Alleluia! Jesus has risen! Death has been defeated. Hell has been conquered, and fear has been overcome.
Fear is directly tied to possession. When we are scared, it is because we think we will lose something that we believe we have/should have ownership of. We are scared of the dark as a kid because something may be lurking ready to take our peace of mind, physical health, or even life. We are scared to be ourselves as teenagers, because we feel we may lose friends (whether it be one or many) if they see the real us. We are scared to tithe or be charitable with our money as adults because the financial choices we make may affect the lifestyle we desire to have. We try so hard to hold on to the things that we have (or think we have) that we either limit ourselves, or spend our lives in anxiety imagining the worst. We often live a limited, anxious life. Yet, this is not the life that we are meant to live. We were not made for a spirit of slavery for which we fall back into fear. Rather, we are meant to live a life in total trust with our Heavenly Father.
Sinful acts result from a sinful disposition inside of oneself. These dispositions often encourage us to act in fear. Our actions reveal the state of our souls, and what they show us is that at the root of everything: All of our sinful actions and dispositions are a result of a lack of trust in our Heavenly Father.
When we directly commit sin, we take matters into our own hands and grasp after something that God does not want for us, and if God does not want it for us, it is not Good. Eve’s sin in Genesis 3 is a prime example of this. She grasps after the fruit because she is tempted into believing that God is holding out on her. In other words, she is scared of missing out and tries to obtain what she believes she believes she is missing.
When we sin by omitting a good action that must take place, it is often because we fear how others may view us. We lack the strength to stand up for God’s will because it will take sacrifice. Adam is the prime example of this in Genesis 3. He was with his wife and knew what God had decreed, yet he does not resist, but joins his bride in sin. It is realistic to believe that Adam feared not only the serpent, but also how Eve would react if he tried to stop her. In addition, Adam was fighting his own temptation of wanting to grasp after the fruit as well.
But this is Easter! Sin has been defeated. Fear has no more power. How? Because our Heavenly Father loves us too much to let us live in fear. He sent His Communication, His Word, His Son, His Love to us. This love is in the form of the person Jesus. He shows us who are, not slaves but children of God. He shows us that if we seek first the kingdom of God, all things that we need will be given to us. Jesus trusts His Heavenly Father so much that He was obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God exalts His name above every other Name and eternal life is granted to humanity.
Jesus is the first human to show complete trust in God, and His reward is eternal resurrection from the dead. His actions and resurrection assure us that if we trust God as He did, we will rise again with Him. Jesus’ reward is not for Himself. It is for us, and that is the Joy of Easter. We can have complete trust that God will keep His promise. He will raise up the lowly. He will provide all that we need. And He does so, because He loves us. He is not holding out on us, because He has already given His entire self to us, even while we were yet sinners. If we completely let go of what we are trying to possess and allow ourselves to be renewed in Jesus, everything will be provided for us. That is the Easter promise, that God has proven that He is a Father who keeps His promises, and He has given us the ability to do so in His Son Jesus and His Church. Let us rejoice!
