The Easter Promise

The Easter Promise

by | Apr 17, 2025 | Blog

The Easter promise. It’s more than chocolate candy bunnies, Easter egg hunts, and Sunday church in dress up clothes. Easter presents a promise through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Easter promise. Jesus presents an open invitation.

Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. (ESV, Luke 23:43)

Two thieves were crucified on either side of Jesus Christ. One rejected him. Mocked him. And challenged Jesus to save himself and them. Had Jesus complied would the man have called him the Son of God? Hard to say for sure, but doubtful. Pride is one of the hardest barriers to break through. And the man showed no remorse.

However, the second thief rebuke the first thief, confessed his own sin, and appealed to Jesus with a contrite heart.

Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong. And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (ESV, Luke 23:40-42)

The exchange illustrates an important truth. We all either reject Jesus, or accept him as Savior and Lord. And the good news? It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done, or how unworthy you consider yourself. In fact, acknowleding our unworthiness is a critical part of following Jesus. Furthermore, it involves personal recognition of our sin. We deserve death. But Jesus offers grace.

The promise of Easter is the offer of eternal life through Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection. Not for us to change, but to be changed by the transforming power of his Holy Spirit.

The Easter promise. Jesus did what we can’t.

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (ESV, John 19:30)

The brutal torture of Jesus. His death on a cross. And resurrection three days later was all part of God’s plan. It fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah. And Jesus’ final declaration before he died is one of victory. Confirming what he said about the Jewish law.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (ESV, Matthew 5:17)

Only Jesus could accomplish this. Why? Because he was without sin. An unblemished sacrifice. And perfect fulfillment of the law.

But the complete victory was finalized at the resurrection. So that Jesus not only defeated sin, but conquered death. And by placing our faith in him, we defeat the power of sin and also conquer death.

Why does this matter?

Because we can’t save ourselves. Our good works are not enough. No matter how much good we do, our sin disqualifies us. But the saving work of Jesus fulfills all of God’s requirements. And we’re saved by trusting in and following Jesus.

The Easter promise. Jesus offers an everlasting hope.

Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, (ESV, Ephesians 1:18)

Where do you find hope?

A career? Politics? Money? Power?

None of these is inherently bad. But none are fully satisfying. And all are temporal and quickly change. The Easter promise, however, offers an everlasting hope. Because God alone never changes. His word is true and completely trustworthy.

Furthermore, Jesus is the path to that eternal life.

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the father except by me. (ESV, John 14:6)

The empty tomb seals our pardon for sin. Jesus offers forgiveness for our sins and God’s grace. And that secures our hope in an eternal life with him.

About Chip Tudor:

Chip Tudor is an author, blogger and professional writer. He publishes books, humorous Christian drama, and thought provoking blogs from a Christian worldview. This blog is originally published here.

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The Death And Resurrection Of Lazarus In The Bible

The Death And Resurrection Of Lazarus In The Bible

by | Feb 23, 2022 | Blog

The death and resurrection of Lazarus is recorded in the Gospel of John. It’s one of many extraordinary miracles performed by Jesus during his three year ministry. And has important lessons for us today.

The death and resurrection of Lazarus teaches that God’s timing is always perfect

Mary, Martha and Lazarus of Bethany are mentioned several times in the New Testament. And it’s clear they had a special relationship with Jesus. So it seems odd when a messenger rushes to tell Jesus that Lazarus is critically ill, Jesus didn’t leave immediately and go to him.

Instead, he stays where he is and shows up in Bethany four days later!

Why?

A possible reason is because there was a common belief that when someone died, their soul hovered over the body for three days hoping to re-enter it. But finally left for good when decomposition started. Martha confirmed this had started when Jesus arrived and asked them to open the tomb. She warned that by now there would be a bad odor.

This means when Jesus brought Lazarus back to life, no one could claim a hovering soul managed successful re-entry. But rather, the resurrection of Lazarus was solely by God’s miraculous power. It shows that God’s timing is perfect. And we can trust his timing in our lives today.

The death and resurrection of Lazarus teaches that God’s miracles are not about your faith but his power

We all have moments when we struggle in our faith. Implore God for a miracle. Ask him why? And even though Mary and Martha both believed in Jesus, this was a moment they struggled too. They fully believed Jesus could have healed Lazarus while he was alive and sick. But weren’t so sure when Jesus talked about raising him from the dead.

Martha deferred to the end of time when God would raise all believers. But Jesus talked about the present.

And what further complicates the matter is we have this tendency to mistakenly believe God works based on our level of faith. He will answer our prayers if we just have enough of it.

But Jesus didn’t require a certain level of belief in this Bible story. Or chastise Martha for lacking it. He simply affirmed her belief in him. And in this case–whatever that amount– was enough.

Because it’s not the level of our faith that is important. But God’s omnipotent power.

The death and resurrection of Lazarus teaches God uses our circumstances to Glorify his name

In John 11:14, Jesus appears to demonstrate divine knowledge because he knows Lazarus already died. And perhaps it helps explain why he was not in a hurry to leave. And in John 11:4, he reveals the purpose for it: So the Son of God may be glorified through it.

In other words, God had a plan and was already working to carry it out. Although it didn’t look like it, considering Jesus’ lack of action.

Mary and Martha had a plan too. Get Jesus to Lazarus before he died. Because they knew Jesus could heal him. But God’s plan was even better. Because it glorified him in a spectacular manner. And led even more people to believe in Jesus.

Sure. It’s easy to read of a miracle like this and claim to trust God. Much harder when you’re actually struggling through difficult circumstances. But this story should gives us hope. Because it says God always has a plan. He’s working even when you can’t see it. Only asks you to trust and believe in him. And he will cause all things to work together for good. And his glory.

About Chip Tudor:

Chip Tudor is a freelance copywriter, Christian author, playwright and pastor. He publishes drama at www.chiptudor.com, books on Amazon.com, and articles on his blog.

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