The Message of Easter: Crown of Thorns to Crown of Glory!

The real message of Easter has been this one that Jesus was crucified and on Sunday before sunrise, He was resurrected. The whole meaning of Holy Week from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday shows the sinful fickleness of man. During Palm Sunday, everyone started singing praises when Jesus came into Jerusalem but a few days later they cried out, "Crucify Him!" People chose the robber over the innocent Jesus but this was all part of God's plan.

The more I thought about the people choosing Barabbas the robber, it shows the wickedness of man yet it also shows the mercy of God. The Scripture is silent about Barabbas but one thing I am certain like Barabbas, I should have been the one who was crucified. I felt like shouting, "That's not fair, Jesus should be set freed." He could have set Himself freed but instead, He was obedient unto death and people were probably given the picture He was going to die for the lost sinner.

On the cross, Jesus really looked like the loser of losers but it was necessary. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that He who was not a sinner was soon imputed sin so I could be imputed with righteousness. At the cross, He was there so man's sin can be defeated because without Him, there is no real power over sin. Many people try to change by themselves only to find out they haven't truly changed. When sin got punished on the cross, it was so all who put their trust in Him as Lord and Savior will have that power over sin aside from imputed righteousness. When one says I am a Christian but is living in wickedness that person is really a fake convert. When Jesus defeated sin then He too defeats sinful habits in all who are His.

After Jesus' bloody sacrifice and death on the cross, the resurrection proclaimed that victory over sin is possible only in Jesus Christ. Many religious leaders have died but they are still decaying on the grave but Jesus is risen. The resurrected Christ is one of the most hard to believe messages because of man's frequent rebellion against God. All the sin that was imputed into Him, when He willingly took the wrath of God because of His sacrificial love was defeated. Because He had no sin then death could not defeat Him. The empty tomb with the grave clothes in place showed Jesus indeed is the eternal Son of God, that sin can be defeated in anybody's life and that the Christian will be one day raised in glory by the power of God.

This is an encounter with the holiness of God. There is really no other power against sin but in the Lord Jesus Christ. Have you put your trust in Him to save you from your sin and not in our sin?