Anything but Jesus

(I first published this post three years ago on April 8, 2007…but it's still true today)

 Last night we continued the family tradition of sitting down and watching The Ten Commandments. While watching, it occurred to me (not for the first time) that, although this has been an Easter tradition in my family for quite awhile, the movie actually has nothing to do with Easter at all.

When I was a kid, I remember the Easter movie was always Ben Hur, another Biblical epic drama starring Charlton Heston. But Ben Hur actually covers the Easter story with Judah Ben Hur (Heston) actually carrying the cross of Christ to Calvary after Christ’s collapse.

So, what’s the difference? Why start showing The Ten Commandments instead of Ben Hur? Same style of movie…same star…same Biblical theme. Well, I think it’s the same reason that at you can put a huge inflatable Easter bunny on your lawn but if you put up a big wooden cross, you’re going to be in trouble with the neighborhood association. Or at Christmas time you can publicly display almost anything except a Nativity Scene and at school you can put on almost any type of play except a play about Jesus.

God alone has become okay because it’s He’s been watered down to merely a generic title having to do with any perceived higher power. But anything to do with Jesus is definitely not politically correct. He’s offensive. He’s controversial. He’s polarizing. Some things never change. What was true of Jesus 2000 years ago, is still true today.

Although I believe that the Antichrist spoken about in Revelation is an actual person, there’s no denying that the spirit of Antichrist (literally, anything but Jesus) is alive and well in our culture today.

Almost any spiritual topic can be covered without comment, but the minute you say the name of Jesus, the controversy begins. That’s the power of a name…the power of a person. 2000 years ago no one left Jesus unchanged. Your life was changed. You left Him indebted and in love or you left confronted, uncomfortable and angry. Jesus was always going to leave change in His wide wake.

Again, what was true then is true today. The presence of Jesus still makes many uncomfortable. He still confronts evil and apathy. He still challenges. He still continues to encourage us to take the next step out of our comfort zones—to follow Him.

Today, we celebrate Easter—the day Christ rose from the dead. Even death could not hold Him. We are here to continue to bring Jesus out of the tomb our culture wants to keep Him in. He’s easier to handle when you don’t see Him…out of sight out of mind. That’s why the Nativity scene and Ben Hur bother so many people—it’s all about Him.

So Easter is not about the Bunny or about The Ten Commandments or even about the Masters Golf Tournament (not that there’s anything wrong with those things). It’s about Jesus, His power over death, and His victory over evil. He is risen! He is risen indeed!