Because Jesus' resurrection gives the story of God and his people a massive plot twist. The resurrection signals that through Jesus, the tragic flaw of sin has now been dealt with, and the distance that sin creates between man and God has been bridged. The resurrection signals that death itself is doomed to destruction, and that Jesus' resurrection is just the first fruits of many to come. The resurrection changes the story completely. The tragedy framed by humanity's flaw in the garden of Eden, will not end as a tragedy for humanity. The tragedy framed by OUR life, will not end as a tragedy for US. Maybe that's why we resonate strongly with stories with happy endings – because a happy ending story RESONATES with OUR TRUE story. OUR story WITH GOD.
For in Jesus' resurrection, God announces in advance, the plot twist that is to come. “Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” God supplied the plot twist in Jesus' story that Jesus promised to his followers. And God has promised to us who believe in Jesus, new life in the place of death.
Does this make a difference in OUR story? It has to! We do not have to carry for a lifetime the emotional baggage of anticipating a tragic ending. We may have tragic TIMES in life, but they are temporary – the harrowing adventures and serious adversities that make our stories interesting. But we are free from the helplessness and despair of living in a tragedy, because our own tragic flaw has been handled by Jesus. In the resurrection of Jesus, God has given us a peek at the last page in OUR story. And it ends like this, “And they lived happily ever after.”
Gracious God, we thank you for the resurrection of your Son Jesus, and the difference it makes in our lives. Give us opportunities to share your happy ending with those around us, in Jesus' name. Amen.