Easter: What is the Meaning of This?
1 Corinthians 15: 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Hebrews 2: 9 But we see Jesus, who was made [f]a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
The phrase “What is the meaning of this?” conjures up various images in our heads. Some bill you get in the mail that you didn’t expect, some disruptive change in the normal course of your life, some discovered betrayal from someone you thought was a friend. Or, when you run across something that everybody understands but you.
Some people come to Easter that way. They may have experienced an Easter celebration before, with bunnies, and colored eggs, candy, and dinner with ham on Sunday. But some time into their adulthood, they hear the back story. The story of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection. And they don’t know how to connect the new outfit they got from their grandma, to this ancient, horrific crucifixion story. So, they ask, “What is the meaning of this?”
And they especially don’t understand why some people, those Christians, gather every Easter, in fact, every Sunday, to celebrate Jesus’ death, that somehow that death gives their life meaning.
People search for meaning in their lives, but this story would seem to be the last place to find meaning.
In 1979, a study was done among teenagers in Sweden, who were asked to respond to the statement, "I think the following could give my life more meaning..." Of those surveyed, eighty-seven percent thought that meaning could be found in a good job, eighty-five percent thought it could be found in a marriage partner, and eighty-four percent thought it could be found in sports and recreation. Only fifteen percent thought that reading the Bible and prayer could help, and another fifteen percent indicated that they thought alcohol could help.
About eight percent considered the question of the meaning of life important, yet eighty percent considered it unimportant whether Jesus existed as a man on earth or not. Also, eighty-five percent considered it unimportant whether Jesus is the Son of God or not. A full seventy-five percent concluded that the question of God's existence is unimportant.
Jim Peterson, Living Proof, NavPress, 1989, pp. 35.
But the story of Easter contradicts that assessment. Every year, every Sunday, every day, some of us celebrate Easter, because it is the meaning of life for us. Let me correct that statement, it is not the meaning of life “for us,” it is the meaning of life. It is everything.
So, today, I just wanted to answer that simple question regarding Easter; “What is the meaning of this?” And I am going to answer it with the verse we read together at the start of this sermon.
1 Corinthians 15: 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
There is your outline for today’s sermon; Easter’s meaning; Death, Burial, and Resurrection
Let’s pray.
Death, Burial, and Resurrection; It’s the story of Jesus. He died by crucifixion. He was buried. He rose from the grave. But what does that mean?
And what does it mean that Christians spiritually follow Him in His death, burial, and resurrection?
Romans 6:5 5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection;
1 Peter 1:3 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Well, I think one of the best explanations comes through an illustration in the book of Hebrews.
Hebrews 2: 9 But we see Jesus, who was made [f]a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Jesus became the captain of our salvation. In the Greek the word is “archegon.” It has been translated, “originator,” “author,” “leader,” “source,” and “pioneer.”
I like “pioneer.”
The Greek word for “pioneer” is archegon, and it means “one who leads the way.” Sort of like a person bushwhacking through the jungle—his or her machete carving out a path. “Follow me, everyone!”
The Greek word is 'archegon' which is made of 'arche' (beginning, authority, prince, first place) and 'ago' (I lead or go). Thus, Jesus Christ is the one who leads us into the presence of God.
'He is the Saviour who blazed the trail of salvation along which alone God's 'many sons' could be brought to glory. Man, created by God for His glory, was prevented by sin from attaining that glory until the Son of Man came and opened up by His death a new way by which man might reach the goal for which he was made. As His people's representative and forerunner He has now entered into the presence of God to secure their entry there.' (FF Bruce, p43).
The picture we have of Jesus is a true pioneer of salvation, blazing His way through death so He could lead us into the land of God’s glory.
He blazed the trail for us, not as an example for us to follow. But He cleared the pathway, making a highway, so we wouldn’t have to endure the pain of trying to clear the path.
And here is the path that He cleared; death, burial, and resurrection. Let’s look first at death. Jesus cleared “death” from our pathway.
I. Death
A. Definition
You say, “But we all still have to die. So how can you say that Jesus cleared it out of our way?”
Well, the death that I am referring to is not physical death, it is the second death.
Revelation 2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. He who overcomes won’t be harmed by the second death.
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him one thousand years.
Revelation 20:14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
And the second death is the consequence for sin. That is illustrated by the punishments for the Mosaic law. Practically every violation of the law, provided a punishment. And, 9 times out of ten, that punishment was death.
B. Worst possible punishment
Exodus 21:12 “One who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death,
Exodus 21:15 “Anyone who attacks his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.
Exodus 21:16 “Anyone who kidnaps someone and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
Exodus 21:17 “Anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
Exodus 21:29 But if the bull had a habit of goring in the past, and this has been testified to its owner, and he has not kept it in, but it has killed a man or a woman, the bull shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death.
Exodus 22:19 “Whoever has sex with an animal shall surely be put to death.
Exodus 35:2 ‘Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of solemn rest to Yahweh: whoever does any work in it shall be put to death.
Leviticus 20:2 “Moreover, you shall tell the children of Israel, ‘Anyone of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners in Israel, who gives any of his offspring to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone that person with stones.
Leviticus 20:4 If the people of the land all hide their eyes from that person when he gives of his offspring to Molech, and don’t put him to death,
Leviticus 20:9 “‘For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon himself.
Denise and I have had this conversation before, “Why was death the punishment for everything? Some of these things just don’t seem to be that bad. They don’t seem to me to be worthy of death.” But there’s our problem. We look at sin through our human eyes, not through God’s eyes. And through God’s eyes, every sin deserves what? Death And not just physical death, eternal death. The second death.
Look at it,
Revelation 21:8 But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
So, obviously, if God thinks that even the smallest sin deserves the eternal torment and separation of Hell, then the earthly punishment for practically everything is going to be the worst we can give; capital punishment.
C. The Pioneer
So, Jesus is our pioneer. He clears the way for us. He clears death from the pathway. How? By bearing our consequence Himself. 2 Corinthians 5:21 21 For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
I was trying to think of a way to illustrate this. It reminded me of a show I watch; Forensic Files. The show is about how forensics, or scientific evidence, has been the key to bringing many criminals to justice. And one of the ways that has advanced rapidly over the last 50 years has been the identification of DNA, as a microscopic fingerprint.
Well, I watched one of these programs. And a crime was committed where the criminal left their DNA at the scene of the crime. The police came to believe that a certain person, Chad Price, was responsible for the crime, but they couldn’t prove it. So, they called the man in for questioning. They asked him if he wanted a can of pop. He said yes. He drank it, and then discarded the can when he left. The police collected the can from the trash, swabbed it for DNA, and WALA, his DNA matched the DNA from the crime scene.
The story doesn’t end there. He is arrested. But he got a lawyer. He claimed that he never touched the pop can, and that if they tested him again, it would prove he was innocent. They tested him again, this second DNA sample did not match the crime scene. What happened?
At that time, in jail, when the jailor called you to take a DNA test. Let’s say your name is Chad Price. The jailor came into the jail common room and said, “Chad Price! Where’s Chad Price? You have to have a DNA test.” Now, how do they know that you are Chad Price? Why, you are wearing a little plastic wristband with your name and fingerprint on it.
But what happens if the prisoner’s switch wristbands? Now the DNA sample doesn’t match the name. But what prisoner would do that? I’m in for robbery, you’re in for murder, you say, “Hey, do you wanna switch armbands with me?” No way
But that’s what happened in this case; another prisoner, Derrick Perry, stood up when Chad Price’s name was called. And, for a few days anyway, his blood declared that Chad Price was innocent.
That’s what Jesus did. When we come to Him in faith. Believing in His atoning death, repenting for our sin. When we stand before God to be judged, when it comes time to meet out punishment for our capital crimes, the angels call out, “Bruce Hays! It’s time to judge your guilt.” But Jesus stands up in my stead, because He died on my behalf.
So, Jesus pioneered my way through death. He went through the valley of the shadow of spiritual death for me, so I wouldn’t have to.
1 Corinthians 15: 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
He not only died, but He was buried. What is the meaning of that?
II. Burial
A. Defintion
The second part of the meaning to Easter is burial. Jesus died on the cross, and was buried. What is the meaning of burial? I looked up all the references to somebody being buried in Scripture, and they were almost universally the same.
Genesis 25:10 10 the field which Abraham purchased from the children of Heth. Abraham was buried there with Sarah, his wife
Genesis 35:8 8 Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and its name was called Allon Bacuth
Genesis 50:14 14 Joseph returned into Egypt—he, and his brothers, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.
To bury a dead body really signifies that this life is over. It is a separation between the living and the dead. A burial indicates the end of one life, and the continuance of those who remain alive.
And, though it’s not always the case, burial of the dead often indicates forgetting them. We put them out of sight, out of the city, away from our lives.
Ecclesiastes 8:10 10 So I saw the wicked buried. Indeed, they came also from holiness. They went and were forgotten in the city where they did this. This also is vanity.
In fact, burial is a positive thing in Scripture. It is only the cursed who are not buried.
Jeremiah 8:2 2 They will spread them before the sun, the moon, and all the army of the sky, which they have loved, which they have served, after which they have walked, which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered or be buried. They will be like dung on the surface of the earth.
Burial is taking that which is decaying and corrupting and removing it from the living world.
B. Jesus and burial
And that picture really tells you why we are told that Jesus died, and was buried.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
He performed a spiritual work on our behalf not only in His death, but also in His burial. He atoned for our sins in His death, He carried those sins away from us in His burial.
And it’s not that He literally took our sins and put them in a hole in the earth somewhere. He is the pioneer.
Colossians 2:11-13 11 In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 You were dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh. He made you alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
Romans 6:3-5 3 Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection;
So, we can walk in newness of life, we don’t need that old body of sin. When Jesus returns, prophecy says that men will be employed in finding and burying dead bodies. To purify the land. That’s a picture of salvation. We are saved, but we often continue to carry around this body of sin. Jesus comes along and points out some dead body in the land, and instructs us to bury it. Then in the end, the land is pure.
Death is not extinguishing the light from the Christian; it is putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.
15 pieces of trash and when they will disintegrate:
Paper
traffic ticket: 2-4 weeks
Cotton rag: 1-5 months
Degradable polyethylene bag: 2-3 months
Piece of rope: 3-14 months
Wool stockings: 1 year
Bamboo pole: 1-3 years
Unpainted wooden stake: 1-4 years
Painted wooden stake: 13 years
Wooden light pole: 15-36 years
Railroad crosstie: 30 years
Tin or steel can: 100 years
Aluminum can: 200-500 years
Plastic six pack cover: 450 years
Glass coke bottle: unknown
But the moment of a Christians death, all the sin, disobedience, selfishness, is gone. It was already buried when Jesus went into the grave.
III. Resurrection
So, this is the meaning of Easter; death, burial, and resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15: 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
A. Definition
But what about resurrection? If anything summarizes the message of Easter, it’s resurrection. That’s the symbolism behind eggs, and spring colors, and bunnies and chicks, and new clothes.
But it is also the part of the Easter story that the world finds most unbelievable. Jesus rose from the dead, to pioneer the way for His followers to eventually raise from the dead.
The world’s thoughts on resurrection is that it is either the stuff of horror fiction or science fiction. It just doesn’t happen.
And resurrection, up until Christ, was the doctrine that was believed, but never happened. They talked about the resurrection, but it never happened.
But then along comes Jesus, and he not only heals the sick, cast out demons, cleanses the lepers, makes the blind to see and the deaf to her, but He raises the dead. And He has been telling Hid disciples that He will be crucified, buried, and rise from the dead.
But Jesus is the exception.
Acts 2:31 22 “Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him among you, even as you yourselves know, 23 him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed; 24 whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,
‘I saw
the Lord always before my face,
for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved.
26 Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue
rejoiced.
Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope;
27 because you will not leave my soul in
Hades,[b]
neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay.
28 You made known to me the ways of life.
You will make me full of gladness with your presence.’Psalm
16:8-11
29 “Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul wasn’t left in Hades,[c] and his flesh didn’t see decay.
Romans 1:4 4 who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
He is our pioneer. He was resurrected to blaze the path for our resurrection.
1 Peter 1:3 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Philippians 3:10 10 that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death,
The predictive element; One of the greatest evidences for the truth of the gospel is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. And because He knew that He would be crucified, buried, and would rise, it is further evidence to it’s truth. Jesus repeatedly told His disciples that He would die, and then rise from death.
Matthew 17:9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Don’t tell anyone what you saw, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.”
Matthew 27:63 saying, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise again.’
It was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy that the Messiah would rise from the dead.
Acts 17:3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”
But the beauty of God’s revelation to us is that prophecy always has two components; the immediate, and the long term.
Jesus prophesied that He would rise from the grave, and Old Testament prophecy said the same. But both also prophesied that in the last day, God will resurrect the faithful.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first
We can bank the promise of our resurrection on the fact that Jesus already blazed the trail for us.
What is the meaning of this? You won’t find the answer in this world.
Charles W. Colson, The Body, 1992, Word Publishing, pp. 168-169.
There is a relationship which makes life complete. Without that relationship, there is a void, a vacuum in life. Many people, even those who are well-known, can attest to that void.
For example, H.G. Wells, famous historian and philosopher, said at age 61: "I have no peace. All life is at the end of the tether." The poet Byron said, "My days are in yellow leaf, the flowers and fruits of life are gone, the worm and the canker, and the grief are mine alone." The literary genius Thoreau said, "Most men live lives of quiet desperation."
Ralph Barton, one of the top cartoonists of the nations, left this note pinned to his pillow before taking his own life: "I have had few difficulties, many friends, great successes; I have gone from wife to wife, from house to house, visited great countries of the world, but I am fed up with inventing devices to fill up twenty-four hours of the day."
Morning Glory, May 29, 1993.
1 Corinthians 15: 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
Hebrews 2: 9 But we see Jesus, who was made [f]a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.