The sun set on a day of death – a day of anguish and suffering, of immense grief when friends and family cried out, “How could God allow this? Why should the innocent suffer needlessly?” These questions deserved an answer on the day Jesus died. He had been betrayed by His own disciple, whisked through an unfair trail, charged with crimes He never committed, mocked, and beaten. Yet in all this, Jesus never opened His mouth to defend Himself. He knew what was coming – the cruelest, most humiliating, and tortuous death of the times – public crucifixion. He could have stopped it. He told His disciples, “Don’t you realize I could call down legions of angels right now to defend me?” 1 So why didn’t He stop this?
Because there was a plan.
He had earlier told His disciples, “The Son of Man must suffer these things and be killed.” 2 God had a plan to redeem the world through the death of His only Son. As the Israelites had offered a perfect lamb as a sacrifice for their sins, so Jesus, sinless Lamb of God, would pay for the sins of the whole world, for all time. Jesus’ trial and crucifixion were part of that plan. “With the world’s sin on Jesus’ shoulders, God showed us how much He abhors sin, letting His Son die.” 3
It appeared that Satan had won, that evil had triumphed. BUT! That was Friday. Sunday was coming, and God had much more planned. On the third day, God’s angels did come! But this time to roll away the stone that sealed an EMPTY tomb. Jesus was not there. He had risen from the dead! This historical fact, to this day, cannot be disproven.
The end result of God’s plan blew all the questions out of the water. Jesus’ earthly body suffered. But His resurrected body shines eternally! His suffering brought us eternal life as well. Because He lives, we too will live with Him.4
Did evil win on that dark Friday? No! What seemed like tragedy turned into a triumph that changed history!
It gives us hope in our sorrows and losses. Jesus understands our suffering because He too suffered. Yet for the JOY set before Him, He endured to the glorious goal. 5 His triumph shines light into our darkness. He has promised never to leave or forsake us in our pain and suffering. 6 He promises us strength to endure, to carry on towards the HOPE that we have of heaven.
Jesus has risen! Share the hope!
1 Matt.26:53-4; 2 Mark 8:31; 3 Charles Stanley, Pathways to His Presence, 4/1); 4 John 14:19; 5 Hebrews 12:2; 6 Hebrews 13:5