Who is Jesus to You? An Easter Reflection on the Cross and Resurrection

Why Easter Matters - The Power of the Cross
​Easter is my favorite holiday of the year. For me, it’s a special time to reflect and remember the message of the cross—"foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18) We have new life when we embrace the work of the cross and believe that Jesus is the risen Lord... Who is Jesus to you?

Biblical Encounters Reveal Who Jesus Is
The Bible is filled with encounters with Jesus. The woman with the issue of blood who reached out and touched him in a crowd and was healed of her infirmity. Zacchaeus the tax collector who climbed a sycamore tree to see him, and turned his life around after meeting Jesus face to face. The little girl on her deathbed who opened her eyes to see Him when he spoke the words “Talitha cum” (Little girl, arise!) and she came back to life... (Luke 8:43, Luke 19:1-10, Mark 5:41)
 
Who is Jesus to you?
 
Jesus is the Lamb of God
“’Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” John 1:29
 
John the Baptist saw him as the sacrifice lamb—Yeshua, our Savior. Though in flesh they were cousins, John recognized Jesus for who he is—God’s lamb sent to save the world. 
 
Pilate, conflicted and confronted, labeled Him the King of the Jews. (Matthew 27:11-26) He desperately wanted to release him, but pressured by politics and the crowd stirred by the chief priests, he caved to his inner weakness and let him be led to the cross—the Lamb to the slaughter.
 
The centurion assigned to guard Jesus watched him die and experienced the mighty earthquake that shook the earth at his passing. “Truly this was the Son of God,” he declared. (Matthew 27:54)
 
Who is Jesus to you? 
We live in a society where Jesus is often portrayed as a genie in a bottle. We keep him at a distance—far enough away to not interfere in our lives, but close enough to call on when we’re desperate and have exhausted all our resources. 
 
Or, we relegate him to a one-dimensional flannel board character—kind and loving... but we forget he’s also King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Revelation 19:11)
 
Jesus is the Word of God
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
 
I recently heard a preacher share that sometimes we think too much. Not that we shouldn’t be thinking Christians, but his point was that we often determine who Jesus is without spending time reading the Bible to know who he is. If we’ve never encountered him in the Word or experienced him in our day-to-day living, we rely on hearsay and our feelings to determine who he is. 
 
A Personal Invitation This Easter
Who is Jesus to you?  This Holy Week, I pray you’ll take time to ponder and consider who Jesus is. Read your Bible. Pause and let his presence come close to you.
 
Take another look at the empty tomb and remember he is alive. His death on the cross was the ultimate sacrifice for you and for me... so we can also live!
 
“‘He is not here; he has risen!’” Luke 24:6
 
“For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:9-11 (Bolds mine.)