<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I was young, Easter was definitely lower on my list of holiday favorites. How could it compare to opening presents on Christmas morning, or trick or treating at Halloween? Sure, we got Easter baskets with some candy, but growing up in the church meant that we had to be at church especially early for Easter Sunday\u2019s sunrise service. What seven-year-old likes getting up at 6 am (or adult for that matter)? As a child, I always resonated with the Christmas message, much more than the Easter message. God sending His Son into the world as a baby made sense to me. \u201cGod wanted to be with us,\u201d I thought, \u201cso He came into this world in Bethlehem.\u201d Though the Christmas message is truly amazing, now that I\u2019m older, I\u2019ve come to cherish Easter, realizing that without it, there is no \u201cJoy to the World.\u201d Without Easter, Christmas is dead, for without it, humanity would still be separated from God because of sin, still destined for judgment, and still without hope or joy. The cross and the resurrection changed this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Matthew 27, when Jesus died, it\nsays He let out a loud voice, and the moment this happened the veil in the\ntemple was torn in two from top to bottom. This is enormously significant. In\nJesus\u2019s day, the people worshiped God at the temple in Jerusalem. In the very\ncenter of the temple was a room called, \u201cThe Holy of Holies,\u201d which was the\nearthly dwelling place of God\u2019s Holy presence among the people. The book of\nHebrews tells us that there was a veil in the temple that separated the Holy of\nHolies from the rest of the temple where man dwelt, which was a picture of\nhumanities\u2019 separation from God because of sin. No one but the high priest was\npermitted to pass beyond this veil, and if anyone else did, they would be\nstruck dead immediately. Once each year the high priest would enter into God’s\npresence to make atonement for the people\u2019s sins. But the atonement was only\ntemporary. The sacrifice was not enough and would have to be repeated every year.\nBut when Christ died, no further sacrifice would be needed. No further payment\nfor sin need be paid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Christ died, the veil was torn in two, which was no small feat. Jewish tradition holds that the veil that covered the Holy of Holies was nearly sixty feet high and four inches thick. So, when God Himself tore this massive veil in two from top to bottom, it was God\u2019s message to the world that He Himself had removed the barrier between God and man. The Joy that was born into the world on Christmas morning had died to pay for humanities\u2019 sin so the barrier between a Holy God and sinful man could be forever removed, and the resurrection proved it. Though humanity was kicked out of the garden of Eden because of sin, we can now re-enter again by grace through faith in Christ, to live with our Creator who is the source of life-giving joy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When I was young, Easter was definitely lower on my list of holiday favorites. How could it compare to opening presents on Christmas morning, or trick or treating at Halloween? Sure, we got Easter baskets with some candy, but growing up in the church meant that we had to be at church especially early for…
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