Why Easter?

The following is a message I preached Easter of 2008.

Galations 1:1“Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead ),”

Paul says that specifically it was the Father who raised Jesus from the grave. Here’s my question: “Why exactly did God the Father have to raise Jesus, the Son, from the dead?”

God the Father said to Adam & Eve: “I’ve given you all the trees in the Garden, except for two specific trees”. Why? Because LOVE DEMANDS A CHOICE. Forced love is equal to rape, and God wants a loving relationship with His children, so He says, “I give you a choice, if you eat of that tree that will indicate you want nothing to do with Me” and “the day you do eat of that tree you will surely die”. You probably know the story…. Adam & Eve rebelled and Death crept in and affected humanity in a major way. More than just physical dying one day, but death of health, death of relationships, death of... everything.

But God is gracious and had a grand plan to deal with sin, because ultimately He really, deeply loves people – and this “sin problem” had affected all people – “for all have sinned and fallen short of His glory”. He declared that there would be a substitutionary sacrifice for sin and that people would have a way to get rid of this sin problem that was a barrier between them and Him. So there in Leviticus 17, it states that on Yom Kippur, the “Day of Atonement”, the High Priest – dressed in special linen garments - would take the blood of a sacrificed animal and would go into the Temple, through the Holy Place, and behind the veil into a small room called the Holy of Holies. There he would sprinkle the sacrificed animal’s blood seven times on the Mercy Seat – the lid that sat atop the Ark of the Covenant. The lid had two angels on either side and right in the center would be the sprinkled blood. If the High Priest did any part of the ritual wrong, or if he had sin in his heart and was ‘unworthy’ – the entire process wouldn’t ‘take’. Some say that he would have a rope tied around his left ankle, so that if he did have a sin problem himself and fell over dead – the people could drag his body out of there (although I couldn’t personally substantiate that claim with any of my studies). Be that as it may, the people would wait, by the thousands, outside the Temple to see if their sins were really forgiven – to see if the sacrifice “took”.

If indeed it did ‘take’, the High Priest would emerge from behind the veil and the temple with arms raised high and loudly proclaim one single, wonderful word: “Forgiven”. At the time the people knew that all their sins from the past year were washed away by God and they would all shout “Glory Hallelujah”, which means, “Praise be to Yah (Yahweh, another name for Jehovah – God), our sins are forgiven for another year!”

But the Bible elsewhere goes on to say that the blood of animals can never really cleanse a man or woman from sin. Oh, it can cover it for a year, but not completely and eternally wash it away for good. All of that sacrificing and Yom Kippur, High Priest business was just the picture of the One to come. John the Baptist would say, “Behold the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world”. Jesus, our Lamb, our Lord, our Savior, our Friend… died on the Cross of Calvary for our sins. 2 Corinthians 5:14 tells us that “One died for all”. God’s sacrifice of His Son Jesus was the substitutionary payment that you, me, and all mankind owed to a loving God for the sins that we choose, instead of Him.

Jesus died and they put Him in the grave, a rock tomb and three days later, on Easter Sunday at sunrise, you know what happened! They went to the tomb and the stone was rolled away. The Gospel writers give us different vantage points of what took place there that morning:

Peter and John ran and looked in and lo & behold what did they see?

An empty, blood stained slab where the corpse of Jesus had been wrapped up and laid. Luke says that there were specifically two angels there. John says that the linen garments that Jesus had been wearing were lying there all wrapped up.

Are you getting the picture?

§ The High Priest specifically wore linen clothes when he entered into the Holy of Holies to pay the substitutionary price for all the people – so did Jesus.

§ Luke says there were two angels in there, just like the two angels on top of the mercy seat.

§ The veil was ripped and the stone was rolled away so that you could see into the Holy of Holies and the blood from Jesus’ incredibly ‘marred’ corpse would have bled onto that slab between the two angels – even as there was 7 sprinkles of blood on the lid of the mercy seat between the two angels.

Also interesting, seven sprinkles - Jesus bled from 7 places specifically:

• His head.
• His hands (both).
• His feet (both).
• His side.
• His back.

Why? Perhaps because seven is the number of completion and the number of perfection throughout the Bible.

Jesus bled from His head when they sarcastically shoved a crown of thorns into his brow, mockingly calling Him the King. But that blood that flowed from His head that day was indeed perfect and it would completely cover every evil thought that I’ve entertained in my head. Every time I’ve wished somebody evil, or harbored a lustful thought – even when no one else knew… I knew. Jesus blood perfectly, completely cleanses my mind and my thoughts!

Jesus also bled from His hands. Hands that were by no means weak, but would’ve been full of calluses from years of working as a carpenter... Hands that had never struck anyone in anger or handled anything sinful… Hands that were pierced with large Roman spikes… Hands where His perfect blood flowed. Blood that completely cleanses every sin that I’ve committed with… these hands. Every time I struck someone in anger or handled something I shouldn’t have handled.

Jesus bled from His feet because I’ve walked places that I never should have walked. I’ve way too often stumbled and fallen.

Jesus bled from His side when the soldier thrust his Roman spear into the Lord’s side and straight into His heart. The Bible says that both blood and water flowed, speaking of the fact that His heart was pierced and broken. You see, the perfect blood of Jesus washes away the sins of my heart. The heart, the ancient rabbis taught, was seen as the ‘seat of emotions’. It’s the deepest part of a persons emotions. It’s where they hide happiness and joy, it’s also where they harbor bitterness and hatred… depression and lack of hope… lack of faith. Jesus died and bled and His perfect blood washes away all the garbage that I’ve hidden deep in my heart – the hatred and bitterness that I’ve felt towards people – towards myself. The times I’ve sunk into depression and showed a complete lack of faith and trust in my God… He cleanses that too!

Jesus bled from His back, and that blood covers all the times I’ve turned my back on Him… all the times I pretended not to hear Him behind me… lovingly calling my name, “Michael, why are you not looking at Me? Why are you not seeking Me? Why are your eyes not focused on Me? Why are you ignoring Me, with your back to Me?” But His back was ripped to shreds, and He says, “Michael, I’ve got you covered.”

Jesus bled for every thought you and I have thought, every place we’ve gone, every thing we’ve handled, every time we’ve turned our back – it’s all been covered – it’s all been forgiven!

But the question is: Did that offering of Jesus Christ satisfy the Father?

Just like in the Old Testament days when they waited outside the Temple – if the High Priest didn’t come out of the Holy of Holies – they’d never know if the offering “took”… if it “worked”.

But, the message of Easter is: JESUS CAME OUT ! His linen garments laid there – His arms outstretched – His declaration: “Forgiven!” And because Jesus lives, I can say confidently – “the offering took, it worked, Jesus is worthy!”

The Father says, “The offering was absolutely acceptable… and now Michael, you are forgiven and saved – the proof is in the pudding!” Jesus Christ, our High Priest, died on the Cross and the offering ‘took’! How do I know, because Galations 1:1 says that “the Father raised Him from the dead” – He accepted the sacrifice. The Father accepted Jesus’ blood as our substitute and we are forgiven! Not for a year… forever and ever and ever…! What a Great God we serve!