Holidays/Faith/Opinion/Advice

By Summer Lane

Photo: Deposit

“After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst.’ A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. ³⁰ When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:28-29).

On Good Friday, we remember the darkest day in human history, when Jesus Christ, God incarnate, the Lamb of God, was crucified upon a cross to atone for the sins of the world. The death of Christ is truly a hopeless moment in the timeline of creation – Christ, a sinless man, equally human and equally divine, unjustly put to death by a corrupt Roman regime, spit on and mocked by the very people he came to save, and tortured to death at around the age of 33 years old.

After his death, Scripture says this in the same chapter of John:

³⁸ After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. ³⁹ Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. ⁴⁰ So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. ⁴¹ Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. ⁴² So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

The world was silent and dark. Christ had been crucified. Despite the prophecies surrounding this pivotal moment in history, it appears as if many of those who surrounded Jesus did not, perhaps, understand that He would literally rise from the dead. After all – think of how you would feel! Crushed by the horror of it all, stung by the death of the Savior, it must have been a difficult weekend indeed. 

Thank goodness that there is MORE to the story! The Resurrection story comes next, in John 20. After the disciples return on Sunday to the tomb, they found it empty. Later, this happens:

¹¹ But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. ¹² And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. ¹³ They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” ¹⁴ Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Praise God that Jesus rose from the dead! His death and resurrection fulfilled the Scriptures and gave mankind eternal hope, once and for all, that there was salvation on the horizon for all who believed in Him and repented. The story of Good Friday is dark indeed, but it is necessary – because without the darkness, there would be no gospel message!

This weekend, as you celebrate Easter at home, at church, or wherever you find yourself, praise God for His faithfulness – for the gift of salvation, that is accessible to anyone, anywhere, no matter where they come from, what their past is, or what has happened to them. Jesus loves YOU, and you can accept the gift of His salvation TODAY.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)

Happy Easter – HE IS RISEN!

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The opinions in this article are specific to its author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the entire Counter Culture Mom team. This specific article was written by Summer Lane, and may not be reproduced, except to quote for reviews or interviews, without the express permission of the author. 

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Summer Lane is the #1 bestselling author of 30 books, including the hit Collapse Series. She is an experienced journalist and columnist who reports on news within the U.S. and abroad. She is the Associate Editor for Right Side Broadcasting Network. Additionally, she owns Write Revolution News, where she provides a rapid-fire feed of the nation’s most important America First news and events.

Summer is also a mom and wife who enjoys rural country living, herding cats and ducks, and reading fiction. She is passionate about writing on women’s issues, parenting, and politics from a theologically-grounded perspective that points readers to the good news of the gospel.

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