The Wonder Of Easter

The Wonder of Easter

Luke 24:1-12

Isn’t it amazing!?! Isn’t it amazing!?! It’s just amazing! The love of Christ the Son of God displayed for all the world to see. Coming as a baby, leaving the wonders of heaven and being able to side by side with God His Father. Born in a manger, being brought up the son of a carpenter. Being baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist and the Holy Spirit coming down to rest on Him and God the Father speaking from heaven telling the whole world that this is His Son in whom He is well pleased. It’s amazing!

All the miracles He performed during His ministry. Feeding the 5,000 with just a few loaves of bread and a few fish, walking on water, calming the seas and the wind. It’s amazing, even the water and the wind obey Him. He made the blind to see, He made the lame to walk, He raised the dead. It’s amazing! He cast out demons and when He did they told the world around them that He is the Son of God.

His compassion is amazing. His sacrifice, allowing Himself to be arrested, allowing Himself to go through a trial and not even a legal trial, allowing Himself to be put before the Jewish leaders and the people all the while they are yelling at the top of their lungs, “Crucify Him, crucify Him, crucify Him. It’s amazing!

Allowing Himself to be chained to a pole and allowing the Roman soldiers whip Him with the cat o nine tails as they tear open His flesh. Allowing the soldiers to weave a crown out of a branch of thorns and put it on His head and allowing them to put a scarlet robe on Him and mock Him and spit on Him, calling Him the King of the Jews.

Isn’t it amazing! He willingly carried the cross (as far as He physically could) that He would be crucified on. He allowed the soldiers to take His arms and spread them out on the cross and put nails through His hands. He allowed the soldiers to take His feat, put them together on the cross and drive a nail through them and into the wood of the cross.

Isn’t it amazing the things He said on the cross, “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.” And He said this over and over again. “My God, my God why have You forsaken Me?” “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” “It is finished.” It’s amazing Jesus gave up His life! But what for?

That’s what the disciple must have been thinking? For what? Why did He do all of this? Why did Jesus make us His disciples, teach us all that he taught us, and do all the things He did. For what? You see what is extremely amazing about all of this is that the disciples just didn’t get it, they just didn’t understand it! And they wondered what it was all about.

ILLUS: They were kind of like this 3rd string quarterback. Even if you aren’t a sports fan I think you’ll appreciate this story about a college football team whose starting quarterback had just been injured. Their #2 quarterback was sick, and hadn’t even dressed out for the game. All the coach had left was a 3rd-string freshman who had been a quarterback in high school, but who was just being used on the college team as a punter.

To make matters worse, they were backed up on their own 3-yard line. It was a desperate situation, and the coach’s only thought was somehow to get a little farther from their goal line to give them room to punt out of danger.

Sending in the 3rd-string quarterback, the coach said, “Son, I want you to hand off to the big fullback Kowaski for the next two plays, let him run right into the middle of the line and get us a few yards of breathing room. Then I want you to punt.”

The young quarterback did as he was instructed. On the first play he handed off to Kowaski, but almost miraculously Kowaski found a hole off tackle and ran for 50 yards. The young quarterback called the same play again, and once more, miracle of miracles, the hole opened again and Kowaski gained another 45 yards. The fans went crazy. In two plays they had gone 95 yards, and the ball was on their opponent’s 2-yard line. It was first down and goal to go!

Confidently the team lined up once again. The young quarterback received the snap, stepped back and to everyone’s amazement, punted the ball into the end zone. As his stunned teammates came off the field, the coach angrily grabbed the young quarterback and demanded, “What in the world were you thinking about when you called that last play?” The quarterback answered, “I was thinking what a dumb coach we have.” (Melvin Newland - Sermon Central)