Easter: A blessing to mankind

What is Easter?
Easter heralds the dawn of hope for mankind through the message of the empty tomb of Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord. In Easter, we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the tomb on the third day after his crucifixion. This is in fulfilment of the messianic prophecy in Isaiah 53.

Easter is celebrated after a period of 40 days fasting known as Lent. The Lenten period before Easter was a period set aside by the Church for penitence, repentance, restoration, consecration, and reconciliation. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and ends on Good Friday, the event of Jesus’ ultimate prize of crucifixion for man’s redemption and freedom from sin. Easter is the foundation of the Christian faith.

Jesus, the Son of God, fulfilled prophecy and through his death, has given the gift of eternal life in heaven to those who believe in his death and resurrection. The earliest Christians celebrated the resurrection on the fourteenth of Nisan (our March-April), the date of the Jewish Passover. Jewish days were reckoned from evening to evening, so Jesus had celebrated His last supper the evening of the Passover and was crucified the day of the Passover.

The origin of Easter started with early Christians celebrating the Passover, worshipped Jesus as the Paschal Lamb and Redeemer. The lamb comes from the Jewish Passover, where each family killed a lamb as a sacrifice. When Christ became the Passover Lamb for everyone, the lamb became a symbol for His sacrifice. John 1:29, “The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

1 Peter 1:18-21, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.”

By the death and resurrection of Jesus he purchased man for himself as the redeemed and owns man. We must know that our body is God’s temple 1 Corinthians 6:14-20 (vs 19). In Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17 – God’s intention is revealed. Temple here means shrine, and a dwelling place. In the first instance, it was the breath of God that made man living being. The earnest expectation of God’s creation is to see the manifestation of God’s children (the sons). See Romans 8:19-21.

The bondage of corruption is the reason to limitations in manifestation
(Know this about the body).
• The body can be structured and restructured.
• The body can manifest in full potential.
• The body can also manifest in partial potential.
• The body can be externally influenced and corrupt.
• There are materials and immaterial elements that corrupt the body.
• The human senses can be conditioned to certain way of life. Life is a process; habit is a process of life. Lack of good environment, and poor company can corrupt the body (1 Corinthians 15:33-34).

Having an experiential knowledge about God and working with Him brings ultimate fulfilment. What is the knowledge of God?

God’s desire is to have intimacy with us; lack of this intimacy leaves us naked, empty and sick. See Adam, Cain, Saul, etc. Our connectivity with God determines our continuity and productivity on earth. Life success and progress is not based on great intelligence; Eccl. 9:11- “I returned and saw under the Sun that — the race is not to the swift.

Nor the battle to the strong nor bread to the wise nor riches to men of understanding, nor favour to men of skill but time and chance happens to them all.” Allow Jesus into your life, He redeemed you for his praise and honour. I charge you that you let the Lord have His way in your life.