The first time I heard the full story of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ was February of 1989 (President’s weekend). I was in 6th grade attending my first church youth group camp. That was 30 years ago, but I can still remember both the shock and awe of this story that would change every aspect of my life from that point forward.
Tim, our camp speaker spent the first couple of messages talking about Jesus’ life and ministry…what an amazing person I started to realize this Jesus guy was. I had little to know understanding of the Bible, but I liked what I was learning.
I wasn’t prepared for the direction the story would take—It seemed so unfair that such a wonderful person (Jesus) could be cruelly beaten and put to death for crimes he didn’t commit. Tim told the story with the drama and intrigue it demanded—can you imagine a room full of 700 middle schoolers captivated and sitting in complete silence?
It was an emotional roller-coaster for me:
- I was frustrated and angry by the injustice
- I was saddened by what happened to Jesus
- I kept waiting for the story to end differently—maybe a last-minute attack led by Jesus’ loyal friends to rescue him—this was a bloody scene in my mind!
But no matter how many alternative endings to the story I wanted to write – what remains is the ending we have. This was not how the story was supposed to end for the good guy…the hero!
- Jesus was betrayed by a close friend
- Arrested for crimes he didn’t commit
- Later others close to him would deny knowing him – leaving him abandoned and alone
- He was humiliated and mocked in a sham trial
- Then beaten nearly to death
- And ultimately crucified upon a cross next to common criminals
How could it end this way? I was terribly upset!
Tim masterfully brought all of us middle school students to this place—many of the kids new how the story would ultimately end…I did not!
Tim shifted gears, and started talking to us about LOVE – the chief motivation behind why and how God does everything God does.
For God so loved the world that he gave us his son, so that we could be forgiven, redeemed and restored to a relationship with God…This was the good news part of the story…It is a love story I discovered.
30 years later and I now know that Jesus’ death on the cross is not the final chapter of story. As we celebrated this past Easter Sunday, death does not get the last word…love does, because love is the only power on Earth that triumphs over death…even bringing the dead back to life.
- Love compels
- Love does
- Love wins
- Love splits our hearts wide open, like it did the temple curtain
I asked Ryan Jackson to share his thoughts on the resurrection, here is what he shared with me. “It’s important to me because it serves as a reminder of the power, creativity and love of the Father, that Jesus overcame anything (and everything) for me; and for the world.”
In the book of Acts we are told that after hearing this story for the first time, the people were cut to the heart. As you hold this story close and walk in faith, allow yourself to be cut to the heart with the love of God demonstrated by Jesus who died for you, and ultimately rose from the grave for you, so that your life too can experience resurrection. The entirety and credibility of our faith rests on this single event in history. Our friend Sandor expressed it simply, “Without it (the resurrection), nothing—literally nothing else matters.”
– Joe