A Long Weekend

I recently encountered a discussion on the web and a commenter stated regarding the death and resurrection of Christ

“I don’t see the point of it, except as symbolism. Anyway he apparently got resurrected afterwards, so instead of sacrificing his life, it was more like one long weekend.”

I would have been remiss to have not responded to such a challenge…  and so I wrote.

it is so much more that we give it credit…

imagine an eternally sufficient being taking the time to simply imagine something as insignificant to his existence as we are. Just the fact that God stopped to create us is beyond generous…. yet he took the time to make us important… then took the time to teach us “good and evil” and “choice” in a very simplistic and dimensional method that we could grasp. His creation chooses to reject him… yet he continues to have mercy and buy again what was already his through “redemption” He then took the time to put aside his status as all powerful creator to become one of us… and live according to the laws that he created for us… he demonstrated a self sacrificing existence, an existence that truly sacrifices everything mortally possible for the sake of others. Then validates his divinity by overcoming death.

Not only does his death redeem or “buy us back” but it purifies us beyond imagination… even our own wicked deeds become of no effect as they are washed by the blood of Christ. So that we cannot do enough good… or enough evil… to credit or disqualify ourselves… so that no man could boast of their worth!

Not only is the sacrifice of Christ a perfect paradox over “performance based reward” it is also a silver cord of spiritual truth that we often ignore…

you will rule and reign with me… the least will be the greatest….the last will be first… go low and you will be lifted up… serve others… feed the poor… help the helpless…

this all mirrors the person and personality of God…utter sacrifice… what makes God who he is is that he is utterly selfless…. and only through selflessness can we truly understand who he is and why he is so worthy of our love! and only those who learn selflessness could rule and reign as he expands his kingdom…

to me… the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the most amazing thing that a Creator could do… it is so fantastically impossible. That no human being would ever dream up such a thing… yet it is so perfect and paradoxical that only the most perfect being could imagine it…and execute it.

I hope that you will never imagine it to be anything resembling “a long weekend” ever again… but instead as a tender kiss of a loving creator that would give everything possible to allow you to freely make the choice to love greater than you could have ever imagined..

hopefully this will stir your heart as it did mine.