Easter was an exciting time at our house when our children were small. During the weeks leading up to it, we read stories, painted eggs, did Easter crafts, watched for signs of spring, and focused on the true meaning of Easter: the death and resurrection of Jesus. I picked out dresses, spring coats, purses and gloves, and polished little white shoes for the girls. My son’s clothes were less fancy but still nice. And then there were the treats. We always gave our children their Easter baskets after church. This was practical. My husband pastored two or three-point pastoral charges, and couldn’t always be home before the services on Easter day. It also spared me from having to take sugar-high children to church. None of them ever complained about this arrangement. They knew our tradition and were confident that the baskets would be waiting for them when we returned home.

Predictable patterns can bring grounding and security to people’s lives. They teach us what is expected in a variety of situations. In difficult times, they also bring hope. No matter how dreary the winter, we know spring will return.

But life is not always predictable. The birth of Jesus ushered in an era that was so huge and unprecedented that even his closest followers could not fully comprehend it. Angels announced Christ’s birth. Miracles accompanied his teachings. The Old Testament contained prophecies about the coming Messiah that the religious leaders would have been familiar with; but, with very few exceptions, they either could not or would not recognize Jesus for who he was.

Jesus chose twelve disciples to share his life and ministry. Did they understand who he was? Peter declared: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16, NIV). The disciples knew, at least in part, that Jesus was the Son of God but one betrayed him and one denied him. They failed to see the enormous scope and bigness of what they had witnessed. It was difficult for them to grasp that Jesus had not come for an earthly kingdom, or to displace the Romans, but to bring a brand new covenant into existence.

Mark 9: 30 to 32 tells us that Jesus explained to the disciples: “‘The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.’ But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it” (NIV).

We can hardly blame the disciples.

Yes, they knew the Old Testament prophecies. Jesus witnessed to their hearts that he was not an ordinary man. But, the disciples were living out the final days of Jesus with him. We have history to look back on. We have the Gospels to tell us how the narrative unfolded. The disciples did not. Even when Jesus appeared to several followers, after his resurrection, on the road to Emmaus, they didn’t understand what had happened, until Jesus taught them from the Scriptures.

But we know that Jesus died, for our sins, and rose again. We know that if we accept him into our hearts and lives, that he will forgive us, and give us his Holy Spirit. We know that our Easter baskets are waiting for us! And they are full of good things!

Happy Easter!