Last year at this time, I did all kinds of Easter-themed blogs. This year, not so much. I used to try to feel Christian; then I felt sort of post-Christian; now, I don’t really think about it much.
But I think the mood of the nation is going in the opposite direction.
I was asked approximately 17 times this year what I was doing for Easter. Each time I answered, steadily, that Partner and I weren’t doing anything, that we had no plans, we didn’t really observe the holiday. No one seemed to believe this. It’s Easter! He is risen! You have to do something! At least have a ham dinner!
Meh. (Actually, we did have ham for dinner. But it was nothing out of the ordinary, although it was very good.)
Anyway: last week I saw this article about the differences between the ways Korean Christians and American Christians think about Jesus.
Americans, for whatever reason, think of Jesus as the ultimate positive guidance counselor. They associate him with “love” and “amazement.”
Korean Christians, on the other hand, associate him with words like “pain” and “suffering.”
Cultural? Perhaps. Probably.
But wow.
Now, all you Americans, think about it for a moment. Jesus (as depicted in the Gospels) is never seen to smile or laugh. He is, on the contrary, as serious as a heart attack. He is not depicted in the Gospels as an adorable guy. He did not resemble your football coach, or your pastor, or your favorite movie star. He was skinny and Semitic and crochety. He called his own mother “woman”!
And a happy Easter Week to all of you.
(I’ll take Ganesha any day. He’s usually cheerful, and he is easily placated with sweets.)
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