Read Matthew 27:45-54

I love spring.  I walk around the yard looking for the delicate white flowers that bloom even while the harsh winds and cold temperatures seem unrelenting.   I shouldn’t be surprised, but I always am, and I marvel at these little flowers that pop up.  In my mind, they beat the odds and make it through the cold and long winter.  They symbolize to me the struggle as we walk through the harshness of life.

Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have the privilege to experience real life here and with Him in heaven eternally.  Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians 5:2 in terms of groaning that happens because we would prefer to be “clothed with our heavenly dwelling.”

Life in the here and now can certainly feel like we are just waiting for spring.  Like we are the delicate flower under the muddy soil waiting for the miracle of a change so we can bloom again.

In the passage you read today, Jesus has been obediently following His heavenly Father’s will and is now hanging on a cross, alone.  He asks His Father a question: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Jesus was in emotional and physical agony. This doesn’t seem like it should be happening.

Paul describes what happened in 2 Corinthians 5:19: “God was reconciling the world to himself through Christ.” He took the punishment on that cross so I wouldn’t have to pay the price for my sin.  My sin killed the Son of God.  He was sacrificed, forsaken and humiliated, so I could be righteous before God (2 Cor. 5:21).  Jesus did this all out of love for me and for you.

After Jesus died that day, this passage reveals unusual events.  “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open.”  The battle was and is real.  Death wants to be the victor but because of Jesus, death, sin and the grave are defeated.  Jesus came back to life and lives today!

We can’t always explain the difficult and decaying experiences we go through. Our lives have been impacted by our own sin, the sin of others, and the fallen world. We can, however, with certainty, accept His sacrifice and follow Him by faith.  This is the real life experience He desires for us. And, because of His victory over death, we live in anticipation of our own resurrection. One day, the harsh winter of our lives will be over. Eternal spring of life with Him will be our experience.

Celeste Kern