I once heard a story about a young boy who stayed with his grandparents every summer. Early every morning at approximately the same time, he would listen to his grandmother weeping in the bedroom. The following day, he peeked through the cracked door and saw her kneeling with the Bible before her as she experienced her morning tears. When she finished, she marked where she had read and placed the Bible on the shelf. He later slipped into the room and opened the Bible where she had carefully placed the ribbon. It was Mark 15, the story of Christ’s final hours and crucifixion.
He marveled that his grandmother would weep at the same story every day. Not wanting to embarrass her, he questioned his grandfather about this seemingly strange habit. “Yes, I know what you are referring to,” he said. “Your grandmother has read this same chapter every day for over 50 years since she first gave her life to Christ. She has cried with the same intensity every day since the first day I remember her reading it.” The little boy was even more puzzled. “Why would she cry every day so profusely over this same chapter?” His grandpa replied, “Because she truly believes it. She understands the price paid for her salvation and recognizes that Christ gave His life so that she could have hope of eternal life.” The boy’s heart melted that same day when he sat to read the chapter for the first time. Grandma’s first grandchild was led to Christ that very hour he read and believed.
There is no other story in the Bible that grasps the senses quite like the crucifixion of Christ. The cross reveals a love more profound than any human imagination can comprehend. It opens before us the most transforming power in the universe, the self-sacrificing lovingkindness of God. To know that there is an all-powerful Creator who would choose our life over His own is nearly incomprehensible, yet it is the epitome of truth. There is no greater concept we can focus on or engage in. We are encouraged to spend at least a thoughtful hour meditating daily on the topic.[1] Yet, eternity will not be enough time to digest it.
The cross reveals a love deeper than any human imagination can comprehend. It opens before us the most transforming power in the universe, the self-sacrificing lovingkindness of God.
Digest slowly
Despite its depth and impact, I have often flown hastily through these Bible passages that should have been food for my soul. I needed to absorb the spiritual lessons Christ desired to teach but frequently failed in the rush. One topic that we as a church too often brush over, in my estimation, is the resurrection. Whether we take it for granted, view it as elementary, or neglect it for some other reason, it is the foundation of everything else we believe. Without it, we are still in our sins, and our hope is in vain (1 Cor. 15:17). With it, our hope is secure in reality (Rom. 1:3, 4; 1 Peter 1:3-5). The other half of the story above is that while the grandmother wept over the cross every morning in Mark 15, she praised God every evening with joy as she read the story of Christ’s resurrection in Mark 16!
This week’s lesson provides the opportunity to slow down and more thoughtfully consider both the power of the cross and the resurrection. The following are personal insights that are very meaningful to me.
1. It is better to celebrate the resurrection of Christ for what it is than to ignore it with concern that we are honoring a false Sabbath.
Traditionally, many have shied away from the resurrection because it happened on the first day of the week, and we fear we will be honoring a historically pagan day of worship. However, the resurrection of Christ is a divine revelation of the power of God, and it should be celebrated! The act of resurrection itself is much more important than the day of the week it happened. The actual day has no major significance. Yet, we often downplay the resurrection for that very reason–the day it happened.
Honoring the Resurrection provides significant reasons to keep the seventh-day Sabbath because in the phase of redemption that Christ completed on the earth, both Friday and Sunday were “work days” for Him. He died on Friday and rose on Sunday. For one of the three most important days of His redemptive work on earth, He honored the Sabbath as He rested in the grave between Friday and Sunday.
That is worth repeating: Jesus rested in the tomb on the Sabbath while conducting the “work” of salvation for humanity on Friday and Sunday. In addition, the women came to the tomb on Friday to preserve Jesus’ body, prepared spices for His anointing, and rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment. They planned to return after the Sabbath to carry out their initial plan. However, He resurrected before they had the chance. They viewed obedience to God’s commandments as more indispensable than anointing the body of Jesus. It loudly proclaims that the Sabbath matters to Jesus and mattered to His disciples.
A remarkable sacredness is attached to it, as displayed in the final hours of Christ’s life on earth. Sunday was simply the day Jesus “worked” to rise from the dead. The Resurrection is sacred and holy; the day of the Resurrection isn’t. The Bible teaches that the Sabbath is holy. The commandments are more important than sentimental acts of human effort or even well-intended devotion when they infringe on God’s truth.
We can rejoice in the Resurrection and keep the Sabbath holy as complementary to one another rather than conflicting with each other, recognizing the Resurrection in no way gives any sacredness to Sunday. Do not dismiss or demean this beautiful account crucial to our faith because erroneous theology was constructed around the truth. Embrace the biblical and leave out the unbiblical!
2. The Resurrection assures us that no matter our sins, past or present, they can be forgiven if we confess and surrender them to God.
Many today, especially in the church, are struggling with forgiveness, not in forgiving each other but in forgiveness for themselves. They believe God forgives others but are not confident that God will be as generous toward them. As I travel and preach in many places, one of the top fears of church members is a lack of assurance in their own salvation. When asked if they think they would go to heaven, common answers are:
- “I would like to.”
- “I hope I’m good enough.”
- “It’s ok if I don’t as long as my family does.”
- “I’m just not sure.”
- “I’ve got a long way to go before I am ready.”
The truth is that none of these answers are biblical or hopeful. The reason Christ died was to pay the penalty for sin. All sin. The provision for every sin to be forgiven was made at Calvary. Yet, we must confess and surrender that sin to God before it can be forgiven. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life (Rom. 6:23). The ultimate penalty of sin is eternal death, or the second death, when those who are lost will be eternally separated from God.
We must not just desire resurrection from physical death at the second coming, but exercise faith for resurrection from spiritual death today!
The reason there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth is not because of the flames of hellfire—it is the realization that they are being cut off from God, the life source that sustains them. They are cast into “outer darkness,” or, in other words, are eternally separated from God (Matt. 22:13). This is the death that Jesus experienced on the cross, not merely physical death. If that is all He suffered, His death was no different than the two thieves He was crucified between. Yet, He cried, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34). He experienced the sense of eternal separation from God in those frightful moments. He was made sin for us.
Ironically, in this understanding, we find our assurance! If the wages of sin are eternal death, then this is a death that one never comes back to life from. As Christ hung on the cross, the sins of humanity were laid upon Him, and it crushed out His life. So, technically speaking, Christ should have never risen from the dead because the consequence of sin is eternal death.
So, how did He resurrect? The answer is found in John 1:4: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” It is quite simple: the power and life found in Christ were greater than the sin in the hearts of all humanity. It was the light of life in the darkness of death. Christ’s righteousness was mightier than any sin that put Him in the grave, including yours. Because of this, despite being killed because of sin, He could be raised because of His complete righteousness. If your sin was too great for Him to forgive and cleanse, He would have remained in the grave, for it would be greater than His righteousness. Yet, He lives! Therefore, you can be completely assured that no matter what your past or present is, He is willing and able to make you whole again. He is willing to give you His righteousness, which you desperately need. The Resurrection teaches us that His victory over death is essential to our victory over sin. Thank God for the Resurrection!
3. The Resurrection reminds us that God has the power to raise us from spiritual death today.
The natural course of humanity is to doubt. Even after the Resurrection, the disciples doubted before and after seeing Jesus. He had to snap them out of their stupor when He said, “Be not unbelieving but believing. Look at my hands and feet to see that it is truly me!” Even when the evidence is right in front of us, we tend to doubt. Yet, God is merciful and works to build our faith and confidence in Him.
One of the struggles we face today is not simply believing that God’s promises are true, but that they can actually be true for us personally. That’s where countless believers get trapped. They accept it for others but not for themselves, as if their sin is worse than their brother. Yet, it is not enough to merely believe the evidence of the resurrection, although there is plenty for every scoffer. We must also experience the effect of the Resurrection in our lives. We must not just desire resurrection from physical death at the Second Coming, but exercise faith for resurrection from spiritual death today! The Resurrection is overwhelmingly relevant for us now as much as it was when Jesus first appeared to the disciples fresh from the grave. Doubt today regarding the power and promises working in our lives is just as deceptive and deadly as it was to them then. We need more than the evidence. We need an experience. A person who shows me 100 people cleaned with soap is convincing. However, until I use the soap on myself, I do not understand its ability to cleanse. It is the same with Christ living in the life. I must not be merely convinced but also convicted and converted. We must have our own experience with His transforming, resurrection power (Phil. 3:8-10)!
So, just as Jesus said to the disciples of old, He says to us today: Be not unbelieving, but believing! The Resurrection is for you, and the same power that rose Jesus from the dead is at work in you! Creative power is redemptive power. Therefore, just as God created the world from nothing by the power of His word, that same word can create in you a new heart the moment you ask, believe, and accept it by faith to be so.
4. The Resurrection reminds us that little things matter in the life of faith.
I call it “the little gospel.” There was no Christ to behold when John entered the tomb because He had risen. He was no longer a limp body but a living Savior! However, where was the evidence since Jesus was not present in the moment? As John looked keenly with the eye of faith, he noticed the grave cloth neatly folded at the head of the place where Jesus had laid (John 20:5-8). This was all the proof he needed. Knowing the pattern of Christ’s life and seeing the cloth folded neatly, he and Peter believed. No grave robber would have bothered to fold that cloth. Jesus had left it for them as a token to increase their faith, impacting them for the rest of their lives! How incredible little things are in the life of faith! Every small act of devotion, obedience, kindness, thoughtfulness, love, and self-denial is a testimony of faith that can influence someone’s life toward Christ. What a blessing that God can lead us in the little things, bless us in the little things, and use the little things to increase our faith and that of others around us. The little gospel leads to an eternal difference.
5. A personal resurrection experience reminds us that there is still something to tell the world.
Every person who witnessed the Resurrection went and told someone else. The women told the disciples. The two disciples on the road told them again. Eventually, the disciples told the world. Every person in history who truly believed in the Resurrection told someone else. One cannot help but share the joy of salvation, forgiveness, and peace that comes from receiving Christ. It is impossible to keep quiet. In the world today, there is still something to tell. Every person on the globe is waiting to hear the good news of the everlasting gospel. We have the privilege of giving them a story worth telling. Not only Christ’s story but also our story of what He’s done for us. So, go tell, and tell others to tell! He is with us always in every way, even to the end. We have the assurance of His power, promise, and presence. There is no way we can lose.
Our best chapter begins now
The resurrection power of Christ is as potent now as it was when He opened His eyes and took His first breath the moment He returned from death to life. It’s still as potent as when it restored Peter after denying Him. It’s still as mighty as when it delivered Mary Magdalene from spiritual darkness. It’s as potent as when it delivered the man possessed by a legion of demons. It’s still more powerful than any sin we might cling to now. Christ died once for all, and now He intercedes for all. One of my favorite passages is Hebrews 7:14-19, which declares one of the greatest truths of the resurrection: that Christ lives and ministers “according to the power of an endless life.” Because His life is endless, ours will be also. There is nothing more exciting than this. It is our vitality, our hope, and our reality. Let’s realize it today and let Him live His life through ours.
God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives![2]
[1] Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1898) 83.
[2] “Because He Lives,” Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1985), hymn 526.