Assurance & Hope

Jesus appeared to His disciples on the evening of the day that He arose from the grave. In the afternoon Jesus appeared to two disciples who were traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus. At supper when He took the bread, gave thanks, and broke it, they got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. They found the eleven, along with the others assembled, and they said, "It is true! The Lord has risen." Then they related what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when He broke the bread.

"While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "'Peace be with you.' They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, 'Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.'When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, 'Do you have anything here to eat?'They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, 'This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms'" (Luke 24:36-44 NIV).

On Easter, and every Sunday for that matter, we celebrate Christ's resurrection from the dead. For us as Christians, this is one of our Cardinal beliefs and has been for the two thousand years of the Church. But think with me for a moment what the resurrection meant to the disciples in the First Century. Even though Jesus had told them on a number of occasions that He would go to Jerusalem where He would suffer and die and on the third day come back to life; they apparently had not grasped the meaning of His words. We do not read, for instance, that any one of them got up on the third day and went looking for the Lord. Instead, they had gone to attend His body at the tomb. They were still in shock over the turn of events that had led to His arrest, trial and crucifixion in a very short period of time. When Jesus met with them, He assured them that He was indeed alive; that He had risen just as He had said.

What if Jesus had not come back to life? He would have been like any other religious leader who had lived and taught but then died and passed from the scene. While His followers might have passed along His wisdom they would not have been able to offer the eternal hope that is ours because He is alive. Without the resurrection we would indeed still be in our sins and we would be left without the hope of life after death (see 1 Corinthians 15:17-20; John 11:25-26).

His Cross and Ours

On Palm Sunday the Church celebrates Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus rode into the City on a donkey accompanied by His disciples and to the greeting of the crowds who shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!" (Matthew 21:9). Unfortunately the joy of Palm Sunday begins to dissipate as we remember the events of Holy Week two thousand years ago that culminated with the night of agony in Gethsemane and the suffering on Calvary's cross on Good Friday. The Gospel accounts clearly state that Jesus knew in advance these turn of events before He went to Jerusalem.

After Peter's great confession at Caesarea Philippi, that Christ is the Son of the Living God, "Jesus began to explain to his disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life" (Matthew 16:21). Observe that the word "must" is repeated in this verse to emphasize the necessity of Christ's going to Jerusalem to suffer and His being crucified (see Matthew 20:19). The reason that Jesus left Heaven and came to earth was for the purpose of His sacrificial death on the cross. This was the Father's will for His life that He faced and struggled with in the Garden the night before. Jesus realized that there was no getting around the cross and He went to Calvary to finish the mission for which He was sent. When Peter heard Jesus talking about this, he "took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" (Matthew 16:22). Twice Peter used the word "never" when he addressed the Lord. Jesus' stern response further underscores the necessity of the cross (see verse 23). Jesus heard the voice of His adversary, Satan, in the words of Peter.

Jesus continues saying this to His disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:24-26). While Jesus was facing the cross, He stated the necessity of the cross for us as well. For Jesus the cross (a means of execution and not merely a burden) meant His literal death. The requirement for Christ's followers is given as a threefold challenge: 1) Denial of self, 2) Taking up the cross, and 3) Following Jesus. The message of the cross is not an easy one. It runs counter with our human nature; but if we are going to be true disciples of Christ, then there is no avoiding what Jesus stated.

The shallow contemporary "gospel" that is so prevalent today has commercialized Christmas and made it a gift-giving extravaganza. The birth of a baby is always a joyous event and the wise men did present gifts to Jesus' parents; but the first Christmas was, after all, the birthday of the Savior. Easter has also been marketed as a celebration of hope and renewal that includes the Easter Bunny and eggs. There would be no joy of the resurrection, however, if there had not been His death on the cross. This is why the cross is the symbol of Christianity.