In pondering the events of Passion Week leading up to Easter, it would appear, from a historical and universal human experience perspective, that there is nothing particularly unique or remarkable regarding the physical and emotional experiences of Jesus. Now, before you throw your hands up and exclaim, “Heretic!”, stick with me for a minute.

Let’s begin with His betrayal. This is certainly not a new or novel human experience. I dare say we all have been betrayed and all have been the betrayer, for that matter, to one extent or another. That He was betrayed by a close and trusted friend is decidedly hurtful but not at all unusual. The very word betrayal denotes relationship. I mean, can you actually betray a stranger? Jesus was betrayed. Meh. Happens all the time.

Then there was that cadre of questionable characters who brought false accusations against Jesus. That is, so-called witnesses lied about Him. I think we may agree that this kind of thing is not unusual in the least. I mean, we have a fancy name for it now (perjury), but bearing false witness against someone is such totally old-school, ubiquitous stuff that it had to be called out in one of the original Big Ten.

This brings us to the sham trial perpetrated by civil authority, which was heavily swayed by public sentiment fanned to flame by the utterly corrupt “morality police” of the day. Yeah. Like that kind of thing has never happened before or since. Seriously.

Unsurprisingly, at this point Jesus is wrongfully convicted. Again… like this is a once-in-the-history-of-mankind kind of thing?  Nope.

After which, Jesus is brutally tortured; you know, just for laughs. Sick. And. Wrong. But, very sad to say, not unique or unusual whatsoever.

Then He is death-marched to execution hill and brutally killed. It would be at least some respite to say that this wrongful execution was mankind’s one-off, stand-alone infraction of this nature but … we all know that’s just not the case.  (Sigh.)

Taken down from the cross and given into the hands of those who actually cared for Him, Jesus was buried, which is the only decent and civilized behavior in this gruesome and cruel chain of events. Decent and civilized but, thankfully this time, not unique or remarkable in the least.

It would seem painfully obvious to the casual observer that betrayal, false accusation, sham trial, wrongful conviction, torture, and wrongful execution are, unfortunately, all too prevalent within the human experience throughout the course of history and up to our current day.  And, of course, death (and, typically, burial) is inevitably the universal human experience. “It is appointed unto man…,” right?

So, if the story ends here, it’s just another sad tale of some very unfortunate guy. Bad breaks, man. Sorry. But, although tragic, nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing unique or remarkable.

Then we come to Sunday.

The preceding week, Jesus passed through a gauntlet of some of the very worst a man can experience.  Like so many before and after, He was betrayed into the hands of a corrupt judiciary system, railroaded to His execution and unceremoniously interred.  But then, absolutely unlike any other living being before or after, of His own volition, He got up and walked out.  He. Walked. Out. THIS is altogether unique. THIS is truly remarkable.

The preceding week, Christ associated and identified with mankind to the ultimate extent and was obedient unto death. He laid down His life, but, as He said, He was able to take it back up again. He got up and walked out.

The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is THE central tenet of our faith. Everything else in Christendom is meaningless if He doesn’t get up and walk out. To paraphrase Tim Keller: If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then what He said and did is of no importance. But if He did rise from the dead, then everything He said and did is all that really matters.

He got up and walked out for you. For me. For whosoever.

I can see Jesus stepping out of that borrowed tomb, pausing on the threshold and rolling His shoulders. “Hmmm. Death-grip? Yeah, not so much.” Then He glances down, off to His left, where I’m cowering in hopeless, helpless fear with all of mankind, and He smiles. “Don’t worry. I got you.” And He does. I know He does.