It is Tuesday of Holy Week. We are moving steadily towards this coming Thursday and Friday. What difference does this make? We are moving towards the most important event that has ever happened in this world. Jesus, the only-begotten Son of God, true God and true Man, is going to the cross. He will be nailed to the tree. He will suffer terribly. He will die. He will be buried. As amazing as all that is, that isn't the most amazing thing that takes place. What is?
Jesus rises from the dead! He rises! He lives again! Death could not hold Him. The grave had to give Him up. He crushed that power of death. Wow! I think about that and I am blown away.
As Jesus' body is laid in the grave on Friday late afternoon, there was no life in it. It was a corpse. We don't like to think about Jesus being a corpse, but that is what it was. Lifeless. That was the goal of the cross, to kill a person. It wasn't meant to be nice. It wasn't an easy way to die. They did not think about a "humane" way to put a person to death. They knew that crucifixion was inhumane and terribly painful. And the outcome was meant to kill a person. They meant to torment Jesus. They meant for Him to suffer. They meant for Him to die.
And He did. He died.
Overwhelming to think about. Jesus, God's Son, died. He was a corpse. He was lifeless. I think about that every time someone dies. There is no life in the body. It is terrible. The body is cold, lifeless, clay. No matter what we do, no matter what we want, death wins. The grave holds them. Tears flow. Hearts break. And emptiness ensues.
Except for the fact that Jesus did not remain dead. He rose on Sunday morning. He destroyed the power of the death. He broke open the wicked little fingers of the grave. He bent them back and broke them off so that they could not hold onto Him. He came to life again. He lives!
That assures us that death is not the end. It takes each one of us. It pulls us into the ground. It laughs at our tears and at the terror it brings to the life of the one dieing and to those around him. And then Jesus steps out of the grave, and the grave reels in terror. Jesus defeats death! He brings life from death. He gives more than just a few more years. He gives eternal life. Everyone who dies will rise again - those who believe in Jesus as their Savior will rise to eternal life with Him in heaven, those who do not believe in Him as their Savior will rise and spend eternity in hell, separated from Him for an eternity.
Yes, we are moving towards this most important event in the history of mankind. There is no other event that has such eternal significance. Jesus' life, death and resurrection. It is amazing, wonderful and beyond comprehesion. Thankfully we do not have to fully understand it to receive the gift of life. By faith, we hold fast to the risen Lord Jesus Christ.
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