The Logic of Easter

I hope you enjoyed the celebration of Easter. This day marks a day of new beginnings, new life, and the hope of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the son of the living God. This day may be one of the most logical days of the year. Here’s why:

In a recent lecture at Baptist University of the Americas, my colleague and Cultural Anthropologist, Thom Wolf, quoted the familiar passage of the Gospel of John, Chapter 1:1 and 14. He quoted the verse saying: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning …The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

He pointed out that in New Testament Greek, the word for Word is λόγος, logos in English. This is where the words “logic and logical” derive their meaning. Wolf went on to say that “no logic is limited to one word and for a word to be clearly logical, it requires an explanation. He inferred that a more understandable translation for logos would be “an explanation.”

Reading John 1:1 and 14 with this in mind would render a translation like this: “In the beginning was the “Explanation,” and the “Explanation” was with God, and the “Explanation” was God. He was with God in the beginning … the “Explanation” became flesh, a person, and made His dwelling among us …”

These verses, translated this way, make sense to me. It’s logical. Jesus is the Explanation of God in human form. He explained God’s love for us by being obedient to a death on a cross as an innocent substitution for all sinners, and that means all of us. He was born of a virgin in Bethlehem, lived a sinless life, and made His dwelling among John and other disciples to explain who God is and how to live for Him. It makes sense to me that there are no physical body relics for Jesus because He arose from the grave after being dead for three days, on Sunday. Religious leaders of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam have left relics that worshippers venerate today, but not Jesus. That is why Christians say “Jesus is” versus “was” because He lives today having conquered the power of death. Only a living God could do that. The fact that Jesus lives today and is present with me gives me hope not only for this life but the life to come. And this is the hope we offer through Buckner International as a Christ-centered, faith-based ministry.

If this conversation interests you, I encourage you to consider checking out TWIGS, a place to engage the global conversation and this question: What is the best way to live life on the planet?