Easter is for Jesus
Easter Is For Jesus!
Have you ever wondered “Why do we celebrate Easter?” Well, I’ll tell you one thing! It’s not just to hide eggs and be terrified by a man in a bunny costume “hopping” towards you (How do people really expect kids to act whenever what appears to be a fluffy man starts chasing after you?!! I’m convinced whoever thought of an Easter bunny costume first was just trying to scare their kids!). It’s because we want to celebrate our Lord, Jesus, for rising from the dead years ago! He died an agonizing death JUST because He loves us! He did it for you and me. We want to learn and be reminded about everything our precious Lord did for us. As you hear about Resurrection day at church this coming Sunday or finish reading this blog post, be careful to not become numb to the story. EVERY year our Pastor talks about the Resurrection, and to be honest, whenever you hear about something over and over again, we sometimes kinda tune whoever is talking out, because we already know what they’re going to say, right?! Well no matter how many times I hear the Easter story, I always get something out of it! Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you the next time you start becoming numb to something He’s trying to teach you.
His Death
Jesus’ death was one of the most agonizing stories I (Natalee) have ever heard of. Crucifixion is one of the most painful deaths possible. Before Christ was even crucified, He was beaten by several men with a cat of nine tails. (This is a type of whip with nine different ends on it. It can have stones, glass, or more attached to it.) Some even say that He was whipped so badly that, after they were finished, He was unrecognizable as a man. Then, they forced Him to carry His cross to the hill at Calvary. He was hurt so badly, that someone else had to carry it for Him. After that, He was held to the cross by nails that were driven into His hands and feet. Not only did He have to hang there, but people who die through crucifixion usually die through slow suffocation. They have to push up on their feet, in order to breathe, and with the nails in His feet, that was very difficult. After all this time in agony, the first words He said were “Forgive them, Father. For they know not what they do.” He was not angry at the people for this, however, He wanted God to forgive them. After hanging on the cross for six hours, He died.
His Burial
After Jesus had died, Joseph of Arimathaea went to Pilate and begged him to release Jesus’ body to him (Joseph). So that he could put ointments on Jesus and lay him in a tomb that he (Joseph) owned. Pilate agreed, and Joseph and a few other men took Jesus’ body off the cross and carried him to the tomb (which was in the middle of a garden). Joseph put ointments on Jesus and then wrapped Him in linen cloth. Then they rolled a big stone in front of the tomb. The centurion (the centurion was kind of like the government back then) was afraid that the disciples might come after Jesus’ body so they put two guards in front of Jesus’ tomb and they placed a seal over the stone. That way if someone moved the stone they would know because the seal would be broken.
The Resurrection
Though this story may seem sad and dreary right now, it has an extremely happy ending! After three days in the tomb, He rose again. “Fear not. ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as He said.” (Matthew 28:5-6) This is what an angel said to Mary Magdalene, when she arrived at the tomb on the third day. When they went inside the tomb, the linen cloth (written about in the previous section) was neatly folded where His head would have been laying. The Lord stayed on Earth for forty days after the resurrection. He did this for two reasons. The first reason would be that He wanted to show His followers that He was indeed risen from the dead. The second reason is that He wanted to prepare His disciples to preach the word all across the world. After these forty days, He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God.
Why He Had To Die And Rise Up Again
I (McKenzie) was listening to a podcast the other day (And whenever I say “the other day” I obviously mean about two months ago). It was the Unashamed podcast (Episode 183) and Jase Robertson said “He became a man because God can’t die.” in his amazing southern accent. God had to… Well… God had to do NOTHING!! God CHOSE to come to earth in the form of a man (Jesus) so HE could save us from Hell. Since Jesus is God and God can do everything, why did He have to die to save us? It may seem like a dramatic way to save us, but it was the only perfect way to do so! Because sin can not be in Heaven (Revelation 21:27) our souls would have had to go to Hell whenever we die because we all have sinned (Romans 3:23). God loves us so much that even though we deserve Hell (no matter what sin you have committed, the consequence is Hell. That’s how serious sin is!!) because we disobeyed the Holy God, God still loved us and wanted us with Him. So He promised a Messiah who would come and save us from Hell. Because Jesus took the punishment for our eternal sins, we don’t have to! Now, we can choose to accept Jesus into our hearts (Our blog “Stop Thinking Of Life As The End” explains how you can accept Him in your heart!) and instead of being defined by sin, we can be defined by Jesus. Only Jesus Himself could love you this much!
Happy Easter Everyone!
We hope that you guys enjoyed our Easter blog! And that if you’ve heard about Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection before that you were reminded of God’s amazing love for us. Maybe this is the first time you’ve heard of this incredible story. Either way, we hope you enjoyed reading.
As Easter is coming up remember that it’s not about the Easter bunny or candy or any of that… Easter is for Jesus!