On Easter

I am often conflicted by the season of Easter. Easter is a time to claim victory, the same way Jesus conquered sin and death. But in a culture that proclaims, ‘Trust me, you will get tired of winning,’ how do we enter the Christian season of victory? Isn’t Christianity unique because it is the only religion that claims God became human? Meaning that it centers in the notion of the incarnation—a relatable God, a human God, a God that suffers and dies in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. No matter how much one can emphasize the resurrection, the story does not make sense without the understanding of a God that becomes human and dies. Easter is intertwined with Good Friday. So, how do we celebrate the season of victory and reject a society that is obsessed with winning?

While our culture might be obsessed with wining, Easter has a lot to say about who gets to proclaim victory. Jesus came to proclaim the Kingdom of God to all, but he placed a small condition. One must repent first. The Greek word found in the gospels is metanoia that translates to a change of hearts and minds. In other words, one cannot embrace the season of victory, without first going through the season of metanoia. Only those who are willing to go through a conversion of heart and mind can claim victory. In a way, Jesus invites us to his passion so that we too may see him raised! Simply, there is no Easter without metanoia, there is no resurrection without death, there is no victory without defeat.

The second condition that helps me think of Easter as different than a society infatuated with winning lies in the what type of victory Christians proclaim during Easter. It is not a victory over other people, it is not a victory that divides, it is not a victory that belittles others, it is not a victory of hate, it is not a victory of violence, it is not a victory that hinders the human-spirit. Instead, it is a victory of love over hatred, a victory of peace over war, a victory of kindness over selfishness, a victory of trust over fear, a victory of grace over sin, a victory of life over death. Anyone claiming any other type of winning is not proclaiming the victory of Jesus of Nazareth.

So, to truly celebrate the season of victory, Easter must be divorced from our own notion of winning. This season is less about a self-absorbed notion of winning and instead about the paradox of giving of one’s self to others to be able to triumph. Easter's victory is the victory of all the hearts that have gone through metanoia, that in the same way Jesus of Nazareth was nailed to a cross, they too died and were horribly defeated and that now they see the light of hope. Easter's victory is in all the hearts that just like seeds, died, so that they too could blossom and produce good fruit. Easter's victory is in the hearts that rejoice because of their sacrifice and faith. Easter's victory is the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God here before us—and in all the people who embody Jesus of Nazareth by building the Kingdom before us.