Scripture Passage
The officer confirmed that Jesus was dead… (Mark 15:45 NLT)
Observation
I’m rehearsing in my heart, this morning, the reality of Jesus’ death. I understand that the point becomes the resurrection of Christ, but—hey—if Jesus didn’t really die, then Jesus wasn’t *really* resurrected!
I know that’s obvious, but I’m not convinced we take the reality of Jesus’ death seriously enough. It’s tough to—we didn’t live through the events of His death and burial. Beyond that, centuries take their toll and the vibrancy of the story wears away. On top of even that, some people (much too easily) dismiss the resurrection as a myth, a hoax, or some other form of mistake or deception.
But the Scriptures—the most verifiable of all ancient documents by any modern standard—make it clear that Jesus died. Completely. He was gone. No breath, no pulse, no sign of life—nothing but a corpse and no reason to hope that would ever be different. Pilate’s question and the officer’s response were not just casual conversation—their interaction constituted the legally binding inquiry by which Pilate was authorized to release the body of Jesus. Based on the testimony of the Roman officer, Pilate’s government certified the death of Jesus of Nazareth.
Only when we actually capture some measure of the reality of Jesus’ death will we capture some measure of the wonder of His resurrection. The closest you’ll come is if you’ve known the loss of someone dear. Imagine getting that loved one back again. Once you get past the “Wow, that’s spooky” part, can you imagine that your life would ever be the same again? I can’t.
And such was the case for those who saw, touched, and spoke with the resurrected Christ. Everything changed, because His resurrection promised their resurrection—as it does ours. “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” (Romans 8:29 NLT)
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