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The
Bible, in the Gospels of the New Testament, gives us the
story of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Jesus Christ is said to be the Messiah or the Savior
who was promised to the Jews by God himself as the one who
would redeem or deliver them from sin and death.
How was this promise to be fulfilled ?
The only way that God's promise could be fulfilled was by Jesus'
death (Jesus offering Himself as a sacrificial Lamb). The scriptures
prophesied the death and the resurrection of this Messiah, and
thus Jesus Christ's death and Resurrection was a fulfillment
of God's promise and the end of the bondage of mankind. It was
also the beginning of the commemoration of this fulfillment at
Easter.
Accordingly, the redeemer was born, and he was named Jesus. That's
what Christians all over the world celebrate at Christmas. Jesus
lived and grew up in the small town of Nazareth, just as normally
as any child of the time.
He knew all along why he had been sent from God, and when He
was ready to begin, he went to receive his Baptism by John the
Baptist in the river Jordan. Full of the Holy Spirit he went
into the wilderness. Here he spent 40 days of fasting and prayer
to prepare himself for his mission.
He returned to Galilee and then went to Nazareth and from there
to all of Palestine preaching his message to all, healing people,
and even raising the dead to life.
Many followed his teachings, but there were those who denounced
him, finally giving him up to the Romans who tortured and executed
him, the most common and horrifying punishment for thieves and
criminals at the time was 'crucifixion'. The day of Jesus' death
is commemorated by Christians as Good Friday.
Good Friday is a day of mourning, and a day for fasting and prayer.
A Friday which witnessed the passing away of our Lord and Savior
Christ, can have no reason to be called "Good". However,
it's called "Good" probably because the greatest good
came out of Jesus' sacrifice; and it is good, because it is an
assurance-a profession of Hope-that no tragedy-not even death-can
overwhelm God's love.
But Jesus' suffering and death was only a foretaste of the glory
that was to come. On the third day after he died, the tomb was
found to be empty. His disciples knew Jesus had risen from the
dead. This 'rising' is what the Christians celebrate at Easter.
Jesus returned to live among his friends and disciples, and it
was not until 40 days had passed that He was taken up into heaven,
the feast that Christians celebrate as the 'Ascension of Christ'.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is commemorated by Christians
all over the world on the feast of Easter. This is the day that
marks the end of the Lenten season, the forty-six-day period
(excluding the Sundays) that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends
with Easter, the period of penitence, of sacrifice and repentance,
in preparation for the highest festival of the church year.
The origin of the commemoration of the Resurrection of Jesus
Christ dates back to early Christian times and Easter is perhaps
the oldest (next to the Sabbath) Christian observance. The early
Christians were Jewish, and since Jesus was crucified during
the Passover feast that they celebrated, they looked upon Easter
as a new feature in the Passover celebrations.
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