Easter: What the Christians Overlooked

Christianity chose to emphasize the crucifixion of Jesus Christ rather than his resurrection. The result was that suffering became the measure of holiness. But it needn’t have been so.

Instead of suffering, the consequence of inner peace or joy might have been the measure of a true Christian for those who accept life’s inevitable troubles with faith in God.  

As compassion is the measure of a Buddhist, non-attachment that of a Hindu, surrender that of a Moslem, joy might have been the measure of a Christian. And why not? “Sufficient unto the day are the troubles thereof” Jesus himself said, warning his disciples from seeking suffering. No one seeks suffering while everyone seeks happiness.

Yet we all have our crosses to bear. No one is immune from illness, old age, and death plus an unending host of disappointments, hurts, addictions, nagging desires and fears. That these alternate with the pleasures, successes and fleeting happiness of life simply makes the troubles bearable—most of the time. But the fact of suffering—great suffering—cannot be dismissed in this world of woes.

Though Jesus has been depicted as a “man of sorrows” who would follow such a man to the degree of accepting martyrdom if there were not some deeper consolations such as inner peace or joy? He had to have been a person of vitality, enthusiasm and joy even if his humor seems to have been more of the “tongue-in-cheek” variety. 

Jesus’ sacrifice was certainly heroic and dramatic, though many have pointed out that crucifixion was all too common in those times: thousands of Jews and others throughout the Roman empire suffered the same fate.

Another point that seems to have been misunderstood is the resurrection itself. If bodily suffering has preoccupied the attention of Christians, then bodily resurrection has also been too greatly emphasized. The point of resurrection is the victory of the soul over matter, over death. Bodily resurrection may have had its place in the Jewish culture and so using it was fitting but the deeper lesson is not that, “Oh boy, I get my body back!” The deeper lesson is that the soul’s communion with God has power even over life and death. The soul is made in the image of God and in attunement with the divine one can even heal the sick and raise the dead.

In more common terms, the extent to which we accept our crosses, our troubles, pains and suffering as the will of God and with faith in God’s goodness, the more we partake of the joy, grace, and power of God.

Doing God’s does not mean being a doormat for evil. Jesus himself said he could have sent a legion of angels to protect him but that it was God’s will that he undergoes his sacrifice. Turning the other cheek must be understood as counsel to not react in kind to our hurts but to seek the soul’s calm wisdom to guide our response.

So far as injustice, consider Jesus’ attack on the moneychangers in the temple. There are situations where righteous indignation, protection of the innocent and even self-defense is warranted but none of these require hatred or viciousness.

It is time to change the emphasis so that the Resurrection is seen as the natural result of faith, courage and calmness in the face of those troubles that come in the natural course of life and of our own karma. Our karma is the will of God at least in the sense that karma comes to us to coax us to learn our lessons. As such it expresses the love of God to guide us back to his home for, we are the prodigal children who have gone to foreign lands of ignorance and forgetfulness.

Resurrection of soul wisdom is the result of a life lived in attunement with God. That is the lesson and that is what we (yogis) affirm and celebrate at Easter.