I have read the Easter story so many, many times, just as you have. And of course I have also preached from it a good many times. This is why I’m surprised that I have always missed one word in the story, and an exceedingly important word at that. Of course it’s a little word, a four-letter word, so I have some excuse. But even so I wonder how I’ve missed it.
But before I tell you the word, let me go through the background of the story with you. As our Lord entered the third year of his ministry, miracles seemed to increase — including even the raising from the dead of a man named Lazarus — while at the same time the enemies of Jesus became more anxious and better organized. At last this opposition decided that the only way to deal with Jesus was to get rid of him; specifically, to persuade the Roman government to crucify him.
Several times Jesus told his disciples what was going to happen. He said that he would be arrested and crucified, and that on the third day he would rise again. I repeat, Jesus gave this word to his disciples several times.
But no matter how plainly Jesus spoke, the disciples just didn’t get it. Their problem was a common one. Like most of us, they tended to hear what they expected and wanted to hear rather than hearing what was actually being said. That’s how it is that even on the night of their last meal together, the disciples were still arguing about what positions they would have when Jesus established his kingdom.
No wonder, then, that they were caught by surprise when Jesus was arrested later that evening. And no wonder that they all fled in fear. They watched from a distance as Jesus was humiliated, beaten and crucified. That was on a F
