JESUS BROKE THE POWER OF DEATH.

JESUS BROKE THE POWER OF DEATH.

 

When this is coming out, we are in the middle of Easter week. In Norway many start their vacation already on the 11^th of April and many do not return to work before the 22^nd of April. Every year there is a discussion since most people want to take off while some have to stay at work Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday during Easter week. I live in Sweden, and we do not keep Maundy Thursday as a holy day, but Norway does. We can every day read a story from the life of Jesus during this week. Easter represents the most important holiday for most Christians. That is far from the case for the rest of the population. Many are travelling to the South or up to the mountains. They want to go on skis. Others are sitting in front of TV watching what is called “Easter-crime.” I have never understood what that has to do with Easter. Isn’t the suffering, the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus exiting enough?

Jesus had been in ministry for three years. He had been teaching His disciples and great multitudes of others. He had been driving out demons and He had been healing everybody with a sickness. He had also performed miracles and signs and wonders. In spite of all that, what He did during the end of Easter, was His most important assignment.

                  During Easter Jesus became the Savior of the world.

Jesus knew why He came down to this earth. He had left the glory in heaven and chose to become the Sacrificial Lamb, a lamb without sin. That was why God could accept the sacrifice. We cannot find one human being without sin. When I grew up in the Lutheran church in Norway, we confessed every day: “God, be merciful to me, a sinful person. I have sinned against You in thoughts, words and deeds.” One talked a lot about sin at that time. One looked upon the human being as sinful. We confessed our sins, but we often forgot that Jesus had made us clean and ready for heaven. Today we fall into another ditch where we do not talk about sin at all. Some people say that they do not have to confess their sins because Jesus has already taken our sins. We do live under grace, but it should not be an opening for sinning.

There are many ditches, and we should not fall into neither one of them. Jesus says that He is The Way, The Truth and The Life. That is the road we should walk on.

Easter includes all aspects of the Gospel. On Palm Sunday, the Sunday before the Day of Resurrection, we celebrate Jesus entering Jerusalem. He came riding on a donkey and people honoured Him by spreading palms and clothes in front of Him. The Jews had expected a king, but Jesus acted very differently from what they had expected. When He and His disciples were to eat the Easter lamb, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. It was very unusual that a religious leader to do that. Jesus was called Messiah and that means “the anointed One” in Hebrew. It could also mean the King of Israel. Jesus was also called a Rabbi. That is the name of a religious leader or a teacher.

When they had finished the meal, Jesus took His disciples with Him to Gethsemane. That is a garden on the way to the mount of Olive. They were supposed to be there to pray, but the disciples fell asleep. Jesus knelt down and prayed: “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done.” It is written that Jesus was sweating blood. He knew the sufferings that were to come.

I could write many pages about the things happening right afterwards. The disciple Judah betrayed Him and Jesus was taken to the house of the High Priest. The guards were both mocking and hitting Him. After that He was taken to Pontius Pilate. He was a Roman governor. Both the priests and the people came with false accusations against Jesus, but Pontius Pilate could not find anything wrong with Jesus. Pontius Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, but it was the multitude of people that demanded Jesus to be crucified. Jesus was mocked and beaten. When He died, there came a darkness over the entire country and the veil of the temple was torn in two. Jesus was buried and they put a big, heavy stone to cover the grave.

The first day of the week some women came to the grave. They had some food herbs with them. They got terrified and shocked because the stone was rolled away and the grave was empty. An angel came and told them that Jesus was risen from the dead. When they told that to the disciples, they didn’t believe them, but Peter ran to the grave and saw that this was true. Jesus appeared to them more and more for the next forty days. The He left the earth to be with His Father. Ten days later The Holy Spirit came to this earth, and He is still here.

Colossians 2:13-16 describes everything that happened on the cross. We were made alive with Jesus since He has forgiven us all our trespasses. The handwritten requirements that were against us was nailed to the cross. Jesus disarmed principalities and powers. He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them. Isaiah 53:4+5 are also describing what was happening on the cross. In His wounds we are healed.

DEATH COULD NOT KEEP JESUS AND HE ROSE ON THE THIRD DAY. THE GRAVE IS EMPTY AND JESUS LIVES!

BLESSED EASTER!

Mother Else