The First Happy Ending

Before the first Easter, there wasn’t really such a thing as a happy ending.

Think about it. Every story ended the same way. Get a houseplant, it dies. Get a pet, it dies. Everyone you will ever know… same ending. 

And when people made up stories, they did the same thing.

The boy doesn’t get the girl. The good guy doesn’t save the day. The underdog stays an underdog. Death always had the last word. Grave always got the mic drop.

There were no truly happy endings before Easter.

Only temporary wins… followed by funeral arrangements.

If you’re familiar with Greek mythology. There’s Achilles and the Trojan War. He’s the greatest warrior in the world but he’s also hot-headed and full of pride. He wins the battle, gets all the glory…

Would have been a great place to end on a high note but…

He dies from a heel wound—you know that Achilles’ Heel—but not until after pouting for half the war and letting his best friend die. Death. Destruction. Grief. No peace. The end.

Alexander the Great conquers the known world by age 30—then weeps like a baby because there’s nothing left to conquer! He dies suddenly and mysteriously at 32, his empire shatters. Hey, at least he got to keep his “great” nickname.

King Saul in the Bible. He’s tall and handsome, starts strong, but disobeys God, goes crazy with jealousy and dies by suicide after a losing battle.

King David? Sad tragic ending. King Solomon? Even worse.

It’s the story of mankind since Adam. Literal paradise lost. He and his lovely wife break the world and unleash death, pain, and thorns. They’re banished, their son kills his brother. They kind of set the stage for how stories end. ‘Preciate ya. 

In the original Cinderella, the ending is a bit less cheery than the Disney version. The stepsisters are so desperate to fit into the slipper and get the Prince, they cut off parts of their feet trying to squeeze in. It does end with a wedding but the sisters have their eyes plucked out by doves. Doves!

In the original Little Red Riding Hood the Wolf eats both Red and Grandma—and there’s no rescue. No happily ever after at all. All the old stories were like that.

Because without Easter, that’s life on planet earth. Inevitable disappointment.

Everything ends the same—with loss, heartbreak, and death. 

But then along comes Jesus… 

I mean, it looked like He was going the same way as Achilles with the same not so Great legacy as Alexander. After a promising beginning, He ended up on a cross and buried in a tomb. Another tragic ending.

LUKE 24:1–6 (ESV)

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.”

This is the setting for THE FIRST HAPPY ENDING!

That moment right there—changed everything.

Jesus had been betrayed, beaten, mocked, crucified, and buried.

Everyone thought the story was over. Even His best friends had lost hope.

But then… surprise! Plot twist!

The tomb is empty. The dead Man is alive.

Not metaphorically. Not spiritually.

Actually, physically, triumphantly alive.

No one saw it coming—how could they? Happy ending hadn’t been invented yet. Even though Jesus had given them plenty of spoilers:

He said they will kill me but,

“I will rise again.” (Matthew 20:19)

He said,

“I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25)

And then He raised Lazarus from the grave. 

He said,

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19)

And sure, that one is a little more poetic but it’s not like He didn’t explain what He meant. 

Jesus said a lot of things—a lot of big promises. Made a lot of amazing claims about Himself and who He is. Messiah. Lord. God in the flesh.

Well, the resurrection proves it all—everything He said is true.

Our sins are forgiven.

Death has been defanged.

Hope is a real thing.

Happy endings are a possibility for the first time ever.

But maybe you’re not really buying it. I get it. 

You’re thinking: “Okay, cool story. But it’s a story. Like those fairy tales and Greek myths—bedtime stories for grown-ups.”

Maybe you’ve got questions—I know I’ve had doubts.

Let’s talk to the part of us that might be a little skeptical. 

The part that says,

“How do we even know Jesus was real?”

“Didn’t this all happen a long time ago? Photos or it didn’t happen!” 

I mean, there weren’t even iPhones yet!

Which is true.

But just because something happened before cameras and TikTok doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Otherwise, we have to assume no one existed before 1890—and that includes George Washington, Julius Caesar, and your great-great-great-grandma.

Because if Jesus is a made-up story, then He’s the most successful made-up story in history.

We don’t measure time from the birth of Gandalf.

There’s not a worldwide movement of billions of people who bet their lives on Harry Potter.

And you might be thinking, “So, the Bible says all this stuff about Jesus, about Him living and dying and coming back to life again—sure, but…What about outside the Bible? Where’s the objective proof?”

Glad you asked. That’s where it gets really interesting.

There are historical, non-Christian sources from the ancient world who mention Jesus—and they weren’t exactly trying to help His fan club.

Here’s a quick tour:

Josephus, a Jewish historian—not a Christian—called Jesus a wise man who did “surprising feats,” and mentioned His crucifixion under Pilate.

Tacitus, a Roman historian (who had zero interest in Christianity), casually mentioned that Jesus was executed under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius.

Pliny the Younger, a Roman governor, wrote about Christians worshiping Jesus “as a god.”

Suetonius, another Roman, said the Emperor Claudius expelled Jews from Rome because of disturbances over “Chrestus” (that’s Jesus, without autocorrect).

Even The Babylonian Talmud, a collection of Jewish writings that were very hostile to Jesus, still acknowledges that He existed, performed miracles, and was crucified.

Having His enemies admit He was real and caused a big stir in the Roman empire—that’s some pretty solid evidence. Especially since they were talking about a common peasant from the boondocks who never held office, never wrote a book, didn’t lead a rebellion. He was just a country boy who showed up in the city and got Himself killed. Unless all the things the Bible says about Him are true, there would have been absolutely no reason for anyone to notice Him—especially these historians who were writing about emperors and wars.

Jesus is not merely a legend. He’s not just a bedtime story. He’s not a metaphor for springtime or hope or butterflies. He’s not Santa or the Easter Bunny.

It’s worth considering that as far as any historical evidence shows, Jesus Christ was a real person, who said and did things so powerful, so mind-blowing, so world-altering—that even people who didn’t believe in Him had to write about Him.

And then, His followers—the ones who ran away in fear when He was arrested—suddenly became bold enough to risk their lives saying, “We saw Him alive.”

And they never stopped saying it. No matter what it cost them.

We’ve been going through the Book of Acts verse by verse, exploring the early days of the church—what the disciples and apostles did after the resurrection. They were pretty outspoken and brave.

The Babylon Bee made a video imagining what it would have been like if the resurrection was a hoax—if Peter and the boys decided to fake it. Let’s watch the video… 

Jesus either really existed and really rose from the dead, or everything about the early church and the followers of Jesus who said they were eyewitnesses makes no sense. They had absolutely no reason to make it up. There’s only one explanation.

He actually came back from the dead. Physically. Bodily. 

Jesus died and was alive again.

They didn’t say, “We felt His spirit.”

They didn’t say, “He lives on in our memories—you know, because He’s in heaven.”

No. They said, “We ate with Him. Walked with Him. Touched Him.” They said, “He’s alive.”

And were no longer afraid of dying, because they knew that wasn’t the end.

That’s why we’re here. That’s what Easter is about.

It’s not just a new chapter in the same old story…

There’s a whole new genre now.

For the first time in human history—

This is a happy ending.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU?

It means:

You’re not too far gone.

Your story isn’t over.

You don’t have to fear death.

It means you can grieve with hope.

You can live with joy.

If you’ve never really trusted Jesus with your life and your future—maybe today is the day to step into the story He’s writing for you. A story where things turn out really good for you.

The resurrection was like rebooting the universe—with hope as the new operating system.

It means if you belong to Jesus, you’ve already started living in your happy ending—by faith.

Romans 6:4–5 says,

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”

If you’ve been buried with Christ then you have also been raised with Him. Resurrection. New creation. Life eternal. The hope of an abundant life now and a glorious new life later.

You’re invited to live this life with joy, freedom, and purpose—because you know where the story is going. You know, that the difference between a tragedy and a happy ending is just where you stop telling the story. Your struggles are not the end of your story, not if you're trusting Jesus with your life. You’re welcome to hang out with us here and learn what that means.

Adam and Eve getting kicked out of the garden was not the end of the story.

Good Friday was not the end of the story.

Easter isn’t the end of the story, either.

It’s the first happy ending—the beginning of every happy ending.

And it’s not just about some guy a long time ago who came back to life.

It’s about a King who brings His dead people back alive. 

It’s your story. It’s your faith, your future, your hope.

He is risen.

He is risen indeed.

And that means your story… will truly be happily ever after.

AMEN.