Easter Reflections on Crucifixion and Resurrection

God and Creation

It is important to remember who God really is-an eternal being that knows everything, is present everywhere, is beyond time and space, and is complete perfection.  God is distinct from creation and in fact created the universe out of nothing.  Moses writes in Genesis the following: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1 ESV).  Everything in this universe is owned by God and He reigns over every aspect of it.   In fact, at the beginning of creation everything was considered good.  Moses writes, "And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day" (Genesis 1:31). There was no sin in the world at that time which involved the world being perfect, that is, until Adam and Eve came into the picture.

The Fall

God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  Eve was tempted by the devil where the devil said that she could be like God determining good and evil.  Then Eve disobeyed God and ate the fruit being tempted by the devil causing original sin that had catastropic results.  She even gave the fruit to Adam and he ate it as well and then blamed Eve when God caught them in their sin.  The result of this even is the fact that all human beings are born in sin and have a completely depraved nature.  It results in our hearts being wicked and sin separating us from God, which would result in eternal death.  God is perfectly righteous and just and completely hates sin.  

Paul writes, "As it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one'" (Romans 3:10-12).  The prophet Jeremiah writes, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). 

Jesus

However, througout the Old Testament God established the law and the prophets that pointed toward a Messiah.  The Israelites were required to participate in a sacrificial system where they mainly used lambs, goats, and bulls to kill and shed their blood as a substitute to atone for their sin and guilt.  They would consistent do the sacrifices to cover for their sins.  The Israelites had to commit to upholding 613 total laws that God gave them, which was unable to be done.  The prophets foretold that a Messiah would be coming to save the people from their sins.  He came in the form of Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man.   Jesus lived a perfect life on earth fulfilling the law and the prophets.  He performed miracles and did His Father's will and was also equal in power to God.  

Jesus even says, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30).  Paul writes, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him" (Colossians 1:15-16). Paul also says, "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:5-7).  

Death of Jesus

Even though Jesus lived a perfect life, He was put to death on the cross.  He Jesus was completely tortured by the Jewish authorities and the Roman soldiers, where even at one point the soldiers used a reed to struck His head with the crown of thorns on it.  The soldiers used a whip that was called a flagellum that was "made by plaiting pieces of bone or lead into leather thongs. The victim was stripped and tied to a post. Severe flogging not only reduced the flesh to bloody pulp but could open up the body until the bones were visible and the entrails exposed" (Gaebelein, et, al., 1984). This was even before He carried the cross to the place where He was crucified with nails in His wrists and feet.  

The prophet Isaiah writes, "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:4-6).  Peter refers to this passage from Isaiah when he writes, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls" (1 Peter 2:24-25).  He fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah and died as a substitute taking our place on that cross as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  

Resurrection of Jesus

However, Jesus rose from the dead, appearing first to Mary of Magdala.  He also appeared to the apostles while they were in hideout for fear of the Jewish authorities and even ate with them in another appearance.  He was recognized at the end of the journey on the road to Emmaus too.  Also, the first "creed" that Paul wrote to the Corinthians states,  "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then He appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles" (1 Corinthians 15:3-7). Jesus conquered sin and death with His death and resurrection and asks us to come to Him in repentance and faith receiving Him as our Lord and Savior.

Restoration

Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead.  He states, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8).  John metions that Jesus talks about heaven and hell at the end times.  He writes the following: "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away'...'But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death'" (Revelation 21:3-4, 8-9).

References

Gaebelein, F. E., Carson, D. A., Wessel, W. W., & Liefield, W. L.     (1984). In The expositor's Bible commentary with the new international version of the Bible in twelve volumes: Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, luke (Vol. 8, pp. 573–573). essay, Zondervan. 

The Holy Bible: ESV. (2016). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.