Easter

It's Good Friday.

I've had people ask me why it's called "good" Friday if something terrible happened that day?

Well, my response is this: if Jesus had stayed dead, then yes, it was a bad day. But in actuality, it was one of the best days of all time.

It's "good" because of the sacrifice. In the Old Testament, God required a blood sacrifice to atone the people of their sins. The sacrifice itself didn't forgive the sin, God forgave the sins as a response to the people's willing sacrifice, as it's through the sacrifices that they admitted to God their wrongdoings.
Well, fast-forward to the New Testament and we see God becoming a man. Totally God, totally man. He did this to show us how to live and also so that He could relate to the struggles we have as imperfect people. He ofcourse, was perfect even still!
Jesus, who IS God in flesh, sacrificed Himself on that "good" friday, to atone for all sins for all time. The perfect blood sacrifice. He did it for everyone.

Now, Jesus was dead. The Romans knew how to execute people. They were quite good at it. So, no doubt he was dead. They wrapped him in burial linens...w/ pounds of spices and oils, that basically formed a glue-like sealing as they wrapped him in it. Houdini wouldn't have broken free from this one!
A couple days later, w/ Roman guards (not just a couple, but an entire group!) protecting the tomb from grave robbers, something amazing happened. The stone in front of the tomb went flying off the entrance...Jesus wasn't there any more...his burial clothes still in the shape of his body, but no body!
He didn't walk out. He didnt' break out. The disciples didn't take the body (had the Roman guard allowed that to happen, ALL of them would have been executed, per Roman customs). Almost immediately, the cover up began from the pharisees, sadducees, and Roman soldiers who "were like dead men" when all this happened in front of them...so the story was "the disciples stole the body". The beauty of it is, they never hunted down the disciples to arrest them for it...the Roman guards weren't executed...and best of all, the never produced a body...

Jesus started appearing to a few folks here and there, and then to up to 500 at a time. He who was dead was now alive! Not a ghost, but flesh and bone.

After a while, He ascended into Heaven. I can imagine the scene THAT day.

Anyway, it's Easter weekend. The events that unfolded almost 2000 years ago changed history forever. As much as they try to not say "B.C." any more, face it, Jesus' entry on the scene changed time and how we keep time! haha...If Jesus was simply a good teacher and good guy, would it had made that big a difference? Probably not. There was something different about Him. That something is that He...is...God!

One day He's arrested, beaten, mocked, and crucified. Then He's dead, wrapped up tight in burial cloths and embalming spices. Then He's walking around, popping up all over the place, even cooking breakfast for Peter!

All these things really happened. It takes more faith to NOT believe it than it does to accept it. I'm so glad the God of Moses and Abraham, that fiery presence on Sinai, decided to become flesh and bone and live among HIS very own creation. And that same God, Jesus, willingly gave Himself as a sacrifice, so that I could one day, nearly 2000 years later, go to Heaven to live with Him and worship Him for all time. Even had I been the only one to believe, He still would have done it.

Hallelujah, what a Saviour...indeed.

If you read this and you've never met my Jesus, I recommend Him. He's the best.

Adam