Personal Easter Message

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53: 3,4) 

At Easter, Christians all over the world are celebrating the core of their faith: the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus as atonement for our sins and His Resurrection from His death.

For me, Easter represents a time of reflection on the events that unfolded that weekend about 2000 years ago, the weekend that has changed the world. Based on the roots of Judaism, Christians believes that a New Covenant had been made. Not a religion that should be based on a certain people, or one that is focused on earthly power or repression.

Christianity simply has been established based on a message, on the spreading of the good news that God wants to restore His relationship with mankind through the suffering, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The Good News is that if we believe in this, Jesus atones our sins and wrongdoings, and we develop a personal relationship with God which gives us a new perspective on this life and after. Christianity is therefore not based on achieving earthly power or on repression, but just on the spreading of Good News and the invitation to follow Jesus and His values based on the Command to love God and our Neighbor.

Jesus therefore was focused on people. He was a voice for the people who were marginalized in society. He searched them, listened to them and healed them. He preached about healing and the way how to recover the relationship with God and the other. His messages were focused on human dignity, reconciliation, justice and care.

Yet, Jesus was not popular as the prophet Isaiah already had prophesied. “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind (…) Like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised, and we held him in low esteem”. When the people saw that He did not have earthly ambitions to overthrow the Roman repression and that He opposed the leaders of Israel, they decided to despise Him, steer the people up against Him, frame Him and finally killed Him.

However, on the third day, Jesus resurrected again. Whatever happens, Jesus’ message of Hope and Salvation cannot be destroyed. For thousands of years, millions of people accepted this Good News and this will continue to happen until He returns!

I wish you all a hopeful and blessed Easter