It seems hard to believe that a person would take it upon Himself to die as a result of sin; yet that is exactly what happened over 2,000 years ago.
Jesus was born; His mission in life was to teach people how to love one another and do good for one another. He was also born to save mankind from sin; sin had ruled over the earth since Adam and Eve; God was sick of it, so He allowed His only begontten son (Jesus) to be born, as a way for mankind to tunrn away from sin.
Jesus was without sin; yet He died as a criminal would: hung upon a wooden cross, beaten, flogged beyond recognition. He suffered terribly; yet He was doing it for mankind. He wanted to take each and every sin upon his broken, battered body and provide a way for mankind to come to Him, where He would forgive them of their sins if they repented and called out to Him to save them.
Jesus shed His blood, His precious blood, for us.
When He died, it was probably the darkest day in all time. People thoguht that they were without hope: their only way out of bondage was gone. The world turned dark; the ground shook; the sky was rent in two by deafening thunder, brilliant flashes of lightning ten times brighter than the sun. People were terrified: they didn't know what to make of it except that Jesus suffered and died; they were wondering what was going to happen to them.
Some people did, however, have hope. Jesus, before He was crucified, promised his followers that He would come back to earth and come for them; He also promised them that if they believed, their sins, no matter how big, no matter how small, would be forgiven if they repented of their wicked ways.
When Jesus was buried, people grew more scared. It was probably one of the most terrible times the earth had ever known. It surely seemed that Satan had won; it was as if God had disappeared altogther, never to return.
However, alas! Alas came that Sunday morning when people discovered that the stone guarding the grave where Jesus had been buried had been moved. It was as if someone took Jesus' body, but where?? People were asked if they'd stolen Jesus' body; this was not the case. Nobody had a clue where the body was, or who had taken it.
Imagine their surprise when they heard the voices of angels and saw a bright light before them. There, in all His glory, was Jesus! Jesus was breathing, living, ALIVE!! He had been resurrected from the dead: God, His Father, had raised Him back to life! He then ascended into Heaven like a bird; as He did, He promised His followers that He would return again some day, to take them home, to be with Him, forever, in Glory.
Who ever thought that something as simple as a wooden cross would mean so much to people? It is the cross, that old rugged, wooden cross, that has become so symbolic of the Easter season. It is the sign that Jesus lived, was crucified, died, was buried, and then miraculously came back to life, where He now resides in Heaven, seated at the right hand of His Father!
I trust you thought about this as you celebrated Easter (or Passover) with your family. I have come to cherish the meaning behind Easter: no, not the man-made celebrations of the Easter bunny, chickens, or chocolate goodies to eat, but the Saving Grace of a Risen Saviour! Jesus is the Reason why we celebrate: His Resurrection from the Cross is worthy of all praise and celebration!
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow: Jesus, the King of Kings, the Son of Man, the Almighty Saviour, is ALIVE!! And He can live in you if you just believe, repent of your sins, and invite Him into your life, where He can be with you forever! All you have to do is listen for His knock upon your heart, and let Him in. It's that simple!
With Christ, ANYONE can have hope, and He is more than ready to make you His heirs to the Heavenly Kingdom! All you have to do is ask. He will listen, and He WILL answer!
Happy Easter, everyone, and I pray it was a wonderful time with friends and family! And I pray you took time out to remember the Cross and why we REALLY celebrate!
