There are so many things to talk about and be thankful for in the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nothing I could write would ever possibly do it justice because it is such a perfect display of the balance of the love, justice, and righteousness of God.
It displays the Alpha and Omega, the Good Shepherd, the Lamb of God, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. It displays Jehovah Nissi (our banner), Jehovah Jireh (our provider), Jehovah Rapha (our healer), and Emmanuel (God with us). It fully encompasses his name, Jesus — “Yahweh saves”, “the Lord is salvation”, “God saves”. It is the name that every knee will one day bow down to and of which every tongue will confess that “Jesus Christ is Lord”. Every name and every moment from creation to eternity points to this event. The perfect and sacrificial love of God the Father was displayed through both him and his Son so that we, his children and his creation might receive the Holy Spirit, which I consider to be like his DNA within us.
When I think back on what Christ did for all of humanity, but especially for me personally, it is mind boggling on so many levels. We often think of the death and resurrection of Jesus as Plan B, because he didn’t intend for sin to be part of our lives. Yet God knew from the beginning when he created mankind that we would choose disobedience in the garden of Eden. And he already had a plan for our redemption, because love and grace are who he is.
The one who walked in the garden with Adam and Eve wanted to walk with each one of us through this life. He knew we would be imperfect; he knew we would sin; but he also knew that some of us would choose him. Relationship is why he created us. It is why he redeemed us. He wants a relationship– not religion, not rules, but relationship. He wants a relationship where he knows us and we know him – one where he calls us friend, not servant.
Adam and Eve knew what it was like to walk with God, to fellowship with him in perfect love and relationship. But they still had a choice, and they chose disobedience. They chose self, much like we all do from day to day. And when they did, they immediately felt fear and shame and hid from God. It wasn’t God who caused them to be afraid and full of shame. It was his holiness; it was his perfection. When they became aware of evil, they understood the vast difference between themselves and a perfect Holy God. And so began the unveiling and foreshadowing of what would be the greatest sacrifice of all.
God didn’t leave them in their shame and nakedness. He took an animal and killed it (sacrificed it) to make clothes to cover their nakedness. It was the same thing he did on the cross with his son. Only this time it wasn’t an animal, it was the thing most precious to him and the greatest demonstration of how much he loved us. In Him “he has clothed [us] with garments of salvation and arrayed [us] in a robe of his righteousness…” (Isaiah 61:10) It was also a demonstration of how much Christ loved us, that he would be willing to go to the cross on our behalf. The Lamb of God, pure and perfect. He stepped out of heaven to become sin for us. It wasn’t the decision of the Father alone–Jesus was a willing sacrifice because of his great love for us.
In John 15:13 Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Those are Jesus’ words to his disciples as he had Passover dinner with them, the night before he would lay down his life for them and all of humanity. He was telling them how much he loved them, how much he loves us. Listen to those words again, “Greater love has no one than this”. It is the ultimate demonstration of love, to willingly take another’s place and punishment. He knew what he was about to do. He knew how painful it would be, that it wasn’t just death, it was separation from his Father and the weight of the sins of the entire world. He asked the Father for another way, but he knew what had to be done and was obedient to the call, because he loved us and knew it was the only way to redeem us.
In the garden of Eden after Adam and Eve sinned, God drove the man out and “he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life,”(Genesis 3:24) in order that he might not be able to eat from the tree of life and live forever. Growing up I always read that as part of their punishment, but more recently I saw it as him keeping us from living forever in our unredeemed state. It was actually protection. He already had a redemptive plan worked out that would bring us back through the sacrifice of Jesus. If they ate from the tree of life after sinning, they could never go back to the sinless, joy-filled place he intended us to live, in perfect communion with him.
Through his death on the cross, a tree, and his resurrection three days later, Jesus became for us the tree of life. Through him we are able to live eternally, but only as those redeemed from sin, clothed in his splendor and majesty. Made whole once more by the blood of the perfect lamb and destined to walk with him for all eternity. It was not Plan B. He knew what we would choose and yet he still deemed it all worthwhile in order to call us his and love us. Never forget “Greater love hath no man than this…” (John 15:13, KJV)
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
Be Still 
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