It’s Easter: the time when people remember Jesus of Nazareth. He once asked his disciples, “Who do you say I am?”

The Jews consider him a well-meaning man, who was even a good teacher, but in the end was a failed Messiah. If he was truly guilty of blasphemy then, according to Jewish law at the time, his death sentence was just.

The Muslims consider Jesus (Isa) to be a prophet, a messenger from God, and a fore-runner to Mohammed. They believe in the virgin birth, Jesus’ ability to perform miracles, and that he was the Messiah. They don’t believe that he was crucified because God wouldn’t allow him to die such a terrible death. They believe he was taken straight to heaven. He will eventually be brought back to earth to participate in the Day of Judgement.

The Hindus say the teenage Jesus travelled across South-east Asia, learning yogic traditions and returning home to be a guru to the Jews. To Hindus, Jesus’ proclamation, “The Father and I are one”, confirmed the Hindu idea that everyone, through rigorous spiritual practice, can realize his own universal “god-consciousness.”

The Buddhists believe Jesus was just another man. They don’t believe there is any god. They consider Buddha the greater teacher and,  seeing as Buddha lived 500 years before Christ, some wonder whether Jesus adapted some of the Buddha’s teachings and used them as his own. As Jesus isn’t mentioned in any Buddhist texts, he isn’t important.

The Christians believe that Jesus was a prophet, a teacher, a miracle-worker, and the sacrificial Lamb of God. They believe that he was (and is) the physical expression of God, which we call “His Son”. They believe he was crucified and died, taking upon himself the punishment for sin, which this disobedient world had earned. They also believe that he stepped out of the tomb on the third day, alive and transformed. In doing this he conquered the last great enemy, death, and secured salvation and redemption for all who believe in him.

The rest of the world have mixed feelings about Jesus. Some say he was a magician; some say he was a con-man; some say he was a good teacher and a good man but seriously self-deluded; some say he was just another failed Messiah, and some say he never existed and is a figment of someone’s imagination.

It’s Easter time and, for Australians, it is also a 4-day weekend. (We have Good Friday and Easter Monday as public holidays.) A large percentage of the population celebrate this religious festival by heading off on a short holiday. Camping, fishing and boating trips are the favourites. Most of us remember Jesus’ death and resurrection by eating bucket-loads of chocolate and fruit buns, and by encouraging our children to write to giant rabbits that will, for some inexplicable reason, bring them chocolate eggs.

Did you know that “Good” Friday didn’t originally mean “Good”? In old English it was “Goddes” Friday. That is: God’s Friday.  Over time the word became corrupted into “Good”. I think, perhaps, that wasn’t the only thing that time has affected. Perhaps our celebration of Easter has got just a little out of hand.

I know, I’m a grumpy old bag. I’m going to have a bit of my chocolate rabbit and then the Old Boy, the Wonder Dog and I are going on a picnic. God bless you all.