Easter's Enduring Message of Hope

Easter's Enduring Message of Hope

Armstrong Williams
Monday, Apr. 05, 2004

During the recent taping of my show in Israel, we visited the Mount of Olives where Jesus had his last supper, and retraced Christ's final journey-from the place where Pontius Pilate condemned him to die, to where he bore his own cross, to the site where he was hung, to the tomb where he rose from the dead. As I followed those steps leading to Christ's crucifixion, I felt awakened to the truly beautiful possibilities of life.

This wondrous feeling occurred as I passed through the garden of Gethsemane, where Christ was delivered to the Romans and paraded through the streets of Jerusalem, before being nailed to a cross, in between two criminals. I recalled that, even as Christ hung on the cross, he saved the repentant soul of one of those criminals.

When was the last time you saw someone in desperation and extended your hand?

As Christians, we feel comfortable with other Christians. We feel safety in worshipping together. We feel peace in socializing together. And we feel righteousness in standing against those who seek to bring moral and ethical decay to the culture of this nation. But is it enough to just stand together? Is it enough to just stand against? Should we not also, as Christ did, reach out to those who believe and behave differently from us?

We should not make the mistake of thinking that those who believe and behave differently from us cannot be good people. It is too easy to say that those who believe as we do are good and those who believe otherwise are bad. That worldview, while convenient and expedient, is compassionless and ill conceived.

Christ always reached out to those who were different than Himself.

People who do not attend church can be good people. People who struggle with Christianity can be good people. Even people who have dismissed Christ and His message of salvation can be good people.

Just as some Christians fail to see the goodness in people who behave and believe differently, those who fail to embrace Christianity must also realize that, in the end, being good will not be enough. As Christians, we need to be with those who are different from ourselves. We need to reach out to those who do not believe and inspire them to belief.

This does not mean condemning those who believe differently. This does not mean vilifying those who behave differently. Rather, this means practicing tolerance, understanding and compassion. It means a handshake instead of a harsh word. It means a smile of friendship instead of a grimace of disgust. It means a heart of love rather than a heart of hate.

Christians must reach out to those who do not believe. We must provide an example that will inspire others to follow. We must see the good in others. We must condemn behavior and not people. We have nothing to fear in reaching out. Those who believe differently will not shake our beliefs. Those who act differently will not change our behavior. As long as we are grounded in faith, we can walk securely with anyone, anywhere.

So this is Easter, let us remember not just the sacrificed and risen Christ. Let us also remember the compassionate Christ who reached out to a person totally different from Himself to provide comfort and salvation. Let us stop condemning those who believe differently from us and start reaching out with love and understanding -- as Christ did.

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