They were all there. Mary, the mother of our Savior, and Mary Magdalene. The disciple John. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. The centurion and the two criminals. The religions leaders, the soldiers, and the crowd. Each with different stories and outcomes, yet we share something in common with them – Jesus was bearing the weight of all our sins. So in a sense, we were there, too. Jesus’ precious blood was paying the price for our sin debt. Yes, “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” That’s how much He loves us. On that bittersweet day, the Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated His love for us by
- His willingness to suffer unimaginable physical agony for us
- His willingness to bear the weight of all sin of all time so that its power over our lives could be destroyed
- His willingness to be separated from the Father for the first time since eternity past because God cannot look upon sin
The One who is blameless, took the penalty of sin in our place. What a huge price we were purchased with!
Easter and spring are a pair where many of us live. The once calloused, bare branches are fringed with tender new leaves and blossoms, tinting the landscape into a joyous sight making us all the more mindful of the new life the Lord offers us. Scripture tells us that if we are in Christ we are new creatures; old things are passed away and “all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4
The empty tomb on that first Easter shows us that all who are willing to trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will also be resurrected to new life. Jesus’ victory can be our victory. It’s ours for the asking.
Happy Easter, my friend. It’s my prayer that you have a beautiful weekend celebrating His great love and the hope that we have in Him.
