The Battle Is Over And The Victory Is Won

All over the world Church attendance is high on Easter; people who are not normally seen in Church come to celebrate the Christian joy and the hope of resurrection. This is a good thing, and I am glad that all of you are here this morning, but there cannot be an Easter without a Good Friday. Many of us like to celebrate the Easter joy without walking the way of the cross, and so this morning, allow me if you will, to take you first to the cross and then to the empty tomb.

Just outside the “Sheep gate” on the Northern side of the walled city of Jerusalem, is the place believed to be Calvary. Criminals were crucified there by the Roman Government. But on a Friday afternoon in the Spring of AD 29, an innocent man was crucified. Pontius Pilate knew that very well when he sentenced Jesus. Jesus hung on the cross and was bleeding to death. Yet even at that moment of anguish, he prayed for those who crucified him saying “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.” How can you explain that kind of love? How can you explain why he chose to die for sinners like us? How can you explain why he wants us to spend eternity with him? How can you explain why he calls us heirs to his throne?

Prior to his crucifixion he was flogged and beaten repeatedly. A crown of thorns ripped through the skin on his head and great drops of blood rolled down his body. He was humiliated by being stripped of his clothing and counted along with the thieves. Those that passed by cried out “He saved others, now let him save himself if he is God.” Others laughed and spit at him. What they did not know is that he chose not to save himself so that he can save all of us from death and eternal damnation. He died so that we might live forever more. Somebody say “hallelujah – thank you Jesus.” His death was a sacrifice – he gave his life to save ours.

Death on the cross was slow but sure. It is believed that some strong men hung for a couple of days before they died. History tells us that the Romans were so wicked that when daylight faded, the bodies were burned alive to serve as lamps by night for those who used the busy road in front of them. Our Savior was beaten so badly that he did not last more than 3 hours. During that time there was darkness over the land. At 3 in the evening he cried out with a loud voice to his father and said “it is finished.” His head dropped to a side as he gave up his spirit. Oh, I hope you can feel that moment! It must have been very difficult for the Father to allow his son to be murdered. I can’t imagine the pain and yet all of heaven would have been rejoicing because the battle was over and the victory was won – won for you and me. Notice Jesus never said “I am finished” but rather “it is finished” referring to his redeeming work of the cross. Through Him we are washed in his blood and cleansed by his Spirit forever. Hallelujah! Let us never forget to thank our Lord daily for his sacrifice on the cross!

Jesus’ dead body was taken down from the cross and placed in a tomb. Our reading for today tells us that

“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.” Yes, while it was still dark and long before the city began to awake Mary Magdalene was hastily making her way to the tomb. She probably never slept at all or at the very least had a restless night. Losing someone you love should break your heart and cause grief and pain. I don't know about you but I often shed a tear or two when I think about how much our God has done for us. If you read the gospels of Mark and Luke you will see that Mary was going there early to anoint the body of Jesus. The scriptures do not say nor can it cover every detail but I believe besides the anointing, Mary was probably going there to wipe off the dry blood from the body of Jesus. His wounded side needed to be cleaned up and his hair now matted with clots of blood from the wounds of the crown of thorns had to be combed out. Only a woman knows these details. Some say a woman should not be in the pulpit but thank the Lord for the silent ministry of millions of women around the world.