WHAT IS EASTER?

(Three friends Roshan, Rohit & Preeti discuss about Easter)

Roshan : Hi, Rohit Rohit : Hi. Nice to meet you. Roshan : I was praying for you ai!y since we met !ast time. I as"e #o to comfort you. Rohit :Than" you. I fe!t #o !i"e a father to me. I no !onger fee! epresse $ hope!ess a%out my future. &reeti : Hi, Rohit Rohit : Hi, &reeti

&reeti : It appears, you are iscussing something serious!y. I hope I am not intru ing. Rohit : No, &reeti. 'eet my frien Roshan &reeti : Hi, Roshan Roshan : Hi, &reeti Rohit : Actua!!y we met to ay to ta!" a%out Easter &reeti : I ha(e an aunt of mine who !i(es in )hicago. She use to te!! me that uring Easter they co!our eggs. They e*change greetings which usua!!y ha(e photos of cute %unnies a!ong with co!ourfu! eggs. +ots of games $ (arious !eisure acti(ities are a!so p!anne for Easter. ,ut I o not "now why they are %eing one. Roshan : The Easter %unnies $ egg are a!! tra itiona! practices in the west for many centuries. These ha(e %ecome the recogni-e $ wi e!y a ore sym%o!s of Easter .ust !i"e how Santac!aus is for )hristmas. Actua!!y these practices ha(e nothing to o with Easter. &reeti : Nothing to o with Easter/ Then What is Easter? Rohit : Easter is the ay of resurrection. 0esus offere himse!f as a sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the who!e wor! . After his eath $ %uria!, 0esus rose from the eath on the 1r ay. That ay is ce!e%rate as Easter. &reeti : There is no person in the history of man"in who has e(er risen from the eath. I on2t see anything rationa! in %e!ie(ing that 0esus ha risen from the ea . I thin" it is the (ain %e!ief of some re!igious peop!e. What o you thin" Rohit? Rohit : I was a!so thin"ing that way ti!! !ast wee" %ut now I "now that he has risen from the ea an is a!i(e to ay. I o not ha(e any proof or any !ogic for my %e!ief %ut my e*perience uring iscussion with Roshan change a!! that. 0esus has fi!!e my !ife with such peace $ .oy that I cannot %e!ie(e that he oes not e*ist. He is !i"e a father to me now.

&reeti : I ha(e ne(er e*perience anything that you say. I thin" you are emotiona!!y sensiti(e, that is why you are searching for #o . I go to church once in e(ery three months. I say prayers %ut I am not epen ent on #o to run my !ife. Ta"e !ife easy, en.oy e(ery moment, %e positi(e, %e confi ent then you can face any pro%!em in !ife. 3ou shou! !i(e your !ife !i"e me. Rohit : I o not "now what to say. I am fee!ing inferior now after hearing what you are saying. What o you thin" Roshan? Roshan : Te!! me what o you o when you are not we!!? Rohit : When I am not we!!. I e!ay going to the octor. I ta"e a pain "i!!er $ wait for natura! hea!ing to ta"e p!ace. 4n!y if there is no impro(ement then I go to the octor. &reeti : When I am not we!!, I usua!!y (isit the octor as soon as possi%!e. Norma!!y he prescri%es some me icines after e*amining me. Sometimes the octor te!!s me to get some iagnostic test one. Roshan : I remem%er once I was suffering from in igestion, I was not fee!ing hungry at a!! . I met the octor a!ong with my mother. The octor presse har in the region %e!ow the ri% area on %oth si es an to! me to ta"e some me icines. 'y mother oes not ha(e any me ica! 5ua!ification %ut she gent!y as"e the octor if some iagnostic test can %e one to i entify whether I ha(e 0aun ice. The octor sai that 6%ase on past e*perience I can te!! %y physica! e*amination itse!f whether the patient is suffering from 0aun ice. ,ut for your satisfaction I wi!! prescri%e for ,!oo $ 7rine test8. #uess what, the test re(ea!e I was suffering from 0aun ice. &reeti : That shows how important iagnostic tests are in me ica! treatment. These ays for cancer, the ear!ier it is etecte the 5uic"er wi!! %e chance of reco(ery. Roshan : A%so!ute!y. 0ust thin" of a person with cancer who oesn2t "now that he has cancer. If the cancer is iagnose at !ater stages what are the chances of sur(i(a!?

Rohit : I "now $ I ha(e hear of many peop!e who ha(e ie of cancer %ecause of !ate iagnosis. &reeti : I too "now many such instances. Roshan : The same is true of our spiritua! !ife. The ,i%!e says a!! of man"in is sic" spiritua!!y with something more ea !y than cancer. If we o not o a iagnosis of our heart con ition, we may not re!ease that an en up !osing our !ife for e(er. 4nce you ha(e one the iagnosis, ta"e it to the physician an he wi!! gi(e you the %est reme y. Rohit : 0esus is the great physician that we ha(e to go to. ,y His woun s we are hea!e . Isn2t it? Roshan : He gi(es hea!ing to the who!e person i.e physica!, menta! $ spiritua!. &reeti : I un erstan what you are saying %ut un!ess I ha(e confi ence in 0esus how can I %e!ie(e he can hea! me. If you can e*p!ain !ogica!!y $ show me that the pro%a%i!ity of 0esus resurrection is 5uite high, then I cou! thin" of %e!ie(ing 0esus as #o . Roshan : 9o you thin" 0esus is a rea! historica! person who !i(e a%out :;;; years ago or o you thin" he is a mytho!ogica! character in(ente %y re!igious peop!e? &reeti : I thin" 0esus is a rea! person who actua!!y !i(e . Roshan : There is more ocumentary proof of 0esus e*istence than A!e*an er the great. 0esus is referre to %y many Non<)hristian sources as ear!y as =;; A.9. There is no ou%t among historians that a person ca!!e 0esus e*iste , that he i goo inc!u ing some un%e!ie(a%!e mirac!es, that he was crucifie an that the tom% were he was %urie %ecame empty !ater. &reeti : 'ost of what we "now a%out 0esus is from the ,i%!e. )an the ,i%!e %e truste to %e a true account of 0esus. Roshan : The ,i%!e is actua!!y a co!!ection of >> %oo"s written %y a%out ?; ifferent authors un er the inspiration of #o himse!f o(er a perio

of :;;; years. The ,i%!e ne(er contra icts itse!f. It has inspire many peop!e. The wor s in the ,i%!e are a!i(e an spea" to ay. &reeti : The ,i%!e has two portions name!y 4! $ New Testament. Am I correct? Roshan : 3es. There are 1@ %oo"s in the 4! Testament A4TB $ :C %oo"s in the New Testament.ANTB The 4T contains %oo"s written %efore the coming of 0esus )hrist to this wor! whi!e New Testament contains %oo"s written after the a (ent of 0esus. The first four %oo"s of NT name!y 'athew, 'ar", +u"e an 0ohn are ca!!e #ospe!s. The #ospe!s recor the !ife of 0esus )hrist. &reeti : I wi!! rea the gospe!s to "now a%out 0esus )hrist. I ha(e three ,i%!es of ifferent si-es which I ha(e ne(er opene to rea . Rohit : We came to iscuss a%out Easter %ut we ha(e not one yet. Te!! me what happene on that ay. Roshan : Accor ing to the gospe!s after 0esus ie on the cross one of the fo!!ower of 0esus too" permission to %ury the %o y of 0esus. He !ai it in a tom%. The tom% was c!ose with a huge stone, it was sea!e an security guar s were ep!oye . This was %ecause the 0ewish !ea ers remem%ere 0esus2 wor s %efore his eath that he wi!! rise again on the thir ay. 4n the 1r ay three women fo!!owers of 0esus went to the tom% to anoint the %o y of 0esus. ,ut foun the stone ro!!e away. They saw an ange! who sai 0esus is risen from the ea . 0esus !ater appeare to 'ary 'ag a!ene, then to &eter an a!! iscip!es. He e(en appeare to more than D;; of his fo!!owers at a time. Rohit : The first person who saw the risen 0esus was a woman. Roshan : Women p!aye a important ro!e uring the !ife of 0esus, if you rea the gospe! of +u"e as we!! as the other gospe! you can fin it out. Women must ha(e %een rawn to 0esus %y his compassion for the suffering. &reeti : 4h, that is interesting

Roshan : There was one iscip!e of 0esus who i not %e!ie(e that 0esus rose from the ea . He sai 67n!ess I see in his han the print of the nai!s an p!ace my fingers in the mar" of the nai!s an p!ace my han in his han , I wi!! not %e!ie(e8. ,ut 0esus appeare to him an to! Thomas to put his fingers in his han $ p!ace it in his si e. Thomas then %e!ie(e that 0esus was #o . History says Thomas came to South In ia in the first century to share his e*periences. )an you te!! some reasons that peop!e cou! say to .ustify their un%e!ief in resurrection of 0esus? Rohit : 4ne reason wou! %e to say that 0esus ne(er ie , then the 5uestion of his resurrection oes not arise. Roshan : It is historica!!y accepte that 0esus ie , hence that oes not ho! water. &reeti : Isn2t it possi%!e that the iscip!es were .ust imagining that he rose again an it seeme true to them. Roshan : 3ou are saying that they may ha(e ha ha!!ucinations of the resurrection. It is possi%!e for peop!e to ha(e ha!!ucinations %ut it is not possi%!e for D;; peop!e to imagine 0esus2 resurrection at the same time. These peop!e touche 0esus, they ate with him an ta!"e with him for ?; ays after resurrection. &reeti : Isn2t it possi%!e that rumours were create that 0esus rose, which o(er a perio of time %ecame a !egen . Roshan : If the resurrection of 0esus was a myth then the iscip!es wou! not ris" ying for their %e!ief. 3ou may "now that a!! iscip!es of 0esus were martyre . 'oreo(er !egen s are forme o(er a perio of time, say =;; or more years. If these peop!e were !ying then they wou! not o it consistent!y particu!ar!y when their !ife is at sta"e. 'any peop!e who trie to ispro(e resurrection en e up pro(ing it. If you rea the gospe!s you can eci e for yourse!f. If you %e!ie(e in the e*istence of a true #o spea" to him an as" him to re(ea! himse!f to you. &reeti : I wi!! o as you say. It has %ecome !ate, I ha(e an appointment an ha(e to go. ,ye guys.

Roshan : 0esus sai 6 I am the resurrection $ !ife8. 0esus emonstrate his power o(er eath %y raising a person ca!!e +a-arus from the eath four ays after his %uria!. He himse!f rose from the ea . E(ery%o y who %e!ie(es in 0esus wi!! a!so e*perience resurrection. Rohit : 4h I see. Roshan : After eath we go to the p!ace where 0esus is now. It is ca!!e Hea(en. There is no pain, sorrow or tears in hea(en. This %e!ief fi!!s my !ife with hope. I !oo" forwar to a ne(er en ing !ife in hea(en with 0esus. I am not afrai to face eath as a resu!t of resurrection of 0esus. Rohit : 3ou mean to say I can a!so go to hea(en. What e!se shou! I o to ensure a p!ace in hea(en. Roshan : 0esus has gi(en us the tic"et to hea(en free of cost. It is free for us %ut it cost him his !ife. We are now on a .ourney to Hea(en. If we perform the .ourney with 0esus there is no possi%i!ity of missing hea(en. Rohit : Than" you Roshan. After my father2s eath I was not on!y afrai of how I am going to face the future. I was a!so afrai to imagine the prospect of my eath %ecause none of us can escape eath. ,ut the truth that 0esus rose from the ea guarantees my resurrection. 9oesn2t it? Roshan : 3es. +et2s than" #o for the resurrection this Easter. ,ye Rohit, I ha(e to !ea(e for ,hopa! to ay. I wi!! %e %ac" in a wee"2s time. Rohit : ,ye Roshan. See you soon.