An Easter Vision

(To download an mp3 file of this message, click on the title above. To listen now, click on the play button of the audio player shown.)

This is a sermon given on Easter Sunday at Wayside Community Church. It is based on statements surrounding the crucifixion and resurrection narratives that speak about things the witnesses saw.

Written Excerpts:

Luke 23:44 – 24:12

Introduction:

In our day-to-day conversation and language usage we have different ways to express the fact that sometimes it is possible to “look” at something without really “seeing” what is going on, or what it is all about. Sometimes we say, “They can’t see the forest for the trees.”

Sometimes we may hear someone ask, “Did you really see what was happening there?”

As we live our lives each day we witness many things, but often we don’t have the time, or don’t take the time, to stop and analyze what we have seen in order to truly understand what we saw. There is a difference between merely observing something and comprehending what we see.

In the passage of Scripture that was read earlier we have the account of the disciples and followers of Jesus as they discovered the empty tomb and the truth that Jesus had risen from the dead. In the previous chapter (Luke 23:44-56), we have several verses describing the crucifixion. th of these chapters there is repeated use of various words that all have to do with vision (words like: saw, sight, seeing, watching, observe, found, and behold).

For the next several minutes I want to focus your attention on some sights surrounding the crucifixion and the resurrection so we all can leave this service having a genuine Easter vision.

I.    Look at the blood to see God’s love for sinners.

The Bible plainly tells us that the blood was very special.

Lev. 17:11 “The life of the flesh is in the blood.”

Because of this principle, the Israelites were forbidden to eat the blood of any animal, because the blood represented the life of the animal.

Gen. 9:6 – “Whoever sheds man’s blood (i.e. destroys the life that God has created, and only God has the authority to take), by man shall his blood be shed” (i.e. by the authority placed in them by God Himself).

Whenever blood is shed that means a life has ended; a life was sacrificed. Many, many passages in the OT that condemns the leaders because of the innocent blood that was being shed in Israel.

Starting with the symbolism in the sacrifices of the Old Testament and continuing to the sacrifice of God’s Son on the cross, the shedding of blood was always equated with the pardoning of sin.

Matthew 26:28 (NKJV) For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Jesus was willing to literally give up his life and shed His own blood so we could be forgiven.

In the Scripture we referred to earlier, it says, “When the Centurion saw what happened, he glorified God saying, ‘Surely, this was a righteous man!’” (In Matthew’s Gospel, “Truly this was the Son of God.”) The Centurion not only saw a crucifixion, but he saw the shedding of blood. If you compare a couple of the passages, it is very likely that he witnessed the spear driven into the Savior’s side.

He obviously could see the blood from the wounds on His back, and the thorns on His head. He saw a life being sacrificed as His blood flowed, and he saw the willingness with which He died, demonstrating His love for sinners.

Look at the shed blood, and the sacrificed Son to see God’s love for sinners.

II.  Look at the cross to see God’s hatred for sin.

We understand that the cross is the place where the blood was shed, so there is a close connection between this thought and the previous one. However, I want to underscore the stigma, the scandal and the horror of the cross.

Paul states it plainly to the Corinthians, “For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18, 22-24)

I want to read for you a description of crucifixion that I came across in a Bible encyclopedia.

(The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

As an instrument of death the cross was detested by the Jews. "Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree" (Galatians 3:13; compare Deut. 21:23), hence, it became a stumbling-block to them, for how could one accursed of God be their Messiah?...
The usual mode of crucifixion was familiar to the Greeks, the Romans, the Egyptians, Persians and Babylonians... The Roman citizen was exempt from this form of death, it being considered the death of a slave. The punishment was meted out for such crimes as treason, desertion in the face of the enemy, robbery, piracy, assassination, sedition, etc… The suffering of death by crucifixion was intense, especially in hot climates. Severe local inflammation, coupled with an insignificant bleeding of the jagged wounds, produced traumatic fever, which was aggravated by exposure to the heat of the sun, the strain of the body and insufferable thirst. The swelling around the rough nails and the torn lacerated tendons and nerves caused excruciating agony. The arteries of the head and stomach were surcharged with blood and a terrific throbbing headache ensued. The mind was confused and filled with anxiety and dread foreboding. The victim of crucifixion literally died a thousand deaths… The length of this agony was wholly determined by the constitution of the victim, but death rarely ensued before thirty-six hours had elapsed… Death was sometimes hastened by breaking the legs of the victims and by a hard blow delivered under the armpit before crucifixion… The sudden death of Christ evidently was a matter of astonishment (Mark 15:44). The peculiar symptoms mentioned by John (19:34, i.e. pierced side – “blood and water came out”) would seem to point to a rupture of the heart, of which the Savior died, independent of the cross itself, or perhaps hastened by its agony.

In addition to all the physical pain, there was the total abandonment and isolation Jesus felt as He cried, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” Never before nor since has the intimate fellowship in the Trinity been affected like it was in those moments on the cross.

Standing there and seeing the cross in all its cruelty, all its horror and the abandonment of the Father, we can’t help but get a vision of God’s hatred for sin. It is so strong, it requires the full force of His judgment against His own eternal Son.

Finally,

III. Look at the tomb to see God’s power over evil.

Several of the people mentioned in our Scripture reading today were witnesses to the empty tomb.

These people, and undoubtedly many others, saw the empty tomb.

Some skeptics have alleged that they all went to the wrong tomb! But, in saying this, they also allege that everyone else evidently went to the wrong tomb too, including all the authorities. Surely within the next several hours, or the next few days, someone could have figured that out and simply led everyone to the “correct place.” No, they didn’t go to the wrong tomb. The tomb was empty. The day before it had a corpse, but today it is empty.

The sight of an empty tomb represents VICTORY! This is a victory over death; a victory over Satan; and a victory over sin. More than that, it’s a victory over all evil that has permeated the world ever since the Garden of Eden.

This victory represents the “crushing of the serpent’s head” that was predicted by God Himself in the aftermath of Adam’s sin.

This victory is not just for Jesus, but it your victory too! It is my victory too!

Rom. 8:11 “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

If we have the living Christ dwelling within our hearts, there is no need for us to be defeated and constantly beat down by the Devil and enemy of our souls.

God has grace to provide victory for us through the same Spirit that raised the Son of God from the dead!

Conclusion:

The victory of the empty tomb provides the guarantee of an even greater victory at the end of this age. When I recognize and embrace the resurrection for what it truly is, I am instantly filled with hope and expectation for a victory that is yet to come, when all the forces of evil and darkness will be destroyed once-and-for-all.

Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will rule with holiness and righteousness. There will be an immediate end of all violence, deception, oppression, and every other manifestation of Satan’s schemes.

Because He Lives I can face tomorrow

     Because He lives all fear is gone
     Because I know He holds the future
    And life is worth the living because He lives!