# What does Easter mean to you?
Jesus was tried and, even being innocent, He was
condemned. He was rejected, carried His own cross and was crucified. We are
close to Easter, the celebration of Jesus’ victory over death. But there is no
Easter without the cross. There is no Easter without carrying the cross. There
is no Easter without death. Pilates, even though he knew Jesus was innocent,
gave Him into the hands of the chief priests. They made Him carry His own cross
up to the place called Golgotha, meaning
Skull), where He was going to be crucified. This was a place where they piled
the bones of the dead who were buried in that spot but after some time had to
be exhumed to give room to other dead bodies.
There is, even, a tradition that says Adam’s skull was buried at that
place. The place for the burial of the first Adam would also be the burial site
for the second Adam, Jesus. But He was not alone. He was crucified between two
thieves, so to give Him the fame of a criminal. Close by there was a garden, with a new tomb.
There Jesus was laid.
The relevance of this event is huge for us. First because
through the sacrifice of Jesus we can be saved. His death and resurrection are
the keys for a full eternal life. When we believe in what Jesus has done for
us, taking our place because we were the sinners deserving death, we are
justified, considered innocent, forgiven and we become part of God’s family.
The death and resurrection of Jesus are relevant as well because give us the
example to be followed. Jesus carried His cross, so we should carry our own cross (Matthew
16:24), accepting our duty as Christians and bear the suffering
that comes with it. Jesus died, so we also have to die. We have to die to
ourselves (EGO), die to our passions, our desires and wishes (Romans 6:9-14). Christ
was buried so we have to be buried and this is done through the water baptism
(Romans 6:3,4; Mark 16:16). After that we can experience resurrection, starting
at first in our spirit until the day when we are going to experience it in our
bodies. This is called salvation and it starts here and now, when we believe in
what Jesus did for us and when we accept His example for our lives by obeying
His commandments.
Read Exodus 33:18,20. If you want to have a revelation of
who God is you can not be alive because no one can see God and live. You have
to die. But remember: death is always followed by resurrection.
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