Why We Celebrate Easter

We celebrate at this time of year the resurrection of Christ.  Christ’s resurrection was inevitable for at least two reasons.

First, Christ always existed.  He was with the Father from before time began (John 1:1,2).  There never was a time when He wasn’t.  He is eternal.  Furthermore, all things were created by Christ: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him (Col 1:16).  He was the author of life, and the author of life cannot be killed.  How can you kill the One who spoke everything into existence?  Life is stronger than death, and Christ, the author of life, is stronger than the creation, of which Satan is a part.  That which is eternal cannot die, that is the definition of eternal.  Christ, who is alive forever and ever, who is eternal life, who always existed, became man, and then rose to the glorious state which He had before time began.  Acts 2:23 and 24 says, “This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.  But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”  What would have been impossible is that Christ did not rise from the dead, since He was both the author of life and life itself.  Death could not hold onto the author of life.

Second, because Christ always existed and because He created all things, He has authority over all things.  As the painter has power over the painting or the author has authority over the book, so Christ has authority over Satan and evil, both created things.  God only gave limited and temporal authority to Satan, and that only to fulfill God’s plan.  Those who sentenced Jesus to die had the authority to crucify Christ, but no authority over what would happen after Jesus’ death – that was determined by “God’s set purpose and foreknowledge.”  Their job was done.  They, unknowingly, only fulfilled what God had foreordained before the beginning of time.  God wanted to demonstrate that Christ is stronger than Satan, life is stronger than death and good is stronger than evil. God, who possesses all knowledge and all authority, raised His Son from the grave.  Satan had limited knowledge and limited authority, but Jesus has unlimited knowledge and authority.  Satan’s knowledge went back only to the beginning of time.  John 3:8 says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”  When Christ was nailed to the cross Satan thought that he had destroyed the author of life, but the Eternally Existent One knew the eternal plan which had existed before time began. The author of life, the eternally existent One, the Alpha and the Omega, the source of everything that is good, the Creator of everything that is, rose from the dead.  It couldn’t have been any other way!

Thank You Frank Martin for this commentary on Easter.