Euangelion

From the greek prefix eu- weaning well or good and angelion meaning message or news. The good news. The gospel, in Christian parlance. It has been a hard couple of weeks. The father of a close friend of mine passed away, and though he had been battling cancer and very weak for some time, death is not a simple thing to deal with. It is hard. It is wrong, and it ought not be that way.

I believe that death is the result of sin. That sin corrupted mankind, and while we retain the image of God put into us at creation, it is a warped, twisted image. We know good and evil, we have lost our innocence, we have defiled the name, gifts, and character of Almighty God. Death is in it's way a gift - to live forever as corrupted people... let's just say that zombies are just that - the walking dead. Rotting corpses not at peace, seeking only to corrupt others.

Today we discussed the Crucifixion at church (briefly interrupted by a 5.0 earthquake about 25-30 miles away). The unjust death of Jesus the Messiah. The chosen one of God. The one who took my punishment as the physical realization of the significance of the Passover Lamb. A sad thing. Jesus died for me. For me. Me. I deserve what was coming to me, he didn't. A man, not beautiful in appearance, but in love, in kindness, in character, and in all those things that really matter. The cross brings up tears of grief in my eyes.

But the cross is not the end. The good news goes beyond sacrifice. Jesus told his followers that he had the power to lay down his life and to take it up again. And so he did. Death was not the last word. The grave was not where it all ended. The darkest hour in all the world, darker than Original Sin. Darker than the fall of Lucifer. Darker than the murder of Abel, the flood of the earth, the exile in Egypt, the siege of Jerusalem. Darker than the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Atomic Bomb, and all the atrocities and evil of the world put together. God himself hung on a cross, taunted by his chosen people, and died. The darkest day turned into the brightest light. Jesus died... and we can call it Good Friday because he made good on his word to his disciples.

He rose from the grave, with a new type of life, and as he was raised, so we can be raised to. He was the firstfruits, an example of what was yet to come. Easter Sunday brings me a great many benefits. But really, they do not compare to the fact that Jesus did not stay dead. That causes me tears of joy. I almost had to pull of the road today thinking about this, because I was having trouble seeing. Mankind did the worst it could, and God allowed it. God is Lord over all, and death has no trump card on him.

And when he arose, Jesus did not storm into the temple and slap around the Pharisees that incited the crowds to call for his head. Jesus did not approach Pilate and demand the keys. He appeared to his followers as proof of who he was, and handed them the keys. Go and do likewise. Love. Teach. Serve. And do not fear. They hated me; they will hate you. Torture you, too. Kill you, even. But I've been there. I was beaten, tortured, hated, reviled and killed. But I live. Do not fear death, but trust me and follow.