A Few Thoughts on Easter

As I begin writing this, I wonder 'what could I write about? What aspect of easter could I tackle that has not been tackled by millions of theologians and pastors throughout the ages?'

I could ask, 'What does easter mean to ME?' But I'm sure many pastors have already based entire sermons off that questions, and besides, it is not the best way of looking at it.

I could wander off into a multitude of theological specifics, as I am known for doing, and leave you all scratching your heads and altogether unedified by my wordy and verbose post.

I could also write a devotional application, using the symbolism of the easter story as a parallel to life experiences. But chances are, your pastor will do that.

So then, I will talk about the gospel.

Imagine, for a moment, that a person once saw the depth of their sin, and the sins of mankind. Seeing the fate of all humanity was eternity in hell, subject to the wrath of an angry God, the person prays this:

Lord, I see that we are hopelessly lost in sin and subject to Your wrath for all eternity. I ask you to send the Second Person of the Godhead, your son Jesus Christ, down to this earth as a man so he can live a sinless life and be beaten, scourged, mocked, and crucified. I ask that he would die, and His blood would make atonement for our sins, and that He would rise again on the third day. I ask that by his innocent blood, we would have redemption from our sin, and I furthermore ask that we would be justified apart from works and by faith alone. I ask that we would, by the sacrifice of Your Son, receive eternal life with you.”

Would not such a prayer, prayed my a mortal man, be blasphemy of the worst sort? Would one not expect a holy, just, and righteous God to refuse such a prayer and let us die in our sins?

But, praise the Lord, this is precisely what God did! He did what no man would have ever imagined He would even think of doing. And all to bring redemption to us!

That easter weekend is the pinnacle of God's redemptive plan. It was the time when, in a backwater country in the Roman Empire, God himself made atonement for us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ His son. The prophet Isaiah predicted this in Isaiah 53 – and the scripture was fulfilled to the letter.

I can do little but quote the whole chapter – it sums everything up with laserlike accuracy:

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.