"Jesus did what?"

I remember growing up as a kid and having my grandmother tell me, "Hey son, Jesus died for you." My response was mixed with some bewilderment and apathy. I knew that was important to her and I didn't want to offend her, so I would usually just look at her and smile or say "ok" or "right." Something along that line. What really went through my head was more like, "Well, that was nice of him. Now can I go back to playing with my Tonka trucks?"

Later in my adolescence, I remember wearing a Labatt Blue t-shirt to one of her dinners. Well, that was an offense close to the unforgivable sin. She had the grace to not point it out in front of my other family members, in case they couldn't read, but waited to gently talk to me at a later time. Looking back now, she had her best intentions in mind. But at the time, I was like, "Jesus died for me? Wow. Let's have a beer!"

She would often give me a call to have a chat, and the chat usually ended with something like, "And remember, Jesus died for you." Was I supposed to feel guilty about this? It started to dawn on me that maybe things weren't right with the universe, especially my universe of self-absorption and preoccupations. Her thoughts didn't last long in my mind, and off I went to live my autonomous life.

What I never really understood is why Jesus died for me? And why should I care? And how does that change things? Everybody dies, so what's the difference?

I think it should be rephrased ever so slightly, but it makes a world of difference. Instead of "Jesus died for you, bro," it should be more like, "Jesus died instead of you, bro." Now that makes me want to listen. What do you mean "instead of me?" Was I supposed to die instead? Remember, I'm thinking as a young man now - death is the last thing on my mind and unless I'm at a funeral, something that I'm not thinking about.

But as we start to mature in our thinking and start to actually be impacted by the death of others, which is inevitable as we journey through life, one starts to ponder what's important in life, and you have to eventually start to come to terms with death, especially your own.

So Jesus died instead of me? Why? The Bible is clear to explain that this human condition comes with an exacting and most high cost - your life. Romans 6:23 - "the wages of sin is death." But why is there a cost? Why is the wage so high? What do I have to pay for? And why is the currency my life? And if you don't believe in sin, then have a deeper look at how we treat each other and ourselves in the most destructive of ways - that's sin. It's a violation of your purpose, which is to ultimately be connected to the life source - God. But that's not for now.

Have you ever thought about the movies we watch? There is the hero and the antihero. Somewhere in the story, at the climax usually, the hero sacrifices him or herself for the sake of bringing back a restored order, to set back in place something that went wrong, some fallen state that needs to be set right yet again. And it's the part in the movie that moves us the most, sometimes to tears and sometimes to jubilation. And that's why Jesus died instead of me.

His sacrifice sets right what was and is fallen - humanity. That cross He died on was intended for you and me. That's the penalty, the wage, the currency for our sinful rebellion - death. And although the order of the universe is not fully restored, we have this hope that it will be one day. What I do see is the universe in my own life restored to what was intended - to be free from myself, so that I may be what God has intended. And the same is for you.

So what validates all of this? Only one thing - a victory over death. And that's the Easter story. But it has far-reaching implications for us two millennia later. Jesus never inherited the sinful nature or sinned in any way. Had He been born the natural way with the natural relations of a man and woman, He would have taken on that sinful nature. So God in His plan bypassed natural conception for a supernatural conception through the virgin birth. Throughout His life, never once could anyone point out any sinful way in Him. He was the ultimate selfless person, taking on the place of a servant, innocent and guiltless. And His mission was the cross set before Him.

Then He rose from the dead. He defeated death. This isn't about providing evidence for the resurrection. You can do that yourself if you want to know. This is about understanding why Jesus died and rose again. His death was the penalty for sin, and His resurrection was the validation of who He was and what He did - the conqueror of the greatest enemy of all people, for all time - death.

Who cares?

I heard once that truth is like a seed - it's not enough to simply hold it in your hand; you must plant it in the soil of your life, water it, tend to it, and let time bring forth the fruit that is intended. The fruit of Christ's resurrection is a spiritual rebirth, a declared righteousness before your Maker and Creator, power to live for Him, reconciliation to God and others, the hope of our own resurrection, and a purpose for living in this world and the one to come.

His crown was His coronation, His death was to give us life, He was broken to make us whole, He was judged to set the guilty free, was forsaken to reconcile us to God, and willingly submitted to death to defeat it.

What will you do with this seed? Will you apply it to your life? It changes everything. Rather, He changes everything and always for the better.

Happy Resurrection Weekend.