It is both a ridiculous and an incredible thought that Jesus rose from the dead… resurrected on the third day after having died from an excruciating torture and execution. I assume you are like me in that you have not ever seen someone resurrect from death three days after dying. I have read about people being resuscitated after apparently dying, but never three days later. Death is so final and it is so unsettling. But resurrection… that is downright startling!
However, it makes total sense doesn’t it? Death is such an insult to what life is supposed to be. Not only physical death, but the spiritual/emotional death that eats away at our souls in a world that is a far cry from what it was supposed to be. The brokenness of this world profoundly disappoints us. It wears us out and dismantles our hearts. We were never designed to deal with death or to accept it as our friend. It is the unrelenting enemy of life. Therefore we need to defeat it. But guess what… we are unable to defeat it on our own. We need a champion to defeat it for us.
The death that nags each of us (both physically and spiritually) is the result of our rebellion against the holiness of God. We demand to do life on our own terms no matter what the consequences happen to be. Unfortunately, when we are left to our own devices, we create chaos and snub the majesty, the compassion and the authority of God. However, in the face of our rebellion, while we were still enemies of God, He sent His Son as a ransom to exchange our broken sinful hearts for a new heart that only He can give. It doesn’t seem like a fair exchange, and in fact, it is not. But God is not committed to a fair transaction, He is committed to sacrificial love. So, He offers up His Son as the sacrificial lamb who came to take away the sin of the world. That is my sin that He takes and then gives me His Son’s righteousness. Now that is no joke! That is the beauty of Easter.