Notice how everything slows down as they approach that very first Easter Sunday. He rode in on a donkey just a week earlier. They laid palm leaves down and praised His name. Later that week, He would have His last meal with His boys, wash their feet, and show them how to live and love each other. Intimacy is happening right here in these moments. Also, you can sense His power surging in these moments. I was reminded of how He went out to meet the group of soldiers when Judas brought them to find Him at night. "Who do you seek?" He asked. "Jesus of Nazareth". "I AM!" And they all fell to the ground. Man, I bet the spirit world was buzzing with energy all around these moments. So they beat Him until He was unrecognizable. His boys ran away. He was betrayed by Judas. He was mocked by soldiers. He was humiliated and shamed, by the brutal hanging on a wooden cross to suffocate in His own fluids. Oh, and it was all for love. Can you imagine the excitement in heaven as the plan was unfurled? Sin had entered the world through Adam and Eve. We had now acquired a major problem. God created the solution. I remember a great sermon by Ray Vanderlaan about Genesis 15 where God had Abraham set up an old Hebrew marriage ceremony. It was an agreement made by a greater and a lesser: birds and animals split in two, blood draining into a ditch. In marriage, the groom's dad would take off his sandals and walk through the blood, saying, "if my son doesn't hold up to his end of the bargain, you can have my head". Then the bride's dad would do the same. So Abraham knew what this meant when God told him to set it up. You see, Abe wanted to know for sure that he would have kids and the promises would come true. The problem was, he was making a deal with God! So, he knew if he dipped even his toe in that blood, he was a dead man! You see, he knew that you would find the bodies of these promise makers outside of town if the promises were broken. So the bible describes a flaming torch and a smoking firepot passing through the blood. Both are symbols of God. God passed through the blood. Then He passed through the blood again, for Abraham. It was at that moment, that Jesus was sentenced to die on the cross. He died because we cannot hold up our end of the bargain. He provided the antedote to our sin problem. He actually conquered the overpowering effects of being sinful beings. He provided The Way to overcome our humanity and live in eternal intimacy with Him. Oh, I love the Easter story. Such power. Such amazing love. That is the greatest discovery, my friends. To once and for all discover how much He loves you. God gave His very best, His only son, for you. It's a leading example for us to follow also, to give our best for Him. I can't imagine Him asking God to forgive those soldiers because they know not what they do! Crazy love! He really does want everyone to be with Him in heaven, even you! So, the darkness in mid day, the earthquakes, the storms, the temple curtain ripping in half, dead people rising from the grave, soldiers getting their eyes opened, it's all evidence of His power surging upon the Earth. The world was on the brink of never being the same again. When He rose from the grave and appeared to His friends, nothing would ever be the same. Everything changed. So it was all true! It was all real! Their eye witness testimonies would rock the world and begin a revolution that is unstoppable. And now we get the privilege to follow the same pattern. We pick up our cross daily, deny ourselves, for the sake of Love, and actively believe and count on His resurrection in our lives. Take heart my friends. Don't give up. It's just the weight of the world on your shoulders. He'll help you carry it. Be strong and courageous. Whom shall you fear? Don't worry. Keep running. Don't stop. Run to win! Believe. Have faith. Don't count Him out of your circumstances. These obstacles you're facing are but one breath of God away from being overcome. You see, I still believe that Love Wins. Sometimes, it looks and feels like you're losing, just like it looked like Jesus had lost as He died on the cross. But that seemed to turn out okay, didn't it? Love wins. Period. Silly rabbit.
