I agree with my regular reader and commenter who has said that it’s always Easter, and that relegating it to a few weeks of the church calendar is a mistake.
It is always Easter. Christ the Lord is risen today. And yesterday. And in the middle of March. And on December 25.
But it seems that for most of us, remembering that it’s Easter for six or so weeks is difficult enough. So, to help keep the resurrection fires burning, I wanted to muse on the particular juxtaposition we’re walking through at The Table this morning: resurrection and the Conquest. 
The Conquest. A.k.a., the Canaanite genocide. This is the point where the Israelite story has them stepping into the role of mighty conquerors. Well… It has them stepping aside and allowing God and God’s army to be the mighty conquerors, anyway.
This is a story that fits the larger narrative: coming out of Egypt, the people depended on YHWH not only to plague and pester the Egyptians and their gods, but in the end to kill off their sons and drown their armies.
Is it any wonder, then, that Peter and Andrew, James and John and so many alongside them were ready for a revolution?
Is it any wonder that at the great decisive moment the sword came out and swung?
And is it any wonder that, with Jesus preparing to go to the cross, the sword landed with merely a flesh wound, and the valiant warriors fled into the darkness?
It took the resurrection for the disciples to begin to get it. The new creation had to begin to dawn before their own eyes could see, before their own minds were finally enlightened.
The enemy that needed to be conquered was not, in the first instance, Rome.
There was an accuser, a Satan, a strong man, who was as responsible for Israel’s own succumbing to temptation as it was for Rome’s vicious exercise of power.
There was a Satan who stood behind every temptation–the temptation to pursue the way of the sword rather than the way of the cross not least of all.
“Get behind me, Satan.”
The resurrection, as the first word of the new creation, tells us that worldly conquest can never again be the word of God.
Conquest is transformed. The enslaving power of sin is undone. The enslaving power of death is undone. The enslaving power of the Law is undone.
Don the armor of God.
But know that our weapons are not of this world but divinely powerful for destroying far worse enemies.
Don the armor of God.
But know that the protection you need is from flaming arrows that burn hotter and fly straighter than what comes from any human bow.
Don the armor of God.
But know that the sword you bear is of the Spirit and the Word.
Yes, it’s a sword for the ears–Peter’s foolish act redeemed?
The resurrection transforms the Conquest narrative. It can–must–become a symbol of a greater act of faith in God engaging a greater battle.
The greater act of faith is the willingness to walk the way of the cross. Not seizing life for ourselves at the expense of the other’s life, but entrusting ourselves to the God who gives life to the dead.
That was pretty good.
Well said. At our meeting this evening we considered something that clearly enunciates what you said (‘It took the resurrection for the disciples to begin to get it. The new creation had to begin to dawn before their own eyes could see, before their own minds were finally enlightened.’)
This passage is the great demonstration of what God’s kingdom looks like and how it comes in — John 13:3-7 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside his garments, took a towel and girded himself. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which he was girded. Then he came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to him, “Lord, are you washing my feet?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
Hi, I am a relatively new follower of this blog but have really enjoyed the content so far. I just have a nagging question that you might be able to help me with. Having just finished an undergrad dissertation on the relationship between the kingdom of the God and the cross in the synoptic gospels, I have been wondering about how they portray the defeat of evil. I know that there is the parable of the strong man being bound and Jesus seeing Satan fall like lightening, but how does that relate to the emphasis in John and Colossians on the cross as the moment of Satan’s defeat? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
There is such correlation to my ears between the Christian (personal) crusade and the Muslim jihad. It’s sworn that applying this language to physical military struggle is a mistake but…
A. Surely the mistake is an easy one to make and different language would be better at avoiding it. Ie healing as a metaphor
B. Is this really a helpful attitude to take towards our own sins anyway? Jesus broke bread with sinners. All this metaphorical armour and personification of sin as Satan just seems to give our sins greater power than they deserve.
daniel…that was awesome