THE MEANING OF

EASTERDAYO ADEWOYE

Easter is more than a commemoration; it is a Easter is more than a commemoration; it is a Easter is more than a commemoration; it is a Easter is more than a commemoration; it is a celebration of victory. Death no longer has the celebration of victory. Death no longer has the celebration of victory. Death no longer has the celebration of victory. Death no longer has the celebration of victory. Death no longer has the celebration of victory. Death no longer has the celebration of victory. Death no longer has the celebration of victory. Death no longer has the final word, for it was defeated centuries ago.final word, for it was defeated centuries ago.final word, for it was defeated centuries ago.final word, for it was defeated centuries ago.

Each year, Christians celebrate Easter, which marks the death and resurrection of Jesus

Christ. According to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Jesus was a Jewish

religious teacher who lived in the first century AD. He was arrested and condemned by

the Jewish religious leaders, and crucified by the Roman authorities. He was killed outside

the city of Jerusalem and buried later that day. On the third day, however, he rose from

the grave, appearing to many of his disciples over a period of forty days.

A Life Foretold

The life and death of Jesus was a fulfilment of divine prophecy. Isaiah, a Jewish prophet of

the eighth century BC, had written of an expected messiah who would be 'despised and

rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief'. (Isa.53:3). He went on to

describe the life of this messiah thus:

‘Surely he has borne our griefsAnd carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions;

He was crushed for our iniquities;Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

And with his wounds we are healed.And with his wounds we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;We have turned—every one—to his own way;

And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.’(Isa 53:4-6)

But the Messiah was to be more than just a suffering servant; he was to be a conquering

king. He was born to rule. Speaking of him, King David wrote:

‘The Lord said to me, "You are my Son;Today I have begotten you.

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,And the ends of the earth your possession.

You shall break them with a rod of ironAnd the ends of the earth your possession.

You shall break them with a rod of ironAnd dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel“ ’

(Psalm 2:7-8).

Interestingly, the passage quoted earlier from Isaiah was preceded by a declaration

about the reign of the messiah:

‘How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says

to Zion, “Your God reigns.”’

(Isaiah 52:7)

Later in the same chapter, the people are summoned to 'break forth together intoLater in the same chapter, the people are summoned to 'break forth together into

singing' (v. 9). Why? Because the Lord had 'comforted his people; he has redeemed

Jerusalem.' ‘And all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.’ (v. 10)

Thus the entrance of the messiah is an announcement of victory. The Messiah is the

ruler over the nations.

To those who are familiar with the life of Jesus Christ, this point about the victorious

reign of the messiah might seem confusing. Wasn't Jesus killed by the Roman

authorities? Weren't the Jewish authorities pleased that they had got rid of him and his

disruptive preaching? That sounds more like defeat than a victorious conquest.

Yes, he was killed. And yes, he was buried. But in that seeming defeat lay the power toYes, he was killed. And yes, he was buried. But in that seeming defeat lay the power to

transform creation. For on the third day after his death, he rose again. And with his

resurrection, the new age known as God's kingdom, and which all the prophecies point

to, was inaugurated. The death and resurrection was a defeat, but not for Jesus and his

message; it was a defeat for Satan and his rule over the earth. With the coming of

Christ, God announced that the universe had entered a new phase in its history - the

era of God’s rule.

Why the Resurrection matters

According to the apostle Paul, the resurrection of Jesus - which we celebrate today - is

the high point of the Christian story. As he wrote in his letter to the Corinthians:

‘For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.’

(1 Cor. 15:16-17)(1 Cor. 15:16-17)

Thus the resurrection of Jesus was more than a mere historical curiosity; the

genuineness of the Christian's faith depends on it. If Jesus did not rise from the dead,

your faith is a sham. Period.

However, Paul was convinced of the truth of the event. And he included a list of

witnesses who had seen the risen Jesus, among which was himself (1 Cor. 15:5-8).

Aside from being the crucial determinant of the truth of Christianity, the fact of the

resurrection is a motivation for much in the Christian way of life:

•It is the basis for hope in the future resurrection of every dead believer. And this

will not be to their former state of existence; they will be receiving a greatly

transformed body (1 Cor. 15:35-49).

•Countless individuals have died since the events of that Palestinian evening 2,000•Countless individuals have died since the events of that Palestinian evening 2,000

years ago. Yet the resurrection of Jesus on the third day gives us assurance that

Death itself will finally be destroyed (1 Cor. 15:26, 54-55).

•The Resurrection is a motivation for extraordinary courage in spreading the

gospel (1 Cor. 15:32) and for faithful service to God (v. 58).

Conclusion

The resurrection was the emergence of a new creation, a new order of things. The earth

had lain in corruption, with the entire creation groaning in decay and waiting for the

revealing of the sons of God (Rom. 8:19). On the third day of his death, Jesus emerged

from the grave as the head of God's new creation. With this, the kingdom of God which

was his mission and his message was finally inaugurated. And his disciples would go on

to proclaim this victory of God among all nations, teaching them to obey all that Jesus

had taught (Matt. 28:19, 20).

to proclaim this victory of God among all nations, teaching them to obey all that Jesus

had taught (Matt. 28:19, 20).

Without the resurrection, the crucifixion of Christ would have been just another death

at the hands of the Roman government. It might have been an unlawful death, and, yes,

it might have been a perversion of justice, yet his ministry would have been a failed

mission - another incident in the great chain of lost causes.

But with the empty tomb on Easter morning, we realize that this was no ordinary death.

In fact, it was the death of Death itself. And by that historical occurrence, the world has

forever been altered. God's kingdom has broken loose and the world is never the same

again.

The resurrection of Jesus is the assurance that all who trust in Jesus will one day rise

from the dead like Him. Not to the same order of things (that would not be something to

rejoice over), but they would rise to be partakers in a new creation. No more death, no

from the dead like Him. Not to the same order of things (that would not be something to

rejoice over), but they would rise to be partakers in a new creation. No more death, no

more sickness, and no more pain (Rev. 21:4). All men would worship Jesus and would

live in harmony and fellowship with the triune God (John 14:23), forever and ever.

This is the reality and the promise of Easter.

www.TheChristianMindNG.org

TheChristianMind @DChristianMind