What is Easter to the widow? What is Easter to this widow?

Easter is the The Word come to life, in ways I’ve never known.

Easter to the widow is the preparation in the upper room. The weekend began with Jesus washing feet and preparing the hearts and minds of the disciples. The disciples who walked right by His side on this Earth for years. They heard Him speak, they witnessed miracles, and yet they were still confused. They were still surprised. “We don’t understand!” they said. The Lord assured them that though He had been speaking figuratively, a time was coming when they would plainly know. A time was coming their joy would be complete. In this time of preparation He said, “You will grieve.” “Now is your time of grief.” “In this world you will have trouble.” It’s easy to read their stories and wonder, “How are you confused? He’s told you over and over! You had him right there with you.” Yet, Easter for the widow is seeing yourself as the disciples were, confused, lost, taken by surprise. Easter for the widow is the gift of hindsight, like a movie you rewatch or a story you reread and you are able to see those clues that pointed to the end all along. I rewind the years and months that preceded my husband’s death and I see it, I see His grace, His miracles, His patience, His preparation for what was to come. Easter is the ability to see beyond the warning of grief to the promises waiting on the other side. “I will see you again.” “Your joy will be complete.” “Take heart, I have overcome the world!” Easter is rewinding my life to see that my joy wasn’t complete. I had heard His Words, I had witnessed miracles, but there was still a time of weeping and mourning I could never fully understand.

What is Easter to the widow?

Easter to the widow is the Garden of Gethsemane. It’s watching the Savior, in His humanity, overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. His friends there but not fully understanding. His spirit willing but flesh weak. It’s the Son who knew how everything would turn out still pleading with the Father to take away this cup. It’s reading the Word with tears as the Savior sweats blood and still declares, “Your will be done.” Easter to the widow is remembering those times where you felt that anguish. Face down in a tear stained pillow in a lonely dark hallway, curled up alone in a van in a parking lot, only able to utter the name of Jesus, begging Him to heal my husband on this side of heaven. Easter is the reminder of my head down, palms facing up to heaven, exhausted, exhaling a quiet “But, your will be done.” Easter to the widow is crawling into the arms of the God who not only heard my pain in those moments but felt it all the more on that first Easter so many years ago.

What is Easter to the widow?

Easter to the widow is the reminder of the darkness of the tomb. Jesus’ friends watched him suffer. They were scared. They were sad. They were confused. They buried their friend, their brother, their son. For three days they hid, they wept, they grieved, they prepared. For the widow who watched their spouse suffer, who wept, who was left feeling alone and confused, who had to bury their love, Easter is a picture of the brokenness that sin brought into this world.

What is Easter to the widow?

It didn’t end on the pain of Friday.

It didn’t end on the silence of Saturday.

Easter to the widow is the hope of Sunday- the resurrection. “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep it’s hold on him.”

Easter to the widow is taunting, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

Easter to the widow is the promise, “The one who believes in me will live, even though they due, and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.”

Easter to the widow is the echo of Jesus’ words to the criminal on the cross, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

For the young 30 year old who stood in the gap for her husband between heaven and earth, Easter is peace beyond understanding and a completed joy knowing full well that that very day he was in paradise, healed and whole, because whoever believes in Him will never die!