The Hope of Easter
Today, Christians celebrate Easter Sunday, a day set aside to celebrate our Savior’s resurrection from the dead and His victory over sin and death! The gospel of Jesus Christ is ultimately the gospel of life, a message of good news that brings sight to the blind and freedom to the oppressed and captive. A message that brings abundant life where there were once dry bones.
“The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10
When we reflect on the life of Jesus, may we not forget that He entered into the world as a baby in His mother’s womb. This great act of humility characterized the entirety of Jesus’ earthly life. Picture the infinite God of the universe, who knows the stars by name and calls the seas to still, stepping down to Earth in the form of a tiny preborn baby, dependent on His mother for even the most basic of needs. Jesus lived a perfect and selfless life, extending radical love and healing to those around Him (even the worst of sinners!). He even humbled Himself to the point of washing His disciples’ feet, including the one who would ultimately betray Him. The God of the universe was washing feet! His selflessness culminated in the greatest act of love ever displayed: He voluntarily gave His life to save ours.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13
Jesus’ humility and self-sacrifice stands in stark contrast to the culture around us today that prioritizes self above all else. Jesus willingly gave His life for our freedom, forgiveness, redemption, and eternal life for all who believe in His name. By His wounds, we are healed! Those who exalt abortion take an innocent life to serve their own interests. A popular quote contrasts the sacrifice of Jesus with the practice of abortion:
“Jesus to us: ‘This is my body, broken for you.’”
“Abortion to the child: ‘This is your body, broken for me.’”
The Christian faith requires believers to imitate the character and life of Jesus and to obey His commands. Jesus’ most important command to His disciples is this:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.” John 13:34
This love encompasses all human beings, each “fearfully and wonderfully made” in the image of God. We must extend this love to both the preborn babies and their mothers, with great understanding, compassion, and a desire for justice. Let us follow in the perfect footsteps of Jesus who modeled self-sacrificial love so beautifully for us in every aspect of His life, death, and resurrection.
This Easter, we remember that because of what Christ has done for us, death does not have the final word! Though we rightfully mourn the 63+ million preborn children who have tragically lost their lives to abortion since 1973, and the many women who have been harmed physically and mentally, we can have hope because of the resurrection. God will forgive and redeem any mother who has had an abortion if she calls on His name with a repentant heart. And, God protects and cherishes in heaven the children who never had the chance to take their first breath on Earth.
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:55-57