Published: March 22, 2008 10:45 pm            

Easter is really about Christ

It’s odd when Saint Patrick’s Day and Easter fall so close together.

St. Patrick’s Day, the day when everybody is Irish, has lost its meaning over the years, just as Easter has for a lot of people, but there is a story from Irish legend that goes back to the day when Christ was crucified, so I thought I would go through Ireland to get to the story of Christ.

There was a famous king of Ulster, in northern Ireland during the time of Christ. Legend has it that the day Conchobar mac Nessa was born was a great day, which Irish legend has it as the same day Christ was born.

Now, if anybody has ever read anything from Ireland’s ancient history, then it becomes clear that Conchobar, or Conor, was not a moral man, even though he was considered a great king of Ulster.

Legend has it that he was attracted to one woman, named Deirdre, from her birth because of her beauty and locked her away until she came of age so he could marry her. She slipped away, but through treachery and a series of murders he finally got her back, only to have her commit suicide. So here we see what type of man this great king of Ulster was.

Now, on the other side of the Mediterranean Sea there was a much different type of man who was getting ready to begin his ministry on earth. Jesus Christ led a perfect life free from sin and from the trappings that mired the Irish king into a life of treachery.

Before Jesus began his ministry, something happened to Conor, not long after the famed Cattle Raid of Cooley. During a battle, or contest that was being held between the men of Ulster and Connacht, the great king of Ulster suffered an injury when a “brain ball” was lodged into his head.

The king’s surgeons at the time said the ball could not be removed from his skull so they sewed up his head and told the king he must remain calm and quiet the rest of his life or it could lead to his death.

For seven years, Conor kept calm and quiet, leading Ulster from his palace.

Halfway through Conor’s quiet years, Christ began his ministry performing miracles, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind — even raising people from the dead. In Ireland there was a flawed man coming near the end of his life, while in Israel God had come to earth to justify all people with his own blood.

Then one day in Ireland, the sky went black and the earth trembled. The great Irish king questioned the sages of his court as to why this was happening; they gave him an unexpected explanation.

His sage tells him that a man, who is guiltless and without fault and without sin is being tortured and killed.

At this knowledge, Conchobar becomes enraged that such a man would ever be put to death. With this rage the ball in Conor’s head pops out, killing him.

The story ends there for the Irish king of Ulster, but for us Christians, it is just the beginning, because while Conchobar began decaying in the grave, Christ broke the bonds of death and left his tomb, defeating death for all who believe on his name.

So this Easter, remember how the entire world felt the death of Christ when he bore the sins for the world, and how his blood paid the penalty for even the most vile of us.

Remember that as a Christian we do not celebrate a fallen hero; not at all, we look to an empty tomb and know that our Lord and Savior lives and will some day come back for us.



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Wayne Stewart may be contacted via e-mail at wstewart@palestineherald.com

        

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