Tonight at a Bible study I heard something that really struck me. Some background: it’s a women’s study, and many of these women have been through a couple other Bible studies together. This was the second night of this particular study, but it was my first time to be there and I hadn’t done any of the “homework” so I mostly just listened.
One of the questions they discussed was something along the lines of “What do you think Jesus meant when he said ‘It is finished’?” The women started throwing out different ideas: it was the end of his suffering, the end of the old covenant and the beginning of the new, the end of his work on earth, the fulfillment of salvation, etc. One of the women commented, “What about Easter? Wasn’t it really finished with the resurrection?”
And here’s what struck me—another woman said that it’s Jesus’ death that made the difference. She always felt that the resurrection was more for our (or his disciples’) benefits just so we could see him again and that if he hadn’t risen, it wouldn’t have mattered. Salvation would be complete without the resurrection.
I saw a couple of women who looked like they wanted to respond to that, but we were distracted by a couple kids coming in and then when we regained our focus, we moved on to the next question. I would have liked a chance to respond, so here’s what I wanted to say:
But it DOES matter! Jesus’ resurrection makes ALL the difference. Anyone can die, but only one can raise himself from the dead. Certainly, it does take a very special person to sacrifice himself so that someone else can live, but dying is something we will all do one day. There’s nothing special about dying. If Jesus had only died, then he would have been only man, and how can the death of someone who is only man make any difference to my salvation? Only the death of one who is both God and man can make a difference because only God can conquer death, and that, to me, is what the resurrection is about—death being conquered, and through that, sin being conquered. If there was no resurrection, then death has not been overcome, and neither has sin.
From 1 Corinthians 15:14, 17 “If Christ has not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty….And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!”
What would be the significance of Good Friday if there wasn’t an Easter Sunday? There would be none! We would still be dead in our sins if Jesus hadn’t risen! So again, my response to this woman’s statement is, the resurrection makes all the difference in the world.
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2 comments:
Hey, it's BonnieCatt. Just wanted to say nice blog! :-)
Maybe you can look at it this way: "Your suffering is finished." Or, put another way: "Death is defeated." That's definitely something to think about, though. Recently, my father spent some time in the hospital. It is a Catholic hospital. On the wall of every room is a small wooden crucifix with a broken and scourged Christ hanging limp from the Cross. Everytime I was in my father's room I would see that image and be taken aback for a second. I realized, that my faith is not about the broken and bloody Christ. No, it is about the risen, whole Christ. That broken Christ is the result of sin and death. But the new risen Christ we celebrate on Easter morning (and hopefully every other day of our lives) is a promise received. It is important to keep both images in our mind, a juxtsaposition, if you will, but the living Christ, like the living Word is what gives me my spiritual sustenance.
May the Lord Bless and keep you Sherrah.
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