The foolishness of Easter

Lind Calvary Assembly of God

This Sunday is Easter. It’s also April Fools’ Day.

I couldn’t remember when these two ever coincided, but then I found out why. The last time Easter fell on April 1 was in 1956, which happened before I was born.

As we observe these two simultaneously, it draws an obvious contrast. April Fools’ Day is a light-hearted time of playing practical jokes on family and friends, whereas Easter deals with the sober implication for all humanity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

But even with this contrast, there’s also a surprising parallel. Just as a practical joke on April Fools’ Day can arouse a good laugh among those involved, laughter can easily be a part of the Easter celebration, too.

This is because the free gift of salvation God offers us through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is so unbelievably loving and merciful towards sinners that it’s downright absurd.

This type of response is similar to Abraham’s wife Sarah when the angel told her she was going to give birth to a son at the old age of 90.

Her amusement in the ridiculousness of God’s goodness, and his sense of humor, led to the boy being named Isaac, which means “laughter.”

There may be some who think it’s appropriate for Easter to fall on April Fools’ Day because, in their opinion, it’s foolish to believe in the claims Christians make about Jesus’ resurrection.

But as the New Testament states: “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God.”

And as the 20th century Christian missionary and martyr Jim Elliot so poignantly pointed out: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Therefore, this Easter Sunday we can celebrate the fact that God’s offer of salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection is no joke, and we can also break out into a good laugh at the “foolishness” of his benevolent love for our broken and wayward human race!