With the Easter weekend still fresh in our hearts and minds (some of us still enjoying that final day off) let’s pause for a moment to reflect on what all of it means for us.
On Good Friday, as we read through the accounts of Jesus’ final days & hours before his crucifixion, we considered the cost of love. We picture Jesus hunched over in a secluded garden, travailing in prayer while his disciples sleep nearby. We see Jesus passed to and fro amongst the different religious and political leaders of his time; unfairly treated for declaring the Kingdom of His Father. Tried unjustly in a trial fueled by hate and jealousy. Finally, we hear his cries of forgiveness from the cross and the women wailing nearby as the Darling of Heaven is crucified…
As moving and holy as these moments are, as present as we ought to be in that grief, they are not the places we pitch our tents. While the people of God are called to be ones who remember the cross and all that took place when Jesus died, we do not set up camp at the foot of the cross. If we did, we would miss what happened at the tomb on the third day, when Jesus rose again! Defeating sin and conquering death once and for all!
I find the imagery of mixing and blending colours together to be a really helpful way to consider our life with Christ. By mixing two colours together, you begin to create more depth!
I’ve been really drawn to the colour grey lately. Most of life is lived in the grey… and I don’t just mean because we’re all in our stay-at-home sweats and relaxing gear. In this case, perhaps it’s more helpful to think about mixing bright colours though – ones that are not quite as heavily symbolic as right and wrong being blended.
By mixing combinations of primary colours, secondary colours are created. From there the colour wheel begins to develop and not only are there more colours, there are complementary colours that work really well together… like red and green!
Even though “surrender” can feel a lot more grey than bright, I think if we look at the example of Peter’s life we’ll see that there is much more colour involved in a surrendered life.
Ever since the beginning of his story he was radically surrendered to Christ. He agreed to leave his business and everything he knew to follow Jesus! Later on, he grew to know Jesus, the Light of the World better; as love and trust deepened, we read about Peter walking on water!! If that doesn’t show a person surrendered and trusting God, I don’t know what does!
As passionate and zealous as his surrender was at times it was also reluctant! When Jesus challenged him to lower himself some more, to be served by Jesus through foot washing, Peter eventually surrendered to that too.
When it’s practically lived out, surrender can look like all sorts of things! Being surrendered to Jesus also doesn’t mean perfection. We are still human, just as Peter was, and we make mistakes too. Sometimes denying Christ to save our reputation or our status overpowers surrender.
In John 21 we see the resurrected Jesus appear to the disciples once more! They’re back out in their fishing boats, unable to catch anything, and a stranger from shore suggests casting their nets to the other side… Sound familiar?
Peter jumps out of the boat, this time pushing against the resistance of the waves surrounding him as he runs to be with his Lord and his God.
All of them share a fish fry breakfast together, during which Jesus asks him three times if Peter loves him. In the safety and presence of the resurrected Jesus Peter has nothing to fear and freely declares his love, each time redeeming the brokenness and shame from his three denials of knowing him. Jesus says to him once more, after all is finished, “Follow me.”
Can you imagine how much Peter’s understanding of surrender would have changed after this encounter?! Understanding that he is forgiven and loved despite his errors of judgement?!
When light in its brightest and purest form passes through a prism, we are shown a full spectrum of colours! Although it appears to be a white light, within it is every colour… Just like the light of the Sun emits every colour in the spectrum of colours, so too does the light of resurrection allow us to see our lives of surrender in a much fuller way.
Because we know death has been conquered forever, we can embrace life differently.
Because we know that joy comes in the morning, we can grieve deeply and mourn wholly.
Because we know the Light of the World was not defeated, we can face each new day.
When Jesus asks you to follow him into the unknowns and into deeper places of surrender, what will your answer be?