Matthew 27:1-5 1 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. 2 They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor. 3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” 5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
This tragic event shows us the destructive power of regret. Judas had messed up big. Greed had gotten the best of him. He wound up taking his own life. He wasn’t the only betrayer of Jesus. Peter had betrayed Jesus as well.
Both Judas and Peter had an opportunity to repent. Both could have sought forgiveness. Only Peter did, and he went on to be a powerhouse preacher and force for the Kingdom of God. Jesus reinstated Peter, recommissioning him to the mission of being a fisher of men. Judas, however, let regret rob him of the Easter experience. Judas let regret rob him of Resurrection. Judas let regret get in the way of his discipleship and call to follow Jesus.
Don’t let regret keep you from experiencing Easter.
Mark 16:1-8 1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb? The question was a legitimate one. What they were basically asking was, “Who will make an impossible task possible?” They were asking how a miracle would occur in the midst of a situation that would take one if they were going to accomplish what they had set out to do.
What if the women started talking about the impossible feat of moving that stone and concluded there was no need to make the trip since they wouldn’t be able to move the it? They would have missed that announcement of the Resurrection entirely. Are you allowing your questions about faith, the Bible, Jesus, Heaven, and more keep you from encountering the Risen Christ?
Don’t let questions keep you from experiencing Easter.
Mark 16:4-8 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'”8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
Isn’t that sad? Instead of rejoicing, instead of shouting with great delight, instead of instantly exhaling the sorrow and grief that had cloaked them, these ladies added fear to their already-overloaded emotional experiences. This should have been Good News, Great News, Exhilerating News! This news should have changed everything for them for the better. In an instant, EVERY FEAR should have been gone, but it wasn’t. They allowed what they couldn’t instantly understand to cause them to fear. When God doesn’t move according to our expectations, that is not the time to give in to fear. It is the time to stand in faith in the power of the Resurrection.
Don’t let fear keep you from experiencing Easter.
John 20:19-29 19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” 24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”
Thomas wasn’t so much a doubter as he just wanted the same experience the other disciples had enjoyed. They had gotten to see the Resurrected Jesus and they told Thomas all about it. For some reason, Thomas wasn’t there. Can you imagine how he would have been kicking himself for missing that incredible experience?
We’ve all been there, right? We get busy, distracted and our attention gets diverted to everything we have to “do.” Time gets away from us. It becomes a few weeks that we miss church or miss time in the Word or in prayer, and before you know it, several months go by. Others are growing and encountering Jesus in new ways, and we are missing it.
Don’t let life’s distractions keep you from experiencing Easter.
Are you enjoying the Easter experience or are you allowing regret, questions, fear or the distractions of life keeping you from seeing and experiencing Jesus and His power every day? Don’t keep missing out. Don’t keep having to hear what Jesus is doing for others without enjoying what He can and wants to do for you.
