[image error]It’s Easter Sunday, the day of the resurrection, I attend church. My family gets together and hides Easter eggs for the little ones. We eat ham and cheesy potatoes until we’re too full then we play games until the little ones get tired and it’s time to go home.

And we all know why we’re celebrating. Because of the resurrection, we are forgiven. We have eternal life because the Son of Man died and rose again.

But Jesus wasn’t only the Son of Man, He was also a person. He lived as we lived, loved like we loved. And felt what we felt.

“Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, ‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!’” Matthew 20:17-19

Jesus knew he was going to be crucified. The resurrection was his fate. He knew he was going to be persecuted, mocked, and die on a cross. At any point along the way, he could have used his powers to stop it, but he sacrificed himself anyway. For us.

It’s easy to imagine this as a kind of epic- superhero story. Jesus, our hero, with powers beyond our imagination, stands up and proclaims- without fear or doubt-  that He will die and save the world.

Yes, He is superhuman. He healed the sick, turned water into wine, fed five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish, just to name a few.

But- He was also one of us.
The Resurrection

[image error]Several women arise before dawn and travel to Jesus’ tomb to anoint His body with spices. But when they arrive, they find the large stone covering the entrance to the tomb has been rolled away. And, more importantly, the tomb is empty.

His grieving friends and family slowly get word. And their sorrow turns to joy. Jesus has risen.

Three Days Before

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Blindfolded. Insulted. Beaten. A crown of thorns placed on his head. Nails driven through his wrists and ankles. His friends weep. His family mourns.

Jesus dies on the cross.

Four Days Before

“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” (Mark 14:34)

And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Luke 22:44)

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

It’s the night before Jesus is to be crucified. He’s overwhelmed with sorrow. Anguished.

His sweat is like “drops of blood falling to the ground.” The passages don’t paint a picture of Jesus with traces of perspiration dotted across his forehead or beads of sweat collecting above his upper lip.  The image we’re given is of thick droplets pouring off his skin and pooling at his feet.

He asks God to “take this cup from me.” He wants to know. Is there any other way?

God says no.

And Jesus says, “Not my will, but yours be done.”

We all have those moments. Flashes of dread because you know what’s coming next, and it isn’t good.  Your heart races, your hands get clammy, your chest tightens, and at some point, you realize you’ve been holding your breath. It’s the emotional roller coaster of anguish mixed with anticipation.

Jesus is going to be crucified tomorrow. He’s going to take on the sins of the world. Jesus will carry the weight of every sin for all mankind- not just now, but for always. And because God must turn away from sin, Jesus’ all-mighty father will forsake him.

He’s leaving his disciples- his closest friends. And, although he forewarned them of the death and resurrection, they still don’t understand the full weight of what’s coming. But he won’t be there to guide them or to comfort their pain. Not when it happens, and not for the next three days.

His soul is filled with sorrow to the point of death.

He feels. He is in pain. He mourns. Just like us. Because he is human.

But he does it anyway. For us.

He is fully God, but he is also fully human. He feels what we would feel if we knew what was about to happen.

And he allows God’s will to be done.

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Today

I fall short of the glory of God. I sin. I make mistakes. I let my emotions dictate my actions. But I have God’s grace, so I’m forgiven. Me. One person among billions alive today. Thousands of years after Jesus died. Because, in that moment that Jesus was overwhelmed with sorrow, he still showed overwhelming love for us.

What he did for me, for all of us, wasn’t just superhuman abilities, it was super human compassion. A sacrifice without armor. Stripping himself of his powers, He stood before his enemies and said, “take me.”

Thank you, God, for sending us your only son. Thank you, Jesus, for your overwhelming compassion, love, grace and hope. Thank you for eternal life. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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