Jesus, Our Risen Savior!

​“He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.” Matthew 28:6

​In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus anticipated His soon coming crucifixion, as He would take the sins of the world upon Himself. He withdrew from the disciples and prayed three times to let this cup pass from Him. Shortly after, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, was accompanied by a large crowd and came to betray Jesus by identifying Him with a kiss. Jesus would then go on to face accusations, slander, physical abuse, mockery, and various forms of cruelty and hostility for the duration of the night. As the night progressed and as the morning came and the cruelty intensified, Jesus continued to focus on the will of the Father. With the joy that was set before Him, He went on to endure the cross and despised the shame (Hebrews 12:2). In His perfection, innocence, and holiness, Christ our Substitute, was crucified on a cross and received the wrathful judgment of God as He had the entirety of the world’s sin placed upon Him. He suffered, bled, and died for the sins of the world. Christ’s willful sacrifice was the only way that man could experience forgiveness and a relationship with God. Christ was the final sacrificial Lamb that satisfied the wrathful judgment of God. He was the ultimate High Priest.

As you read the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, take the time to understand the purpose that Christ came to earth and the reason that He had to die. Read and reflect on the Old Testament books of Leviticus and Numbers, which illustrated the supreme holiness of God, as well as the sinfulness of man, and the required and repeated sin offerings so that our holy God could fellowship and have a relationship with His people. Sin, which is all forms of rebellion against God, separates man from a relationship with God. When man is separated from God, he needs to be reconciled to God. The only way to be reconciled to God is through the Savior Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. Without Christ, man will receive eternal punishment as a consequence of rebelling against God. Your good works could never equal to Christ’s finished work that took all of mankind’s sinfulness upon Himself and which took the wrath of God as punishment for sin.

Christ received the penalty for your sin so that you wouldn’t have to be eternally separated from God. When Christ’s work was completed, He died, He was buried, and He physically rose again to sit at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 12:1-3). Because He ascended to Heaven, He left us the Holy Spirit as our Helper, Comforter, and our Guide (John 14:16-17; 16:5-15). Jesus lives! Death didn’t defeat Him and couldn’t defeat Him, so His work still stands today because He conquered death and the grave! I encourage you to intentionally celebrate the meaning of Good Friday and Resurrection Day with gratitude everyday! We received a gift that we didn’t deserve and at a price that we could never pay or ever repay. Because He lives, you can celebrate Jesus, our risen Savior!