Praise the Lord for Jesus' resurrection from the dead on the third day. This was prophesied to happen, and it did. Any believer in Jesus Christ and His work accomplished on the cross, now serves a risen, living Savior. He is our living leader. Let us continue to follow and serve Him all the days of our lives!
Folks often point fingers at a certain group of people, blaming them for Christ's death on the cross. For instance, based on Peter's speech we find in Acts 3, especially verses 12-15, it appears that the 'Men of Israel" are to blame.
Peter rightfully accused,
"You handed Him over to be killed...you disowned the Holy, Righteous One...You killed the author of life...."
It really does seem they were at fault yet some still blame the Romans. At the time, the Roman Empire stretched far and wide incorporating Israel in the anceint world and these Jewish, "Men of Israel" were under Roman rule. They could not fully act without Roman authority sanction and implementation, therefore there is incrimination upon them.
However, we must look at John 3:16 for a fuller view. It says God loved "the world" and sent Jesus for the "whosoever" may believe in Him. Another verse states,
"all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
Often what Satan uses for harm, God in His Sovereignty, turns into good. He used Satan's evil plans, forces and minions such as Judas Iscariot's greed for money to betray Jesus to the Jewish religious leaders, who in turn out of their jealousy of Jesus, falsely accused Him, stirred up the crowds of Jewish people to shout,
"Crucify Him!"
and to choose criminal Barabbas to be released instead of sinless Jesus, thus turning Jesus over to the Romans who carried out those crucifixion wishes.
We cannot blame any one ethnic group for Jesus' death. We have to focus on why He would go through with this and as has been stated, He died for our sins that we might live and have everlasting life. He did this out of love for each and every one of us.
He died and was buried but praise God, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. This was good news and the apostles of Jesus Christ spoke of this resurrection with "great power" and with "much grace" (see Acts 4:33).
The question was asked, "Does this 'great power' mean an aggressive manner?" No, it was because of the Holy Spirit who had come to indwell them, giving them courage to go out and speak with confidence and boldness.
You have to recall that those same religious leaders who orchestrated Jesus' arrest and death, were still fine-tuned and alert to quashing and eradicating all of this "Jesus way". There was fear, as you can recall again, that these same apostles had been cowering, ensconced behind locked doors, in fear of these Jews, in the immediate days after Jesus' burial before the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost.
This "great power" resulted in more and more of the Jewish populace being convinced of their sins and their great need of the Savior Jesus Christ. Likely, also realizing that Jesus really was who He'd said He was - their Messiah.
About the "much grace" phrase, just think...Jesus was the disciples-cum-apostles very best friend and Rabbi (Jewish Teacher-Mentor). The Jewish people, stirred up by their religious leaders, had shouted in a frenzy for Jesus' crucifixion. Why should these apostles now tell the people this "good news"? It is by grace any of us are saved and by that same grace the apostles shared the good news. We, together with our ancient brothers and sisters-in-Christ, get the blessing of salvation we did not deserve.
By God's mercy, we did not get what we did deserve - the penalty for our sin.
It's amazing to see how mercy and grace compliment each other and work in tandem. For example, one young lady shared that after she'd become a Christian and lived the Christian life for a while, she had turned away from the Lord to follow her "own interests". She eventually found her way back to following the Lord's interests.
How did that happen? Well, just as Peter told those "Men of Israel" back in the day (see Acts 3:19), so too this young lady "repented". When a person sincerely repents, Jesus forgives. In His great love, mercy and grace, he accepts our confession and forgives.
This puts us in mind of the parable Jesus told of "The Prodigal Son" - or rather, "The Forgiving Father" (see Luke 15:11-32). It went something like this...
A certain man had two sons. The younger son had the insolent cheek to ask his father for his share of inheritance he'd get when the father would die. Just think how hurtful and disrespectful this was to the father!
Nevertheless, the father went with the request and gave the son his share. Off the son went and spent all on riotous living. His last coin gone, his so-called 'friends' evaporated and he found himself in dire straights. So much so, he got a job feeding pigs and wanted to eat the pigs' food.
Keep in mind how low this son had fallen. Remember Jesus' audience was Jewish and anything to do with pigs was taboo and forbidden. Pigs were unclean animals and despised creatures. Can you get the picture? His desparate times called for desparate and degrading measure.
Anyway, the son came to his senses - better late than never - and repented of his ways. He wanted to tell his dad sorry and that he'd sinned against him and God. This without expectation that his dad would recieve him back as a son. No. He was willing to become a servant of the servants.
His dad saw him coming and ran to his returning son. In the culture of the time, an adult man running was uncouth and very unseemly. The father was determined though to welcome his son and set the stage for the treatment he wanted the whole community looking on to act upon and follow.
This community would have been in their right to kill the son or at least bar him entry. BUT, the father ran to intervene, to give the best robe, put shoes on his feet, a ring on his finger, to hug him and give him a kiss. Could the father's message to the son and the community be more clear?
The father's mercy did not allow the punishment the son deserved to be executed upon him. The father's grace welcomed and forgave the repentant son and gave him good things that he did not deserve. Both mercy and grace worked in tandem demonstrating the father's love and will towards his son.
This same grace - God's grace, was at work in the apostles as they shared the message of Jesus Christ with all who listened. All of this because of Jesus' resurrection power.
That is, the resurrection declares that Jesus Christ could be none other than the Son of God. It also declares Jesus to be alive. He was the apostle's living, loving Savior and God, and He is the same for us today.
When we followers of Jesus Christ meet together in His presence partaking of the broken bread and drinking of the cup of wine, we show our Lord and Savior's death, until He comes for us. We can do this because He is our risen Savior who is still in the world today through the Holy Spirit who indwells us.
Jesus is alive, I'm forgiven, praise His precious name! Thank-You, Jesus!
~ERC April 2023~
Based on Navigator Mininstries, Inc. Book 1 - Knowing Jesus Christ, Chapter 2 - The Work of Jesus Christ, The Resurrection, Questions 9-12.
Sing, How Deep the Father's Love For Us, along with Stuart Townsend.
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