March Madness Up in Here

Easter is the crowning moment in the epic story of a God who is the epitome of grace and love, yet who is a holy God who would relentlessly find a way to extricate us from the darkness of death and the penalty of our willful rebellion against Him—and who would reunite us with Him by faith in the finished work of His Son.

The whole story is here at the end of Matthew’s eyewitness account of the life and death of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:1-10)

A week earlier (on what we celebrate as Palm Sunday) Jesus had entered Jerusalem. From his home base in Galilee, he had with thousands of others to celebrate the Passover Feast.

A crowd gathered around this “miracle man” from Galilee—as he entered he was fulfilling A prophecy from hundreds of years before (Matthew 21:1-11), so here comes the King, but his entrance doesn’t look like that of a King. Jesus is riding low on the colt of a donkey.

This is how Jesus chose to ride in what is called the Triumphal Entry. To fulfill prophecy, yes, but also because the symbolism is powerful. Maybe you know, but every donkey has a marking on its back…the sign of a cross.

So here is Jesus, knowing he’s not riding into Jerusalem to be crowned but to be crucified for the sins of the world. The innocent for the guilty. The just for the unjust. And now He’s sitting on the back of a donkey—not only riding to the cross but looking at a cross, the symbol of his death and our freedom.

The cheering crowds spread Palm branches on the road and shouted Save Us (Hosanna). And Jesus knew that on the cross (literally and symbolically) that’s exactly what he intended to do.

Save Us.

The angel said, I know you’re looking for Jesus, but he’s not here. He has risen, just as he said. (Matthew 28:5)

This is the Gospel.

Jesus died for our sins. Jesus was raised to give us everlasting life.

Jesus was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

Romans 4:25 NLT

There is an invitation on the first morning of resurrection.

Come and see where he lay.

The angel didn’t move the stone to let Jesus out of the tomb but to let us in so that we could see what God has done.

Obviously, this requires faith. But God is giving us eyewitness accounts.

But what if it was all a hoax? What if His followers stole the body? What if Easter is a sham?

It was early in the morning. People were in shock. Bodies were tired. Minds stressed. Memory was shaky.

What if someone came up with a plot to perpetuate a lie?

Well, they did. Someone tried to pull a fast one. But not the Marys. The very ones who were trying to extinguish Jesus' existence and His message. (Matthew 28:11-15)

But it didn’t work. Why? Matthew 28:8-10—they saw the risen Jesus. And immediately they spread the news.

Matthew 28:16—all of them saw Him in Galilee. And He sent them out to the ends of the earth…and they went, because you don’t keep a miracle like this to yourselves.

Come and see. Go and tell.

Here’s the interesting part—make disciples of all nations (peoples). Where there are other ways and philosophies about how to be right with God and alive forever, He wanted to make sure they know the search ends here at the empty tomb.

This offer of mercy and life is unparalleled. Only One has emptied the grave and invites you by grace to come and see the finished work of Christ. While some would suggest all roads lead to heaven, Jesus was saying all roads to right standing with God end here. Not, “all paths get there. But, all paths end here.”

God has chosen a borrowed burrow and a borrowed tomb to unfold a once-in-eternity exchange. The righteous for the unrighteousness. To bring us to God. Not us trying to break our way out of a sealed tomb of sin and death. But a stone rolled away and an invitation to forgiveness and a relationship with God.

All the other roads end here.

The road of trying harder.
The road of hoping our good works outweighs the bad.
The road of rationalization.
The road of self-effort.
The road of not knowing for sure if heaven is our future.
The road of trying to drown out our guilt and shame.
The road of sticking our heads in the sand and hoping it all works out in the end.
The road of religious systems.
The road of assuming any path you choose will get you where you want to go.
The road of giving up because you feel like your past has locked you out of a relationship with God.
The road of a thousand prayers that you hope make it past the ceiling.

They all end here.

The price is paid in full.

On a donkey comes the Savior.

Christ came.
Christ lived.
Christ died in our place.
Christ was buried.
Christ was raised.
Christ is alive forever.

That’s why today Believers the world over are firing off the confetti cannons.

That’s why we’re cutting down the nets.

That’s why we’re playing the highlight video…and it is One Shining Moment.

It’s March Madness all right!

We’re hoisting the trophy.

Our KING is crowned.

Hosanna!

The One who was dead now lives.

Our Champion has conquered death, hell and the grave forever.