people so often think that Jesus just came back to life and then left to Heaven. they imagine He came up from the grave and ascended straight into the sky. that's just not the truth.
Jesus spent about forty days on earth after coming back from the dead. why? what did He have to prove? better yet, why did He even come back from the dead?
we like to think that Jesus came back from the dead because He didn't like it there. contrary to popular belief, Jesus had gone beyond the tiny speck of dust we call earth. as He promised one of the two men who were crucified with Him "today, you will be with me, in Paradise." -luke 23:43
He didn't just sit there in the grave for three days waiting to come back. on the contrary, He had plenty to do. revelation describes Him taking the keys of hell from satan, and we know that through His sacrifice on the cross, He payed the price for our sin. He had obtained "all the power and wisdom of heaven and earth" that He deserved from the beginning (matthew 28:18), crushed the devil under His heel (genesis 3:15), and He had taken a seat at the right hand of God the Father, His rightful place. why in the world would He come back?
i'm now less than two weeks away from graduating high school. it's been an incredible trip, filled with unforgettable moments. i've learned and grown a ton over the last four years, and i'll leave my school with no real regrets, and a lot of blessings from a lot of people who love me. but it has been an incredibly hard period in my life. high school was filled with struggle after struggle for me. i've been mistreated, misunderstood, attacked, and struggled with loneliness for four long years. it's been amazing, but if someone told me i had to do it all over again from day one, i don't know if i could. less than a week after graduation day, i'm heading out to africa, and then, when i get back, i'm traveling again to young life camp for a month, and then, after a few weeks of rest, i'm moving on to college. i can't wait to know that my job is done, and move on to bigger and better things. so when i think about Jesus' situation, to have given everything He had for us, to have given up His life for fallen humanity, to have experienced nothing but hatred from those He loved so much, to say to sin and the brokenness of the old covenant "it is finished.", and then, to experience physical and spiritual death... when i received the glory and honor and praise i deserved in Heaven, i would not have come back. why in the world was there a resurrection?
FOR US
the resurrection wasn't for Jesus at all. He had nothing to gain by coming back. He did it for two simple reasons.
"and Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of God when God powerfully raised him from the dead by means of the Holy Spirit. through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority to tell gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to His name." - romans 1:4-5
He came back to show His disciples that He was the Messiah, God Almighty. when He came back, He proved exactly who He was. the giver of life, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. to show us what we could have in Him. to make sure we knew who He was and just how much He wanted to give us the same power, peace, hope, and love He had on this earth, and in the world to come.
but far more importantly, He came back to tell the disciples, and you, and me, in an unforgettable way, one very special message:
the resurrection wasn't for Jesus at all. He had nothing to gain by coming back. He did it for two simple reasons.
"and Jesus Christ our Lord was shown to be the Son of God when God powerfully raised him from the dead by means of the Holy Spirit. through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority to tell gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to His name." - romans 1:4-5
He came back to show His disciples that He was the Messiah, God Almighty. when He came back, He proved exactly who He was. the giver of life, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. to show us what we could have in Him. to make sure we knew who He was and just how much He wanted to give us the same power, peace, hope, and love He had on this earth, and in the world to come.
but far more importantly, He came back to tell the disciples, and you, and me, in an unforgettable way, one very special message:
"I LOVE YOU!"
He came back to tell you that He loves you, and nothing could ever keep Him from loving you.
no amount of wealth was worth choosing not to love you; He chose to be born to two dirt poor peasants in a feeding trough in the middle east.
no almighty nature or perfection was worth choosing not to love you; He gave it up and became a helpless baby in a manger, without the ability to speak or even go to the restroom, to tell you He loves you more than any power or knowledge.
no all knowing security was worth choosing not to love you; He gave it up in the garden of gethsemane, as He cried out to His Father "take this cup away from me! but not my will, but yours be done."
no invincibility was worth choosing not to love you; He suffered beatings, a crown of thorns, and 39 lashes for you.
no good reputation or honor was worth choosing not to love you; He was betrayed by His closest friends, falsely accused, and when given the chance to save Him the crowds chose a murderer as more fit to live than Him. He allowed it to happen to show you just how much He cares.
no sin could keep Him from loving you; He experienced all the guilt, shame, depravity, and darkness of humanity when He took our sins on that cross.
His own life could not keep Him from loving you; He gave it up as He bled and suffocated on golgotha.
on that resurrection sunday, He told the universe that not even death itself could keep Him from loving you. He would go right on living just to tell you He cares.
"where o death, is your victory? where o death, is your sting?" -1 corinthians 15:55
"... and i will always be with you, to the every end of the age." - Matthew 27:55
"no, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. for i am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -romans 8:37-39
no amount of wealth was worth choosing not to love you; He chose to be born to two dirt poor peasants in a feeding trough in the middle east.
no almighty nature or perfection was worth choosing not to love you; He gave it up and became a helpless baby in a manger, without the ability to speak or even go to the restroom, to tell you He loves you more than any power or knowledge.
no all knowing security was worth choosing not to love you; He gave it up in the garden of gethsemane, as He cried out to His Father "take this cup away from me! but not my will, but yours be done."
no invincibility was worth choosing not to love you; He suffered beatings, a crown of thorns, and 39 lashes for you.
no good reputation or honor was worth choosing not to love you; He was betrayed by His closest friends, falsely accused, and when given the chance to save Him the crowds chose a murderer as more fit to live than Him. He allowed it to happen to show you just how much He cares.
no sin could keep Him from loving you; He experienced all the guilt, shame, depravity, and darkness of humanity when He took our sins on that cross.
His own life could not keep Him from loving you; He gave it up as He bled and suffocated on golgotha.
on that resurrection sunday, He told the universe that not even death itself could keep Him from loving you. He would go right on living just to tell you He cares.
"where o death, is your victory? where o death, is your sting?" -1 corinthians 15:55
"... and i will always be with you, to the every end of the age." - Matthew 27:55
"no, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. for i am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -romans 8:37-39
He loves you! God bless!
