The Artist & The Gospel: The Easter Story

Related Texts: Luke 24:1-12; Matthew 17:22

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is the fifth of a multi-part series entitled “The Artist & The Gospel” where we will discuss what it means to be a “Christian Artist” who is sold out to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and wants their art to reflect their faith. You can read the previous installments by choosing the appropriate link below:
Part 1 // Created to Create
Part 2 // Deflecting Glory
Part 3 // Gospel-Infused Art
Part 4 // Mission-Oriented Art
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As artists we tend to think of recurring events as somewhat monotonous. How many times have we quit commitments and stopped showing up to events simply because they’ve become redundant? Similarly, I think creatives reflect the general culture when it comes to the routine and familiarity of the Easter story. Really the entire sequence of events that make up Holy Week have been set aside by culture to where even Good Friday, a crucial moment in Church history, has been relegated as “optional” and “supplementary”. Though I could spend a lot of time on the importance of Good Friday, I wanted to focus in on one thing as artists that we desperately need to cling to when it comes to Resurrection Sunday. Let’s read Luke’s account of that fateful day:

“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered His words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.” // Luke 24:1-12 (ESV)

Now, before I break down anything in this passage, if simply reading this hasn’t prompted some sort of response in your heart or emotions then may I implore you to read it again, maybe more slowly and carefully. How incredible this passage is! How miraculous this event is! And to think that three women, second-class citizens in the culture at this point in history, were the first evangelists of the resurrection of Christ only makes this event more fantastic. How God did the unlikely and used the unlikely to tell the world about it!

No wonder that Peter “went home marveling at what had happened”! And that is exactly what I hope we take away from this passage and this Easter narrative every year. Artist, do you marvel at the thought of this resurrected Jesus? Let’s consider what Peter had experienced up to this point:

1. The witness testimony of three women
2. An empty tomb
3. Linen clothes by themselves

That’s it. Peter hadn’t come face-to-face with the resurrected Christ yet, he hadn’t experienced Pentecost, nothing like that. He simply witnessed an empty tomb and some rags. And yet he was still moved to worship and awe of God with that small experience. Though he may have remembered Jesus words at Galilee predicting His death and resurrection (Matt. 17:22) , he had encountered very little evidence of a fully resurrected savior.

This is no difference than our own experience as Christians in the modern age! We have been told about Jesus, both the prophecies and the fulfillment of them, and see the effects of His resurrection but we haven’t come face-to-face with the physical body fully alive and breathing. We can physically go to the empty tomb. We can have nearly the exact same experience as Peter! Yet does it move us to awe and wonder? Are we compelled to marvel and worship? Or do we get caught up in the monotony of another annual Easter egg hunt after our obligated attendance at church? Does this passage invoke any sort of inspiration in us?

As creatives and artists, we turn inspiration tangible. Will you let the incredible event of the resurrection stir up your soul? May we be inspired at the wonder that is the empty tomb! May we be in awe at the fulfilled prophecies only God Himself could pull off! May we marvel like Peter did, and would we create out of that most precious of inspiration that Jesus could not be found among the dead because He was alive- and He still is! He is no longer in the tomb, but has risen!

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Kevin McClure has been leading worship in the local church for over 10 years in different capacities of student and adult ministries. As a songwriter, musical artist, and worship leader he has had the honor of touring the United States both as a performer and worship leader over the better part of the last decade. With a heart to see believers learn how to take the act of worship beyond the setting of a group gathering, Kevin is incredibly intentional with his time on and offstage to help teach the practice of worship as a lifestyle. Kevin lives in Omaha, Nebraska with his bride Hailey and his two daughters, Everleigh (8) and Eliska (2). His favorite food is coffee (lifesource), loves bonfires, and is convinced that Jesus is a Chicago Cubs fan.