How Can God Die?
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

If you had been Peter, chances are you would have denied Jesus, too. Peter just couldn't understand what was happening.

If Jesus were the Son of God, Peter must have wondered, why didn't he stop the abuse and mockery Peter was witnessing in the high priest's courtyard? How could someone who was supposed to be divine put up with that?

Maybe it is just some tragic mistake, Peter may have thought. Perhaps, after all, Jesus is another sincere but misguided charismatic leader who has overwhelmed his followers with grandiose words and visions and thoughts of invincibility. And if that's the case, I'd better save my own skin while I can. "No," Peter insisted to the courtyard bystanders, "I don't know him."

Later that day, Peter watched Jesus, now brutally beaten, spiked to a cross, then jerked upright in the sun to hang, and gasp for air, and finally die. If Jesus were the Son of God, how could he die like that?

Peter was just as troubled the following Sunday when he ran to Jesus' tomb to find the body missing. The women told of angels' words that he had risen, but with his own eyes Peter had seen Jesus die. If he were a man--and he certainly died like a man--how could he return from death? Someone must have taken the body. Must have!

It is this quandary men and women have struggled with for centuries. If Jesus is God, how could he die? And if he is man, how could he rise?

The Roman soldiers guarding the tomb early that Easter morning were troubled by no such ponderings. One moment they sat mesmerized by the fire flickering in the chilly predawn hours. The next they were stunned by a brilliance of arc-light proportions, as the tomb's stone lurched aside and the radiant Jesus walked out alive!

How can God die, and how can man live? Why, for that matter, was Jesus conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin? Because Jesus is God's Son, sent to earth to lead us to our Father, to die for our sins, and to rise from the dead to show us that he is the source of everlasting life. He is the God-Man.

And what is that to me? His shameful death that Good Friday was a direct result of my sins. And his resurrection Easter morning was for me, as well. He died and lived for me. For me--and for you.

IS EASTER A PAGAN CELEBRATION?

By no means! Easter is the primary Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ the Lord.

However, the English word "Easter" may have pagan connotations. The Anglo-Saxon priest Venerable Bede in the 8th century derived it from the Anglo-Saxon spring goddess Eostre.

Of course, our days of the week, too, spring from the names of pagan gods:

Sunday
Sun god

Monday
Moon god

Tuesday
Tiu, Germanic god of war

Wednesday
Odin, Norse supreme god

Thursday
Thor, Norse god of thunder, weather, and crops

Friday
Frigga, wife of Odin and Norse goddess of married love and of the hearth

Saturday
Saturn, Roman god of agriculture


And the names of the months, similarly are deeply infected with the names of pagan gods:

January
Janus, Roman god of doors and gates

February
Februus, ancient Italian god, and festival of purification

March
Mars, Roman god of war

April
Aprilis, Roman republican calendar month, considered by the Romans as sacred to Venus

May
Maia, Roman goddess of spring

June
Juno, Roman goddess of women and marriage

July
Julius Caesar, defied Roman emperor

August
Augustus Caesar, defied Roman emperor

September
Seventh (month of early Roman calendar)

October
Eighth (month of early Roman calendar)

November
Ninth (month of early Roman calendar)

December
Tenth (month of early Roman calendar)


You see, the NAMES that we use -- indeed, our entire vocabulary -- is filled with pagan references of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, Germanic, and Roman gods and goddesses, since the vocabulary developed before Christianity came to England. But the CONTENT of Easter -- at least as true Christians practice it -- is a celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The old pagan celebrations of Easter are for those who don't know Jesus. But a meditation on Jesus' cross, his death, and his glorious resurrection are to be the focus of Christians.

Don't get hung up on the name "Easter." But focus on the joy we celebrate when we recall Jesus' rising from the dead on that Sunday morning, that "Easter" morning, 20 centuries ago.

( Courtesy of Joyful Heart Renewal Ministries )

LORD : Liar or Insane?

Some say He was just a good teacher,
but good teachers don't claim to be God.



Some say He was merely a good example,
but good examples don't mingle with prostitutes
and sinners.



Some say He was a madman,
but madmen don't speak the way He spoke.



Some say He was a crazed fanatic,
but crazed fanatics don't draw children to themselves
or attract men of intellect like Paul or Luke
to be their followers.



Some say He was a religious phony,
but phonies don't rise from the dead.



Some say He was only a phantom,
but phantoms can't give their flesh and blood to
be crucified.



Some say He was only a myth,
but myths don't set the calendar for history.



Jesus has been called the ideal man, an example of love, the highest model of religion, the foremost pattern of virtue, the greatest of all men, and the finest teacher who ever lived. All of those descriptions capture elements of His character, but they all fall short of the full truth. The apostle Thomas expressed it perfectly when he saw Jesus after the resurrection, and exclaimed, "My Lord and My God!" (John 20:28).

I ASKED...

I asked for Strength.........
And God gave me Difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for Wisdom.........
And God gave me Problems to solve.

I asked for Prosperity.........
And God gave me Brain and Brawn to work.

I asked for Courage.........
And God gave me Danger to overcome.

I asked for Love.........
And God gave me Troubled people to help.

I asked for Favors.........
And God gave me Opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted ........
I received everything I needed!

LENTEN QUIZ

Take this quiz:
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Bb. Pilipinas contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Famas Award winners for best actor actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.


Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel, appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you. Easier?


The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

posted by Tanghalang Anluwage, Inc. @ 12:30 AM