Symbols of faith: Church leaders join to bring readers this Easter message

NZ Herald

14 Apr, 2017 05:00 PM7 mins to read

Photo / John Borren

Easter eggs, bunny rabbits, daffodils, cicadas and butterflies. What do they have in common? All can be symbols of Easter.

Easter is the remembrance and celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus Christ came from God and lived a life of perfect obedience to his heavenly Father, died an unjust and cruel death and that three days later he came back to life again. Many people scoff at that idea. Death seems so final. Who is Jesus and what is so special about Jesus that people believe he came back to life again? And even if he did, what difference does that make to you and me?

The story of Jesus' life, death and resurrection began in the Middle East, Jerusalem to be precise. From there it spread around the Mediterranean and then up into Europe. Many of the traditions that we associate with Christianity came from Europe.

Jesus' death occurred in springtime. In Europe, springtime is impressive. During winter the trees are stripped bare of leaves and so much of nature is in drab grey and brown. Then springtime comes and it is as if all of nature wakes up. Tree leaves burst through, flowers bloom, insects chirp, birds sing, bunny rabbits hop, and life bursts forth in abundance.

People look at this and observe that nature has passed from death to Life. Deep in the human heart is the belief that death and the grave cannot be the conclusion of our life's story. Springtime causes people to hope that there is life after death.

Easter eggs have been around for hundreds of years. When Jesus was crucified he was placed into a burial cave and a large stone was placed at the entrance and it was sealed up.

The Gospels tell us that three days later when the women went to the tomb they found the stone was rolled away and that the grave was empty.

An egg is a symbol of life. It is all sealed up but life is in that egg.

At the right time the chick stirs itself and with a few sharp pecks of its strong little beak breaks through the shell and walks free. Early European Christians watched eggs hatching at Easter time and to them it was a symbol of life breaking out of the grave. Jesus is alive.

Baby rabbits are born in burrows. A rabbit's burrow resembles the cave/tomb where Jesus was buried. When the babies are still very young the mother rabbit seals up the entrance of the burrow with earth. Then when the babies are old enough to venture outside, the mother rabbit opens the burrow and the baby rabbits can run outside and begin to nibble grass. Again it is a picture of life coming out from a hole in the earth. It is picture of the resurrection.

People do not normally equate cicadas with Easter but the parallels are there, and their summer song still lingers in our autumn.

Cicada eggs are laid on twigs or tree leaves. When the tiny nymphs hatch they float to the ground, and then they burrow into the earth. They live in the soil for several years and when the time is right they dig their way out and climb up the trunk of a tree. When they are ready the exoskeleton splits open and the cicada emerges. When its wings are ready it flies away to begin its adult life. The cicada shell is left behind as a silent reminder to the transformation that has taken place.

On Easter Sunday some women went to Jesus' tomb to anoint his body with perfume. They discovered the grave was empty and hurried back to tell the disciples. Peter and John went running to the tomb.

They went in and discovered the long linen sheet that had wrapped around Jesus' body still lying there. It was intact but empty. The cloth that had been around Jesus' head was lying to the side, but the body itself was missing.

They realised that no one had walked off with the body but that somehow Jesus had come alive and was no longer there.

It was like a cicada's shell clinging to the bark of a tree. It is a silent witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death to life.

Many Christians see in the life cycle of the monarch butterfly a beautiful picture of the resurrection.

The caterpillar stage reminds us of life on earth. Sometimes we feel a bit like caterpillars, we eat to live and we live to eat. Then when the caterpillar is ready it goes off by itself and hangs upside down and forms a chrysalis. To the rest of the caterpillars who are still busy munching away, it seems like one of their fellow caterpillars has left them. The chrysalis resembles a coffin. But we know that the chrysalis is not the end of the story.

Christians believe that the coffin and burial in a grave are not the end of the story. One day in the fullness of time, that chrysalis will split open and a beautiful butterfly will emerge and fly away.

The life of the butterfly is dramatically different and superior to the life of the caterpillar.

Christians believe that Jesus died, was buried and that he rose again. We also believe that all those who place their faith and trust in Jesus will find eternal life.

Jesus died and came back to life again and in the same way, our bodies will one day die and be buried but in the fullness of time Jesus will return and we will live again.

We believe that just as the Monarch butterflies' life is so superior to the life of the caterpillar so the resurrected life that God has for us is vastly superior to the life we live now. The Bible tells us there will be no more sickness or disease, no more weeping or mourning.

Death and separation will be a thing of the past. God will make all things new.

This Easter, if you're not a collector of cicada shells, go out and plant a daffodil bulb. They are not pretty to look at, and death is not pretty.

But wait a few months and in August you will see the transformation and enjoy the beauty of the daffodil flower.

It is another example that God has provided in nature of the truth and the power of the resurrection and the new life that is found through faith in Jesus Christ.