Who's the Fool?

We’ve all had the experience of losing someone close to us— an inner earthquake  that upends the world so there’s no going back to the way things were before.

On the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter, the sky had come crashing down for the family and friends of Jesus. Surely nothing could ever be right again. They groped, forsaken and numb, through that Sabbath, with memories that were vivid and nightmarish.

Just when things were looking up for the world, when it seemed that God had finally come to dwell among men, when a wise and loving Master was healing the sick and speaking words of comfort and hope — just then, everything had gone horribly wrong.

Angry men with torches, shouting and swearing — Jesus arrested — the disciples scattering — Judas hanging himself — Peter denying his Lord, Pilate washing his hands of the whole mess.

Demons danced. Satan must have been rubbing his hands together in glee. "What a fool! He let himself be captured. This is too easy!" After a battle spanning thousands of years, Satan had won!

For the disciples, it seemed things couldn’t get any worse. But then came Sunday, when the really crazy stuff started happening.

Really. Crazy.

The stone rolled back from the tomb? How did that happen?

A missing body — stolen? But who? How?

One of the women, obviously delusional, babbling about seeing Jesus?

A couple of guys walking a country road and breaking bread with a disappearing rabbi? 

And then, everybody loses it. An apparition comes right through the wall — apparitions can do that — and greets the disciples.

But this is no apparition, no ghost. It’s Jesus. Alive! Impossible — but true.

Satan reaches for his key ring, the keys to death, hell, and the grave. "GONE!"  He searches frantically. "NO!!! This wasn't supposed to happen! He tricked me. No, no, no!"

* * * * *

One Easter weekend long ago, when my children were small, my oldest son presented me with a crayon drawing. It was a Crucifixion scene — appropriate because it was Good Friday.  At the bottom, he had written something like “Mom, your chair has disappeared. . . .April Fool!" Which was appropriate because it was also April Fool’s Day. 

Somehow, the juxtaposition of the Crucifixion and “April Fool’s” struck my crazy brain as totally awesome. I love it that this year Easter falls on April Fool’s.

April Fool’s, Satan! Your calculations were just a little off. You honestly thought you won? Think again. The Life of the Son of God was stronger than Death. 

And it still is today.

Image credits:

  Jesus carrying the cross: Public Domain

  Crucifixion, Gustave Dore: Public Domain

  Easter Morning, Friedrich Overbeck, Public Domain

  Resurrection of Christ, Giovanni Bellini, Public Domain

  The Risen Christ, Public Domain

Balder the Beautiful

         I heard a voice that cried,

       Balder the beautiful

       Is dead, dead.  

One day in childhood, C. S. Lewis was searching through his father's extensive library, and he stumbled across these words in a poem by Longfellow.

Although young Jack had no idea who this Balder might be, the words stirred something in him--"an extraordinary feeling, a notion of great cold expanses of northern sky"--according to The Inklings, by Humphrey Carpenter.

Balder (or Baldr), in Norse mythology, is the second son of Odin and brother of Thor and Vali. He had a twin brother named Hoor, who was blind. 

Balder is always described in "glowing" terms:

The second son of Odin is Baldur, and good things are to be said of him. He is best, and all praise him; he is so fair of feature, and so bright, that light shines from him.    

                     -- from the Prose Edda

Balder had a dream of his own death, and the dream frightened him. To make matters worse, his mother Frigg had the same dream. In an effort to protect her son, Frigg made every object in the realm swear never to harm Balder. Every object save one made this promise.

Stones promised. Trees promised. Daggers and weapons of every sort promised. Everything promised except for just one thing--the mistletoe. Did Frigg overlook this humble branch with pointed leaves, thinking it too small? Or was the mistletoe too young to swear an oath?

When the gods heard that everything had promised never to harm Balder, they made a new sport. They would toss things at Balder--both harmless and dangerous things--just to watch them all miss or fall away without hurting him.

But Loki, the mischief maker, heard about the dream and the promise Frigg had asked every object to make. He also heard about the mistletoe.

Loki was tired of everyone always singing the praises of Balder, and so he devised an evil plan. He fashioned a spear out of mistletoe and handed it to Balder's blind twin Hoor to toss at Balder. Some say that when the spear left Hoor's hand, Loki guided its path.

Alas, the enchanted arrow found its mark, and Balder the Beautiful fell dead. The sound of weeping was heard throughout Asgard.

Balder's body was ceremonially burned on his ship, Hringhorni--largest of all ships. As he was carried to the ship, Odin whispered something in his ear, but no-one knows what he said. Then Hyrrokin, a giantess, set the ship sailing on the open sea.

To punish Hoor for slaying Balder, Odin and Frigg conceived another son--a son who grew up in a single day and slayed Hoor.

Hel, keeper of the underworld, promised to release Balder back to earth if everyone dead and alive would weep for him. Everyone did--everyone except one giantess, believed to be Loki in disguise. Thus, Balder was forced to remain in the underworld until the day of Ragnarok, an apocalyptic time foretold when Balder and Hoor would be reunited and would rule the new world together.

As for Loki, after many more malicious, arrogant deeds, he comes to no good end, bound to a rock, beneath a poisonous snake that drips venom down on the prisoner. Loki writhes with such violence that the earth first experiences what we now call earthquakes.

Many comparisons have been made between Balder and Christ. Jesus, the bright and shining Son of God, was betrayed by the fallen angel Lucifer and put to death. And prophets tell of a time when Jesus will rule a new Heaven and a new earth, and Lucifer will be bound for a thousand years. Balder was "a dying god."

But there comparisons must end. For Jesus, unlike Balder, walked out of his tomb, very much alive--"that through death he might destroy him who had the power, that is, the devil."

I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.      Rev. 1:18  KJV

The myth-makers told some great stories, and the story of Balder is one of them. But only one story can rightly claim to be "The Greatest Story Ever Told"--the true story of the Christ, the Risen Redeemer.

Photo Credits:

    "Odin's last words to Baldr," by W. G. Collingwood
     Iceland, by Roger McLassus
    "Each arrow overshot his head," by Elmer Boyd Smith
    Mistletoe berries, by Alexbrn
    Balder killed by Hoor and Loki, from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript
    "Odin's last words to Baldr," detail

    "The Punishment of Loki," by Louis Huard 

    The Empty Tomb, by Mary Kasting

The Day Heaven Weeps

God laughed, and the light exploded.

Then God called the new‑made Night and Day to stand before Him. “You will serve my many sons and daughters with times for work and times for rest,” said God. “But a day will come when high noon must yield to deep darkness—on The Day Heaven Weeps. Be ready.”

Day and Night looked at each other, not daring to show their puzzlement.

God made the Sea below and the Sky above, and Sea and Sky sang splashing, crashing praise to the Almighty.

God called the new‑made Sea and Sky to stand before Him. “You will serve my many sons and daughters, sending water into the clouds and rain upon the land. But hear this, Sea. There will come a day when you must yield to one who is your master. And Sky, you must reserve a storm for The Day Heaven Weeps. Await my command."

Then God spoke to the land and said, “Bring forth green growing things—towering and tiny, twirling and twining, beautiful and bizarre.” And plants covered the land.

To the plants, God said, “You will serve my many sons and daughters with your fruits and flowers.”

Then He spoke to one tree. “You will bring forth trees in many generations, and your branch will not wither.”

The tree shook its leaves for joy.

“But one of your descendants will be hewn down to become the wood for a great sacrifice—on The Day Heaven Weeps.”

And the tree felt a sudden stinging sadness, but it was an honor to share in the sadness of Creator.

Then God grabbed great gobs of light and rolled them in His hands like clay to form the golden sun, the silver moon, and all the diamond stars. “You will serve my many sons and daughters,” said God, “lighting their paths by day and by night.” 

And He grabbed another handful of the light that shone from His heart and flung it into space.

“Fly, little star—fly through the years and come to rest at the appointed time, on a wretched night, in a nowhere town, over a sorry‑looking cattle shed.”

And the little star flew through the years and tears and fears of mankind.

Then God made the Fishes that swim in the sea and the Birds that fly through the air.

“You will serve my many sons and daughters. They will learn to catch fish, until He comes who will teach them to fish for men. And Birds, you will teach them that they were not destined for the dust but for the skies.”

And God formed all the living creatures that dwell on the earth. “You will serve my many sons and daughters,” said God to the creatures, “by carrying their burdens and by giving them food and coverings. Your sacrifice for my children will be the greatest among created things—until The Day Heaven Weeps.”

These words were strange to the creatures, for why would sons and daughters of God have burdens or be hungry or need coverings?

And last of all, God made man—both male and female. God clothed them with the light that shone from His heart. And they were splendid, but they didn't know it because they were so taken with the beauty of Creator.

“Look upon your many servants,” said God. “And you shall be my dear children, Adam and Eve.” And God saw that all of His making was very, very good.

+++++

One day at dusk, a great angel flew into the Presence.

“Holy, holy, holy,” shouted the angel. “You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power.”

And all of the heavenly hosts cried, “Holy!”

“Is all in readiness?” asked God.

“Yes, Lord. Every created thing knows the part it must play.”  

The angel  looked perplexed. “Um. . .except. . .um, that is. . .”  The angel blushed. He was unaccustomed to being tongue‑tied.

“Yes,” said Creator sadly. “And it is time to deal with that now.”

And the Lord God went down in the cool of the day to walk in the Garden.

“Adam. . . ?”

No answer.

“Adam. . .why are you hiding?”

God, of course, sees everything, and He could see Adam hiding behind a thick curtain of sorrow. The light was all gone and he had tried to cover himself with leaves.

“You don't know what I've done,” said Adam, and bitter tears filled his eyes.

“I do know,” said God. 


And God looked into time‑to‑come and saw a dark noon, a fierce storm, a hewn tree—His Son dying.

“God, I can't see you anymore,” said Adam.

“It's all right. I can see you.”


Thunder rumbled on the distant horizon.

“I'm naked,” said Adam. And he shivered with cold and with fear.

The whoosh of wings that always surrounded God was 

suddenly silent. And into this silence, God whispered, “I’m naked too.”

The breath of God within the man came in short gasps. “I think I’m dying,” said Adam.

And God stooped down and gathered Adam and all the sorrow of the world into His arms. “I’m dying too,” said God. “I'm dying so that you can live.”

Adam couldn’t understand these words—for he couldn’t see what God could see. But he understood the tears falling on him from the face of God.