Aloha
Brothers and Sisters,
I
am very grateful to have the opportunity to talk to you today. I am
also very humbled by the topic and the Holiday which we are
celebrating today. Easter is one of my favorite Holidays. I love
the colors, the spring time themes, the baby animals and the
simplicity of the Egg. The egg is a world wide symbol of Easter.
Officially adopted by the christian religion a few years back. It
represents life and that is what we are celebrating today. Easter is
a celebration of life. It is a celebration of Christ's resurrection.
It is a celebration of Hope. It is a celebration of deaths defeat.
We are so blessed to live in this time when the world has witnessed
literal resurrection.
In
all recorded history prior to the birth, life, crucifixion and
resurrection of Christ there was no one else resurrected from the
dead. All death was an eternal slumber. The sting of death was
heavy, lonely, oppressive and unending.
I
want to gently review the last 10 days of Christ's life. Each day
could be a focus of great discussion so please bear with me as I
highlight the points that will help illustrate our focus today.
If
we go all the way back to Bethany, a suburb of Jerusalem, and go to
the house of Jesus's friend Lazarus, the very same friend that Jesus
raised from the dead, you will remember that Mary took some very
costly oil and anointed the feet of Jesus. Judas Iscariot who later
betrays Jesus asks why she is not selling the oil to help the poor.
Judas did not really care for the poor, but his intent was evil and
selfish, to possibly steal the oil for his gain. Jesus replies that
“the poor always ye have with you, but me ye have not always.”
This was his first warning to them that things were going to change.
Next
was Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Christ tells his
disciples to go and get him a donkey. He even tells then that the
donkey will have a baby and to bring it along too.
Why
did Jesus want to ride in on a donkey? We can turn to the Old
testament and read from Zachariah
9:9:
9 ¶Rejoice
greatly, O daughter
of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy bKing
cometh unto thee: he is
just,
and having salvation; lowly, and riding
upon an ass,
and upon a colt
the foal of an ass.
Remember
that the old testament was the scripture at this time. The new
testament had not been written yet. Do you think that some of the
people recognized what was happening? I think they did because they
started spreading their garments in his path and cutting down
branches to lay before him. The people cried hosanna and followed
him as he made his Triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
The
next day Jesus was hungry and he saw a fig tree with leaves but no
fruit so he cursed the tree and it withered away. He continued on to
the temple where he became angry because of the filth that had
defiled his fathers house. He overthrew the tables of money changers
and Jesus taught: Is it not written, My house shall be called of all
nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves
Mark 11:17
Do
you think that the fruitless fig tree was a symbol of the fruitless
people that were corrupting the temple?
Christ
was teaching a great lesson in purification in preparation of the
coming of the ressurection.
The
chief priests and scribes were getting very upset with Jesus, because
they had been profiting from the trade going on at the temple.
Now
once the money changers were out, there was room for miracles. The
blind and the lame came in and Christ healed them. The people again
shouted hosanna and again the chief judges were sore displeased
because of the attention Jesus was getting.
Good
easter questions:
What
cleaning do our temples need? What fruits are we bearing?
Jesus
then gets questions from chief priests and Pharisees. Jesus is
pretty blunt in telling them that they are not humble and that they
did not value the knowledge that they preach. He tells them that
they are hypocrites. This makes them madder and they want to lay
their hands on him, but they fear the multitude of people.
Jesus
continues teaching and the disciples gratefully continued recording
his teachings. He gave some famous parables like the 10 virgins, the
parable of the talents and the goats. These were full of learning
on preparation for the second coming. I don’t know how much his
disciples understood, but we are still learning from them and they
give us hope.
Hope
of our resurrection.
It
is almost passover now in our timeline review of Jesus's life and he
asks the disciples to find a place to keep the passover meal.
The
passover is another great scripture story and it is very symbolic of
Christ. He is the Lamb that was slain so that we could escape death.
Now
the pharisees have not gone out of the picture. They are still very
much upset by Jesus and they want to destroy him.
It
is important to remember that the passover meal is the Last Supper.
At this meal Jesus teaches so much:
He
washes their feet.
He
explains that one of them will betray him.
He
teaches them the sacrament
He
comforts them
He
gives then the commandment to Love on Another.
He
teaches about the Holy Ghost
He
then prays for his disciples, and prays for each of us as we
believe.
These are all easter
gifts to ponder on.
After dinner Jesus took
his disciples to a garden, it was a garden that he went to often. He
asked them to wait for him and he took Peter, James and John with
him. He told them that his heart was very sorrowful and he asked
them to stay and keep watch. Christ prayed unto the father;
And
he said, Abba, Father, all things are
possible unto thee; take
away
this cup
from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. Mark 14:36
An
angel came to strengthen him and again he prayed:
And
being in an agony
he prayed more earnestly: and
his sweat was as it were great drops of blood
falling down to the ground.
He
doeth not anything
save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth
the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw
call
men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not
partake of his salvation.
It
was after this horrible experience, where Christ suffered
unimaginable pain to redeem us from our sins, that Judas shows up
with a multitude and betrays Jesus with a kiss. This was the
pre-arranged token that Judas had given the priests, scribes and
elders so that they would know which man was the Christ. Christ had
descended low in the garden, but he had lower to go to finish the
work of the atonement.
The
mob laid their hands on Jesus, his disciples fled and now alone and
in the dark of the night they led him to the house of the high
priest. It is interesting the note that at this time in Jewish law,
it was illegal to arrest a person in the dark of the night.
Caiaphas, the high priest finds him guilty of blasphemy, and they
bind him and take him to Pontuis Pilate the governor. Pilate
questions him but does not find any fault with him, so he tries to
let him go, but the voice of the people is strong and they call for
the thief barbaras to be released and Jesus to be crucified.
Next
Jesus is sent to be scourged. Scourging was a horrible form of
punishment or torture where the victim was whipped with several cords
of leather with bone or metal wrapped on the ends. These were to
catch the flesh and tear it as the victim was scourged. The typical
sentence was 40 lashes.
After
enduring this, our precious savior was mocked as they placed a purple
robe on his back and pressed a crown of thorns on his head, saying
“Hail, King of the Jews” He was then led away to be crucified on
the hill of Golgotha which ment the place of a skull.
The
next hours of recorded history are some of the most uncomfortable
events to read. Spikes would driven into his hands and wrists, then
into his feet. Some mocked him and others “bewailed and lamented
him” As he was lifted up upon the cross Pilate wrote “Jesus of
Nazareth King of the Jews” on a sign above his head.
Christ
in this agony asked his father to forgive those who crucified him,
comforted those that were weeping and made sure his mother was looked
after by one of his beloved disciples. Even in his extreme agony he
was thinking about serving and loving others.
The
earth became covered in darkness, Christ endured unimaginable pain
and trusted in his father in Heaven even as his father had to
withdraw his spirit. Then Christ said “Father into thy hands I
commend my spirit” and his earthly life came to an end, because he
chose to die. He had the power to live, he choose to die so that we
can live!
His
body was given to Joseph of Aramathia who had a new tomb, where he
lay Christ's body. To Christs friends, he was gone. His end had
come and his eternal slumber had started.
After
Christ's body had been placed in the tomb and wrapped in linen, the
door to the tomb was closed and even sealed with guards placed
outside to prevent anyone from stealing or disturbing it. The
sealing and guards were ordered by Herod upon the request of the
chief judges. The following was the sabbath day and nothing much of
note happened other than I imagine that it was a time of great
mourning among the followers of Jesus. Then on the third day, being
the first day of the week, some women came to the tomb with spices to
to dress the body of Jesus.
They
found the door of the tomb rolled away and two angels that asked the
very important question “Why
seek ye the living among the dead?”
He
is not here, but is arisen:
remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
Saying,
The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be
crucified, and the third day rise again. Luke 24:5-7
Imagine
your self, filled with grief, finding the body of your friend missing
and angels telling you that he has risen? What joy, what absolute
light and happiness would fill your soul, your heart and your eyes!
Mary
Magdalene was the first recorded to see the resurrected Christ.
There in the garden outside of the tomb they shared the tender
moments that redefined the eternal outlook on the separation and
finality of death.
The
woman ran sharing the news with the disciples. The news that Jesus
was alive. This is the news that we are still called upon to share.
The joy of this knowledge fills our hearts just as we fill our
easter eggs, the promise of life after death for one and all is as
real and possible as a precious baby chick that comes out of its
protective egg.
John
recorded in Chapter 20 verse
31 But
these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his
name.
28 Behold,
hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his
goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all
men are privileged the one like
unto the other, and none are forbidden.
8 Wherefore,
how great the importance to make these things known unto the
inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh
that can dwell in the presence of God, save
it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah,
who layeth
down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the
power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection
of the dead, being the first that should rise.
Today
I stand before you and I testify that I know that Jesus is alive,
that he broke the bands of death. I know that I will live again
after I die. The gift of the resurrection is given to all men and
all men will live again. It is our privilege and responsibility to
share the joy of our knowledge with those we love”
I
say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
