RESURRECTION SUNDAY
Without the Resurrection, there would be no Easter! Jesus is alive! Can’t say the same about Buddha, or Mohammed. It is the triumphant victory and the work of redemption that God the Father had given Jesus to complete. God’s holy wrath against sin had been appeased and prophecy was fulfilled.
Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against Him." When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!" As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!" But Pilate answered, "You take Him and crucify Him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against Him." (John 19:4-6)
The death of Jesus Christ was not out of control. Jesus Christ did not die as a misguided reactionary. Step by step God was moving His plan along. Jesus sees through the mob mentality and the political maneuvering to see the hand of God in these circumstances.
“So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying His own cross, He went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified Him, and with Him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.” (John 19:17-18)
At the appointed hour, Jesus began His lonely march toward His destined glory. But before entering the light of resurrection, He must travel through darkness and suffering. Jesus Christ was born into the world for one purpose: to die a redemptive death as a sacrifice for sin.
“God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
The hour for which He was born has come to pass—He was to be crucified by the hate of men and by the will of God. We must understand that these two go together. God uses the hate of men to accomplish His purposes. Keep this principle in mind: God works His purposes through holy men and sinful men. No sinful man can ever violate the plan of God. So, Jesus Christ moved to the cross in God's plan.
“Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.” (John 19:27-27)
For Mary Magdalene, the cross was a place of redemption. Earlier, she had been under the power of demons when Jesus came and set her free. Her life was radically transformed that day, and she never was the same. She wanted to be close to her Lord, even in death. She would be the first at His tomb on Easter Sunday as well. There at Calvary, she would rejoice in the redemption Jesus had given her.
Imagine the anguish Mary, the mother of Jesus, must have felt at this moment. She had reared Him from childhood. She knew His utter perfection better than anyone. Yet, here she was, watching this wicked crowd of mockers hurl insults at her dear Son. His beaten, bloodied body was hanging on a Roman cross, and all she could do was watch. No loving mother ever wants to outlive her child, yet here was Jesus, dying in the prime of His life.
The once-tiny forehead she had kissed was now crowned with thorns. The once-tiny hands and feet that she guided had been pierced and nailed to the cross. Those lips she had nursed were now parched and bloodied. And the once-tiny frame she had held in her arms was now being crucified. His disciples had forsaken Him, but she was by His side until the end. And she stood there.
For John, the cross was a place of responsibility. Remember, Jesus was reigning from the cross. He was completely in control of Himself and the situation. But why not leave that responsibility to Mary’s other children? Because John 7:5 tells us, “For even his own brothers did not believe in Him.” They became believers after the Resurrection. Jesus was making a provision for Mary until then. Here on the cross, Jesus remembered that His mother must have a roof over her head and food to eat, and He charged John with that blessed responsibility.
And now came an ominous moment. It is here that the crucifixion reached its horrific culmination. Without explanation, the sky turned dark. And from noon until 3:00 p.m., darkness fell across the Earth. “At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.” (Mark 15:33) The Creator was dying on the cross, and all creation, shrouded in darkness, was sympathizing with Him.
No man or woman has ever experienced such loneliness and isolation as Jesus did at this point. God the Father turned away His face. Why?, because God, in all His holiness, could not look at sin. So the Holy Father poured His wrath upon His own Son. For Jesus, that was the greatest sacrifice He could have possibly made. His greatest pain occurred at this moment. He felt forsaken by God, because this was the necessary consequence of sin. Yet, Jesus was forsaken by God, so we don’t have to be. Jesus entered the darkness so that we might walk in the light.
The Gospel of Mark mentions one more very significant event that occurred while Jesus was on the cross. “The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” (Mark 15:38) The tearing of the temple veil signifies that now man has free access to the throne of grace by the cross, and that no one should ever think again that God dwells in temples made with human hands. Significantly, as the wall of separation between God and man is removed, the veil is torn from top to bottom.
When He had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. (John 19:28-30)
Jesus’ final word (tetelestai in the ancient Greek) is the cry of a winner. Jesus had finished the eternal purpose of the cross. It stands today as a finished work, the foundation of all Christian peace and faith, paying in full the debt we righteously owe to God. It really has been completed, hasn’t it?
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put Him!" (John 20:1-2)
“So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)” (John 20:3-9)
Entering into the tomb and looking more closely, John could now see the whole scene. In addition to the linen strips, he could see the face cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. It was laying separately, neatly placed by itself. John pondered as he looked, and believed. John had reached his conclusion. John had come to believe that Jesus really had somehow risen from the dead. John “saw” and he “believed.”
Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene. Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).” (John 20:16) For Mary, seeing was not believing, but hearing was. Wouldn’t you love to have heard your name called, just the way Mary did? That one word was spoken in the voice she knew so well. It was also spoken in the manner she knew so well. What love, what compassion, what healing was conveyed by this one word—“Mary”.
John, the author of the Gospel of John, was also one of hundreds of eye-witnesses to the resurrected Son of God. Years later John also had the privilege of experiencing a prelude to Jesus’ Second Coming, as is detailed in his Spirit-inspired Book of Revelation. We too, will be resurrected to live eternally in the presence of God. The Apostle Paul wrote:
“But we are citizens of heaven. Christ, the One Who saves from the punishment of sin, will be coming down from heaven again. We are waiting for Him to return. 21 He will change these bodies of ours of the earth and make them new. He will make them like His body of shining-greatness. He has the power to do this because He can make all things obey Him.” (Philippians 3:20-21)
In resurrecting Jesus from the grave, God reminds us of His absolute sovereignty over life and death. The Word of God guarantees the believer’s resurrection at the coming of Jesus Christ for His church at the rapture. Jesus promised John, and us He will return.
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)
Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Mist Carter is Christian patriot who is the author of three books. Her most recent release, “We the People—Daily Devotional for Loving God & Country” is now available. Her previous books are titled, “Our Crumbling Foundation—Will God Cancel Us?” and “God’s Truth About America!” Proceeds from all her book sales go to support Tunnel to Towers!
🙏🏼🙏🏼