Easter, a wonderful holiday of togetherness and fun. Coloring eggs, hunting eggs, Easter Bunny, cookouts, outdoor fun, spring weather, and so much more. These are activities we all enjoy, myself included. But like Christmas, how could we ever forget what Easter is truly about, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many people see Christmas and Easter as a religious holiday only for religious people, I think otherwise. They are for ALL the world. These were historical events of true love and compassion of God and His Son Jesus. A master plan against evil and its destructive forces. A master plan that can have all people follow Him, no matter who they are.

This is the true story of Easter.

The world that God created and the people living in it were special and precious in His sight. He loved all people very much and desired to have them follow Him as their Creator and Heavenly Father. But years passed and the people became more and more corrupted and evil in God’s sight and grieved His heart very much. After a while people began to stop believing in God, thinking He’s nothing more than a myth, and their sins destroyed their relationship with God. God and sin do not mix. But instead of destroying all people, He loved everyone so much, He made a plan, an ultimate sacrifice that would destroy Satan and his power of evil and sin. That sacrifice was His one and only Son Jesus, who was willing to do as His father said. He would come to earth as a human, grow up, give his teachings of God, and be crucified on the cross and bear the burden of all evil on Himself. And it was so.
From the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, they tell the life of Jesus.
It began with the born of Christ; born to Joseph and Mary (many know it as the Nativity). Growing up He appeared to be like an average man, but there was more to Him. He had the Spirit of God in Him. He was a blameless and sinless man. All His life He walked with God. By now Satan knew something was up and tried to stop Jesus, but had no success. Around the age of 30, Jesus chose 12 disciples to follow Him to observe and learn His teaching to the world so they too can become teachers of God. They witnessed amazing miracles of healing, stories, and prayer. After His teachings were complete, the time came for Him to die. Now Jesus was feeling the heavy burden of sin.
After the last supper with His disciples, they went to the Garden of Gethsemane. There Jesus talked with God. Jesus was weighted with intense fear and despair. He knew in a few hours He was going to embrace painful torture and rejection. Worst of all, due to the sins of the world that He was going place upon Himself, He was going be separated from God. Although burdened by this, Jesus continued His mission because He loved everyone in the world, both righteous and wicked. Shortly after, the Roman soldiers and Jesus’s disciple Judas arrived. There Judas betrayed Jesus by handing Him over to the soldiers to be arrested. Fearing for their lives, all disciples ran away. Judas later realized what he did was wrong and hanged himself.
Jesus was then brought to the Roman governor Pilate for trial. The high priest and people accused Jesus of false charges such as false miracles, socializing with outcast, false prophecies, interfering, disobeying the laws of Moses, accused of being evil, and calling Himself the Son of God. (The people did know there was going to be a Savior for the entire world. However, they believed he was going to be someone high authority, like a king. But they didn’t imagine someone like Jesus, which is why they accuse Him of being false). But with all these accusations, Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. But the people would not accept that. So Pilate ordered Jesus to be brutally flogged as punishment. The soldiers also placed a crown of thorns on His head as a mockery of a false king. Pilate thought that would make the people change their minds, but no luck. They wanted Jesus to be crucified. As another attempt to spare Jesus, Pilate let the public decide whether he should release Jesus or a serial killer named Barabbas. The people didn’t hesitate, they chose Barabbas to be released and Jesus killed. Finally Pilate decided to give them what they wanted. However, he washed his hands in front them all (meaning his hands are clean of Jesus’s blood, and wants no involvement. Before, Pilates’ wife told him not to get involved because she saw in a dream this was something very serious).
Jesus was now in the hands of the Romans to be crucified. He was forced to carry a massive and heavy wooden cross through Jerusalem. While walking, the people mocked Him severely, even people that were healed by Him, people that said they love Him, people that praised Him were now wanting to kill him. He was whipped and beaten continuously as He bared the heavy cross and evils of the world. But He kept going for all people. Finally, they reached Golgotha (Place of the Skull), there they stripped Jesus, nailed His hands and feet to the cross, and raised Him between two thieves (who were also crucified). They even hung a sign above Him saying ‘This is Jesus, King of the Jews’. The people continued to mock Him hanging there. “Come down if you’re really the Son of God!” they would say. Publicly humiliated, in extreme pain, and bleeding to death, nothing was more painful when God looking down at Him. Jesus was now completely filled with the world’s sin and evil and became an abomination in God’s sight. God could no longer look at Him because of the great evil in Him and turned away from Him. Jesus knew immediately God’s presence left and was devastated. “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?!” (My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me?!) He cried out. Darkness began to surround the area as He began to slowly lose life. Some people left but some still remained watching over Jesus. Finally, His body was at death. But before dying, He looked to heaven and said ‘Father forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing! It is complete!” and died. Then there was powerful earthquake that shook the land, thunder and lightning crashed. People around the world were instantly healed, people who were dying rose again. Now the eyes of the people were opened and realized Jesus was truly the Son of God. A soldier then took a spear and stabbed it in His side, water began to flow out (according to physicians, a body only does that if a person dies in extreme despair).
After making sure Jesus was dead, they took Him down and a man named Joseph (not Jesus’ father) buried Him in a tomb he owned. By now, Jesus’ soul was taken to the World of Despair or Hades (not Hell) because of the world’s sin and evil. Now Satan thought with Jesus dead, he won. But then something happened he didn’t expect, Jesus stood back up… alive. Satan’s evil forces and sin were overcome by the blood of Jesus and destroyed. Satan was now defeated. All God’s followers of the world were now able to enter the Kingdom of God, no longer held back.
Three days after dying and lying in a tomb, God restored Jesus back to life (Easter). He was completely healed. The only remaining scars are from the nails in His hands, feet, and spear in His side as a reminder to the world for what He did and that only He is Jesus. (Without the scars, they are not Jesus). The world saw He was alive and well. He spent a month with His disciples and then descended back into heaven to be at God’s side. There He waits for the time when God finally says to bring all His followers home. All believers in Christ’s death and resurrection, and accept Him as their true Savior will be spared from condemnation (Hell) and enter His Kingdom for all Eternity.

That is what Easter is truly about.

So if you think no one loves you, think of Jesus. Feeling stress, sadness, anger, hopelessness, etc. think of Jesus. Feeling pain, illness, etc. think of Jesus. Living a life you know isn’t right or have a bad history, think of Jesus. He took ALL these upon Himself and defeated them ALL.

May God be with you and bless you all here on earth. And may you all someday be with Him for eternity. Seek Him and you will find Him.

For God loved the world (everyone) so much, He sent His one and only Son Jesus to us all. Everyone who believes in Him will not be condemned to Hell but live with Him for all eternity. God did not send Jesus to condemn the world, but through Him they will be saved.

Art:  EJ_Husky