Why Is There An Easter Part I

When Jesus had spoken these things, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify and exalt and honor and magnify Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify and extol and honor and magnify You. [Just as] You have granted Him power and authority over all flesh (all humankind), [now glorify Him] so that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. John 17:1-2

This week let’s study why there is an Easter. Why did our Father have Jesus do it? Years ago I took a friend of mine, who is an Atheist, to see The Passion of Christ. After the movie was over I asked him what he thought of it. He told me that it was gruesome enough, but then he asked me why Jesus did it. The Holy Spirit had him ask that question I am sure. Our Father showed me then that a ton of people really have no idea why Jesus came and did what He did. Far too often we assume that they know, but they really don’t. So this week let’s study John 17 together. It is a great Chapter in the Bible to explain why Jesus did it all and why there is an Easter. 

The first reason that Jesus came was so that He could glorify our Father. Jesus glorifies God by being glorified by God. Our Father allowed Jesus to be sacrificed so that Jesus could then have power over all flesh. Look at what Jesus tells us in verse 2: He has been given power and authority over all flesh. Jesus just doesn’t have control and authority over believers, He has power and authority over all men.

Even the Father judges no one, for He has given all judgment (the last judgment and the whole business of judging) entirely into the hands of the Son, John 5:22

Jesus alone is now in charge of judging all flesh, both believers and non-believers. The sacrifice that He made on the Cross has allowed Him this privilege. Now here is a really powerful thing to consider with this Truth, Jesus never changes in the way He does things.

Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages). Hebrews 13:8

So Jesus will judge in the future as He has judged in the past.

And Jesus prayed, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they divided His garments and distributed them by casting lots for them. Luke 23:34

Jesus forgave these people here in Luke as He was on the Cross. The very people who had tortured Him, lied about Him, drove thorns into His head, and mocked Him were forgiven. They did not ask to be forgiven and they did not believe that they needed forgiven, those things did not matter though. Our peace that passes all understanding is that Jesus will be the same on Judgment Day as He was 2000 years ago. Jesus allowed Himself to be killed, John 10:15, so that He could judge all men. And we can see that Jesus is a very forgiving Judge. There is an Easter so that Jesus can give eternal life, or eternal forgiveness, to all that He has been given and He has been given all! That's the beauty of Easter and that is why we celebrate it.