Easter Post

An unorganized collection of thoughts.

I hastily corralled some thoughts about Easter, and share them with you here. I’m trying to cultivate some appreciation for what “Good Friday” means, besides a day off from work.

In Jewish practice, the Sabbath began Friday evening. It would have been on a Friday that Jesus was taken down from the cross, before the the Sabbath officially kicked off. The Jews didn't want the bodies hanging on the cross during the Sabbath, and asked Pilate that the legs of the crucified be broken to expedite their deaths. When the soldiers went to carry this out, they found Jesus was already dead.

Jesus was spared having his legs broken, but a soldier did pierce his side. The blood that poured out was the last that was shed by our savior. His death reconciled all mankind to God, and ended a covenant that was tied to continuous bloodshed.

Blood was spilled often under the old covenant. Animals were slaughtered in great abundance by priests who acted as glorified butchers. By law, blood was shed twice daily at a minimum, with more to be spilled on special occasions. As an extreme example, 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep were slaughtered at the dedication of Solomon's temple.

Besides the amount of sacrificial blood, there was the blood shed in battle. The physical kingdom of Israel was hewn out in the midst of numerous enemies and idolatrous nations in Canaan. After crossing into the promised land, Israel carved their way into possession of their new kingdom. At the carving, yet more blood was shed.

Then there were the bloody, civil conflicts. Tens of thousands died at the punishment of Gibeah, when most of the tribe of Benjamin was wiped out. After the division of the kingdom, Israel and Judah faced off in more than a couple of wars.

All the spilled blood pointed to Christ. The sacrifices of the Old Testament were symbolic of Christ's eventual bloodshed in payment for all sin. The lives lost in the many battles were an inevitable consequence of being a physical nation, and were often necessary for it to survive until the promised Messiah would be born.

While blood shed in battle was the necessary consequence of being a physical nation, it was more than that. There is a symbolism there as well. There continues to be a battles between good and evil in our time. These battles are fought over possession of our hearts rather than possession of Canaan.

Israel shouldered its way in where it wasn't wanted, and elbowed out enough breathing room to prosper, for a time. Before and after their prosperity, they were enslaved and oppressed. They fought each other. They fell into sin. They rolled around like a tumbleweed, carted away to captivity or ruled over by invaders.

While battles still need to be fought, the war between good and evil was won at Calvary. When Jesus rose from the grave, good triumphed over evil once and for all. Blood no longer needed to be shed in warfare for the kingdom of God. Victory forever belongs to good. The score has been finalized.

The battles we fight today are against our flesh. Just like Israel entered a land promised to them by God, we enter into the promise of God by believing on Christ. And just like the Amorites, Jebusites, and other native Canaanites; our flesh is opposed to this.

Our flesh will forever have a desire for sin that will need to be warred against. It will continue to rear up and we will have to fight for what we know is good and right. And while we do fall, we also stand. And when we stand, we do so under the power of Christ's resurrection in us. Being in Christ and having him dwell in us is the prosperity restored to a new Israel under the new covenant.

Happy Easter!