Resurrection Day

I've been well-wished dozens of times this week... with the traditional 'Happy Easter' greeting in SMS's and email as well as in person surprisingly by Muslims and Christians alike.  For Christian Arabs, today's name is 'Eid al Qeyama' or 'the Resurection holiday', or 'Eid al-Fasah' 'holiday of the passover' while Arab Muslims seem to prefer 'Eid al-Easter' the safer English word.   The latter seem to not like the reference to the supernatural, and strangely even get excited about the commercial Easter bunny and candy eggs.   

Muslims believe that Jesus ascended into heaven but don't believe in his death and resurrection, instead asserting that either Judas took his place on the cross, or he wasn't dead, but fainted and later revived in the tomb.  They don't see that God could let a revered prophet suffer humiliation like death on a cross.   

In reading the resurrection story this morning, I was reminded that it wasn't just Jesus who rose from the dead on Easter Sunday... tombs of other holy people were opened and they were raised and after the resurrection of Jesus, they appeared to many Jews, Romans, Greeks, and even likely Arabs of the day as many different peoples lived in the Holy City.   In fact, it won't be the last resurrection either, for the Bible says that all the dead shall be raised, either to judgment, or to everlasting life.   Resurrection is a big central theme in the scripture.

Let's call today what it is... the feast and celebration of resurrection, both historical past and hopeful future.  Jesus was humiliated... he died, and was buried but that didn't last long at all, and today he's alive, victorious, ready to save and raise to life eternal any who believe, Jew, Arab, Roman, or even Muslim.