The Business of Easter

Now for all you commercial heads, I am not referring to the increased sales of chocolate that occur at Easter time, nor the boost Easter can be to the hospitality trade. What I am focusing on is when we look at the biblical accounts of Easter, we can clearly see that Jesus was about 'His masters business'. 

Easter, as we now know it, was the pinnacle of Jesus' assignment. The time when he completed the 'business' that His Father had sent him on. After all, it was Jesus who said 'I must be about my Father's business'.

So what is the 'business of Easter'? 

Fulfilling the will of the Father.

Wherever we live and lead, there comes a time when we have to decide if we are going to do things God's way or not. We can try to do things our way, or try to cut corners, but ultimately as sons and daughters of God, we know that complete submission to God's will is the only way to fulfil God's plans. 

Jesus could have chosen not to go up to Jerusalem to face Pilate and the Jews, but he knew that the only way that the 'business of Easter' could be done was to fulfil the will of the Father.

Experiencing the ups and downs of people's opinions.

If you are like me, you will have experienced times when people thought you were the greatest person alive, and other times when the same people attacked you for not doing the things that they 'thought' you should do.

We see this amplified in the Easter story, with the same crowds who celebrated Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem being the very people who shouted for him to be crucified a few days later.

Like Jesus, let's keep our eyes on the will of the Father, rather than on people's opinions.

Doing things in a way that people don't understand.

Leaders, in business, community life or ministry, make decisions and take actions every day on the basis of the information that they have available to them. However our employees, customers, clients or members will rarely have access to all of the information we have and as a result they often fail to understand why we do what we do.

Many expected Jesus to lead a revolution, but Jesus knew that was not the Father's business that He had been called to fulfil. So may we seek the leading of our Heavenly Father, and seek to walk in His ways, even if people don't understand why we do what we do.

Experiencing unfair treatment.

Unfair treatment is something we hear much about in our modern 'rights based' world. It seems like every day another person, or group of people make headlines as a result of being 'unfairly treated'.

As a leader you may well have been unfairly treated by other leaders, by other organisations or even by government agencies. However nothing can compare to the unfair treatment received by Jesus, as he sought to fulfil the 'business of Easter'. He was unfairly treated by religious people (the Jews), by the government (the Romans) and by his own people (Judas). Betrayal is perhaps one of the greatest emotional pains a leader can face.

Paying the cost required. 

The cost of doing things God's way, can seem high. We need to 'die to self' and 'sacrifice' things that others may enjoy. However, the cost we pay cannot compare to the ultimate cost that Jesus paid. 

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed that if it be God's will that He let 'this cup pass from me'. He was acknowledging that doing things God's way would be tough yet, He knew that doing things God's way would be best. 

So whether we lead, in the workplace, community or church, fulfilling the will of the Father is key to walking in the blessing that our Heavenly Father has for those who follow Him.

Working behind the scenes to ensure success.

To succeed at what we do it will often require a lot of 'behind the scenes' work that no one sees and that often we never get credit for. True success often only comes as a result of the work done when others are nowhere to be seen.

In the account of Jesus' death on Calvary, we read that when He died the sky went dark. His body was removed from the cross and all of the onlookers, including His mother and disciples went home. Yet we know that it was in that through the shedding of Jesus' blood that He overcame the power of death and hell. In the darkness of a cold tomb, life came back into the body of Jesus and the 'business of Easter' was completed as He rose again from the dead. Hallelujah!

Creating an opportunity for people to enjoy a better way of life.

So what was the ultimate purpose of the 'business of Easter'? 

Yes, it was to defeat the enemy, but ultimately it was to create an opportunity for people like you and me to enjoy a better way of life.

Many businesses exist to offer people a better way of life, but it is only when we fully accept that Jesus died, so that we could be free from the consequence of sin, that we can embrace the fullness of new life that He has prepared for each of us.

As you go about the 'business of Easter', I pray that you will embrace fully the blessing of the new life that Jesus alone can bring.