Easter
If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:19-20 (ESV)
There is an old church tradition that on the day after Easter the pastor and church members would gather in the church yard to tell jokes. They felt that they were imitating the ultimate joke that God pulled on Satan when He resurrected Jesus from the dead.
Can you imagine the delight of the devil when Jesus finally breathed His last? God died and Satan surely thought he had won. If that were true, then “we are of all people most to be pitied.” For if Christ were still dead, then our sins would still condemn us, and our future would be hopeless.
But here comes the punchline: “Christ has been raised from the dead!” The last laugh belongs to the Lord of the living. No matter how bad things might seem to our eyes of flesh, our eyes of faith reveal the truth: Jesus Christ is risen from the dead and Satan is defeated forever. No matter how unworthy our sins make us feel, Christ’s triumph through the cross and the empty tomb declares that we are forgiven and redeemed for eternal life. No matter how defeated, lost, and helpless we might sometimes feel while fighting the good fight of faith, we know that when Christ rose from the dead, we won, and we too will rise!
The idea that Satan and his second-rate band of traitors could ever defeat our Lord Jesus and those who follow Him… now that really is a joke!
The foe was triumphant when on Calvary
The Lord of creation was nailed to the tree.
In Satan's domain did the hosts shout and jeer,
For Jesus was slain, whom the evil ones fear.
But short was their triumph, the Savior arose,
And Death, hell, and Satan He vanquished, His foes;
The conquering Lord lifts His banner on high.
He lives, yes, He lives, and will nevermore die.
Lutheran Service Book 480:2-3