He had to die. It was the only way to lawfully buyback fallen humanity. The garden sin released a death sentence on the globe that affected every living thing from that moment forward. The unwillingness to obey the Lord—you will not eat the fruit of this tree—established Satan as the god of this world. There are so many examples of this in Hollywood movies; Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy, Loki, and Thanos, in the Avenger’s, are a few of the most recent movies.
God established a blood ritual allowing fallen humanity to stay in contact with him. However, the ritual was temporary at best. This is why the plan for human redemption had to include blood and death. It reminds me of another character in the Avenger’s movie, Dr. Strange, who goes forward in time to view possible outcomes of the battle with Thanos. After viewing millions of possibilities, he states that there is only one where the world wins. As the movie runs, it appears that Dr. Strange missed the mark as Thanos wins—but the end is not yet.
The Apostle Paul states that had the rulers of the world known of the outcome, Jesus would not have been killed. Therefore, it looked as though they (as well as Thanos in the movie) had won. This is very important to understand because Christ-followers cannot allow what they “see” to move them away from what God “says.” There was only one way to redeem humanity, and it looked like a total loss.
Jesus told his followers that he must be in the heart of the earth, much like Jonah in the Old Testament, was in the belly of great fish. There had to be a burial. The Bible states in the Old Testament that the body of Jesus would not see decay, however, the body of Jesus was in the tomb long enough to erase any doubt of his death. While life lifeless body lay in a borrowed tomb, his spirit was busy taking care of kingdom business.
Jesus responded to the thief on the cross by telling him that he would be in paradise with him—that very day. It is speculated Jesus went to paradise to proclaim the salvation message to those who died in hope of the Messiah. This makes sense because the plan of redemption centers on Christ. It is also speculated that he also spent time with Lucifer retrieving the kingdom keys. His death set in motion a series of events that would forever settle the question of humanity’s eternal position. Jesus had to be buried.
The Apostle Paul elaborates on the resurrection by saying that if Christ did not resurrect, then the faith of Christ-followers is useless. If Christ was not the first fruit of eternal life, then there is no hope of humanity’s eternal life. However, Christ did rise from the dead. This means that faith—belief and assurance that God is God, and fulfills his word—is valid. It also means that hope—the anticipation and confidence about someone or something—is very much alive in the Christ-follower.
The resurrection sets in motion very important kingdom affairs, because it releases God the Holy Spirit as the active agent of the godhead on the earth. The resurrection had to take place.
Obviously, this post is not a “deep-dive” into this message; nor is it intended to be. It is simply an overview of why this weekend in humanity has been so important for over two thousand years. Jesus is alive, having conquered death, hell, and the grave. Such a message cannot be allowed to be silenced—ever.