THE CHURCH HAS LINKED RESURRECTION DAY WITH THE PAGAN FERTILITY CULT CELEBRATED IN THE SPRING. THE WORD EASTER COMES FROM THE WORSHIP OF THE FERTILITY GODDESS, EOSTRE. EASTER EGGS SPEAK OF THIS, ALSO RABBITS, AS THEY PROCREATE SO ABUNDANTLY. THE WESTERN CHRISTIAN CHURCH HAS COMPROMISED THE WONDER OF THE RESURRECTION WITH SUCH PAGAN WORSHIP, WHEREAS, IN THE MIDDLE EAST WHERE CHRISTIANITY IS NOT THE PREDOMINANT RELIGION AND CHRISTIANS ARE PERSECUTED, THERE IS GREATER FAITHFULNESS TO THE TRUTH. INSTEAD OF SAYING “HAPPY EASTER,” THE GREETING IS “HE IS RISEN,” THE RESPONSE BEING, “INDEED HE IS RISEN!”

WHY ARE CHRISTIANS SO JOYOUS ON RESURRECTION DAY? MY FATHER HAD ARTHRITIS. ONE DAY HE WENT TO HIS DOCTOR TO SEE IF THE DOCTOR COULD GIVE HIM ANY HELP OR RELIEF FROM HIS AFFLICTION. AFTER TELLING HIS DOCTOR ABOUT HIS ARTHRITIS, THE DOCTOR PROUDLY DEMONSTRATED TO MY FATHER HOW NIMBLE HE WAS BY TOUCHING HIS TOES. MY FATHER COULD NOT SEE HOW HIS DOCTOR’S NIMBLE BODY COULD IN ANY WAY HELP HIM.

WHAT DOES JESUS’ RESURRECTION HAVE TO DO WITH ME?! THE ANSWER IS GIVEN IN JOHN’S GOSPEL, CHAPTER FIVE. “JUST AS THE FATHER HAS LIFE IN HIMSELF, THUS HE HAS GRANTED THE SON TO HAVE LIFE IN HIMSELF, AND HE HAS GRANTED THE SON AUTHORITY TO EXECUTE JUDGMENT BECAUSE HE IS THE SON OF MAN.” John 5:26

JESUS LOVED TO CALL HIMSELF THE SON OF MAN, AND HIS HEAVENLY FATHER LOVED HIS SON FOR IT. “THIS IS WHY THE FATHER LOVES ME – BECAUSE I LAY DOWN MY LIFE SO THAT I MAY TAKE IT BACK AGAIN.” John 10:17 TAKE WHAT BACK AGAIN? HIS HUMANITY!

WHEN HE AROSE FROM THE GRAVE, HE DID SO AS A TRUE HUMAN BEING. HIS BODY WAS CHANGED, BUT IT STILL WAS A HUMAN BODY. WHEN HE JOINED HIS DISCIPLES, THEY WERE TERRIFIED THINKING THAT THEY WERE SEEING A GHOST. THEN JESUS SAID TO THEM, “LOOK AT MY HANDS AND MY FEET; IT’S ME! TOUCH ME AND SEE; A GHOST DOES NOT HAVE FLESH AND BONES LIKE YOU SEE I HAVE.” THEY WOULD RECALL SEEING THE ROMAN SOLDIERS POUNDING THOSE HUGE NAILS INTO JESUS’ HANDS AND FEET, BUT THEY STILL COULD HARDLY BELIEVE IT. SO HE ASKED THEM IF THEY HAD SOMETHING HE COULD EAT. THEY GAVE HIM A PIECE OF BROILED FISH AND HE ATE IT IN FRONT OF THEM. Luke 24:38-43

HOW VITAL IS THE HUMANITY OF JESUS! GOD COULD DESIGN AND CREATE A MAN WHO IS CAPABLE OF EXPRESSING ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD, WHICH HE DID IN ADAM; BUT GOD COULD NOT CREATE HOLINESS. GOD ALONE IS HOLY. GOD CAN ONLY MAKE A PERSON HOLY BY GIVING HIS OWN LIFE TO THAT PERSON. IN ORDER TO DO THAT, HE HAD TO BECOME A PART OF THE HUMAN RACE. IN THE INCARNATION, GOD BECAME THAT WHICH HE HAD CAUSED TO BECOME. HE UNITED HIS OWN LIFE, THE ETERNAL “WORD,” WITH HUMAN LIFE IN THE BODY OF THE VIRGIN MARY. THE BABY JESUS, THE ACTUAL SON OF GOD, WAS BORN A HOLY HUMAN BEING, OF GOD AND OF MAN. HE IS NOT ONLY THE SON OF GOD BUT ALSO THE SON OF MAN!

AT THIS POINT WE MIGHT SAY – BUT THAT IS JESUS, WHAT CAN JESUS DO FOR ME, A DYING SINNER? THE LORD JESUS CHRIST ANSWERS, “JUST AS THE FATHER HAS LIFE IN HIMSELF, THUS HE HAS GRANTED THE SON TO HAVE LIFE IN HIMSELF.” John 5:26 JESUS CAN IMPART HIS DIVINE HUMANITY TO US BECAUSE HIS HOLY LIFE IS HUMAN! IT IS CALLED THE NEW BIRTH, AND IT IS JUST AS ORGANIC AND REAL AS BIRTH FROM OUR PARENTS.

JESUS TOLD NICODEMUS, A RULER OF THE JEWS, “YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN.” A BETTER TRANSLATION IS “BORN FROM ABOVE.” YES, THE ONE WHO HAS BEEN BORN AGAIN ACTUALLY HAS WITHIN HIS/HER BEING TWO KINDS OF LIFE, THAT WHICH IS FROM OUR PARENTS WHICH CAN AND DOES SIN, FALLING SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD, AND THE ETERNAL HOLY LIFE THAT COMES FROM GOD THROUGH HIS HUMAN SON, JESUS.

WHY DO WE EXALT AND REJOICE IN JESUS’ RESURRECTION? LET JESUS HIMSELF ANSWER. “FOR JUST AS THE FATHER RAISES THE DEAD AND GIVES THEM LIFE, SO ALSO THE SON GIVES LIFE TO WHOMEVER HE WISHES.” John 5:21

IF WE TRULY WANT THE VERY LIFE OF GOD, ETERNAL, HOLY, BEAUTIFUL LIFE THAT CANNOT DIE, LISTEN TO JESUS’ WORDS TO US, “I TELL YOU THE SOLEMN TRUTH, THE ONE WHO HEARS MY MESSAGE AND BELIEVES THE ONE WHO SENT ME HAS ETERNAL LIFE AND WILL NOT BE CONDEMNED, BUT HAS CROSSED OVER FROM DEATH TO LIFE.”John 5:24

GOD HELP US TO BE ABLE TO SAY THIS RESURRECTION DAY – HE IS RISEN, AND I HAVE WITHIN ME THAT RESURRECTION LIFE, THE HOPE OF GLORY!

Rosemary E. Hyslop   April 4, 2021