E is for...Easter

E is for Easter


Tomorrow will be one of the most important days in the life of the Christian. EASTER! I can't assume that everyone who reads my blog are Christians or know about the Christian faith. With that being said, for those who don't know what Easter is about, it's the day we celebrate the resurrection of our savior, Jesus Christ.


Here's the short story...


It the beginning, Adam and Eve disobeyed God, which introduced sin into the world and caused a rift between God and man - God's most cherished creation. God needed someone or something unblemished and sin-free to be sacrificed to atone for the sins of man. Regular humans couldn't do it. Only God's son, Jesus, fit the bill. So, God sent His son to Earth to live as an unblemished, sin-free human (while being still maintaining His deity). 


The Bible doesn't say much about Jesus's life from 2 - 30. We catch a glimpse of Him as a 12 year old, but that's about it. His ministry began when He turned 30. For three years, Jesus went around preaching, teaching, and performing miracles. Of course, this ruffled the feathers of the religious community (the Pharisees/Sadducees). They disliked Jesus so much, that they plotted ways to make Him look like a liar. Eventually, they found a way to have Him persecuted. 


Basically, Jesus, an innocent man, was crucified on trumped up charges, thanks to the betrayal of one of his disciples (Judas). Sounds horrible, and it was. They treated Him horribly...beat Him til He was practically unrecognizable, then killed Him in an inhumane way. BUT, this was all a part of God's plan. Though Jesus didn't want to go through the pain and humiliation (read about His Garden of Gethsemane prayer in Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42, and Luke 22:39-46), He went through it because He knew without it, the rift between God and believers would remain.


Jesus was tortured, humiliated, and crucified on Friday (which is where we get Good Friday, which, really wouldn't sound so good), then three days later, He was resurrected...He came back from the dead. We celebrate Easter cos a dead Christ wouldn't have brought God and man back together again. A dead Christ wouldn't have provided victory for God's people. Satan would've won. Through Jesus's resurrection, believers can experience a close and personal relationship with God. Before Jesus, God's people needed a priest to go to God on their behalf. We no longer need that mediator; we can go to God ourselves. We celebrate Easter cos it reminds us of God's grace and mercy. We don't deserve His grace and mercy. Humans will always continue to sin. Sometimes we knowingly rebel against God. But He still shows grace and mercy toward us. 


The Bible tells us, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). This means ANYONE who believes that Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected three days later, will spend eternity in heaven with God. We will die here on earth, but our souls will remain alive in paradise. This is all because Jesus chose to die on the cross. He didn't have to. Just like us, he had a choice. He could've said no. But he loved us so much - before we were even born - that he sacrificed his life. Now, we can not only look forward to life in paradise after our earthly lives are over, but we can also experience freedom and live abundant, victorious lives here on Earth. 


Jesus is NOT dead...He has RISEN! THAT is why we celebrate!