Journey To The Cross - Easter Sunday

This day coincides with Sunday April 12, 2009 Resurrection Sunday (Easter) also the "Feast of First Fruits," the first Sunday of the week after the feasts of the "Lord's Passover & Unleavened Bread" Matthew 28:1-15, Mark 16:1-14, John 20:1-23

Sunday, the first day of the week, we arise early and ponder that today is also a feast day, the fourth feast, the "Feast of First fruits". We wonder why Leviticus 23 this Feast did not have an actual date to be celebrated like the Lord's Passover, the 14th of the month and the Unleavened Bread, the 15th of the month but the Feast of First Fruits is specifically to be celebrated on the first Sunday of the week after the Passover.

Today is also the day the seal is scheduled to be removed from the tomb of Jesus. Some of the women go early in the morning at first light to await access to the tomb to continue to anoint the body of Jesus. While walking to the tomb the women encounter an Angel who asks them why they are seeking the "Living" among the dead? For Jesus whom you seek is Not Dead but He is Alive!

The women continue walking. They arrive at the tomb and they see the Roman seal is broken, the stone is rolled back and looking into the tomb they notice that the body of Jesus is missing but His burial wrappings remain there in an undisturbed manner. Seeing what appears to be the Gardener, the women ask him where he has moved the body of Jesus too? "Mary" replies the Gardener, WAIT! Mary knows that voice. This Gardener is JESUS, HE'S ALIVE! Mary and the women grab the feet of Jesus. Jesus tells them that He has not yet gone to the Father John 20:17 but to go and tell the Good News "of the resurrection" to the rest of the disciples.

Peter and John, like the rest of the disciples doubt the good news of the resurrection of Jesus but they run to the tomb to see for themselves. John and Peter enter the empty tomb together. John had been one of the disciples at the crucifixion and he helped place Jesus into the tomb. As John saw the anointed strips of cloth used to wrap the body of Jesus, John realized that the cloth was not unwound but just empty, vacated and collapsed down in a way in which a human body could not have been physically removed from within the cloth covered with ointment. John seeing this, believed John 20:8.

Back in the upper room two, disciples are excitedly telling of meeting and journeying with the Risen Jesus on their way to the town of Emmaus, Luke 24:33. Meanwhile, in the upper-room the door is shut and locked John 20:19 and Jesus suddenly appears in their midst in a supernatural way.

The newly Resurrected Jesus presents Himself to the disciples. The disciples marvel that Jesus is alive again and then King Jesus breathes His Holy breath on them to give them His resurrection Spirit life. Amazed we realize that this is the same way and the same giver of Life who had previously breathed life into Adam our first forefather Genesis 2:7. Jesus said "receive you the Holy Spirit" John 20:22. The disciples by faith receive the Holy Spirit offered by Jesus and by receiving the Holy Spirit they become "Born Again" new creations.

We realize that it is by Faith that we are saved, this Faith! The faith in the risen, living, resurrection Jesus. The faith that Jesus has personally sealed us with the Holy Spirit. We realize that this is the true feast the "Feast of First Fruits" as Jesus breathes into us the "First Fruits" of the Holy Spirit. We know that this is just the First Fruit, the first fruits of the Holy Spirit with much more to come. This fruit is special because it is, according to Leviticus 23, the first of the fruit from within the Promise Land Joshua 5:10-12 that is from the Promise Land of Heaven and eternal life.

We rejoice. Like the children of Israel who were delivered from Egypt, we have escaped the bondage of this world and the cruelty of Satan and the certain death that goes with it. We have escaped by the death of the Firstborn Son of God, His Son Jesus Christ, and we are now alive in His resurrection glory. We like, the Jews of Egypt, have wandered in the desert wilderness of unbelief until our unbelief has vanished. Through faith in Jesus Christ we have crossed the dangerous Jordan river and entered into the Promise Land of Heaven having accepted Jesus as our leader, our King, and our Lord by entering into His New Covenant, the covenant of life. Now alive we realize that the death of sin has "Passed Over" us by our receiving His shed blood as the cleansing of our sins through the death of Jesus on the cross. We now rejoice in the Gospel of Good News that Jesus being Righteous, Holy, Just, and True, the Son of God and God Himself, that He cannot die as humans die but He is alive in the Spiritual realm, the eternal realm that Jesus existed in with the Father before He took on a fleshly body in the womb of Mary John 16:27-28.

Jesus demonstrates His Authority of Life over death.

Life, our meaning and purpose in it have now been answered once and for all in this the very Resurrection Life of Jesus. We now know that there is a God, that He has power to remove sins and to then give life over death, that He Loves us and that we are made alive to be friends with Him forever in His Eternal Resurrection Kingdom of Heaven.

How can we ever comprehend this joyous event, Life in Jesus, but comprehend it we must as it is the only way to eternal Life.

Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the Resurrection from the dead.

Light shines! And with it Life! Jesus is the True Light! Jesus is the Life! God is not dead, God is Alive! Now we too are alive when Jesus breaths His Resurrection Spirit Life into us. Alive and united with the Holy God inside of us, that is Eternal Life!

John 1:3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehend it not.

2^nd Corinthians 4:6 For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus.