Christ The Victor! (Part 1)
I am continuing my sharing with you what I am learning from the Lenten study 24 Hours That Changed The World by Adam Hamilton.
Hamilton opens with:
“With the death of Jesus on Calvary, we witness, amid the cacophony of soldiers and criminals, gawkers and passers-by, what looks like the final triumph of evil. All the ugliness and violence we can imagine was embodied in the events that had as their climax the six hours during which God in human form hung on a cross on a hillside outside the gates of Jerusalem…It is only once we have seen the full extent of evil on display there and witnessed the apparent victory of death that we can begin to appreciate the triumph that is Easter.”
All 4 Gospels, speak of Joseph, the member of the Sanhedrin, who asked Pilate for permission to bury Jesus.
Hamilton says:
“The composite picture they paint dispels the notion that only the poor, the uneducated and “sinners” were followers of Jesus, and it shows us that not all the Jewish religious leaders sought Jesus’ death.”
Again we need to look at the Gospel account to determine that there were 4 people at Jesus’ interment: Joseph, Nicodemus, Mary Magdalene and another Mary.
Hamilton describes:
“With sunset came the Passover sabbath; and while others celebrated, those who knew and loved Jesus were in shock, traumatized by what they had witnessed.”
Since Friday night, the disciples had been in the Upper Room behind locked doors because they were afraid they would be arrested and die similarly to Jesus.
Hamilton concludes:
“Their hopes and dreams, even their faith, had been crucified with him; and they must have sunk into utter despair.”
On Saturday the world seemed so dark, and hope was nowhere to be found.
Hamilton writes:
“What Jesus actually did in the spirit while his body lay in the tomb will remain a mystery; but for his followers left behind on Earth, the period between his death and resurrection was as dark a time as any ever known. Holy Saturday represents despair and utter hopelessness…How grateful I am for the Gospels and their willingness to record that even the disciples struggled with doubt when it came to the Resurrection.”
How that changed when Easter Sunday arrived.
Hamilton says:
“But the early church boldly asserted that the tomb was empty, that Jesus was bodily risen, and that he appeared to the apostles and to hundreds of others over a period of forty days.”
Hamilton’s conclusion: There is no doubt that the disciples were transformed following the Resurrection.”
This is how I would describe my life, since retiring from teaching 6 years ago. My relationship with God has been transformed through the 2-3 hours I spend with Him when I wake-up in the morning.