Crucifixion incomplete without the resurrection


In this next week the Christian church remembers the death of a young man, crucified outside the walls of Jerusalem. I read the story of that crucifixion and I ponder about his mother Mary, watching her son die in agony and not being able to bear any of his pain. What a waste. What a waste too for those who saw Jesus as a good man, a prophet, a genius, a man who had so much to offer and who was cut down when he was at the peak of his incalculable achievements. It all must have seemed so pointless, as pointless as some of the seemingly arbitrary deaths today. We Christians might be accused of glorying in the death of that young man during the week ahead, leading as it does to Good Friday and our remembering the crucifixion, even though we believe that he was God made man.
But death leads to resurrection. This is the whole point of the story. Jesus died and rose again. The crucifixion is incomplete without the resurrection, the two are part of the same event. Sorrow comes before joy.
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Hide AdThat is what we can give to those who stand beside an open grave, or watch the curtains close at the crematorium. This is what Christianity offers to you, if you are grieving or remembering with sadness a loved one who meant so much to you. Death is not the end. Death is transition from life on earth to life beyond death. That is the message of this time of year.
This is a thought not just for today but for an entire lifetime.