Inspiration From The Easter Narratives by Lesley Crawford

 

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been reading through the accounts in the Gospels depicting the events of Holy Week, and, while the narratives are very familiar, I’ve been struck by some of the little details that add interest, or even intrigue, to the basic story. 

For example: 

·        The disciples were told to find the venue for the Last Supper by entering Jerusalem and following a man carrying a pitcher of water (Luke 22:10-12)

·        Simon of Cyrene “happened to be coming in from the countryside,” (Luke 23:26) and was thrust into a key role in a world-changing event as he was forced to carry Jesus’ cross

·        As Pilate was attempting to make his judgement about Jesus, a message came from his wife, urging him to leave Jesus alone (Matthew 27:19)

·        One of the criminals on the cross beside Jesus turned to him in the last moments of his life (Luke 23:40-43)

·        On Easter Sunday morning, John was faster than Peter as they ran to the tomb (John 20:4) – obviously John felt this was an important detail to include! 

Probably the strangest of all is Mark’s inclusion describing what happened after Jesus was arrested in the garden and the disciples ran away: 

“One young man following behind was clothed only in a long linen shirt. When the mob tried to grab him, he slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked.” (Mark 14:51-52 NLT) 

In case you’re wondering, there appears to be a lot of speculation that this young man was John Mark, the writer of the Gospel of Mark, but no-one knows for sure. 

All these details add to the richness and interest of the Gospel accounts, but they also raise questions and spark the imagination. 

It struck me that, as writers, these can influence us in two ways. 

Firstly, they can provide prompts to inspire our own writing as we use our imagination to delve deeper into these stories which are so crucial to our faith.

 For example: 

·        What was the conversation between Pilate and his wife when he returned home after sentencing Jesus to death?

·        How did Barabbas respond to discovering that he was being set free while Jesus went to be crucified?

·        What was it about witnessing Jesus’ death that prompted the centurion to declare, “This man truly was the Son of God”? (Mark 15:39 NLT) 

Secondly, they can help as we consider which details to include in our own stories. Little details can add interest and life to a concise narrative, while leaving the reader wondering about certain aspects of the story can spark their imagination and prompt them to think about the story and characters for themselves. 

Which aspects of the Easter narrative make you stop and wonder? Feel free to share in the comments.

Lesley Crawford blogs at Life In The Spacious Place and contributes regularly at Gracefully Truthful. She has written One Big Story, a Bible curriculum for school groups and contributed to various anthologies, including the ACW anthology, "Merry Christmas, Everyone" and "The Jesse Tree Anthology".