How do you capitalize on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? It is a wondrous and wonderful story. Mel Gibson recreated the Passion of Christ in all of its brutality. We saw the betrayal by Judas Iscariot, We watched in horror as the Temple guard dragged Jesus for His trial by the Sanhedrin, the Israeli high religious tribunal. He was convicted by the lies of false witnesses and abandoned by his closest followers. The story told of Mary, His mother, following the trials He went through. We saw her mopping up the blood on the floor following the beating by the soldiers of Rome. Satan walked beside Him as He was forced to drag His heavy cross to the place of His crucifixion.

Jesus died a horrible death on the cross. The sun went dark, the earth rolled in protest, and Satan smiled a smile of victory. The High Priest and his followers had rid themselves of the meddler from Galilee.

On the morning of the third day the true story of Easter unfolded. Like the Texas spring morning after a frontal system has passed through, the whole earth took on a sparkle and a newness of life when the women came and found the tomb empty. Mel Gibson told this part of the story but he majored in the brutality of men, while the Easter story is the story of the Love of God.

Jesus went to the cross in obedience to the will of God. He did not have to go. He had all of the powers of the Father in His hand. With a nod He could have called legions of angels to come to His aid. He could have overthrown the mighty Caesar and been the most powerful man on Earth. Yet He did none of those things. He survived the trial, the beating, the nails through His hands and feet, only to die the death of a common criminal. Yet He could have stopped any place along the Via Dolorosa. In the Sanhedrin, before Pontius Pilate, in front of the puppet king Herod, before a whiplash could be applied and before the nails were placed through His hands. If He had, the message to the world would have been disastrous. Jesus would have said, “I love you but I do not love you enough to go through this pain and torture.”

The beauty of Easter is newness of life. It is the cry of agony that “It is finished” that should have wiped the smile off of the face of Satan. It was Satan himself who was finished and Christ did the work for which He had come into the world.

Each of us should have our own private celebration today as we make our way to church. Death has been conquered and the resurrection life dwells in each of us. We sing our Hosannas and lift Him up … there are many in the crowds who attend your church today who do not really know this Savior. We pray for them that this will be the first Easter of a new life in the Master of the day.=