A little over 2000 years ago, a person lived in the Middle East that changed the world permanently. We’ll never be the same again. In fact, regardless of our religious backgrounds or preferences, all of us date our calendars by the life of this person. History was split into two periods by this person’s life — A.D. and B.C. So what is the big deal about Jesus and this season of Easter. Why does Jesus still end up on the cover of major national magazines like U.S. News & World Report, Time and Newsweek two millenniums after he walked this earth? Why did a movie like Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” become a blockbuster by all standards of comparison? Why would a movie about one man’s final day of life on earth draw huge crowds all around the world in many cultural settings? Why would millions on this earth be giving attention to Easter this weekend?

The events that happened on that original Easter weekend occurred in a dramatic succession of three events. There was the trial of Jesus, the death of Jesus and then the resurrection of Jesus. Allow me to briefly point your attention to these three events and the implications in the next paragraphs.



THE TRIAL — Jesus actually went through six mini-trials, all in one night. If you carefully study the Bible, you will find He went through three religious trials and three civil trials. His night started with going before Annas, then Caiaphas, then before the Sanhedrin (a religious Supreme Court), then before Pilate, Herod, and back to Pilate again. When they finished those six trials, what did they accuse Jesus of? Nothing! They had no crime against Him. No accusation would stick. They finally convicted Jesus on one count – He claimed to be the Son of God.

It’s interesting that Jesus never claimed to be a good man, a moral leader or a great teacher. However, Jesus did say “I’m God. I’m the only way to heaven. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” That claim does change the agenda a bit. If I were to claim I was a good teacher, a good moral person and a good leader, the people in this community where I’ve lived for 19 years might have a variety of opinions about those claims. But if I claimed I was God and that the only way to heaven is through me, everyone would be forced to make a decision about me. I’m guessing the church I pastor would empty out real fast and my wife and children would be at the head of the crowd because they know I’m not God.

If you ever meet anybody who claims to be God, you only have three options: Dismiss them as an idiot or mentally deluded, believe they are a deceiver trying to con you into believing something that isn’t true, or conclude they are telling the truth and begin to worship him or her. We all have made some decision about Jesus Christ. Either we believe He’s a liar, a lunatic, or that He’s the Lord. He couldn’t be just a good teacher because a good teacher would never claim to be God and the only way to heaven. So, was Jesus deluded, a deceiver or is He deity? That’s why Jesus allowed Himself to be put on trial so there would be no doubt about who he was. The trial of Jesus shows His purpose in life.



THE DEATH – The death of Jesus shows His passion. Crucifixion is probably the most brutal and torturous death penalty ever devised by humans. Mel Gibson used “The Passion of the Christ” movie to portray the horrendous brutality of a crucifixion in graphic detail. Historical records indicate that it was not a Hollywood exaggeration when the movie showed all the blood and gore of Christ’s beatings and death.

But the bigger issue is, why did Jesus have to die? Somebody had to pay for your sin and my sin. There’s a law of the universe that says, “you reap what you sow.” If you break man-made laws, you pay man’s penalties. If you break God’s laws, you pay God’s penalties. The good news is that Jesus took a bullet for us like Timothy McCarthy took John Hinkley’s bullet intended for President Regan. Jesus paid the price of our sins on the cross. This is why Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified. Jesus hadn’t done anything wrong. He didn’t deserve to die. What was He guilty of? He was guilty of love in the first degree.

Back in the 90’s, the top historians around the world gathered together and made a list of what they considered to be the 100 most significant events in the history of the world. There were things like the discovery of America, the invention of the airplane and the invention of the printing press on that list. Number four on the list was the life of Jesus Christ. I’m not offended by the fact that they didn’t put it number one because they forgot the most important part. Jesus didn’t just live and then die like other good teachers, moral philosophers and unselfish martyrs of history. He also came back to life and nobody else has ever done that. That’s what makes this the most significant event in history – because it’s never been done.



THE RESURRECTION – Christ’s resurrection shows His power. Easter is not a memorial to a nice religious teacher who lived 2000 years ago. It’s a celebration of the fact that He is alive today. Myself and a billion other Christians who celebrate Easter this weekend will be living proof. Historical records outside the Bible show that guards were placed at His tomb so Jesus wouldn’t get up and walk away. There were many of His original followers that were also martyred for their faith and belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Most people will cave in to the truth and not even go to jail for what they know to be a lie. Watergate, Enron and many other scandals have proved that. The eye-witness first-hand followers of Jesus died for their faith. You can be assured they would not have done that if they knew the resurrection was a lie.

Here’s the implication for each of us today. The Bible writers said, “I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great His power is to help those who believe Him. It is that same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead” (Ephesians 1:19-20). The same power that raised Jesus from out of that grave is still available today to everyone one of us who believe in Him. Your life can be transformed through that same power. The changes that you thought would never be possible in your life are possible through Christ’s resurrection power. God is in the business of resurrecting dead marriages, dead finances, dead careers or whatever. God is not stingy with His power. He wants you to have it too!

But, Easter comes down to only two issues. Is Jesus who He says He is or is He a lunatic or a liar?

If Jesus is who He says He is, then I have to ask you, when are you going to start following what He says to do with your life? You might ask, what does that mean? In very simple and brief terms, it means you and I need to establish a spiritual base for our lives. As a Christ-follower for forty years now, let me suggest four steps:

B – Believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you and showed He was God by coming back to life. 86 percent of all Americans say that they believe that one. That’s what Easter is all about.

A – Accept God’s free forgiveness for your sin. That’s pretty easy too.

S – Switch to God’s plan for your life.

E – Express your desire for Christ to be the director of your life.

My prayer is that you enjoy a blessed and meaningful Easter!



Dennis Gingerich is Senior Pastor at Cape Christian Fellowship, located at 2110 Chiquita Blvd. S. in Cape Coral. Easter Schedule: Outdoor family worship at 7:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. and Indoor Contemporary Worship at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Regularly scheduled Contemporary Worship Celebrations are held each Sunday at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. For more information, call 772-LOVE (5683) or check the Web site at www.capechristian.com or e-mail DGingerich@capechristian.com.