- CHAPTER 9 -
The Cross & Ressurection

The night of His arrest, Christ prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. He knew what was about to befall Him. Christ was sent to give His life unto death for the salvation of sinners. He would be tortured to the point of becoming unrecognizable. He would be nailed to a cross and put on display for people to mock and insult Him. His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Falling face down on the ground He cried, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) The temptation was great for Christ to turn away and seek His own will—so great “his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44) His soul did not want to die. Couldn’t there have been a better way?

Even today, people ask this question: “Couldn’t there have been a better way? Why did Christ have to die? If God was so powerful, couldn’t He have done it another way?” But what other way is there? God could have stripped humanity of all freedom and power to sin by making us automatons or robots, but then we could not have loved God or one another. This would have stripped us of our humanity and we could not have truly reflected the image of God. But then someone might say, “Why doesn’t God just remove all evil?” Who on earth is not evil? Who on earth has not sinned against God? If God were to vanquish all the evildoers, then who would be left but God? There is no one that is righteous. Rather, on the cross, God did the impossible. He brought justice and mercy so that people could be forgiven.

Justice demands: “an eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” (Exodus 21:24) To be just is to be fair. If God is truly good and righteous, then He will also be just and fair condemning everyone as they deserve. If a person sins, they deserve to pay restitution for their crimes. It is only fair to the victim who has suffered. If someone had wronged you, wouldn’t you expect the same? For example, if someone had stole your car leaving you stranded on the side of the road, would you walk away rejoicing? Would you say, “It is fair that my car was stolen?” What if a person who claimed to be your friend murdered your son in cold blood? How would you respond? Would you think it was fair that your son lost his life without having done anything wrong? Would you demand the criminal be punished or would you continue being friendly with them? When crimes are committed and the criminals caught, they are rushed to trial. The victims demand justice having experienced loss. This is done to restore peace and bring justice. Even in forgiveness, amends needs to be made so that true peace may be restored.

At the same time, humanity needs mercy. We need to be forgiven. We all have sinned against God. There is no peace. We feel this within the core of our being as we live guilt stricken lives. Inwardly, we live in a state of eternal conflict as war wages in our knowledge of good and evil. We have no inner peace. We feel emptiness, anxiety, and conflict. We need forgiveness that we might enter into rest and have peace with God. If we are going to live a life of true goodness and righteousness, we need to be forgiven. Only when we are forgiven may we be free to live for God. Only then may we truly seek to be good, in other words, all that God has created us to be.

In His death, Christ provided both justice and mercy. Justice demands payment to be made when wrong has been committed. As such, the wrongdoer acquires a debt. The debt of sin is great. Not only have we wronged others, we have wronged God. God is holy and righteous beyond measure. The debt we owe for sinning against God is infinite. The penalty we must pay is greater than what we have. And so, Christ gave His perfect and sinless life, His eternal life, as a ransom to pay our debt and bring justice. By His death, justice was served and the ransom was paid. Because of this, Christ can now offer forgiveness to anyone who asks Him for it. Through Him, we may be forgiven for our sin.

This is why Christ had to die: only He could pay the debt of our sins.

This was not something Christ did begrudgingly as though He did not have a choice. Christ prayed, “If it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.” If there were any other way to bring forgiveness and salvation to sinners, Christ would have taken it. The agony of His soul was felt deep. In the same prayer He continued, “Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39) Christ’s desire to please His Father was greater than His desire to flee from death. Jesus loved His Father so much; He would do anything for Him. This included enduring the cross. As such, when the Roman soldiers came to arrest Jesus, He went willingly without a fight.

The Account of Christ’s Death

Jesus had been betrayed by one of His close friends and followers, Judas Iscariot. Hours before, Judas sat among the twelve apostles eating the Passover meal with Christ. Knowing what Judas would do, Christ did not stop him but said, “What you are about to do; do quickly.” (John 13:27) Later, Judas then met Christ in the garden of Gethsemane with a large crowd armed with swords and clubs.

“Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: ‘The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.’ Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ and kissed him. Jesus replied, ‘Friend, do what you came for.’ Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. ‘Put your sword back in its place,’ Jesus said to him, ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?’ At that time Jesus said to the crowd, ‘Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.’ Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.” (Matthew 26:48-56)

Jesus had all the power of the universe at His disposal. At His command, He could have reigned down all the powers of Heaven upon His arrestors. Instead, He went willingly. Christ gave His life. Jesus said to His disciples before His death, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:11, 17-18) Fully knowing what would come, Jesus went willingly to His death to give His life in love. His motives were not selfish by any measure as He had nothing to gain. Many do good deeds to earn righteousness—to prove that they are good. They do this to please themselves so that they might feel good about themselves. Christ was already righteous. He had nothing to gain and nothing to prove. He died simply as an act of love.

Scripture says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10) “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) By His death, Christ did what no one else could possibly do. He paid the ransom for sin as an act of true love free from selfish motives. Scripture says, “While we were still sinners...” Christ did not die for good people. He did not die for people who are worthy. Christ died for sinners. In comparison, this would be like dying to save the life of a person who killed your own child. If someone ever killed your child and then needed help, would you help them? Would you ever give your life to save the life of someone who killed your child? And yet, Christ demonstrated true love by giving His sinless life unto death to save sinners, the very people who nailed Him to a cross. He did this, not please Himself, but to please His Father in Heaven. There was not single drop of selfishness or evil within His blood. This was the most sincere act of love ever committed. He gave His life for us.

After being arrested, Christ stood before the religious leaders on trial for proclaiming to be the Son of God. According to Jewish law, anyone who committed blasphemy was to be put to death. By claiming to be the Son of God, Christ was claiming to be God in flesh. They had tried to stone Him before this for the very same accusation. “‘We are not stoning you for any of these,’ replied the Jews, ‘but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.’” (John 10:33) At the trial,

the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?”

But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”

“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”

“He is worthy of death,” they answered.

Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?” (Matthew 26:59-68)

Being the Jews lived under Roman authority, they could not crucify someone without the permission of the Roman Governor. So they took Jesus before Pilate who then questioned Jesus. Finding no guilt with Jesus, Pilate tried to bargain with the Jews but they shouted for the crucifixion of Christ. So Pilate had Jesus flogged and sent Him off to be crucified. The prophet Isaiah foretold of this saying, “His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness” (Isaiah 52:13-15) He also said, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:3-5)

Christ carried His cross in utter shame and contempt. Moments before, the Roman soldiers mocked Christ by setting a crown of thorns on His head and then kneeling before Him saying jokingly, “Hail, king of the Jews.” They spit on Him, and took the staff and struck Him on the head continuously. Then, as Christ carried His cross through the streets, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and forced him to carry the cross. To heap even more shame upon Him, they nailed Him to a cross and put Him up on display for everyone to see. Those who passed hurled insults at Him. The elders mocked him saying, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself.” (Matthew 27:42)

The significance of this is great. Christ was God in flesh. God is majestic and glorious, deserving of great honor and praise. However, because of sin within us, we do not give God the worship He deserves. Rather, we try to dethrone God and heap shame upon Him. We, God’s creation, are sinful. We bring shame upon our creator. This was emphasized on in the cross. Our sin was heaped upon Christ in that moment. Our sin drove the nails into His hands. Our sin insulted His glory. Our sin denied His authority. Our sin sought brought death by taking life from the source of all life. This was our sin manifested before our eyes. It was our sin displayed on the cross for everyone to see. We did this to Jesus. He bore our sin on the cross—the sin of the whole world. The Bible says, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:23-24)

Right before His death, Jesus said “I am thirsty.” “A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.” (John 19:29) This optimizes the fullness of sin we placed upon Jesus. Rather than give Christ clean water to refresh His soul, they gave Him vinegar adding to the bitterness of His death. Christ had taken our sin and it was like vinegar on his parched lips.

“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” (John 19:30) Christ had given His life unto death. He had paid the price for sin and fulfilled the law.

Right before His last breath, Christ said, “It is finished.” Christ has finished the work of the law and paid the debt of sin. There was no other work to be done. Lasting forgiveness has been offered. Moses had told the Israelites, “And if we are careful to obey all this law before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.” (Deuteronomy 6:25) Christ had obeyed the whole law suffering through temptation to the point of shedding blood. As such, Christ became our righteousness. From His birth, Christ was righteous. The law did not make Him righteous. However, by upholding the law, He became our righteousness by fulfilling all the law required. Because of sin, the law brought death. The law stated that those who sinned must be put to death. And so, Christ died for us. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) He traded His perfect and sinless life for ours. He died for us. “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2)

The Meaning of the Cross

It is important to note that Christ died for the “sins of the whole world.” This means that Jesus Christ died for you. He died for all people in all time throughout the whole world. This includes you. This demonstrates God’s love for all people. He did not die for a people who were obedient and loving in return. He died for people who were sinning even as He offered up His life in love. While the nails were being driven into His hands, Christ pleaded, “Father, forgive them.” (Luke 23:34) It was our sin, the sins of the whole world, Christ carried on the cross. Do not be deceived, Christ did not commit suicide. He did not kill Himself. It was the sins of humanity that suffered and killed Him. When we see Christ on the cross, we should see the horror of our sin. This is what we have done to God. We have nailed Him shamefully to a cross. At the same time, we should also see the love of God. In return, God gave His life unto us. He could have struck back in vengeance while being perfectly justified for the wrong we had committed. We killed the Son of God. What do we deserve for such an act? And yet, He offered us forgiveness. By His death, we may be justly forgiven. The forgiveness God has given us is not cheap; it has cost Christ His life. It is offered freely to all of humanity everywhere, and it is a most sacred and valuable gift worth more than anything we could ever receive.

The cross is a gift of immeasurable value. For some people, forgiveness is cheap. They hand out forgiveness to others like a piece of trash already being discarded. By doing this, however, they cheapen the gift and the giver. Of what value is forgiveness that is given without any cost? If it did not cost anything, it is worthless. And what does this say about the giver? Don’t they have any value? For example, let us say that man’s daughter is raped by his brother. The brother pleads for mercy and the father says, “I forgive you” and lets the brother go free. The father did not expect amends to be made—forgiveness without cost. What does this say to the man’s daughter? She might think, “My father must not think I am very valuable. He did not seek restitution for me.” Though the father may have offered forgiveness, he still did not make things right. Damage was done without restitution. As such, God did not offer cheap forgiveness. He paid the greatest price by giving the life of His Son.

By doing this, He demonstrated: (1) how weighty ours sins are, (2) how worthy He is, and (3) how valuable we are in His eyes. (1) Our sins are so heavy and intense, the only sacrifice that could possibly compensate is the death of God’s sinless Son. Our sins are outrageously horrid. We have sinned against the Holy One. To offer forgiveness without atonement is like saying, “Your sin wasn’t that bad.” Our sin was so bad Christ, the Son of God, had to die. (2) God is holy, holy, holy. His worth is beyond measure. He is a just and loving God. To offer forgiveness without restitution is to discredit His own worth. It is like saying, “I don’t matter much, so I forgive you for hurting me.” God is the creator and sustainer of the universe, the source of all that is good and holy. God deserves to be treated accordingly. He is God Almighty. He deserves worship and praise. Because of His incomparable worth, His Word and gifts are most sacred. They are to be desired. This means the offering God made on the cross is immensely sacred. It is not to be taken jokingly. To reject God’s forgiveness brought by the cross is a most grievous attack on the person of God and His Word. He has said, “You are forgiven,” and to deny this is to call God a lair. To reject forgiveness means a person cannot be forgiven. This is an unforgiveable sin that will send a person to Hell. However, to accept it is to agree that God is great. Christ gave His life to us. He earned a place among the great. He deserves our worship. To accept forgiveness in thanksgiving is our greatest act of worship as it praises God for the price He paid. (3) The cross shows how valuable we are to God as unique individuals. Though we are sinners, God didn’t think we should be discarded or thrown away. Rather, He paid the price to redeem us. We are so valuable in God’s eyes that He traded the life of His Son on our behalf. How important do you think you are? You may think you are important among men, but how valuable do you feel? Are you worthy or are you trying to establish your worth? Some of the richest and most beautiful people try to establish their worth through earthly things because inwardly they feel worthless. For example, a woman will wear diamond jewelry because it makes her feel special and valuable. She adds value to herself because she adds the jewelry. In truth, the jewel is just a rock and it has no value apart from what society assigns it. If she were already valuable, then adding the jewelry would only hinder her value as the rock would be worth far less than herself. Or for example, a man tries to do good things to give himself worth. This means his worth is based upon his actions and he measures his own worth by his actions. This also means that his good deeds are not good at all because they are driven by a selfish desire to attain worth. He is trying to make himself good rather than doing good because he is good. Being that humans try to make themselves worthy proves that we are inherently poor as we are lacking that which makes us valuable. On the cross, God has shown that our worth is not measured by works or earthly things. Rather, our worth is granted by Him. We are worthy because God values us. In this way, our worth is not something to be attained, it is something granted by God. We cannot do anything to earn it. You cannot make yourself valuable. You cannot add to your value. You are worthy because God loves you. On the cross, God brought this truth into light. There is nothing you can do to earn God’s forgiveness. God gave His Son. It is a free gift. If you try to earn it, then you belittle God by saying, “I cannot accept your gift. I must pay for it.” However, you cannot pay for it. Do you have anything as valuable as the Son of God? Is there anything greater than a perfect and sinless life? He was innocent, more so than any animal or child. Christ is holy as He is the source of all life. There is no way to match such a priceless gift. No person can earn this gift and no person is required to earn it. God is offering this gift freely to everyone. This gift shows how much God loves you. You are not a piece of worthless trash. You are worth the life of God’s Son. God has said, “You are worthy.” He has proven this on the cross. He has said, “I love you so much, I have died for you. You are forgiven my child.” This is what Christ has accomplished for you on the cross. And it yours to receive or deny.

The Resurrection

Three days after His death, Christ proved that His sacrifice was acceptable and the work was truly finished by being raised from the dead. Upon His death, Christ was buried by several of His Jewish followers who gave Jesus a burial according to Jewish custom. (John 19:40) Three days later, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. Mary told Peter and John about the missing body and upon inspection they found the burial cloth lying in the empty tomb. The other disciples returned home, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, angels appeared and asked, “Why are you crying?” Then Jesus appeared and asked the same thing. At first, she did not recognize Him. It was not until He said her name, “Mary,” that she realized it was Him. (John 20:1-18)

Jesus would appear before two disciples as they were walking on the road to Emmaus. At first, they also did not recognize Jesus thinking that He was a stranger. It was difficult for many to believe that Christ had been raised. Just days before, they watched in horror as He was slain on a Roman cross. How could He now stand before them? One disciple named Thomas heard the reports that Christ had been raised, but said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” The Scriptures continue: “‘A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’“ (John 20:25-29)

The response of Thomas was appropriate having seen clearly the power of God. He said, “My Lord and my God.” In this moment, He truly recognized Christ for who He is. Though Jesus was a man, He was also God. Though He was God, He was the God of Thomas. Jesus is a personal God. By His death and resurrection, Christ earned a place in glory. He had shown that He was truly the Lord our God. He is the Holy One who conquered death with love. Christ had died giving His life as a ransom for sin. Since His life was sufficient to pay the debt of all sin, death could no longer hold Him. He had died to sin and the law leaving death powerless. And so, Christ raised Himself to new life. He was resurrected. The same person and body that hung on the cross was now thriving with new life. He was now the Lord of all including sinners. He had paid a hefty price and His reward was the lives of His followers.

After staying with His disciples for forty days explaining to them the scriptures and the meaning of His death and resurrection, Christ ascended into Heaven. He went to prepare a place for all His people. One day, Christ will return to judge the whole earth, every person who has ever lived including His own. Everyone will be raised and held accountable for the deeds committed while alive on earth. Those who belong to Christ will stand justified and be raised to glory. They will spend eternity living in fellowship with God and one another forever in Heaven. The remaining people will be condemned for their wickedness. God’s wrath will burn upon them. Until that day, Christ commanded His disciples to tell everyone the good news. God’s desire is that everyone will be saved and come to the great feast in Heaven where people will celebrate the great things God has done.

The Significance of the Resurrection

The resurrection has great significance for us. Let us explore this in more detail.

Firstly, the resurrection proved that the work done on the cross was truly finished and acceptable. If the sacrifice of Christ was not enough then He could not be raised. Christ bore the sin of the entire world. The debt was paid. This is proven in the resurrection. Because the balance was zero, Christ could be raised and was raised.

Secondly, the resurrection is proof that Christ is the One He claimed to be. Christ claimed to be the Son of God, the Holy One of God, and the Messiah. He claimed to be God incarnate. He claimed Lordship. By raising Himself from the dead, Christ proved that He was truly Lord over all. Not even death could hold Him. He had the power to lay down His life as a sacrifice for undeserving sinners, and take it back up again to reign as King over His people. Who but God Himself has such power over life itself that He can bring forth life whenever He chooses? Christ has this power and choice to give life to whomever He chooses. He is Lord and God.

Thirdly, Christ is alive. He ascended into Heaven and is available to everyone. This means that Christ is not someone who once existed and is now dead. Christ exists even now. He is alive in Heaven pursing all people with truth, love, and grace. Anyone can pray and ask Him for help. Anyone who calls upon the name of Christ may be saved. He is not restricted by time, race, or region. Christ lives.

Fourthly, Christ was raised for the justification of sinners. Those who have sinned deserve to die. According to the law, those who sin deserve to be punished. However, by taking the sins of His people onto the cross, Christ traded His perfect life for their sinful lives. In this way, a sinner can say, “Christ died for me. My sins are forgiven.” Justice has been served. Christ bore the punishment of sin. At the same time, since Christ was raised He can help the sinner to overcome. Christ is alive and can help them to defeat sin in their life and reign in righteousness. In this way, the sinner stands justified on the basis of what Christ has done and is doing in their life. Without Christ, people try to justify themselves based upon works. They will one day stand before the judgment seat and God will ask, “Why should I let you live forever in Heaven?” They will respond, “Because I did all these good things.” God will then say, “But your good works are like filthy rags. They are worthless in comparison the wickedness you have done.” No amount of good works can justify sin because we are sinners. We are sinful and even our good works are tainted. The disease of sin infects everything we do. However, when a person has been justified by Christ, they do not have this disease. Their sins have been forgiven and Christ has given them new life. They are clean. When a person who has been cleansed by Christ stands before God and is asked, “Why should I let you into Heaven?”, the sinner will reply, “Because of what Jesus has done for me and through me. He died for me and has helped me to do great things.” In this way, we are justified by Christ being raised in us.

Fifthly, we live because He lives. Our life is hidden with Christ. In His resurrection, Christ was raised to new life. When Christ is ours, His life becomes our life. We may be raised with Christ spiritually so as to experience the fullness of life here on earth. This means our life is not about trying to survive. We don’t do good things to try and earn life. We don’t work to live, or try to immortalize ourselves by the works of our hands. Rather, we live to live. Everyday we awake seeking to fulfill the purpose for which God has created us. We rejoice in the fullness of life not worrying about death. We don’t wonder about when we will die or try to plan our life around death. We live in the full expectation that life will last forever. And inwardly we rejoice knowing that each moment is meaningful. In this way, we don’t try to live or seek after life. Rather, we live. We are alive and rejoice in life.

Lastly, if Christ has been raised, then surely there is hope for us. We may have hope for the future. This event proves that life is not finished here on earth. There is more awaiting us after death. We can have hope for a new and glorious life. We can look ahead to the future in eager expectation that we will be resurrected just as Christ was. If He is our Lord, then He will certainly bless us with all the heavenly blessings. Our hope is not in this life or world. We may endure trials and tribulations, suffer pain and persecution, and be weighed down by age and disability; but always be at peace knowing that one day all things will be righted and we will enjoy an eternal blessing of life. When our hope is in the resurrection of Christ, we are not bogged down by this world. We look ahead to the prize awaiting us.

The resurrection of Christ offers us hope. Christ is our doctor who has come to deliver us from sin. Even He said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:31-32) May we turn to Christ for help in our darkest hours. May He bring salvation as promised that we may have eternal life.