Today is Easter Sunday, the most important day on the Christian calendar because it’s the most important day in history.

 
Why, you ask?

Because it’s the day Jesus Christ arose from the grave. It’s the day He conquered sin and the grave. And it’s the day that proved to the world that Jesus is the Son of God.

If you didn’t believe that He is the Messiah after all of the miracles, how about the fact that He was killed in the most humiliating way possible, on a cross, naked for all to see, only to rise again on the third day? He told His disciples that He would be crucified and would rise again on the third day. He foretold of Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s three-fold denial of Him in the lead up to the crucifixion.

And then of course, the fact that Jesus made Himself known after the Resurrection to those who who did not believe Him beforehand should be a huge tipoff. He showed off His nail-pierced hands and side to assuage doubting Thomas. It was only when Thomas put his hands where the nails had been that he believes what Jesus had told all of them.

John 20:29 says:

“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

And that’s why we celebrate Easter. Because even though we did not see the nails in His hands and side, we know that He was crucified and rose again.

Sure, we know about the miracle of turning water into wine, and multiplying five loaves and two fish to feed five-thousand. But those wonders pale in comparison to the biggest miracle of all — conquering death.

Jesus bore the sins of humanity on Himself, he paid the price for what we did and what we continue to do to this day, sin. We are the ones who dishonored God, but Jesus is the one who went to the cross. He carried that old-rugged cross to Golgotha on the darkest day in history and died to redeem us even though we don’t deserve it.

But if He merely died, that wouldn’t be a cause for celebration.

It’s the fact that He lives that causes us to sound the trumpets on Easter. It’s the fact that He rose from the grave in triumph over sin that we celebrate. It’s the fact that the tomb couldn’t hold Him that we celebrate. It’s the fact that we know that God loved us enough to send Jesus to die in the first place.

It’s the fact that we serve a God who can conquer all evil and vanquish all foes on our behalf. We celebrate Easter because the joy and assurance of Jesus conquering the grave means that we have also conquered death through Him. We celebrate Easter because Jesus’ resurrection gives us new hope and new a new and eternal life.

As the refrain of one of my favorite contemporary Christian songs says:

That’s why we praise Him, that’s why we sing.
That’s why we offer Him our everything.
That’s why we bow down and worship this King.
‘Cause He gave His everything.
‘Cause He gave His everything.

HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN, INDEED!!!

✝ ✝ ✝ ✝ ✝ ✝ ✝ ✝ ✝ ✝ ✝ ✝ ✝ ✝ ✝

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?