Easter And Calvary

Easter And Calvary

            Today is a beautiful spring morning. It is also Easter Sunday and you are headed to an appropriate service to honor our Savior. Why? To meet with friends that only come on special occasions? To enjoy the pageant given by the Sunday School Class? To admire the flowers decorating the church? To model your great new summer outfits? Or are you really interested in listening to the sermon? To listen devoutly to your leader describe how…”God sent Jesus to earth to suffer, die on the cross and shed His blood. That His blood was the only way that God could forgive the sins, that our forefathers, Adam and Eve committed, and our own; was for Jesus to die a cruel, inhuman, death: to shed His life’s blood as final punishment for all sins.  We celebrate this day as the resurrection of Jesus from the grave and Now we can call on Him whenever we need forgiveness.”

            That is the very reason that I won’t be attending any service today. I don’t believe any of the above. I will offend you with my view of Calvary; but before you completely reject my assement, read my reasons and conclusions. Think about what you believe and why: then decide. Am I an atheist or agonist? Absolutely not! But neither do I believe in your blood thirsty, heathen god either.

            I do believe sincerely and completely in Mary’s virgin birth of God’s baby, named Jesus; because I believe all babies are created by the One God. I believe that our Father-Mother-God sent our brother Jesus to teach us how good life is when lived by our Father’s rules or laws. I believe Jesus was as ‘human’ as we are.

            I can imagine Jesus being born and raised as a Jew, with Mary teaching Him all the laws and rules of law that He should follow. I can also believe that Jesus at a tender age questioned these laws. He understood there was a great difference between God’s Law, which will make man happy when obeyed; and man’s laws which are merely rituals for show. Yet, the priests’ made both as a cause for punishment and ritual sacrifice.

            If God wanted or needed blood God could create an ocean of blood. He created the blood in your veins as well as Jesus’ blood. I know that animal sacrifice was common in the Jewish religion in the Old Testament. They felt it was necessary to appease their God. I don’t think a Loving God needs to be appeased. God spared Isaac and Jesus felt justified in turning over the money tables and setting the animals slated for sacrifice free and He knew God’s Laws better than anyone. Even after Jesus shed His blood…others continued human sacrifice- the Aztec, some American Indians, tribes in Australia and Africa. In the name of God or god?

            The temptation in the wilderness, in my opinion, was not a devil or entity outside His body. It was Jesus, the human doubt and fear that Jesus was feeling. Did He want to be a king with all of the privileges of a ruler? Did He want to be rich and famous? He argued with His conscience until He made His decision. With the words we should all use He said, “Get thee behind me Satan0!” He put all false thoughts out of His mind and started His ministry. And what a ministry it was!

            He taught with authority! Jesus knew God intimately because His thoughts were always one with God’s. He taught that God is our Father who Loves us unconditionally and we can turn to our Father for all our needs. Jesus saw the Reality; where man in human thought saw sickness, fear, hardships and death. When the sick came to Jesus to be healed; Jesus didn’t try to heal a sick body. He didn’t actually heal at all. He saw the prefect body of God’s creation and brought the patient’s thought up to the realization that the sickness was only a mistaken belief. An error belief held by the human mind then and now.

            After living so close to God for three years His body was becoming a spiritual body of light. If that happened no one would believe that He had been human like us and our brother. Jesus could have ascended then and there and God would have welcomed Him with open arms and no rebuke. Jesus allowed the unbelievers to crucify Him in plain sight so they would absolutely know that He was dead. Not because God demanded blood and His death.

            Then Jesus arose from the dead. They had seen him die. Now he was alive! He proved that everything human is illusion; not what we believe; a mistake from beginning to end

            This is my understanding. Jesus came to unite us with the One God. A Father that knows only Good; because Good is all that God created and Good is all that exists. Sickness, sin, and death were never created, do not exist in any form…except as error; a belief in a lie or a false sense of things.

            I believe that Jesus suffered more knowing that the believers still doubted and the devout Jews believed He was a devil come to lure them away from their cherished beliefs. They sincerely believed in their religion. Can you leave what you have been taught when a higher spiritual thought presents itself? Neither could they and that hurt more than the nails that held Him to the cross.   

            I believe that Jesus came to teach us the Truth. He knew of the danger of people not being able to accept His message. He was aware that He might be put to death. However, death was not feared by Jesus. He knew about the life on the other side. He wanted us to know that we can have that life today on this side. Just do as Jesus did and put God first. “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Wherever God is heaven is and where is God not?

            1020 word                                     Loretta Ellen Edwards