This time of year, I go to the store and there\u2019s candy, baskets, and bunnies everywhere\u2026 and I LOVE them all. I shouldn\u2019t love all that candy, but I do. But it\u2019s particularly easy to get in to the fun children\u2019s stuff, the Easter egg hunts, the super cute outfits, watching kids having the time of their life, and lose sight of what this holiday represents for many.<\/p>\n
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Yes, I\u2019m aware Jesus didn\u2019t die in the spring. I\u2019m aware this was originally a pagan holiday celebrating the god of fertility (hence the bunnies). At some point, the Christian church began celebrating the resurrection on this day. I\u2019m not sure exactly when and it\u2019s irrelevant for the sake of this article. What\u2019s important is what happened, and more importantly, the legitimacy of it.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not going to go deep in to this, but I will touch on it. The execution itself is extremely important. First, it was reserved for the vilest of criminals. Not all criminals received this treatment, only the worst. When pinned to the wood, they were completely naked. As they were dying, the guards would put a wooden plank under their feet so that they could lift themselves up and gain more air and live longer. The guards would do this so that the torture and agony would last longer. Insanely cruel but true. Then after some time, they would break their legs so they couldn\u2019t stand up and would usually die soon after. This was the case with Jesus and the two criminals by his side. They were particularly concerned that this would go in to the Sabbath day and they couldn’t have that. They had to follow God’s law… I know, crazy! So they set out to end this execution. The guards were instructed to break their legs. The 2 guys on each side of Jesus were indeed alive when they got there. So their legs were broken by the guards. This is where it gets pretty interesting.<\/p>\n
Jesus was already dead. As a result, they didn\u2019t break his legs- fulfilling one prophecy (Psalm 34:20). Instead, they stuck a spear in his side to make sure he was dead- fulfilling another prophecy (Zechariah 12:10). Then it just keeps getting stranger.<\/p>\n
Because of the nature of crucifixions and the condition the corpse was in once it was completed, and because of who <\/em>was up there, no one ever asked for proper burials afterwards. The body was usually in such bad shape that you sometimes couldn\u2019t even make out who it was. This makes the next series of events very significant.<\/p>\n First, Joseph of Arimathea gets the guts to approach Pilate and ask for Jesus\u2019 body. Pilate could have, and maybe would have under normal circumstances, struck him dead just for asking for a criminal\u2019s body. But this was no normal circumstance and Joseph was no normal guy. Joseph was a big dog in the Sanhedrin- Yeah, the group that turned Jesus over to Pilate. Joseph did not agree nor consent to this act. So this wasn\u2019t just some unknown figure. This guy had pull and money. Pilate couldn\u2019t believe that 1- Joseph of Arimathea was the one asking and 2- that someone of his position would care. Another interesting piece is that Nicodemus, another member of the Sanhedrin, wanted to help prepare the burial. No one asks for criminals bodies, especially not people in high places of power.<\/p>\n With this alone, Pilate became concerned. He was also concerned his wife was right. Listen up men, they usually are! Haha! So first, Pilate confirms with another guard that Jesus is dead. He then realizes that if Jesus\u2019 body disappears that the conspiracy will continue and many will doubt he ever died. He\u2019s also aware that grave robbing is a big thing in this time. Joseph assures him that he has a space that will be used and it requires many strong men to move the entrance rock. So the next day, after high priests and Pharisees request, Pilate orders guards to seal and watch the tomb.<\/p>\n It is worth nothing that another important piece of the legitimacy of this story is that the people who wrote eyewitness accounts of the events of Jesus were willing to die in an effort to spread the good news of this Messiah. I\u2019ve never met anyone willing to be tortured for a lie. I\u2019ve never even heard of this. That doesn\u2019t mean it didn\u2019t happen, it\u2019s just so incredibly rare, if true. Almost all of the disciples were murdered in torturous fashion; hung upside down on a cross, beaten to death with a club, skinned alive until death, impaled, and sawed in half. No one endures this for a lie or a rumor. One would only do this if they witnessed the existence of a miraculous change in history.<\/p>\n Looking at this story, here\u2019s what becomes so important to me. There were so many moving parts making sure that Jesus was dead. Making sure that everyone knew he was dead. Making sure he stayed dead. Making sure the word got out that this \u201cdeceiver\u201d was just that, a dead nobody, just like all the false prophets before. This means\u2026. Yep\u2026 this means that his death was very legitimate. This really happened and there many, many witnesses to this.<\/p>\n This is huge\u2026 don\u2019t miss it. This was a real guy, in a real country, suffering real pain. He suffered this for one reason and one reason only. To please and obey his Father (not necessarily in that order). Our salvation was a result of His obedience. Remember, he had recently asked if there was another way. Pleaded with God. He knew what was coming and didn\u2019t want to do it. He had an opportunity to decline. He could have just went his own way. He didn’t, knowing what was about to happen. We have to make sure we see who Jesus really was and that he is more than the boss of the Easter bunny. He’s more than some cute picture on a wall. He’s more than a word to say when you’re mad at someone. He\u2019s a man. A real man that changed our calendar. Our lives.<\/p>\n Stay Classy GP!<\/p>\n Grainger<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This time of year, I go to the store and there\u2019s candy, baskets, and bunnies everywhere\u2026 and I LOVE them all. I shouldn\u2019t love all that candy, but I do. But it\u2019s particularly easy to get in to the fun children\u2019s stuff, the Easter egg hunts, the super cute outfits, watching kids having the time … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/tidbitsofaudacity.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Easter-pic-2-300x202.jpg\")
But what happens next is where Jesus becomes separate from all other gods and religions. Every other \u201cgod\u201d is still in their grave. You can dig them up today. He still holds the record for greatest disappearing act of all time. His dad is still the author of the #1 best-selling book of ALL TIME! This was made possible by the adversaries that sought to extinguish a fire- yet they only drenched it in fuel. So this Easter, remember: Because His death is authentic, His Resurrection is Revolutionary.<\/p>\n