Why Jesus Matters
We’re about to commemorate the death of Jesus, whom we call Yeshua more accurately. This is an annual set of observances that are commanded for believers. This time of year, we often spend a lot of time discussing when to do what. Most of Christianity keeps a thing called Easter, which isn’t biblical at all. Then there are those of us who do what the Messiah commanded and Paul demonstrated. But there’s a third group of people who are increasing in numbers exponentially.
What about everyone who doesn’t know a thing about the bible? What about those who only know of Christianity because of culture? The folks who haven’t studied or given a second thought to the enormity of these observances and their eternal implications. How do we reach them and why does this matter?
Frankly, it’s about the afterlife. Where do you want to spend eternity? Because this is a binary decision. There are only two options.
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:11-15)
The two options are lake of fire or eternal life. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of Yeshua the Messiah, is that the invitation for all mankind to attain eternal life has been sent. It was sent by God sending His Son so that whoever believes in the Son may not perish. The bible is the story of God’s interaction with mankind. The New Testament is a continuation of this story. The Messiah, (Christ means Messiah, btw) died at the time appointed for the culmination of the Old Testament to then make a shift to the world. The Gospel, the good news, was spread to the known world through twelve men at the first, and then hundreds, then thousands, the tens of thousands, and so on.
This season matters because it’s our annual remembrance of the sinless Son of God who died to take away the sins of those who believe in Him. This grants us access to the kingdom of God.
Keep in mind, this isn’t about Yeshua being innocent of what He was accused of. Meaning, this is not about Him being executed unfairly. That happens a lot more often in history than we would like to think of. This is about a being, the very Son of God, coming to earth as a child, being raised as a man, being tempted in all ways, and not sinning one time. Because sin is the cause of death, God sent His Son to die sinless to bear the sins of those who accept Him. That’s what this season is all about. The sinless death of the Lamb of God and God’s subsequent resurrection of His Son, who now sits at God’s right hand and mediates for those who accept Him.
Please accept the invitation to enter into the kingdom, to enter into eternal life. Call to mind your sins, reconcile with those you may have wronged, prepare your homes, and enter this Passover season humbled by the death of our Messiah.