To be honest it is easier to believe in Good Friday than in Easter. For many it is far easier to accept the betrayal, abandonment, the suffering and death of Jesus on that day than to fully accept the events that happened just three days later.
The same was true with Jesus' original followers. Judas betrayed him, Peter denied him. Even the women going to the tomb on Easter morning expected to find a corpse. We live in a broken world. Violence, hatred, doubt, fear seem to be so evident in our lives.
But Jesus' words to the women at the tomb "Do not be afraid!" are the words that encourage us to move beyond all that holds us back, to bring us to the joy of Easter Day and the resurrection. Do not be afraid to have your world turned upside down. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." It is these words of hope that transform us from Good Friday into Easter people.
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