Celebrating Easter through God’s Eyes
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Celebrating the holy day of Easter is expected in Christian culture. But at the thought of another Easter, do Christians’ hearts overflow with joy? Or do their eyes glaze over? Have Christians become somewhat apathetic about Easter?
Enthusiasm grows with a fresh approach. In this case, we might consider the Easter story from a unique perspective. What could be more inspiring than the perspective of God?
Have We Missed the Full Story Behind Easter?
On a trip to Israel in 2012, I joined a small group of Christians one Sunday as they sat near the Southern Stairs — sometimes called the “Rabbis’ Stairs” or “Teaching Stairs” — the place where rabbis taught their disciples. Our little group enjoyed the teaching of two scholarly men of God. That Sunday, one taught about the familiar story of the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Easter story was a message I’d heard many times, but it came alive in that sacred place.
The teachers described details from biblical writers and historians that piqued my interest, but what really caught my attention was a Scripture: “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14, emphasis mine). I’d heard the verse before, but that Sunday it hit me hard. In spite of all the characters present at Jesus’ death and resurrection, God the Father was behind it all!
Let’s consider all the players in the drama of the Easter story, and then backtrack a bit to understand more about its truth from God’s perspective.
What Part Did Earthly Characters Play in the Easter Story?
Easter is not simply about the physical death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, though it is that. The perspective of the participants is important too. Just imagine all the vantage points — for good and evil — during the Lord’s death and His resurrection a few days later.
What about Jesus’ perspective? In Matthew 26:36-46, Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb of God, meekly surrendered His will before He was arrested, tried, and condemned to die. Years ago, people tried to imagine the anguish of the cross. As medical science examined evidence about Roman crucifixion, Christians’ better understood the Lord’s excruciating pain. But what was Jesus thinking on the cross?
The simple answer might be that while He could have called for thousands of rescuing angels, Jesus likely thought about His friends and followers, and all who would yet come to Him for salvation through faith. Many have said it was His love and not the nails that fastened Jesus to the cross. We can also understand Jesus’ thoughts about the resurrection from statements He made before the cross.
We know something about the roles and responses of those closest to Jesus too. The three Marys, including Jesus’ mother and other caring women, stayed with Jesus until His death. The disciples should have played a role at the cross, but we read about their desertions and Peter’s denials. Only John, “the one whom Jesus loved,” showed his devotion at the cross. We read about the disciples’ perspective after Easter through the gospel records. They boldly and powerfully proclaimed the Lord’s resurrection.
The Roman guards were on the scene, carrying out Pilate’s command to crucify Jesus. One centurion offered his perspective after watching how Jesus died and realizing He was no criminal. The centurion testified, “Truly this was the Son of God” (Matt. 27:54). We also know the perspective of the two criminals crucified alongside Jesus. Though both mocked Him at first, ultimately, one expressed faith in the dying Savior.
Members of the Sanhedrin — the Pharisees and other religious leaders — schemed to have Jesus killed and were no doubt present to mock Jesus and make sure He could no longer trouble them. Imagine the perspective of the angry, mocking crowd that had earlier cried out to Pontius Pilate, “Crucify him!” They were suddenly terrified at the crucifixion when the earth shook and rocks split open, breaking open many tombs. Matthew tells us many holy people escaped from their tombs after the resurrection!
What Happened Beyond Human Actions?
In the heavenly realm, the angels, captivated by the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection, longed to understand the mystery of the atonement (1 Peter 1:12). They watched attentively from heaven. God’s holy angels are sinless; they always choose to obey God in their service to Him. There’s no need for their redemption. But imagine their amazement as they saw the love of God in action, redeeming sinners. Did they clap and cheer when Jesus rose triumphant from the grave?
On the other hand, consider the viewpoint of the enemy, Satan, and all the fallen angels. Jesus fulfilled the prophecy in Genesis 3:15 concerning the serpent, Satan. The devil was obsessed with killing the Messiah and likely celebrated as he thought the cross was his greatest victory. But imagine Satan’s shriek of terror and fury as Jesus, rising from the dead, triumphed over him and all his demonic hoard.
There was one more person involved in the Easter story, the most important person — God.
Why Is God’s Perspective of Easter Important?
The greatest perspective of what the Father did is found in Ephesians 2:4-5. “But God…” He made the difference in believers’ salvation and eternal destination. God’s perspective of Easter is important because it involves His character and the big “why” of His plan.
1. God Is Forever Holy and Righteous
Because God is holy, no human can approach Him. And because He is righteous, sin must be covered. That is one part of God’s perspective on Easter. Without the shedding of blood, there is no covering. In the Old Testament, spotless lambs were sacrificed to temporarily atone for sin; but in Christ, the spotless Lamb, sins are atoned for once and forever (Hebrews 9:11-22). The crucifixion demonstrated God’s hatred of sin and the justice sin deserves. Jesus paid it all so we could be forgiven. We are saved and made right with God, not by our works, but by His grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).
2. God Repeatedly Pointed to the Need for Salvation
From the Garden of Eden onward, God saw the desperate condition of mankind. The cross was foreshadowed when the first animal was slain by God to make coverings for the first human sinners, Adam and Eve, and when Abel offered an acceptable sacrifice to God.
In Genesis, the cross was also foreshadowed in a substitute sacrifice—a ram taking Isaac’s place (Genesis 22:7-13). It was clearly pictured in Exodus in the blood of the slain lambs in Egypt at the first Passover. All the Levitical sacrifices outlined in the Old Testament were “a shadow of the things that were to come” in Christ. In the wilderness, Moses obeyed God in lifting up a brass serpent as a means of deliverance from death after Israel’s rebellion against Him and Moses’ leadership.
3. God Demonstrated His Great Love
Salvation begins in the heart of God. Most Christians can quote John 3:16 — that God “so loved” those under the curse of sin that He gave them an incredible, precious gift. In demonstrating His great love (Romans 5:8), God offers mercy, salvation, and eternal security to all who place their trust in what Jesus accomplished on the cross. In the resurrection, Jesus “sealed the deal” as He conquered not only sin but death. He assured His disciples, “Because I live, “you also will live” (John 14:19).
4. God Prepared the Way
Perhaps the most intriguing perspective on the Easter story is that God designed everything necessary to make Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection possible. For example, God sent His Son to earth “when the set time had fully come” (Galatians 4:4). God rules the nations, and He allowed the Romans to be in power — one of the nations that used the slow, painful death of crucifixion to execute criminals. God inspired the psalmist and prophets to make statements that Christians believe pointed to the Messiah (for example, Psalm 22:16-17; Isaiah 53).
What Role Did God Play in His Son’s Death?
God was certainly involved in setting the scene, but did He cause His Son’s death?
At first glance, Jesus’ death was a conspiracy involving Herod and Pontius Pilate, Jewish religious leaders, and Roman soldiers. We might also say that Judas and the people of Israel caused Jesus’ death. They were all definitely agents in the crucifixion.
But God allowed Jesus to be put to death at the hands of Romans and Jews. Acts 2:23 explains: “This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” God’s sovereign will worked through sinful humans to accomplish His holy, eternal purposes.
God acted purposefully as Jesus suffered on the cross. He made His sinless Son to become sin for us so we can become righteous. God did that. Remember, He sent His Son to be the Savior. Jesus was not a victim. He was sent to suffer and die, and He voluntarily surrendered to the Father’s will.
Furthermore, after Jesus’ death and burial, God acted again. He did not allow death to have the final word. (Actually, all three members of the trinity apparently played a part in raising Jesus from the dead — Father, Spirit, and Son.) Paul says, “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him” (Romans 6:8). Because of God’s plan, and allowing sinful agents to execute that plan, sin and death have no dominion over believers. There is now no condemnation, no guilty verdict or punishment, for those who are in Christ.
Is the Resurrection the Center Point of Your Faith?
When Jesus died, the heavy curtain in the Temple ripped from top to bottom (Matthew 27:50-51). It signified two things:
First, it was proof that Jesus’ sacrifice was a sufficient atonement forever. There would be no further human sacrifices for sin. The resurrection was the Father’s clear sign or proof that Jesus is the Son of God who conquered death and now reigns over all. It’s a profound truth. Why? Without the resurrection, our faith would be worthless and we would remain in our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17).
The resurrection is based on historical truths, not myths. New Testament writers and non-Christians like Josephus reference Jesus appearing, restored to life, on the third day. Within seven weeks after Jesus’ resurrection, the apostles were already preaching in Jerusalem that He was alive. Jesus was seen by no fewer than 516 witnesses over a period of several weeks — 500 of them at one time. These were not visions or hallucinations. The power of the resurrection became believers’ center point and cornerstone of faith.
The second thing the ripped Temple curtain signified was access to the Father. God no longer dwells in a temple made with human hands. The disciples would continue to teach this truth — that believers can now come to the throne of God in prayer without any mediator except for Jesus.
Clearly, the death and resurrection of Jesus matters. The question is, does it still matter to you? As we sing our Easter hymns and listen to yet another Easter message, let’s renew our understanding of what happened over those few days so long ago. One of the freshest approaches of all might be to see Easter through the Father’s eyes.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/artplus
