Flashing back into my childhood, I always waited and looked up to dad and mum to prepare varieties of meals which would be taken to meet other families and friends from the same church at “Galilee” to meet with Jesus, as He commanded...
As we observe the remembrance of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, this should also be a season of reflection about the precedence, the aftermath of this, and the overall reason for Christ coming to die for you and me. Is it enough to just celebrate Easter, as some call it, or Resurrection, as some want to refer to it? Making merry about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead after three days is a great reason to celebrate, and also our redemption from the kingdom of darkness into the marvelous light of the Father is also worth celebrating.
Flashing back into my childhood days, I always waited and looked up to dad and mum to prepare varieties of meals which would be taken to meet other families and friends from the same church at “Galilee” to meet with Jesus, as He commanded. “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee” (Matthew 26:36). There were so much eating and drinking with other families and friends within the church. Such a beautiful time of joint picnic, and while we were enjoying this time of celebration, I kept asking mum; “When is Jesus going to arrive?” The naive understanding I had was that after the resurrection of Christ, we would be seeing Jesus, I waited expectantly, looking forward to seeing Jesus…since it was announced in church on Sunday by the priest that Jesus said “meet me up at Galilee“. Waiting with great expectation, wanting to have some catch-up with Jesus was a great inspiration for me on Easter Mondays (Monday after Easter Sunday).
No Longer Alienated
But beyond the above expectation and celebration, Paul the apostle wrote in his letter to the Colossians, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Colossians 1:21-22). We must reflect on the reason for the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, as Paul mentioned in his statement above. The pain He bore on the cross, the shame, the humiliation, and the weight of our sins, which he carried on the cross was so much that His blood has to be shed in remission of our sins to make us reconciled to God.
This is the process of redemption, and the reality is that you and I have been made totally free from the bondage of sin, law, and death. We were estranged and alienated because of our sin, but Christ died on the cross, giving us a fresh start before God. As the belief of some theologians, Christ did not come to the earth physically; they claim He only came in Spirit. But that is a theological error, as the Bible confirmed that Jesus Christ came physically and presented Himself for the redemption of mankind, with the aim of removing the barrier between man and God. “But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight…” (Colossians 1:22).
If you continue in the Faith
It is therefore a function of our continued journey in faith, by grace that the purpose of God concerning you and I can be fully fulfilled by God. The celebration of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus is not enough if we are not consistent in our faith. Paul laid an emphasis on this; “if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant” (Colossians 1:23). The death and resurrection of Jesus would fully activate the potentials of our divine purpose if we continue in faith. We must also be willing to be well-grounded in the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom of God. This will only unleash the manifold blessings of God upon us. Blessings that come with peace, joy, and fulfillment are the basic ingredients of this blessed hope.
Welcome into the month of April!
