Tuesday 20 March 2018

Early Signs of Easter 2018


Easter starts with the arrival of the Easter bunnies: 

Bunny Bluejacket

Chocolate Bunnies

Bunny Whitetail

The Easter bunnies are soon joined by the Easter eggs: 

Hens lay Easter eggs. Hens are able to thrive in a suitable environment. The hens in my picture are very lucky. They able to scratch a living, as we say. 

Most hens have to struggle along in commercial egg factories and exist for no reward in crowded conditions. 

Easter Egg Farm

What is Easter for?

For me Easter is a time to think about man's inhumanity to man.  Jesus, as I understand it, was convicted of being the King of the Jews. That's what INRI means. Pontius Pilate in his wisdom washed his hands of the whole dirty business and ordered the INRI sign to be fixed to the cross.  

I am not a follower of any particular faith. I have no axe to grind. I can only say that I believe that Jesus said he was a son of God and a son of man, as we all are. 

I know what is written. But I believe, as do others who have researched these matters, that the word 'the' was substituted for the word 'a'. The reason can only be guessed at, I would say. 

I don't believe Jesus ever claimed to be the son of God.

Why do I say this?

The reason is found in the Lord's Prayer. The first two words are enough: Our father . . .

The Lord's Prayer comes from the mouth of Jesus himself.

'Our father' simply means the father of all of us.

There is no hocus-pocus to this.

By saying the word 'our' Jesus was saying in effect that everyone is a son of God. 

He is not saying that he alone is the son of God. If he had said that was the case then the Lord's Prayer would start with the words 'My father . . .' and it doesn't and never has.


The book on my desk begins:
It was a bright cold day in April
(This year Easter Sunday falls on 1st April,
In 1984 Easter Sunday fell on 22nd April)

15 comments:

  1. Did Jesus say he was the son of God or did others say it, somewhere in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John? I think the latter. Perhaps he was like Socrates and walked around acting like a Messiah and a know-it-all, and was a fake, or perhaps a kind of philosopher. The crucifixion happened but he didn't die and he didn't rise again from the dead, he just rose up and walked. It is all a mystery. When my brother was born many many years ago Easter was as late as it can be, the weekend of 24 and 25 of April. It only gets repeated about once every 70 years. He has lived to see it once repeated.

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    1. He was taken down from the cross. He did not have his legs broken like the two others. He was mistaken for the gardener after leaving the tomb. He later showed the wounds in his hands. Where did he go? It is said that Joseph of Arimathea, the millionaire key player in the disposal of Jesus, the owner of the tomb, sailed with 500 followers to Glastonbury. Blake's new Jerusalem. But that's another story.

      What he said depends whose Bible you read. The Greek I believe says "A SON" . That is I think as reliable a source, if anything is reliable from that period, as any you are likely to get. He also said even in later Bibles that he was THE SON OF MAN. So I think he was saying that he was A SON OF GOD AND ALSO THE SON OF A MAN. But for me the clincher is the word word OUR in Lord's Prayer. He definitely did not say MY FATHER. To sum up he said that GOD IS THE FATHER OF ALL MEN.

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    2. But did he sail off to France with Mary Magdalene? I am going to see the film Mary Magdalene this week. I am not sure how it will portray her.

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    3. I've heard that she went to Asia Minor - present day Turkey.

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    4. There's a church in Provence where there is a painting of a boat arriving I believe which is supposed to be Mary Magdalene and others. I haven't looked it up today but I remember seeing a programme about it on tv last year and there is a noticeably special atmosphere in the church when you enter, although I am not sure how that can be even if Mary Magdalene was there.

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    5. Maybe some of the ships stopped at France and some travelled overland while others sailed to Britain which would be a logical destination for them with not being under Roman rule at that time.

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    6. I can't wait to learn what you make of the film.

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  2. Interesting theory Gwil and very believable.

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    1. Thanks Pat. It could be that Jesus taught his followers this prayer while standing in a small group in a garden. There was no special building, or kneeling down, or lighting candles or playing the harp or sprinkling of water or any other supplements or ritual.

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    1. Hello fellow writer of poetry, thanks and I am sure you know that today is World Poetry Day! Here we get free coffee for poems. I'll recite my tribute to Stephen Hawking (Poet in Residence blog) as my small contribution to the world of poetry.

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    2. I've celebrated Poetry in 3 ways. The UN can't say I don't join in!
      1. Found my last remaining poetry book. And read some of those precious verses to Mrs G.
      2. Emailed one haiku to haiku universe.
      3. Jotted down 4 lines of doggrel in exchange for a cup of coffee at a Vienna coffee house.

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    3. Ooh, for a cup of coffee at a Vienna coffee house...
      Greetings Maria x

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    4. Ciao Maria, the one I went to had a copy of the Corriera Della Serra amongst the selection of newspapers so you'd have been quite at home!
      Salute, G.

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