Jesus in the Wild
A conversation about Easter
Happy Easter! As we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, here is what Peter, Paul, and Jesus Himself had to say about it:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. (1 Peter 1:3-4a)
He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:25)
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)
Let’s start off by talking about celebration. I am going to ask you to share about your early birthday memories. They may involve a cake, a party, friends, or a specific present. Maybe the birthday was better than you anticipated—or worse! Let’s talk about this.
Share some of your early birthday memories.
I am going to assume that no one shared about their very first birthday. But think about what that experience would have been like. You’re told that it’s your birthday and this party is for you. The cake is for you. The people sing to you and give you gifts, though you probably like the paper and the boxes more than the presents! What does this feel like for the one-year-old?
Okay?!? What is happening? I don’t know what I did to deserve all of this. Is this going to be every day now? But really—why??
Here is where we are going today. It’s Easter! And I think it is so easy to celebrate Easter in the same way we celebrated our first birthday.
So you're telling me this man from long ago was alive, then was murdered and then lived again? And this is the party. Church does seem bigger today. There is candy inside of plastic eggs. Family is getting together.
And just like it was for the first birthday: Okay?!? What is happening? I don’t know what I did to deserve all of this. Is this going to be every day now? But really—why??
So, today we are celebrating. Here’s a summary of the story:
The Last Supper. On the night Jesus would be arrested, He celebrated Passover with His disciples, sharing a final meal with them, washing their feet, offering the bread and cup, and predicting His betrayal. (Matthew 26:17–30, Mark 14:12–26, Luke 22:7–23, John 13)
Jesus' Betrayal and Arrest. After dinner, Jesus and the disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane just outside the walls of the city, where Jesus prayed and the disciples slept, though He pleaded with them to stay awake and pray with Him. Judas led a mob to arrest Jesus. Peter tried to defend Him with a sword and nearly killed a servant of the chief priest. Jesus healed the man, calmed His disciples, and went with the religious authorities without resisting. The disciples scattered, but Peter crept along behind to see what would happen. (Matthew 26:47–56, Mark 14:43–52, Luke 22:47–53, John 18:1–11)
The Trials Before Jewish and Roman Authorities. Jesus was first put on trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, where He was falsely accused and questioned. While He was here, Peter denied Him three times. Jesus was officially condemned for blasphemy and sent to Pilate, the local Roman authority, for sentencing. Pilate sent Jesus to King Herod, because Jesus was from Galilee, which was under Herod's jurisdiction, and Pilate hoped Herod would deal with the situation and he could avoid responsibility. Herod mocked Jesus and sent him back. Pilate tried to release Him but eventually gave in to the crowd, releasing Barabbas instead and sentencing Jesus to crucifixion. Jesus, after being beaten and mocked repeatedly, was forced to carry His own cross to the place of crucifixion. (Matthew 26:57–27:26, Mark 14:53–15:15, Luke 22:54–23:25, John 18:12–19:16)
The Crucifixion. At Golgotha, Jesus was nailed to His cross and raised into place with a criminal crucified on either side and a sign reading “King of the Jews” above His head. He prayed for the forgiveness of those who crucified Him. He was mocked. He interacted with John and with His mother Mary. He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And as Jesus died, darkness covered the land, the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom, there was an earthquake, and some dead people rose from their tombs. (Matthew 27:27–56, Mark 15:16–41, Luke 23:26–49, John 19:17–37)
The Burial of Jesus. Jesus’ body was wrapped in linen and spices and placed in a new tomb, owned by Joseph of Arimathea. Religious leaders secured the tomb to prevent theft, and He remained in the tomb through the Sabbath. (Matthew 27:57–61, Mark 15:42–47, Luke 23:50–56, John 19:38–42)
The Resurrection. On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death. (Matthew 28:1–10, Mark 16:1–8, Luke 24:1–12, John 20:1–18)
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. (John 20:1-10)
So today we celebrate! But… let’s process this in its complexity and not just be told to celebrate. Let’s dive into Peter and John’s heads for a moment as they look in and see the empty tomb.
If you were the one who found the tomb empty—what would you be feeling? Confused? Afraid? Hopeful? Suspicious? Overwhelmed? Why?
What response would that feeling lead to?
And maybe that’s not so far from how we approach Easter now: What is happening? I don’t know what I did to deserve all of this. Is this going to be every day now? But really—why??
Let’s fast forward to after Jesus’ ascension. What happened in Jerusalem after Pentecost? If we read the first several chapters of Acts, we see that the followers of Jesus were exploding in number in the city. Thousands came to faith. There was daily growth. While a specific total isn’t stated, the numbers given in Acts 2 and 4 alone suggest there were at least 8,000, plus thousands more from the uncounted daily additions and multitudes mentioned later.
Think about this. The population of Jerusalem at Jesus’ time was about 20,000 or 30,000 people, though it could swell to over 150,000 during festivals. What if 40% or 50% or more were now following Jesus? This was a huge change to the community and the culture. Jerusalem must have been feeling like the home for Christians. It was comfortable and safe—a haven.
But then it all broke.
In Acts 6 and 7 we see Stephen, a follower of Jesus, stand up to the Jewish authorities and declare that Jesus is the Messiah.
When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:54-60)
A tragedy. A murder. And fear overwhelmed the people. What happened next?
And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. (Acts 8:1-3)
Would this be the end? Back up for a moment to Acts 5 and a prediction that was made. Was it coming true now?
When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:33-39)
Theudas. Judas. When these leaders were killed, their movements were over. Now Jesus had been killed, and Stephen—one of His followers—was killed. Was this about to be over, too?
What are some of the causes for movements or fads to end?
So what happened next? Turn to Acts 8, where we see Philip—one of those scattered from Jerusalem.
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. (Acts 8:26-40)
An Ethiopian had gone to Jerusalem and because of being who he was (a eunuch), he wouldn't have been allowed into the temple. And now he was going home and trying to figure out Isaiah as he went. And one of the scattered approached. It didn’t all happen in Jerusalem.
Why didn’t Philip insist on bringing the Ethiopian back to Jerusalem?
What does this tell us?
Imagine a line drawing of a bear. It’s not very interesting. You see it and know what it’s supposed to be, but it doesn’t really grab you.
What about a taxidermied bear? You might pose next to it to take a selfie. You might even pretend that it’s going to attack you, but you and everyone else knows there’s no power in that bear. It’s only stuffed.
What if you see a bear at the zoo? That’s actually kind of sad, seeing it confined and thinking about its diminished life. You want to see it, but then you’re ready to move on to the next animal.
But there is something radically different about coming face to face with a bear in the wild. That’s not something you dismiss and ignore! You don’t pose for a selfie, and you don’t just get bored and move on to the next thing.
Philip, as one of the scattered, had a moment of seeing Jesus in the wild. He was not in Jerusalem any more. He was prompted by the Holy Spirit and stepping out in faith. He had a Jesus sighting, in the wild.
Here at Easter, if we are celebrating a simple picture of Jesus, we’ll barely notice. If we are celebrating a stuffed Jesus, we’ll pretend He has power but move on. If we are celebrating a caged Jesus, it will be sad to see what we have done. But if we are celebrating Jesus in the wild, He will captivate our attention, our focus, our actions, our trajectory.
Let’s have one more conversation. There is stumbling into a bear… and then there is being intentional in seeing bears. So:
How does a person become better at seeing Jesus in the wild?
What is the impact?
Take It Deeper Questions
Read Acts 8:26-40.
Would you rather tutor someone who struggles with a topic or be tutored on a topic you struggle with? Why?
Who has invested in you? What have they done? Who has helped you grow as a Christian? What have they done?
Where was God’s involvement in this story?
How could have Philip derailed this moment?
How is this moment healthy or successful or life changing?
How are you challenged, focused, encouraged, and/or confused by this text?
Bible Reading Plan
The Road to Emmaus • Luke 24:13–35
Jesus Appears to Thomas • John 20:24–29
Breakfast on the Beach • John 21:1–19
The Great Commission • Matthew 28:16–20
Ascension of Jesus • Acts 1:1–11