THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF CANTON
Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor
Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018

Sermon: “The Greatest Trick of All Time”
Scripture Lessons: Mark 16:1-8 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

© 2018, Dr. Tamilio

I
About a month ago, in a sermon about whether or not the Devil exists, I quoted the nineteenth century French poet Charles Baudelaire who is often cited as having said, “The greatest trick the Devil ever played was convincing the world that he doesn’t exist.” Today is not only Easter Sunday; it is also April Fool’s Day. The last time this occurred was in 1956. It has occurred sixteen times since 1584. It will occur again in eleven years. How fitting that this secular jokester holiday and the most holy of Christian holy days coincide, because it was on this day that Jesus pulled the greatest trick on the Devil: he rose from the dead.

Why, you may ask, was this such a trick? Again, if the Devil exists, he is the antithesis of all that is good. He deals in death. He rejoices in death. But there’s more to it than that. Most theologians call this the Ransom Theory of Atonement. Robin Collins describes it this way:

Essentially…Adam and Eve sold humanity over to the Devil at the time of the Fall; hence, justice required that God pay the Devil a ransom to free us from the Devil’s clutches. God, however, tricked the Devil into accepting Christ’s death as a ransom, for the Devil did not realize that Christ could not be held in the bonds of death. Once the Devil accepted Christ’s death as a ransom, this theory concluded, justice was satisfied and God was able to free us from Satan’s grip.

It is an interesting way to think of the atonement, but it is not one I subscribe to. Still, I think a divine trick was played.

II
We all face death. It is the last chapter of our life story. Through the resurrection, which we celebrate, Jesus overcame the powers of death to offer us eternal life.

The power of death is all around us. It isn’t just what we face when we shuffle off this mortal coil. The power of death says that you cannot make a difference. At the end of the day, nothing you do will make life any better for anybody. The power of death says that things — such as corruption, greed, war, terror — these are just facts of life. The sooner you get used to it and acquiesce, the better. What makes you think it will ever be any different? Big business runs the show and they have the politicians in their pocket. You and I are pawns at best, peons at worst. As the Irish poet Seamus Heaney wrote, “History says, don’t hope / On this side of the grave.”

Well, I can’t accept that, because my Savior said something different. He said that the meek will inherit the earth. He said that the humble will be exalted and that the exalted will be humbled. He said that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. He said that those who mourn will be comforted. He healed the sick and forgave sinners. The way of death says something different. Death says that the meek inherit nothing. Death says that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Death says that there is nothing exalted about humility; the humble get kicked when they are down. The last remain last, the mourn are mired in grief, and the sick and sinner end-up with empty hands. That all changed on the first Good Friday and the first Easter morning. That all changed by what occurred on the cross and with the empty tomb.

III
Through the crucifixion, God (through Jesus) took death into himself. Through the resurrection, God turned that death into something glorious: everlasting life! That’s not how it’s supposed to go. That’s not how life works. Living things die. The finite comes to an end.

On some level, this is ludicrous. It defies reason, not to mention some of the basic principles of science. That is part of the reason why Jesus is depicted as a clown in the musical Godspell by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. In his analysis of the play, Scott Miller writes that Jesus is depicted this way to “to recapture that lost feeling of celebration and revelry.” I cannot think of day when we feel more celebratory and overjoyed than today!

IV
But maybe the April Fool is us as well. In 1 Corinthians 4:10, Paul writes that we are “Fools for Christ.” Earlier in the same Epistle, he says, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight” (3:19) and even earlier he claims that “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1:18). Three references to fools and foolishness in one letter! That’s pretty hard to avoid on a day like this!

But what does Paul mean here? Many biblical commentators have offered their two cents. Roy Harrisville claims that this is a reversal of roles. J. Paul Sampley writes, “Worldly wisdom and its associated status are a snare; God sees through the presumption, and so should believers; Scripture warns believers that the worldly wise are readily deceived and their thoughts are futile.” I believe that this is similar to what I said earlier. The world thinks and operates a certain way. What we believe and do as the Church often stands in direct contrast to the ways of the world. To many outside the church, we seem utterly foolish. Help the poor? No, you’re supposed to look out for number one. Take up the cause of the oppressed? No, mind your own business and don’t get involved. Take up the cross and follow me? I’d rather sit in my comfy chair, thank you very much. Our ethic — our way of seeing and being in the world as a people of the resurrection — surely seems like a joke to many.

V
The greatest trick of all time was pulled on this day. Maybe every Easter should be held on April Fool’s Day. This isn’t to suggest that our faith is some sort of joke or that the crucifixion and resurrection are something to laugh at. (It’s true that Christian often take themselves too seriously and need to laugh more, but that’s a sermon for another time.) I am suggesting something else here. Sometimes when we witness something so absolutely incredible, we cannot help but laugh. This is, as the 1965 George Stevens film declared, The Greatest Story Ever Told. It brings a joy that should fill our hearts and bubble over in songs of praise and shouts of Hallelujah!

We are no different than the Apostles. John tells us that “The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the [resurrected] Lord.” This is a day of utter ecstasy for us as well, for Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! May the people say, “Alleluia!” And many the people say, “Amen!”