We are about to celebrate what may be considered the most important time of the year for Christians...Easter. This ends holy week. It commemorates the last week of Jesus' life before He gave His life for all mankind.
When He died scripture tells us the ground quaked, the skies grew ominously dark and the veil in the Temple that separated the people from the Holy of Holies, God's earthly dwelling place, was torn from top to bottom.
The veil represented the separation between God and man. The fact that the veil was torn from top to bottom could only mean that God did the tearing. No human could have torn it because of it's size and thickness. This bring us to what Jesus' death meant: that no longer would man have to be separated from God. There was a Way, if we would just believe and follow. The way was and still is open for all...if we confess our sins and let Jesus into our lives.
Imagine Him if you will. Somewhere in His childhood came the revelation that He was to give up His life, that this was His calling. It did not stop Him from His ministry. It did not keep Him silent with His words of truth about salvation and about who He was...that He held the key to eternal life.
Jesus first made an appearance into Jerusalem. As He humbly rode in on the back of a donkey, people worshiped Him. Did He look like a king? Did He dress like one? How could it be that these people worshiped? I'm thinking they were so enthralled with His words, His demeanor that His physical appearance meant nothing. He was just plain captivating. He is just as captivating today when we encounter Him in our lives at just the right moment.
Not long after His entrance He was arrested, taken captive, put through a ridiculously unfair trial, then scourged and endured the long walk to Golgotha with His own cross on His back. All this brought anguish into the lives of those who had followed Him. How could this be? He was to be their Savior. How is it He was allowed to go through all these false accusations? How could He be crucified? Were these people confused? I'm sure many were. This gentle Man never said a word in His own defense. How could He do this? Oh, the questions that must have gone through the people's minds...especially the disciples' who had walked with Him for three years, had been taught by Him, who believed He was the Son of God, but didn't understand the concept of His being He who "takes away the sins of the world."
They didn't understand the concept of having to die to live...both His and their own...and ours. Soon they would be so confused, so frightened that they would abandon Him...the men who listened to His teachings for three years and knew Him so well.
This last week of His life He spent preparing His disciples for His end. Most of what He said they could not fully understand. They could not understand why He would have to leave them. He told them that when He was gone, a Helper would come to show the world that all He had preached was true, that this Helper would empower them and bring to mind all they had learned, all the truth of His words. Right now all they knew was God, the Father and Jesus, the Son. This Helper or Comforter He spoke about was the Holy Spirit.
Lord God, the depth of what You have done for us is incomprehensible. That one Man's death could bring life to the rest of us who choose to believe in Him. And it's a free gift. We cannot do anything to earn this gift. We cannot because we just will never ever be good enough...until we take that gift as our own and let Jesus' blood which was spilled that one day cover our sins. Even this is hard for human minds to comprehend. 1Peter 1:18-19 - ...knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
Jesus died for us. He put an end to all the old time sacrifices (works) for forgiveness of sins and He made access to God our Creator possible for all mankind. All the sins of the world on one Man's body. The torment and yet the love. His death has allowed us to experience the peace only He brings through salvation. Do you believe? Will you believe?
This is what Easter is all about. It's not about bunnies and candy and eggs. It's all about Jesus' love for all mankind...so much love that He willingly died to save our sorry souls.
John 10:18 - "No one takes [My life] from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."
... so thankful that He did.
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