The Easter Ask
There are moments in life when something more is being asked of us.
Easter is one of those moments.
When you read the resurrection accounts—across Matthew, Luke, Mark, and John—your first impression might simply be this: this is incredible. Not just inspiring. Not just symbolic. But something that presses in on us personally.
Because the Easter story doesn’t just inform you.
It asks something of you.
Easter Asks You to Believe the Unusual
Let’s be honest—Easter stretches us.
At Christmas, we’re asked to believe in a virgin birth.
At Easter, we’re told that the same person truly died… and is now alive again.
The first disciples didn’t find that easy either.
They wrestled.
They doubted.
They checked, touched, discussed, and spent time processing what had happened.
But they got there—because it was real.
There is good evidence for the reliability of these accounts, and it’s worth exploring. But at some point, Easter moves beyond investigation.
It becomes personal.
It asks: Will you believe? Will you respond?
A Bigger Question Beneath It All
Why does this matter?
Because the alternatives don’t ultimately satisfy.
Is life simply chance?
Nothing becoming something… then everything?
Slime plus time equals us?
Or is it more plausible that there is a God—
that something fractured between us and Him—
and that He made a way back?
A perfect life.
A perfect sacrifice.
A power strong enough to overcome death itself.
We all have to wrestle with the nature of our lives.
So What Is Easter Asking of You?
When we look at the Easter story closely, we see different people responding in different ways.
And through them, we begin to see what Easter is asking of us.
1. Simon of Cyrene — The Easter Requirement
Simon didn’t plan to be part of the story.
He was pulled in unexpectedly and made to carry Jesus’ cross.
What began as something forced… became something transformative.
Because this moment reflects the call that comes to all of us:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
Easter asks us to move beyond a self-focused life.
Not because God wants to take life from us—
but because He wants to give us real life.
It’s an exchange.
Like closing a small bank account with £10 in it…
to receive one with £1 million.
Or like a man who struggled daily with a shallow well, only to discover that beneath his land was a deep spring—
but he had to let go of the old well to access it.
The cross is not the end of your life—
it is the exchange of your life.
2. The Women — The Easter Reveal
The women followed Jesus faithfully.
And then everything seemed to fall apart.
Disappointment. Confusion. Grief.
Yet they kept going.
They showed up.
They brought the spices.
They stayed devoted—even when it didn’t make sense.
And then—God broke in.
The stone was rolled away.
Easter reveals something vital:
God can intervene—even in the darkest moments.
Their example teaches us:
Keep doing what is right
Be honest about how you feel
Stay open to what God might do next
When the moment comes—tell others
Faith doesn’t deny difficulty.
It holds on through it.
As Hebrews reminds us:
Through faith and patience, we inherit what has been promised.
Sometimes, the breakthrough isn’t delayed—it’s forming something in you.
Faith keeps knocking.
Patience refuses to quit. Easter asks us to keep going!
3. Peter — The Easter Restoration
Peter had failed.
Publicly. Painfully. Repeatedly.
And yet, after the resurrection, Jesus meets him—not with rejection—but with restoration.
He calls him back to his true identity.
He gently confronts his heart.
He removes comparison.
He gives him purpose again.
This is what biblical restoration looks like:
Not just going back to where you were—
But being brought forward into something stronger.
“After you have suffered a little while, [God] will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (1 Peter 5:10)
Easter says:
Your failure is not final.
Your story is not over.
There is a way back—and forward.
Easter asks us to begin again
The Easter Ask Is Life’s Answer
Easter is not just an event to remember.
It is an invitation to respond.
The requirement — Stop living only for yourself. Come to Christ.
The reveal — God is at work, even in the hardest moments. Hold on.
The restoration — He can rebuild your life, stronger than before.
And ultimately—
Easter asks you to respond to a Person.
Not just ideas.
Not just beliefs.
But the risen Jesus Himself.
A Simple Response This Week
Let me make it practical:
Look again at your schedule — who needs your time? Step beyond self-focus.
Pause and listen — what might God be saying in your situation?
Reach out — talk to someone who can help you move forward and be restored
Easter is asking something of you.
But what it offers in return…
is life.
