Exegesis

#542

Exegesis

In the “roaring” 1920's and 1930's dance contests, trying to prove endurance were the activity of the young set. In the Audubon Ballroom in New York City, Alma Cummings, on March 31st 1923 outlasted all competition, dancing 27 hours. I was not there, I had not been born, all we have are the records of the event from those who were there and the recording of the event.

This is Holy week, recognizing the second greatest event in the history of the world, the crucifixion and resurrection of our blessed Lord, Jesus Christ, only begotten son of God, the creator, atonement sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Real Christians, all over the world, have the discernment of the “exegesis” of this great historical and spiritual event. At your on risk, you deprecate this greatest event in Christianity.

Every Jewish family celebrates the passover, as did our Jewish Lord and his disciples. The youngest male in the Jewish family asks four questions in celebrating passover. Each question begins with this phrase, “why is this night different from all other nights?”

“On all other nights, we eat either unleavened or leavened bread, but tonight we eat only unleavened bread?”
“On all other nights, we eat all kinds of vegetables, but tonight, we eat only bitter herbs?”
“On all other nights, we do not dip [our food] even once, but tonight we dip twice?”
“On all other nights, we eat either sitting or reclining, but tonight we only recline?”

In Egypt, on that passover night, a young spotless lamb had been brought into the family, they had shown their love for it. But the father, as did our Heavenly Father allowed the lamb to be killed, its blood poured on the door post of the house so the death angel passed over. In Pharaohs house, in all Egyptian's houses, even the animals of the Egyptians...even after all the plagues, the oldest son was killed but, the Jewish families escaped Egypt...over 2.5 million...passing through the Red Sea on dry land heading toward the promised land. As with another salvation, many years before, on the other side of the flood, eight human beings were saved. God has arranged for our salvation, through the sacrifice of his only son, the Word (John 1) with him from the very foundation of the universe. The Jews knew what it was to be saved.

Christianity started out stranger than science-fiction, a man being raised from the dead. Genesis 3:20 forever solves evolution...with the creation of Adam and Eve...from the dirt of the earth...the same elements in the human body that you find in dirt. It has never changed and, whether attempts at killing people in Russian subways (7 million Russians travel by subway each day), bullying of a young girl in the state of Massachusetts so that she commits suicide, technology has changed the world but the human heart is still evil and we have only one salvation.

Jesus Christ never offered salvation any way except through him. He presented himself as salvation, a person. He told us that he was the way, the truth, the life...the light, the door...the bread of life. Jesus Christ was either the biggest fraud in history, or the truth.

He was one with us in order to redeem us...putting on a “tent of human flesh” and dwelled among us. The essence of everything is his word. Opening the bible is looking into the mind of God. Don't cheapen God talking about other books, “the Book of Mormon”, “Science and Health” (Mary Baker Eddy, Christian Science, not Christian or science). All authority in Heaven and Earth were given to Christ. You do not need further explanations from Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons or anyone else. The average defiler of God's word, academics, Atheists etc. has never spent 20 hours of study in God's word determining the truth of the resurrection. The skeptics of his day asked him for a sign. God has no intention of giving anyone a sign about anything except, Jonah, who spent three days in the belly of a large fish. We worship the sovereign God of the universe, HE IS BOSS.

The resurrection is the basis of Christianity and it is a fact. Some doubted then, grieved women wandering around in a cemetery missed the tomb, the Jews moved him, and of course the scientific explanation, he became resuscitated after the cross...the usual answers of gnosticism. Everyone is an expert in religion. Some of the simplest minded people I have ever known, people not interested in anything, knew all about religion. Most people who speak about Christ do not know him. Who would risk an empty, Christ-less grave...your own or that of Christ without thoroughly investigating? The disciples who witnessed the resurrection witnessed, held him, after his resurrection, knew the truth. They convinced the world, from then until now. These disciples were so convinced, so convinced that, alone, knowing they would never see one another again, became martyrs: Bartholomew skinned alive in Armenia, Luke hanged in Greece, Mark dragged trough the streets of Alexandria in Egypt, Thomas crossing the worst mountains in the world, the Himalayas, going all the way to India, Peter the weakest of the disciples, tempestuous, denying our Lord until the very end crucified upside down, John self centered, showing little love for anyone except himself, becoming the giant of scripture. His followers, His church, knew him in life, knew him in the resurrection, knew him in his ascended glory.

This one event, the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord, dramatized in Baptism, completely captivated in one cataclysmic event, the men and women of his day. We either become a new creation in him or it was all for nothing. Peter was a miserable failure but Christ specifically said, after his resurrection, “go tell Peter”, picking him out among all the others. Mark, dropping his white robe in the garden of Gethsemane, had deserted in fear. People do not go through what his disciples went through for a lie. Thousands, who have been martyred, on mission fields, do not go through what they have gone through for a lie. Today's Christians, do not subject themselves to the unbelief, disbelief, and recycled hypocrisy of the world, for a lie.

If your Easter is just a good time, new Spring clothes, chocolate rabbits and colored eggs, you have missed the true meaning of Easter. Even, if you observe Lent, prayer, fasting and repentance, without knowing the relationship of Christ, you have missed the true meaning of Easter. “To know him, the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Phl 3:10)