Abby Kate drew a deep breath. She held a card in her 9-year-old hands, studying its question. Exhaling, she declared in an almost mournful tone:
“This is the most important question I will answer in my life.”
Then, with the dramatic style of a pint-sized game show host, she posed the question to the contestants sitting around the table – her daddy, sister, and me.
“If you had Remy from Ratatouille make you a roast and potatoes, name the vegetable you’d like him to make as a side dish.”
I didn’t know a Disney-themed Family Feud game could hold such suspense. (So as not to leave you with a cliffhanger, I’ve shared a picture with the answers at the bottom of this post.)
Trivia, and usually laughter, fills our dinner table. Abby Kate and Lily ask to be quizzed regularly on their knowledge of Disney or Harry Potter. In subjects of substance, Lily excels at spelling. History is Abby Kate’s niche. Both girls earned a spot this year on the Scholars Bowl team at their schools.
They like to play along each morning to a trivia contest on a local radio station. Categories range from presidents to pop culture. Sometimes, they’re seasonal. Last week the host asked, “What is the most popular candy for Easter?” The girls guessed jellybeans. I was adamant the answer was Reese’s peanut butter eggs (and I still am). The actual answer? Peeps.
Who do they poll for these questions?!
The bunny and baskets and peanut butter eggs are fun, though superficial celebrations for Easter. I don’t want them to be the only reason I invite the holiday into our home. The true source for this season’s joy is Jesus and the miracle that death could not keep Him.
I hadn’t planned to write about Easter this week but felt a tug in that direction while sitting in front of my computer on Monday. I scanned the margins of my daddy’s Bible, searching for inspiration and notes he may have made about Jesus’ crucifixion or resurrection.
Penciled above Matthew 27, daddy had written the words “greatest question” and drawn lines to verse 22, which he had underlined:
“Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus, who is called Christ?…” (Matthew 27:22)
Did daddy consider this the “greatest question” for the power and influence Pilate held in his answer? Or because he knew the life-changing stakes of our choice?
Emotions propel Christians through Easter observances with passion. We hold Maundy Thursday with reverence. We weep Good Friday for Jesus’ crucifixion. On Easter Sunday, with authentic joy and confidence, we shout, “He is risen indeed!”
We remember.
We mourn.
We rejoice.
Then Monday comes. And we forget. Our lives return to business and busyness as usual. In our hurry of living, we lose sight of the One who gives us life, and we neglect Pilate’s question:
What shall I do then with Jesus, who is called Christ?
Unlike trivia on a radio or game show this is not a question we answer only one time. Yes, Jesus calls us to belief. He also calls us to action and purpose, and we must choose to pursue those every day. How do we follow Him?
Love our neighbor. (Matthew 22:39)
Show humility. (Matthew 23:12)
Don’t worry. (Matthew 6:34)
What can you add?
As we move through the rest of Holy Week, may we immerse ourselves in the significance of Jesus’ final days, the sacrifice He made for us, and never stop considering the “greatest question” –
What shall I do then with Jesus, who is called Christ?
“Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the spirit. And, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks were split; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints that slept were raised, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.”
(Matthew 27: 50-54)
***
As promised, here is a picture of the question – and answers – Abby Kate declared to be the “most important of her life.” She makes us laugh! Our niece gave us this game for Christmas a couple of years ago and we have enjoyed it.
