Around Christmas
time last year I shared some thoughts on Christ not being a baby and now as we
draw closer to what many call the Easter season I would like to share some
thoughts on this topic. First, the word we use to express the great victory of
Christ, “Easter” is found once in the KJV of the Bible and has nothing to do
with the Gospel; the death, the burial, and (our blessed hope of glory) the
resurrection of Jesus Christ. The word “Easter” is found in Acts and is talking
about Peter not Jesus, “And when he had apprehended him, he put him in
prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him;
intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.” (Acts 12:4) and
is translated from the Greek as Passover, again it has nothing to do with the
Gospel message. I am not going to go into all of the pagan rituals and
religious traditional practices that surround the historical myth of Easter my
intent is to lift up the name of Jesus. But, my friend we have “truly” (taking
something from the physical realm and projecting it into the spiritual realm)
drifted so far from the true meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and the
great price He paid for my sin and your sin. We have insulted God’s supreme act
of giving His only begotten Son and the truth for an emotional swell during the
holiday season, to increase church attendance, and to spread ones
denominational message under the guise of sharing the Gospel. We do so much in
church that displeases God and cover it up by saying we are sharing the Gospel.
God please forgive us. God does not need special services that effect our
emotions and feelings to share the Gospel message. God needs dedicated and
consistent children to follow Him and His basic plan. A few years ago I heard a
statement from a pastor (of a church we once attended) that just shook me to my
knees. He said after Jesus was arrested and crucified the light of the world
went out. How my spirit quivered within me. How my stomach churned and ached
for this fellow’s words were not true, but was in keeping with the emotional
Easter tradition. At no point in time has Jesus not been the light of the
world. My friend even when Jesus obediently and willfully laid His life down,
He was still in control; of all Heaven, earth, hell, and will always be the
light of the world. His light will never go out. Death could not hold Him, the
grave could not hold Him, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is
thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57) Because this is true about Jesus we too
can say, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”
Let us not be led by our emotions and plans to practice an Easter season, but
be led by the Holy Spirit to know and understand the true message of the
Gospel. This my friend is the message that will change your life forever. At
the Passover Supper (before He went out into the garden) Jesus knew the garden
experience was there and He knew that the cross, death, the grave, and hell was
waiting Him. Yet Jesus went out with a hymn in His heart, “And when they had
sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.” (Matthew 26:29) How
could He do that? He could sing because He had the victory already in His
heart. The victory and trust He had in His Father to carry Him through the
garden, onto the cross, and into and out of the grave. He knew His Father would
never leave Him nor forsake Him. The victory was first won as the Father
pressed out the life and will of Jesus at Gethsemane (which means where oil is
pressed), “Then saith he unto them, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even
unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39And he went a little further,
and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let
this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew
26:38-39) Knowing what was before Him Jesus could still break bread with
His disciples, “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it,
and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my
body.” (Matthew 26:26) Knowing what was ahead for Him Jesus could still
give thanks, “And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them,
saying, Drink ye all of it; 28For this is my blood of the new testament, which
is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:27-28) He could
only do this because it was the most sublime manifestation of faith ever
expressed. We think He had faith when He restored sight to the blind,
strengthened limbs, and raised the dead. Yes that was wonderful, but we must
see the spiritual side of things. We must see the necessity of faith in the realm
of the Spirit, not in the flesh (like the Easter myth), but the realm of the
Spirit where we have the faith to dare to believe like Jesus. It is Jesus’
victorious life which leads up to His victorious death and that is what
presents Him as the Lamb without spot and blemish. When seen on the Mount of
Transfiguration, He is a Lamb without spot or blemish, but it is a Lamb that
has been slain! We are not saved by His life we are saved by His death. His
life is exemplary it is beautiful, but He did not come to display great
character and to do miracles, He came to die for us. The way of life is through
a region of death and unless we partake of His death we shall never reign with
Him. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ
were baptized into his death? 4Therefore 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. 5For if we have been
planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness
of his resurrection:” (Romans 6:3-5) The truth of the season is a bitter
sweet message of death so that we may live. It is not about new clothing, many
church activities, special foods, and musical programs to get people to come to
church, but it is about us loving God enough to be willing (like Jesus) to fall
into the ground and die, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of
wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth
forth much fruit.” (John 12:24)And, to love God’s word enough in simplicity
to share it without fanfare and emotional ceremony knowing the Holy Spirit will
do His work in lives. Then too we will be able to say we have before the throne
(our heart) of God today a victorious risen Lord. Let us keep the love feast of
Jesus’ sacrifice. Let us honor Him and His work in us and for those who we are
to lead to the cross for His glory. Let not this season be a myth or holiday,
but an invitation to life, the life of God. Written by David Stahl
