Looking around, Easter can seem pretty chill.
It’s not.
Here it is in a nutshell.
Let’s get some basics out of the way.
A little background.
These are my interpretations but by all means study it and find out for yourself.
Back in the beginning of time the Lord said a few words
and a big beautiful earth was created.
He saw what He had made and He was pleased.
He then said “Man will now rule over the earth” (Genesis 1:26).
Okay so that seems chill…
IT ISN’T.
The Lord is sovereign so that ultimately means what he says, happens.
So with him saying “let them rule…”
he handed over hands on control of the world to man.
He in a way limited Himself because He indeed isn’t man…. and didn’t have a body at the time.
Meanwhile, Satan is fretting that Adam and Eve are pure and godly
SO he takes up residence in a snake
(because he couldn’t roam the earth without being flesh)
and tempts EVE and she gives in and eats the fruit.
God obviously gets angry and hurt that man has fallen.
He blows up Satan and says
you’re cursed Satan.
You will now crawl on your belly in the dust. (Genesis 3)
You may seem like you dominate…
but just wait…
You think you just ruined the human race by tempting a woman but turns out
THE OFFSPRING OF A WOMAN WILL SOON CRUSH YOUR HEAD.
(Genesis 3:15)
Gives me chills.
Flash forward.
God has always known that because of the little mishap in the Garden of Eden
That we are in desperate need of a Savior.
He also held true to his statement back in the beginning of timewhen He said that He would
stay out and let man rule…
But he clearly didn’t let that stop Him.
He picked a blessed virgin woman named Mary and blew her up with the Spirit and she conceived
This little tiny baby was fully MAN and fully GOD.
He got hungry (Mark 11:12)
He got tempted all the time (Matthew 4:1-11)
Human.
God.
He was persecuted and judged and laughed at. Bullied if you will.
God himself in flesh was treated like dirt on our shoes.
Jesus was on earth for 33 years loving, healing, glorifying God in all he did.
The entire reason for Jesus being on earth was to be the human sacrifice for all our sins.
That is too often taken lightly.
It is nonchalantly mentioned in Sunday School and sort of hit on in the Church service.
Jesus took on all our sins.
all. our. sins.
Our? EVERYONE that has ever walked the planet or will ever walk the planet.
Imagine just the weight of one persons sin.
The suffocation of sexual sins.
The embarrassments of addiction.
The hurt of lying.
The shame in adultery.
The emptiness of pride.
The falsehood of stealing.
The obsession of hate.
The insecurities of gossip.
Homosexuality.
Cheating.
Gluttony.
Bitterness.
Anger.
The list can go on and on.
Anything that is not of the Lord.
IT WAS ALL SLAMMED ON JESUS.
Not just one person.
ALL OF IT.
He was beaten to a pulp.
Spit upon.
His side was stabbed with a sword.
His hands and feet were nailed to a splintery tree.
Thorns were smashed into his head.
It wasn’t a chill attractive dignified death.
He also had a crowd laughing, mocking and encouraging the soldiers.
It makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it.
He was a pure man who walked the earth and never sinned.
Not even once.
Yet He sacrificed his very being in order for us measly humans to be liberated from death’s chains.
The Lord cannot stand the presence of darkness and so He had to turn from Jesus on that cross.
Jesus cried out “My Father why have you left me!”
and he took his last breath.
Dead. Done.
Sad story, right?
The goods news is the grave couldn’t freaking hold Him!
The other good news is God is all about big endings.
Three days after they put his beat body in the tomb
He busted out of there like nothing had happened.
RESURRECTED.
There’s even more brilliant news.
The Bible says that since our sick sinful bodies were buried with him in his death
we will certainly rise with him in his resurrection. (Romans 6:5)
Our flesh is dead.
We are freaking redeemed!
We have risen with him…as soon as we surrender our lives we are NEW.
We sometimes don’t feel it because Satan tells us we are still the old us but
Sin can’t hold us down because
Jesus has already taken a large beating for our sin.
The Sacrifice has been paid.
There is nothing we have done or ever will do to earn this love and redemption.
We just have to believe and surrender our sick selves.
It’s hard to comprehend but that makes it even more brilliant and mysterious.
He is good.
and risen.
and loving.
and pursuing.
Because of this…
We get to spend forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever in His presence.
I can’t help but beam at the thought.
Embrace His love.
Praise Him.
