Last year I wrote about how weird Easter was. It was an Easter to remember because we were in significant lockdown and our Easter services were all online. In many places around the world this continues to be the case but thankfully, here in Melbourne, we’re back for services with some slight inconveniences.
And as we look back on the last 12 months I wonder whether we have asked, ‘what does it all mean?’
It’s a natural question to ask, whether we’re still dealing with the affects of the pandemic or whether we’re operating in COVID-normal . I’m not going to suggest I have any answers to this question but it is one that I ponder regularly.
The same goes for the Easter, what does it all mean?
To be Captain Obvious for a moment, there are certain things in life that need to be explained to us. I confess I am like this when it comes to anything like building and handiwork. It’s not a strong suit. And this was brought home to me recently when talking to a builder about tiles for the kitchen. Apparently there are certain style of tiling called ‘subway tiles’. Well, when this kind of tile was being talked about in conversation my mind immediately went to the horrible mild yellow, bright green, and vague cream tiles in the actual Subway stores where I buy sandwiches sometimes. The conversation did include me making a comment about this and I hope it came across as a joke. Unfortunately I don’t think it did.
But I don’t know what any of these things mean. I need things to be explained to me. Even subway tiles.
In Acts 2:1-13 the events of Pentecost occur. The crowd is astounded at the coming of the Spirit as they observe the followers of Jesus speaking in languages they don’t understand and seeing them worship the Lord in new ways. In v12 this leads them to say to one-another, “What does this mean?”
In response to this question Peter gets up and asks them all to listen carefully to what he has to say. Peter explains what is going on by placing these events in the continuing work of God’s plan and purposes. What is going on is not just what the Old Testament talks about but is evidently the fulfilment of God’s promises through Jesus.
Peter uses the words of the prophet Joel and King David, tying together the promises God has made through these scriptures with the current events of the day. Peter is saying to the crowd that this event you are seeing today, this pouring out of the Spirit that you are witnessing is something that was promised long ago. This is what we’ve been waiting for!
In the mini-lockdown we had in February one of the mum’s on our street had the idea to call an ice-cream van down our street. My kids hadn’t experienced this before, and nor had a number of our neighbours children. And so we waited out in the street for a while with a few others, all socially distanced of course, and the excitement built and built as the time of their coming came nearer. But because my kids hadn’t experienced any of this before I needed to explain to them what was going on and what kind of ice-cream or gelato they could choose (let alone how expensive it is too). But when the van came rolling down the street and the music was playing loudly we were all waving, jumping, clapping and generally exuberant about what was happening because this is what we’d been waiting for!
I don’t want to suggest the outpouring of the Spirit is like waiting for an ice-cream van. That’s certainly not my point! But Peter, in his sermon in Acts 2, explains to the crowd that this is what they’ve all been waiting for. This confirms that Jesus is the Christ, that he is the promised Messiah. The Old Testament promises are fulfilled through this Jesus who has been killed and raised to life.
Peter is showing that it’s all about Jesus.
You see, this sermon is foundational to Christian belief because it is a gospel sermon. It is a speech that makes much of Jesus and explains the heart of the Christian faith.
This is the good news.
This is the gospel.
Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, has come in power, was delivered over to be crucified as part of the plan of God and killed on a cross. But this death could not hold him down, for he was resurrected to life. Unlike the body of David whose body was laid to rest in a grave, Jesus conquered the grave, evidenced by his resurrection. Furthermore, this Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of God and poured out the Holy Spirit at this Pentecost event. In doing so he fulfils the Old Testament scriptures and we can know for certain that he is Lord and Messiah.
This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is the good news of God. The good news that announces Jesus as Lord and Saviour, as King and Christ.
This is the meaning of Easter.