Jesus called his mourning disciples "fools" after his resurrection, according to a sermon by P.N. Utomi, pastor of a Lagos church, who referenced Luke 24:13–27 during a recent Easter service. The message challenged long-held traditions around Easter, questioning why believers mourn on Good Friday and celebrate on Easter Sunday as if the events were about human emotion rather than divine purpose. Utomi emphasized that Christ's first words to the grieving disciples were not comfort but rebuke: "Fools, and slow of heart to believe." The sermon, delivered under the theme "The Alignment," argued that the resurrection was not primarily about human relief from sin but about the manifestation of God's glory on earth. Tolulope Oke, recounting the experience, described how the sermon shifted focus from ritual observance to spiritual alignment with God's eternal plan. The message drew from Romans 3:23 to underscore humanity's fallen state, yet positioned the resurrection as the blueprint for sharing in divine glory. Oke reflected on how the Easter narrative is often centered on human sorrow and joy, possibly missing the higher purpose Christ revealed. The service urged worshippers to move beyond tradition and embrace a deeper spiritual reality rooted in God's design.
P.N. Utomi's sermon reframes Easter not as a season of human emotion but as a call to divine alignment, suggesting that mourning Christ's death may miss the point of his resurrection. If Jesus rebuked his disciples for their unbelief even as they grieved, then Nigerian Christians who treat Easter as mere ritual may be clinging to form over substance. This challenges the way many churches emphasize performance, fashion, and feast without probing whether believers are truly aligned with the spiritual reality behind the cross. For Nigerian Christianity, deeply rooted in tradition, this could mean a long-overdue shift from spectacle to substance.
