If I Had No Hope
If the resurrection of Jesus didn’t happen, I have no hope. Holy Week culminates in a three-day period from Friday to Sunday. It points to something, something of ultimate purpose.
Hope rises in Jerusalem. Palm branches, joyful shouts, an intimate Passover meal.
Hope fades in Gethsemane. A betrayal, a fight, an arrest.
Hope yields before the Council. Accusations, injustice, silence.
Hope wilts before the Governor. A mob, a criminal released, hands washed.
Hope dies on the Cross. A scourging, pierced feet, a final breath.
If hope ends there, I’m a fool. My faith is silly, useless, vain, hollow (1 Cor 15:14). I have no reason to believe in Jesus. He’s just a good man who succumbs to evil, malice, and injustice, like so many in history. It saddens, angers, even emboldens, but it does not spark hope.
Then came Sunday morning. Women searching, crying, running, proclaiming. It’s empty they say.
Hope rises at an empty tomb.
I believe Jesus died, was buried, and rose again in accordance with the Scriptures (1 Cor 15:3–8). I believe it logically, and rationally, and historically as well. Maybe I’m crazy, but if I don’t believe this, there’s no reason to be a Christian.
If the resurrection is a farce then my hope dies on Friday. I suffer physically and mentally for what? What do I have to look towards? What helps me endure?
Yeah there are short-term salves in this world that provide some comfort. But there’s no anchor with which to belay up the slope. If you’ve suffered you know this isn’t just depressive self-pity, it’s personal reality.
You endure suffering by focusing on something greater. You believe that this too shall be made right.
The resurrection certifies the death of death. Hell’s defeat. Suffering’s silence. Injustice’s incarceration.
Without the resurrection I have no hope. But, through the resurrection, today’s sad truths become untrue wisps of memory in a metamorphosis of hope. Easter matters most because of one thing:
My hope lives in the empty tomb.
Jason is a product designer, entrepreneur, and writer // dad of 3 // Christian // UNC Tar Heel
