By Renee Scheidt

On March 31, Christianity will celebrate the most important event of all time, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. I will be one of those proclaiming this amazing good news. Because Jesus showed his power over our greatest enemy, death, he promised, “Because I live, you shall live also.” I believe Him. After he conquered death, why would I not?

The horrific scenes of Jesus being beaten to a pulp and crucified were unimaginable to His followers. How could such injustice be part of God’s plan? After forsaking their former lives and spending three years with Him, how could it be right that it ends this way? Had they been complete fools to give up everything to be with Him, listening to his teachings and experiencing His mighty miracles?

Somehow, in their limited comprehension, they failed to grasp that His death was necessary. Though He tried to tell them, their finite minds were incapable of understanding God’s purpose in Christ dying on the cross.

As good Jews, His disciples followed the Old Testament laws that required a blood sacrifice to cover their sins. They knew Moses said there was no forgiveness of sin unless blood was shed. They understood this was the only means by which God’s holiness, justice and righteousness could be satisfied. They remembered God provided the first sacrifice by killing an innocent animal to clothe Adam and Eve with its’ skin, the innocent one covering the sin of the guilty, a foreshadow of what Jesus would do. This system of “substitutionary atonement,” instituted by God, was the means whereby a righteous God could forgive sin and have fellowship with unrighteous men. This was the practice of the Jews for centuries. Even so, it was never meant to be permanent. It was a temporary event until the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice would be made. But what did this have to do with Jesus?

In their unfathomable grief, those who watched him die failed to make the connection. Jesus was the sacrificial Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world. When Christ’s blood was spilled at Calvary, He made the final, perfect, complete sacrifice to pay sin’s penalty. Friday was not the end of the story. It was only the beginning of the process that opened the way for everyone to be brought back into a right relationship with God.

Can you imagine the exuberance these followers experienced when they saw the risen Christ? Three days later, Jesus proved He was God in the flesh, the second person of the Trinity, when he rose in victory over death and sin. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords demonstrated his power to overcome the evil of Satan and sin.

No longer did the disciples feel as if the years spent following Jesus were in vain. Now, all He previously told them made sense. They were so convinced of the truths He taught they turned the world upside down for Christ. All but John died a martyr’s death. Because they knew the truth of the Resurrection, death had no power over them. It was simply the entry door to Heaven’s shore.

Now, 2,000 years later, Christ’s death, burial and resurrection are still changing lives, just as they did for the disciples. Just as it did for me. At age 17, my eyes were opened to understand God sent Jesus to shed his blood as the perfect sacrifice for my sin. The one who knew no sin became sin for me. He paid the debt I owed and invited me to “come.” By faith, I placed my trust in Christ and received the free gift of eternal life.

That invitation still stands today for “whosoever will.” God’s gift is offered to all but not forced on anyone. Those who accept Him discover this is the only way to have real life, right here and now, as well as eternal life after our bodies die and return to dust. Easter is the perfect time to give serious consideration to the question, “What will I do with Jesus Christ?” It’s the most important question you will ever answer. Why not trust Him today?