Magyar Egyház, 2002 (81. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2002 / 1. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 5. oldal THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY Matt 20:18-19 Before there could be the ecstasy of Easter there had to be the agony of Calvary. There could be no overwhelming joy of the Easter morn unless there had been the suffering, pain, and death of Christ on the rugged cross. There could be non rapturous delight of victory over death until Christ had tasted death for every man. As the rainbow follows the storm and as smiles follow tears, so the ecstasy of Easter follows the darkness of the crucifixion and the tomb. I. There was agony preceding the resurrection, (a) Christ told his followers, “I go away” (John 14:28, 16:7) and “Whither I go, thou canst not follow me” (John 13:36). Such an announcement of a parting, a separation from their leader, teacher, and comforter brought intense pain to their hearts. Jesus was talking about a separation that seemed so final that even the thought of it produced a sudden, strong display of suffering - the agony of parting. (b) The agony of his pronouncement in the text left them stunned, dismayed, and in great mental strain. They failed to hear the last part of his statement that on “the third day, he shall rise again.” (c) The agony in the garden preceded the ecstasy of the Easter morn. The four evangelists faithfully recorded the intense sufferings endured in the garden. (See Matt. 26:37, Luke 22:44). (d) Adding to the agony of Christ was the awful shame of public disgrace in being condemned to die on a Roman cross. The cross was for the outcast, and “cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Gal.3:13). To make it even more humiliating, the condemned was compelled to bear his own instrument of torture. After a night of ridicule, torture, flogging, and physical suffering, Jesus was forced to bear his cross amid a jeering, taunting mob. The agony of pain, the mockery of the howling populace, and the weight of the heavy cross could be endured, but the greatest agony of all was that “the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6). II. The ecstasy of Easter came in the early morning of the third day. (a) The angel proclaimed, “He is not here: for he is risen” (Matt. 28:6). The stone which was rolled away, the empty tomb, and the linen grave-clothes — no longer needed — all shouted eloquently of his complete triumph over death, hell, and the grave. Jesus met the two Marys as they left the empty tomb, and he stopped to talk with them. With overflowing joy they ran into the city to tell the disciples that they had seen the risen Lord. (b) What overwhelming joy fills our heart when we realize the magnitude of Christ’s victory over death! (See I Cor. 15:20). All past victories seem to pale in importance in the triumphant fact that Christ won the victory over man’s worst enemy. Shadows flee and darkness is banished in the light of the glorious new morn of the promise of eternal life. (c) The ecstasy of Easter was intensified by the exultation of Christ in his triumph. (See Phil. 2:9). He who was despised, shamed, beaten, and crucified is now raised by the hand of God to a position of glory and honor. They who formerly reviled him must bow down before him and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. He was beside us, but he is now above us at the right hand of God. The bliss we enjoy in knowing that he is coming again for us is most satisfying on Easter day. J. A. Cross “PROTECTING THE CLIMATE” January 30, 2002, New York City - The US Environmental Protection Agency has honored the National Council of Churches’ work for environmental justice by granting its director, the Rev. Richard L. Killmer, one of its 20 EPA Climate Protection Awards for 2002. The award recognizes “exemplary efforts and achievements in protecting the climate.” Killmer provides staffing to the NCC’s Eco- Justice Working Group, whose representatives from 23 Protestant and Orthodox denominations carry out an extensive program helping people of faith engage in environmental issues. Formed in 1983, the Eco-Justice Group seeks to support and assist denominational and ecumenical work to protect God’s Creation. France: After fighting cancer for several years, Alain Blancy died at the end of September. He was 73. Blancy, a pastor of the Reformed Church in France, was assistant director of the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey between 1971 and 1981. To many in WARC, he was best known as an interpreter, serving in this capacity at the 23rd general council (Debrecen, 1997). WARC general secretary Setri Nyomi described him as “a man with a rare capacity to interpret the Reformed tradition in ways which brought it to bear compellingly on the issues of today,” and paid tribute to his contribution to Reformed life at French, European and international levels.
