The Triumph of Easter

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It’s Sunday. Jesus enters Jerusalem. The crowd shouts: “Hosanna in the highest.” The people celebrate. The long awaited Messiah arrives. This is the Triumphal Entry of Jesus.

But before the end of the week Jesus will be executed. In just a few days, He will be nailed to a cross. Yet, this is the Triumphal Entry of Jesus.

What is the Triumph?

In Exodus 19:5-6 God said, “Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” God makes a conditional agreement with the people: IF you faithfully obey all of My commands all of the time, THEN you will be saved. In other words, salvation is completely dependent upon perfect obedience.

Sounds like a terrible deal doesn’t it? Well, it is a terrible deal! Simply read the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 and examine how well you obey just those ten requirements. If you’re perfectly honest, you have to admit that perfect obedience to God’s perfect requirements is perfectly impossible. The only thing you’ve done perfectly is fail to obey God. So you need a champion. You need someone to be triumphant where you’ve fallen short.

The triumph of Easter is that Jesus perfectly obeyed where you have failed. The triumph of Easter is that the Messiah fulfilled the conditional requirements of God’s covenant. The triumph of Easter is that the Son of God fulfilled God’s Law.

“Hosanna” means “God saves us.” That is the triumph of Easter. God has saved us through the holy life and holy death of His Son. That is the triumph of Easter. God “made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin so that we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). That is the triumph of Easter.

It’s Friday. Jesus enters a tomb. The devil shouts: “Victory.” Darkness celebrates. The Messiah is dead.

It’s Sunday. Jesus enters the Resurrection. People shout: “Truly, He is the Son of God.” We celebrate. The Messiah is alive. Jesus has triumphed.

I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me, and You have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone. This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O LORD, do save, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech YOU, do send prosperity! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD… (Psalm 118:21-26)

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 22, 2011 at 11:46 PM

    You know, I never thought about the Triumphal Entry that way...triumph, defeat, then triumph again! Thanks for the insight!

    ReplyDelete

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