On Sunday, Christians around the world celebrate the culmination of the holiest days of their spiritual calendar, the events upon which their entire faith is based. A holy man named Jesus, having come to Earth as a man to live among others, suffered betrayal, torture and death, but ultimately conquered even that most final fate by returning to life in three days.
Christians believe that proves that Jesus was the Messiah promised in ancient Judaic scripture. His preachings, the faithful believe, also offer a new message for followers, one of tolerance, forgiveness and redemption. No longer would people be allowed to exact strong justice — an eye for an eye — but they were to turn the other cheek, to admonish and pray for those who sin against God and others.
Many might find this message harder to follow, especially when they are wronged. And yet, it offers a reason for hope and motivation unlike any other.
The story of Christ’s passion and resurrection makes two important points. The first is that no mere mortal can achieve the perfection that God expects us to strive for. All Jesus’ followers, who already believed he was the Chosen One, ran when the centurions came to take him away. Even his most faithful follower, who would assume leadership of the new Christian Church, denied ever knowing him when challenged by people in the area of Jesus’ trials.
And yet all were forgiven — even those who nailed Jesus to the cross. “Forgive them,” he prayed, “for they know not what they do.”
The message of forgiveness and redemption is at once cause for great humility and great hope. We will never be perfect. And yet, no matter what we might do against our neighbor, there is no reason to believe that our sins are beyond forgiveness.
Thus, no matter what sins one might have committed or how inferior one might feel, everyone can find redemption. “There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who do not need to repent,” he said. There are no lost causes, either within ourselves or among those around us. All can be redeemed.
We can best honor the message of Easter by not conceding defeat when wrong is done, whether by ourselves, our neighbors or our leaders. Let us practice neither intolerance nor despair. Rather, let us strive to help people recognize their errors, and let our hope in their redemption — and ours — motivate and strengthen us to work to make it happen.
