Hope for the hopeless

"Jesus was not only crucified, He was butchered. His death, and the beatings which preceded it, were horrible. But all this was done for a purpose. He endured and died, so we could have hope. Eternal life in Heaven. Forgiveness of sins - no matter how grievous they were."

I have often wondered, what our world would be like if there were no Christmas. If there were no Good Friday. If there were no resurrection on Easter. And (get ready) - it there were no people who saw Jesus, once He was resurrected. Why is that so important? Because without appearing to many different people, the story might have ended right there.

Years ago, my wife and I were involved with the Alpha Program at our church. It was a program primarily for seekers or baby Christians. However, many mature Christians also took the course. Everybody learned something. We were students for the first class, and then were leaders for the next five courses. It was one of the best things we ever did for our faith walk. Truthfully - even though it has been years, we would do it again in a heartbeat.

During the one of the teaching sessions, one of the pastors had an interesting take on the resurrection. He focused on how important it was that Jesus appeared to so many. History shows that Jesus not only appeared to the Twelve, but also 500 other people. Back in those days, that was a lot of people! The Romans searched far and wide for the body of Jesus. To this day, never a trace. As people of faith know, it is because Jesus is alive today. AND - having so many people see Him on or after Easter Sunday, was very, very important.

The story of Jesus is one which changed the world like it had never been changed before. It changed the calendar. It changed hopelessness into hope. It changed everything for everyone for ever more. Years ago while driving around the Camden area of North Minneapolis, I saw a very moving Easter billboard. It had a three word message which really said it all. "Easter is forever". Nothing in this world can ever change that. No amount of pain, suffering or tyranny can change that message. And so long as we have that message, there is hope for the hopeless.

The Passion of the Christ is streaming on Fox Nation right now. In that movie, Mel Gibson showed us in very uncomfortable detail what Max Lucato has said for years. Jesus was not only crucified, He was butchered. His death, and the beatings which preceded it, were horrible. But all this was done for a purpose. He endured and died, so we could have hope. Eternal life in Heaven. Forgiveness of sins - no matter how grievous they were.

Happy Easter everyone! If you are a believer, you understand what I mean. If you are not a believer, Easter is for you also. All you need do is accept this most wonderful gift.