Easter is upon us, and given that this Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His eternal victory, I ponder the idea of wonder. Specifically, that every human being was created with the ability and capacity for wonder.
When I read from the Last Supper all the way through to Christ’s Ascension, I am reading the fantastic. There is a leap required to believe it, because it is so very far beyond what I can logically comprehend. I once read that when Tolkien was sharing the gospel with C.S. Lewis, he described the story of Christ as the one true myth. What a brilliant way to put it!
Every country, every culture, every people on this earth has a myth they call their own. We aren’t just capable of wonder; we actively seek it. And if we don’t like it when we find it, then we just create a new myth. God created us with a hunger for wonder – a hunger for Him.
For hundreds of years, God’s prophets laid the mysterious and cryptic foundation for the coming Messiah (Is. 9:6). Jesus was born of Mary, a virgin chosen by God (Luke 1:34-35). An evil king slaughtered all boys under the age of two in an attempt to kill Jesus before he could become a threat (Matt. 2:16-18). Jesus walked on water, cast out demons and performed miracles (Matt. 14). He was ultimately betrayed by one of his core twelve disciples (Matt. 26:14-16). Jesus was tried, tortured and crucified (Matt. 27). He died – and the earth shook, dead saints walked, and the temple curtain was ripped in two – and He was buried in a tomb (Matt. 27, 28). Three days later, the tomb was discovered open and empty, and Jesus appeared to His disciples, alive and victorious (Matt. 28). He then ascended to heaven (Mark 16:19).
WOW. And that’s not even the end of the story! Seems like every story told since this one has been trying to piggyback off its sheer awesomeness. I mean, James Cameron tweaked the Herod slaughter and produced one of the greatest sci-fi sagas of the twentieth century: The Terminator (and I’m grateful – ha!).
Everything about God is wonder and mystery and the fantastic. And He created us with a built-in gravitational pull to these very things. The entirety of scripture is dotted with hidden treasures designed to draw us in to the wonder of Who He is, like the alabaster jar. As Martha so beautifully delves into in her book Adoration, Mary anointed Jesus with an entire jar of fragrant oil shortly before he died. He would still be able to smell that rich scent throughout the horror He endured. The fragrance of love coated Him, clung to His skin, a constant reminder that He was loved. That is so the Father’s heart and attention to the smallest detail that I just cry when I think about it. And God set the wonder of that single event in motion at the beginning of the world.
I am in awe of our God. The wonder of what He’s done and how He’s done it, and most importantly, WHO He is – well, I really don’t have words. This weekend I’m celebrating the life of my Lord, my Savior. And I remind myself that it isn’t over yet. I am a part of THE unrivaled epic of all time, and anything is possible.
Matthew 21:9b HCSB
Hosanna to the Son of David!
He who comes in the name of the Lord is the blessed One!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!
