Messiah

Easter should be celebrated by all peoples because Jesus Christ was THE Messiah for all humankind. Think not? Just believe.

As we celebrate Easter, gathering together, spending time with family, eating good food, and having a holiday, we should remember the men and women who experienced the first “Easter.” Some of them were huddled down in their homes and designated gathering spots. Others were off alone, separated from the group so they would not be caught together. They were afraid, fearing for their lives and the lives of their loved ones. They were confused. Asking why, what, and the dreaded how questions. There was no feasting, no celebration, no joy. There was fear, crying, arguing, and likely a lot of praying. 

Let’s remember their circumstances. The disciples had placed their trust and hope in a man they believed was the Messiah - even the Son of God. He was the Holy One promised in scripture for the deliverance of Israel. It had taken them time to believe, but all the miracles and the authority with which Jesus spoke finally convinced them. Jesus was the one. Then He was dead. Sure He had warned them about the coming betrayal and even His death. But like this! One other important point - Jesus didn’t tell them what would happen to them after He died! Jesus was dead and their whole world was unravelling. 

The Jewish religious leaders showed no indication of stopping after killing Jesus. They had rid themselves and all of Israel of the rabble-rousing rabbi, Jesus Christ, but now was the time to deal with all the rest of the miscreants. The authorities were looking for disciples, and since they had killed the leader, the lawyers felt empowered to make quick work of ridding the world of Jesus' followers. What were the disciples to do? 

Maybe they were wrong. Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. But now He was dead. Death is so final. No one does anything after they are dead. And Jesus had been dead for days! It’s not like He shrugged off the beatings, got off the cross, and established His kingdom. The Roman soldiers beat Jesus unmercifully - almost with a glee conjured up from hell itself. Jesus was an absolute wreck. His body was spent. His countenance was so tortured that He was not even recognizable. This was the Messiah!? The disciples must have mentally whipped themselves for thinking such a thing. He was dead. Now their own lives were in danger and they were hiding, likely hoping that they could get out of town, down the road a long way from Jerusalem. 

And then… 

Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb, the same as she had done in the previous early mornings for the last few days. But this time the “stone had been removed.” Imagine what she felt at that moment. Was it not enough that they killed the man? But now they had to go as far as to take His body so that no one would know where He was buried. Could they not leave well enough alone? Mary returned to the disciples’ hide-out distraught with news of the empty tomb. That sent Peter and John sprinting to Jesus' burial place. Imagine their thoughts as they ran full tilt to the tomb where their hopes were buried. When they arrived they did not simply see an empty cave. They saw the confirmation of what they had hoped they understood about Jesus’ mission on earth. John testified that “He saw and believed.” 

That was what the first Easter was like. A dead messiah was resurrected as King of kings and Lord of lords. A dead hope was resurrected as a strong faith to shake the foundations of the world. A bunch of disciples, followers of Christ, destined to die at the hands of the same people who prosecuted Jesus were resurrected as the most effective evangelists in the history of mankind. The first Easter was a turning point for all of heaven and earth. But not even these followers of Christ, who lived with Him, walked and talked with Him, saw Him crucified and die, and experienced the wonder of seeing Him alive again, not even they could imagine what that first Easter really meant. 

In the years following Jesus' resurrection and ascension back to heaven, God’s plan began to unfold. To say that the disciples of Christ, now Apostles of the church, had difficulty believing the plan was real is an understatement. Christ was the Messiah for all nations. What? They knew Jesus the Jew, the rabbi who ministered exclusively to Israel. Jesus wasn’t for everybody. Besides, what need do the Romans have for a Messiah? They are not persecuted and oppressed. Their people are not treated like dogs, hated and reviled. The other nations are in their golden age. They are at the top looking down on the Jews. Israel needs the Messiah. He is for us. 

But God had a different plan. It took the disciples time and the conversion of one of the greatest persecutors of the body of Christ, Saul of Tarshish, to come to grips with God sending Jesus for all peoples. The Almighty eventually got through to them. Then news of the Messiah sent to save humans from the oppression of sin and death spread like wildfire through the gentile nations. The truth covered the face of the earth. Now even people in areas of tremendous anti-Christian religious oppression are seeing and hearing about what Jesus Christ has done for them. 

Easter is not solely for the Jews or even those proclaiming to be Christian; it is for everyone. Nor is Jesus Christ the Messiah solely for the Jew or the Christian. Jesus died and rose again for the Hindu, the Buddhist, the Muslim, the atheist, the pagan, and all the rest of humanity. Jesus Christ is THE Messiah. If you acknowledge your need for salvation and believe that Jesus can save you, tell God this truth and the Messiah will deliver you.