If there’s one thing that the reading the news does for us, it certainly reminds us not to take our life and safety for granted. Who of us knows when our life will be endangered, or when we will draw our last breath? One of the Psalms of David states: “As for man, his days are like grass. He flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone and its place remembers it no more.” (Psalm 103:15-16)
This month Christians around the world commemorate Easter. On Good Friday we remember how almost two millennia ago Jesus Christ laid down his life by dying on the cross. Jesus was not the victim of the will of others, nor of unforeseen circumstances, but consciously and willingly let himself be crucified. By all appearances his crucifixion was the same as any other, for they were quite common those days. But the Bible tells us that his was unique since he suffered the torment of God’s anger for all the sin of humanity, an anger which no other human being would be able to bear.
The result of Jesus’ suffering is everlasting life for all those who believe in him and worship him. He not only willingly and purposely died, he also came back to life by his own power and will—his resurrection. (John 10:14-18) That’s something no other human being could ever do. The Lord Jesus Christ could because he is not only a man—he is also God!
Easter Sunday, the day of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, follows Good Friday. On this day Christians remember that on the third day after his crucifixion Christ arose from the dead! In fact that’s the reason Christians gather for worship every Sunday—Jesus’ coming to life that day!
None of us knows when our life will be endangered, or when we will draw our last breath. Yet, those who believe in Christ, who lives forever, may be certain that even if they die they will live forever with him. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Pastor Theo Lodder