vocalists, each one singing with a pained facial expression – completely understandably.
I once asked my home group, by way of an ice-breaker, ‘Would you have wanted to be present at the crucifixion?’ The short answer is that no one did. In fact, most of them recoiled at the very idea of eye-witnessing such horror. I readily agreed.
The trouble with reading our biblical texts is we know how the story ends. Whenever we take an episode, it’s never in isolation because we see the whole context all the time. Good Friday is bearable for us because we know that Easter Sunday is coming. The people there at the time knew no such thing. Would I have wanted to watch my Lord die, fully believing it was Game Over? The very thought is crushing.
A telling question for me is this: whose side would I have been on? Of course, I want to have been one of the women who refused to leave Jesus alone, both in life and death. I want to have taken care of His lifeless body, and returned at dawn on the Sunday, bearing spices, finding myself witness to the resurrection.
But what if, instead, I was part of the crowd baying for Jesus’ death? Or one of the disciples who ran away? Would I – could I – have even denied Him?
Thankfully, it’s only speculation. We don’t need to have actually been there to receive the salvation Jesus paid such a high price for. We can simply stand, remembering the cross and the empty tomb, and offer our gratitude and awe.
This article first appeared in Good News for Norwich and Norfolk.
Jane Walters is Chair of the Association of Christian Writers and loves to champion writers of all ages and stages. She leads Green Pastures Christian Writers (currently meeting on Zoom) and creative writing retreats at Quiet Waters. Find out more: www.janewyattwalters.com or @readywritersretreats on Instagram.
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