Jesus paid ultimate price for our sins

Christians celebrate Christmas and Easter throughout the world, even though the traditions associated with them have nothing to do with Christianity at all.

The former sees the arrival of Santa, the decoration of Christmas trees and the giving and receiving of gifts. The latter sees the rise of the Easter Bunny, Easter eggs and hotcross buns.

Why are these two calendar dates so important then? Christmas is a celebration of the birth of the Saviour in Bethlehem. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

On Easter Friday we commemorate the death of the

Saviour and celebrate His resurrection on the Sunday.

As the Lord Jesus agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane, he prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42).

The imminent reality of this “cup” turned His sweat into droplets of blood.

That which He was about to endure is graphically described in Isaiah 53:5, 6. It says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

And then He was crucified! The Lamb of God paid the ransom price for the redemption of all mankind. We only have to believe and receive.

If the skeletal remains of Jesus still lay in a tomb in some unknown location, our faith in Him would be absolutely in vain. We would be totally lost and have no hope for the future at all. But the tomb is empty!

The truth of the matter is: “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Romans 4:25).

“He knew me, yet He loved me, He who made the heaven’s glory shine. So unworthy of such mercy, when He was on the cross, I was on His mind.”