Comfortable Dissonance in Jesus - An Easter Sermon
Sermon – Easter Sunday
Matthew 28:1-10
Theme: “Comfortable dissonance in Jesus”
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Intro - Welcome to "Cognitive Dissonance Sunday"
I can almost hear the whispers: "Is the Pastor alright? It’s Easter Sunday, isn’t it? Did we look at the wrong calendar?"
No, you are in the right place. Happy Easter! But today is also Cognitive Dissonance Sunday.
Before I explain why, let’s try a physical experiment. Cross your arms. Now, cross them again, but put the other arm on top. Does it feel a little awkward? A bit uncomfortable?
Now, let’s move that discomfort into the mind. Imagine these scenarios:
An airplane "flying" with its landing gear running down the Sea-to-Sky Highway.
Plunging into the Pacific or Okanagan Lake today and finding the water scalding hot.
Seeing the Vancouver Canucks skate out for a home game wearing Calgary Flames jerseys.
Standing in the middle of a Vancouver downpour and yet remaining perfectly dry without an umbrella.
Paying two million dollars for a fixer-upper that was originally built as a temporary shed.
It sounds wrong, doesn’t it? When we try to reconcile two contradictory ideas, something goes "bonkers" in our brain. This is cognitive dissonance: the mental discomfort experienced by a person who holds two or more contradictory beliefs or values at the same time.
As I was researching this topic, I came across a talk by Ann Washburn, who noted that our brains simply struggle to hold two conflicting ideas without discomfort. I immediately connected this to Easter. This is the Sunday that takes mental discomfort to extreme heights.
The Dissonance of Holy Week
Consider the facts of the Resurrection through a purely logical lens:
The Impossible Exit: The stone is rolled away and the tomb is empty without any human intervention.
The Mortal Immortal: Jesus—a real man who was truly killed—comes back to life. But Jesus is God. Can God die? Yes, He did. But God is immortal. How can both be true?
The 100/100 Mystery: Jesus was 100% human—He wept, slept, hungered, and bled. At the same time, He was 100% eternal God. He was the King who became a Servant; the Sinless One who became Sin on the Cross.
Dust to Glory: Because this God-Man rose, you are promised the same. You will die and return to dust, yet one day that dust will be knit back together into a perfect, resurrected version of you.
Where the "logical" brain says, "That is impossible," the Bible says, "It is true."
Faith: The Bridge
How do we reconcile this? There is only one way: Faith. Faith is trusting in the heart that Jesus is Lord and His Word is true, even when the brain is still processing the "how." When we are called to faith, what makes the brain uncomfortable makes the heart happy. What is a puzzle to the mind is a perfect picture for the soul.
Sometimes, we try to "fix" the dissonance. We try to explain the Trinity using the three states of water (ice, liquid, vapor), or we try to find a scientific "loophole" for Jesus’ miracles. We try to adjust the Bible to fit the world's expectations so we don't feel so "weird."
But the root cause of this dissonance is sin. Sin separated our logic from God’s reality. Jesus gave His life so that sin could be defeated. Now, we can stop trying to "figure out" God with our limited capacity and instead jump into the comforting arms of our Savior.
The Irony of the World
The world often mocks Christians, claiming the Bible is full of "nonsense" that only the naive believe. Yet, if you look at the world around us, it is drowning in its own cognitive dissonance. We see "The Emperor’s New Clothes" everywhere:
The world says life is precious, yet promotes abortion and assisted death.
The world says "regular religion" is for fanatics, yet treats professional sports with the fervor of a cult.
The world claims to "follow/trust the science," yet often ignores biological realities when they become politically inconvenient.
If we try to mitigate the "discomfort" of the Gospel to please the world, we damage our hearts. There is no effort required to "earn" the Resurrection—but there is immense comfort in it.
A Comfortable Dissonance
Use your brain. Use your God-given intellect to live your daily life, to work, and to learn. But stay steady in your heart on the Word that never fails.
In those moments when the world’s concepts and the Bible’s teachings clash, causing you discomfort, remember: Christ’s love is worth the "weirdness." It is no longer a painful dissonance; it is a Comfortable Dissonance. It is the assurance of His presence, His faithfulness, and His care.
So, welcome to Easter. Welcome to the "Comfortable Dissonance" in Christ that resonates in our minds and hearts in a way that only our Lord can make it happen.
He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
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