—by Vernon C Lyons
Easter is God’s joke on the Devil.
Easter is also God’s joke on the
jeering Jews who shouted, “Crucify,
Crucify!”
Easter is also God’s joke on the
jeering Jews who shouted, “Crucify,
Crucify!”
Easter is also a prank on Pilate
who thought crucifying Christ
would solve his problems.
Easter likewise lampoons the liberal
theologians who deny a literal
physical resurrection, thus making
the same blunder as the Sadducees
of Christ’s time.
The mouth of the empty tomb
mocks all who minimize God’s
miracle-working power.
The resurrection is God’s reply
to those who think they can keep
Christ confined to the cross or
trapped in the tomb.
The devil always wanted Christ's
death. Scarcely had the Savior been
born when satan, through King
Herod, tried to kill Him (Matthew
2:13). Later satan tempted Christ to
jump to His death from the 130-foot
temple pinnacle.
The people of Nazareth were
agitated by satan to make an attempt
on Christ’s life (Luke 4:29).
So also the Jews in Jerusalem tried
to kill Him (John 5:18). The Pharisees
held a special meeting to plot
Christ’s death(Matthew 12:14), and
satan keeps working to arrange for
Christ’s capture (John 7:23). Again
satan moves the people to stone the
Savior (John 8:59).
The determined devil on another
occasion stirs up Jews to stone
Christ (John 8:31) and rigorously,
but unsuccessfully, pursues this plan
(John 11:53).
Finally satan is successful in nailing
Christ to the cross. The women
gathered at Golgotha are weeping,
but God the Father is smiling. Stupid
satan has become part of God’s
great plan to provide salvation for
the lost sinners through the sacrifice
of His Son. This apparent setback
does not upset God who knows the
outcome. The resurrection ridicules
satan. Easter is God’s joke on the
devil.
outcome. The resurrection ridicules
satan. Easter is God’s joke on the
devil.
Make certain that Easter is not
God’s joke on you! You may ignore
the Son of God, disregard the Word
of God, neglect the church of God,
and fail to receive the gift of everlasting
life so freely offered to you,
but the Redeemer is raised—Christ
is the conqueror!
Today Jesus stands before you as
the Saviour asking you to repent
(Mark 1:14,15) and you have the
opportunity to receive Him as Savior
in order to become a child of God
(John 1:12).
Yes, salvation through the Lord
Jesus Christ is a choice, but God is
not optional and you cannot refuse
to appear at the Last Judgment nor
appeal your sentence. The resurrection
is the awesome reminder
that the last move is God’s! CL
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