Paradox

PARADOX
Matthew 28:1-8, John 11:26

Matthew 28:5: "The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crecified. He is not here; He as risen just as He said..."

A paradox is something that doesn’t seem to make sense. CIA means Central intelligence Agency—and many say there is no intelligence the way that agency is run. Other oxymoron statements are obvious opposites that we’ve come to accept. Dry ice, soft ice cream, rolling plains, liquid paper, square round, jumbo shrimp are examples.

The fact that Jesus was born so that he could die so that we could live raises many eyebrows. (Intentional misunderstanding?) Everyone in our culture has heard the Good News of the Gospel. Many choose to not buy it. They didn’t see the empty tomb. Two Marys did, and they believed. The Disciples saw Jesus walking, talking and eating and they believed He’d risen from the dead.

Why is this so hard to accept? The fact that Jesus was raised from the dead is our Easter celebration—why our faith makes sense. Otherwise what would be the purpose? The fact that Jesus had to die so that we could live is no paradox. Jesus was the first resurrection so that we could be resurrected after our death.

Accepting Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is not negotiable for Christians. If He wasn’t raised from the dead, then He didn’t triumph over death. Without His victory, no one else could be free from sin and its punishment. Without the celebration of Easter, believers are wasting their time trusting a lying God. God does not lie. He cannot sin. He sent this message of victory to the prophets long before Jesus was even born. Jesus always knew His life’s purpose was to die—and to be resurrected.

You know Jesus walked His preordained path willingly so that He would be obedient to the Father. He knew the prophets, centuries before, had prophesied His birth, life, death, and resurrection. (Isaiah 7:2-6, Isaiah 53:2-12, Isaiah 26:19, Psalm 22:14-23, Psalm 48:14, Daniel 12:2). When Jesus was nailed to the cross, He KNEW He’d come back to life. And live forever. That was Jesus’ slam dunk. He beat death with the victory of life, and cannot die again. Neither will we—His siblings by faith.

He HAD to die so that we would live with Him eternally. If that’s a paradox to others, maybe you could explain how it works.

Take Home Nugget
Christ’s resurrection is a fact of history. We claim that in response to our faith and call Him our King of Kings and Lord of Lords—Hallelujah!

“Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes;
He arose a Victor from dark domain,
And He lives forever with His saints to reign.”
Lowry

J.D. Griffith

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