The Revelation Of Easter

The Revelation of Easter

Matthew 26-28

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As we prepare for this upcoming Easter, or more accurately, Resurrection Sunday, we need to ask the question, “What’s so important about it? What’s the big deal?

Well to start with, it was this one event that forever changed the world we live in, and since then nothing has been the same. If you think about it, even the calendars we use are set by this event. History itself is split in two by this one event.

Now, we often point to the birth of Jesus as this event since our calendars divide history by it, but without the Resurrection, Jesus’s birth would have been mute, that is, it wouldn’t have even been remembered.

For you see, it was on this Sunday that Jesus proved His claim that He was God and that He came to earth to save us.

Today I’d like to look at the events that happened in these three days, along with their implications and what they revealed. It began with the trials that revealed His purpose, His death that revealed His passion, and the resurrection revealed His power to fulfill His promise.

The Trial Revealed Jesus’s Purpose

            (Matthew 26:57-68)

Fearing the Jewish populace due to Jesus’s popularity, the religious leaders secretly had Jesus arrested at night, and from that evening until the following morning Jesus endured several religious and civil trials. In the end, nothing was found that was worthy of death. In fact, there was no crime at all, no accusation would stick as witnesses continued to contradict themselves.

But there was one thing and one thing only that convicted Jesus, and that was the purpose of His coming. It was that He was indeed the Messiah, the Son of God.

“And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest's courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end. Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward and said, This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ And the high priest arose and said to Him, ‘Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?’ But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, ‘I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, ‘He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! What do you think?’ They answered and said, ‘He is deserving of death.’ Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, ‘Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?’” (Matthew 26:57-68)

The purpose of these trials was to reveal exactly who Jesus was, and His purpose.

So, Caiaphas began by putting Jesus under oath by the living God, which is similar but much more intense than our own, “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God.” And Jesus, in whom there was no sin, could not lie. So He responded truthfully.

Now, Caiaphas’s statement had nothing to do with what the witnesses said, because he knew that such a charge to rebuild the temple in three days would have Jesus scorned, but not convicted. So Caiaphas asked Jesus what His ultimate purpose was by asking Him if He was the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.

And Jesus replied, “It is as you said. Nevertheless.” He basically said, and I am paraphrasing, , “You’ve said it, but you haven’t understood it. It’s as you said, but not in the way you meant.”

The elders of Israel didn’t understand because they were looking for a King who would deliver them from their present oppressors, the Romans, but not from the ultimate oppressor, Satan, and the problem of sin. You see, it was to settle the sin problem that defined the purpose of Jesus’s coming.

Jesus said, “For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Matthew 9:13b NKJV)