April 5, 2015
A popular Easter song is the old Negro spiritual, “Were You There?” Have you ever wondered about its meaning?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when He rose up from the grave?
In answer to that question, one could say, “It all happened a long time ago, how could I have been there?” But, there is good – biblical – logic in saying, “Yes, I was there.”
First we were all there, because the reason for Jesus’ death was our sin. Not just the sins of the “world” (some unknown quantity of unknown people), but MY SINS. MY SINS put Jesus on the cross. MY SINS caused His suffering. MY SINS required a payment – a propitiation – before God. The death of Jesus was all about MY SIN. Yes, I was there.
Secondly, we should say we were there because we have eye witness accounts of the events. In the Bible we can read exactly what happened and know what took place. In fact, because we have them recorded in God’s Word, we know more about Jesus’ death and resurrection than those living in Jerusalem during those days. Out of the tens of thousands of people in Jerusalem during that Passover, only a small number actually saw what happened with their own eyes. Only a few took part. Most people were totally oblivious to Jesus’ death even though it occurred just a few miles away. Today, we have a better and more complete picture of those events than even the disciples with Jesus (after all, they were hiding away in fear). Yes, we were there, God’s Word takes us there and gives us a front row seat to all that happened.
Were you there? The biblical answer is “YES.” You were there, but you can choose not to believe it. You can turn your back on what Jesus did and pretend it is all fiction. But, if you do that, you will miss out on life’s greatest gift and the reason for His suffering will be lost in your unbelief.
These last four Sundays I have challenged us to take a “front row seat” to the Easter events. We would feel the disciples intimidation and danger. We would watch the religious leaders try to hold on to their power and their nation (even though they eventually lost it all). We would see Pilot discover that the Father is actually the One in control and because of that Jesus lays down His life. Yes, we were there. Easter is not just about the past, it is about us today! Let it change our lives just like it changed the lives of those first witnesses.
