Each Spring Christians celebrate Easter to remember the life altering truth of Jesus Christ. This holiday is one in which people remember the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross and how He overcame death. Jesus rose from the grave and proved once and for all His divinity as Messiah. But, to fully understand what that means one needs to better understand who Jesus is.
Jesus Christ is a man who was born of a virgin named Mary. His birth was a miracle in itself, but it did not stop there. Jesus is God Incarnate meaning that He is fully man and fully God. This is hard for us to understand, but the historical stories about His life show evidence of its truth. While on earth, He lived a perfect life without any mistakes (sin) and performed many miracles. These included things like turning water into wine (John 2), healing the blind (John 9), healing lepers (Luke 17), and raising the dead (John 11). His miracles were acts of love that inspired faith in those around Him. He provided tangible visuals that showed people that He is good and He is God. Just like all people, Jesus faced many challenges and difficulties in His life. For Him these ultimately resulted in His Crucifixion. However, despite everything, Christ remained kind, good, and steadfastly perfect.
As His time on earth drew to a close, Jesus prepared those around Him for what was to come. He had a Last Supper with His disciples – His 12 closest friends and followers (Mark 14). During this Passover meal, the men ate lamb to remember the sacrificial lamb that saved God’s people years prior (Exodus 12). Jesus chose this time to be His last meal purposefully. He was foreshadowing that He would become the sacrificial lamb for all Humanity. The Last Supper was a way for the disciples to spend precious time with Jesus, hear about how He would become their ultimate sacrifice, and release His betrayer to fulfill God’s plan.
As the meal drew to a close, Judas Iscariot left to betray Jesus. He went to the High Priest and sold Him out as a blasphemer. This was the beginning of Jesus’ Crucifixion. Jesus was arrested, tried, and condemned to death. The priests accused Him of crimes and then asked Him if He wanted to defend Himself. He remained silent (Luke 23). Some wonder if He didn’t answer because He knew that on the cross He would take on all the evil of the world making Him guilty. Though Jesus committed no sins, He took all humanity’s sin on the cross.
In the Roman empire, crucifixion was a brutal form of torture and execution. After His trial, Jesus was whipped, beaten, had a crown of thorns shoved into His head, and was forced to carry His own cross to His execution. He was nailed to the cross and slowly died. The earth went silent and evil was thought to have won.
This may sound unfair, depressing, and cruel. It was. But this is where Easter begins. The story does not end on the cross. If it did, Jesus would have been like any other executed man. He would have been only human with nothing more to His death. However, three days later everything changed.
Some women who loved Jesus went to His gravesite and found that His tomb was empty. They were shocked and afraid. Then, they were gently greeted by a gardener who reassured them they need not be terrified (John 20). It turned out that gardener was Jesus, their Messiah and King. He was alive. He had conquered death.
Easter is the celebration of this story. That Jesus was humiliated and killed as the sacrificial lamb so that He could pay the penalty of sin. He died and was buried, but He rose from the grave. Jesus Christ is risen! This proves that He is God and He is alive. This shows that we have hope and freedom. Death is the penalty for sin, but Christ died in our place (Romans 5:8). If you believe in this story, and trust that Jesus died for you, you too can have eternal life and freedom. Jesus loves YOU. You don’t have to make yourself better, we all have sinned, but Jesus made a way for us. Easter is the day we celebrate the goodness of our Savior and the gift we all can joyfully accept. Christ is Risen Indeed!