Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is Risen, indeed! Alleluia!
Two-thousand years ago, Jesus changed the world. He changed the world for the better. Far better.
When Jesus became Incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and made man, the world was in need of a savior. Some people looked for a savior, while others didn’t actively look for a savior. But all of mankind was in need of saving.
Since the Fall of Adam and Eve, the world had become increasingly corrupt and began attempting to replace the True God with man-made objects. The world had become against the True God.
The only civilization that had knowledge of the True God – Israel – had only a few who spoke on behalf of God. But these few people gave the good news of a savior to those who would listen. It would take centuries for these prophecies to become fact. God is certainly on a different timeline than us.
Through the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, the prophets wrote of this future hope:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
As an adult, this Jesus would perform many miracles displaying His Almighty power over creation. He turned water into wine, He caused the lame to walk, He healed lepers and He raised the dead. Jesus gained a popular following. Crowds gathered to welcome Him into Jerusalem with palm branches and blankets covering the road as Jesus rode in on a donkey on that famed Palm Sunday.
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9)
Still, these miracles were not good enough. When He called Himself equal to God that was the final straw.
The Jewish leadership did not want to lose their power over their people. When they finally got their chance to arrest Jesus, they took it. Then under the Roman authority, Jesus was tried for calling Himself equal to God. The crowds shouted, “Crucify Him!”
“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5)
Three days after Jesus’ death upon the Calvary Cross, He rose from the dead! He changed the world. Jesus is our present hope! Some 2,000 years later, Jesus remains as the most talked-about person by all of humankind. The thing is, Jesus is not just a person; He is also 100 percent God. He is our savior!
Eternal life is a gift from Jesus for those who believe in His promises!
Alleluia! Christ is Risen! He is Risen, indeed! Alleluia!
Vicar Adelsen