"He is Risen. He is not here."
It's Easter Sunday! And Praise be to God, Lord and Savior of my life whose death gives me life and life eternal!
I'm not overtly religious because I don't believe in shoving my beliefs down people's throats; I know everyone has the right to believe what they want. And this is what I believe. Unapologetically.
I believe that Jesus Chris is the Son of God. That he was killed on the cross to bring hope and life to those who believe; that the curtain was torn symbolizing immediate access to God, for everyone, through the death of Jesus.
Recently I heard a sermon regarding the crucifixion and naturally, in Megan fashion, fixated on one detail.
When you read about the burial of Jesus in the Bible (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42) there's a man, Joseph of Arimathea who buries Jesus' body. Joseph goes to Pilate, the ruler at the time who handed Jesus over to the Roman's who would torture, humiliate and kill him, and asks for the body of Jesus. So he can be buried. Jesus was killed during the Sabbath and Jewish law forbid the touching of dead bodies during the Sabbath so he was only able to remove him from the cross, wrap him in linens and place his body in the tomb, hardly a fitting burial for anyone much less the Son of God.
We know the rest of the story, and really that is the important part. Jesus rose from the dead and because of His sacrifice we are all welcome into the Kingdom of Heaven should we chose to believe.
But. In the sermon I heard, the speaker suggested Joseph exhibits odd behavior because when someone dies you quit following them. Their death ends their leadership and as such you turn your back and do the smart thing and leave.
I disagree. Wholeheartedly.
Death does not end anything aside from that person's life. Their teachings, the life they led, the impact they had on you should be meaningful! Especially in the case of the Son of God! And if we are so easily swayed, so quick to run when things don't make sense, when they get dangerous, how strong is our belief?
Centuries of history would suggest people in general don't do this, and Joseph of Arimathea did not do this. He buried his Savior and he did so in the face of huge obstacles. Joseph was a rich man (Matthew 27:57), a man of the Council, a good and upright man, who has not consented to their decision and action (Luke 23:50-51). He was also a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews (John 19:38). This wasn't his responsibility; this man was just killed for claiming to be the Son of God, his followers were no safer. And this well-known, well-respected man, took charge of caring for the body of this "criminal."
He made his allegiances known and continued to follow Christ in his death. As millions of others have done and will do until His return.
Great social change does not occur until someone important pays the ultimate price. It's what spurs thought, action, discontent, disagreement. People pick sides, see something they never saw before. The centurion, the Roman soldier who watched Jesus breathed his last realized upon his death that "Surely this man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:39). We don't see him again but I bet his life was changed forever.
And we see this all the time. The death of Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most important men in history, was instrumental in changing the ways America thought about race issues and it's been 43 years since he was murdered and we remember him. We celebrate his life, mourn his death, and continue to believe what he said. The kind of change that grabs hold of so many, that shakes the world, does not just occur independent of something huge. Something so important that we all sit up and take notice.
Jesus was more than a martyr for the cause. He was the cause, but through His death and resurrection we have life and life eternal. And people follow him. Joseph of Arimathea did and countless others, myself included.
It is not enough to simply believe. Knowing what we know about Jesus, his life and death and what awaits us calls us to something more. Living your faith is not always easy. It is not always fun. But I believe that once you see something, anything, once your eyes are open to the truth you cannot turn away from it.
So celebrate Easter. Whether you believe in the resurrection or not. If you just want candy, get the best you can and eat until your teeth fall out of your face! But if you do believe, believe in the way that allows you to surrender your whole heart, your whole life, paying the ultimate price knowing life with Christ to be so much more fulfilling than anything we can do on our own.
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33
I'm not overtly religious because I don't believe in shoving my beliefs down people's throats; I know everyone has the right to believe what they want. And this is what I believe. Unapologetically.
I believe that Jesus Chris is the Son of God. That he was killed on the cross to bring hope and life to those who believe; that the curtain was torn symbolizing immediate access to God, for everyone, through the death of Jesus.
Recently I heard a sermon regarding the crucifixion and naturally, in Megan fashion, fixated on one detail.
When you read about the burial of Jesus in the Bible (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42) there's a man, Joseph of Arimathea who buries Jesus' body. Joseph goes to Pilate, the ruler at the time who handed Jesus over to the Roman's who would torture, humiliate and kill him, and asks for the body of Jesus. So he can be buried. Jesus was killed during the Sabbath and Jewish law forbid the touching of dead bodies during the Sabbath so he was only able to remove him from the cross, wrap him in linens and place his body in the tomb, hardly a fitting burial for anyone much less the Son of God.
We know the rest of the story, and really that is the important part. Jesus rose from the dead and because of His sacrifice we are all welcome into the Kingdom of Heaven should we chose to believe.
But. In the sermon I heard, the speaker suggested Joseph exhibits odd behavior because when someone dies you quit following them. Their death ends their leadership and as such you turn your back and do the smart thing and leave.
I disagree. Wholeheartedly.
Death does not end anything aside from that person's life. Their teachings, the life they led, the impact they had on you should be meaningful! Especially in the case of the Son of God! And if we are so easily swayed, so quick to run when things don't make sense, when they get dangerous, how strong is our belief?
Centuries of history would suggest people in general don't do this, and Joseph of Arimathea did not do this. He buried his Savior and he did so in the face of huge obstacles. Joseph was a rich man (Matthew 27:57), a man of the Council, a good and upright man, who has not consented to their decision and action (Luke 23:50-51). He was also a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews (John 19:38). This wasn't his responsibility; this man was just killed for claiming to be the Son of God, his followers were no safer. And this well-known, well-respected man, took charge of caring for the body of this "criminal."
He made his allegiances known and continued to follow Christ in his death. As millions of others have done and will do until His return.
Great social change does not occur until someone important pays the ultimate price. It's what spurs thought, action, discontent, disagreement. People pick sides, see something they never saw before. The centurion, the Roman soldier who watched Jesus breathed his last realized upon his death that "Surely this man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:39). We don't see him again but I bet his life was changed forever.
And we see this all the time. The death of Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most important men in history, was instrumental in changing the ways America thought about race issues and it's been 43 years since he was murdered and we remember him. We celebrate his life, mourn his death, and continue to believe what he said. The kind of change that grabs hold of so many, that shakes the world, does not just occur independent of something huge. Something so important that we all sit up and take notice.
Jesus was more than a martyr for the cause. He was the cause, but through His death and resurrection we have life and life eternal. And people follow him. Joseph of Arimathea did and countless others, myself included.
It is not enough to simply believe. Knowing what we know about Jesus, his life and death and what awaits us calls us to something more. Living your faith is not always easy. It is not always fun. But I believe that once you see something, anything, once your eyes are open to the truth you cannot turn away from it.
So celebrate Easter. Whether you believe in the resurrection or not. If you just want candy, get the best you can and eat until your teeth fall out of your face! But if you do believe, believe in the way that allows you to surrender your whole heart, your whole life, paying the ultimate price knowing life with Christ to be so much more fulfilling than anything we can do on our own.
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33
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