Russian side: I give you freedom, judgment, death, and life!

The Bible tells us of numerous holidays, all of which vary in age. The most recent holidays in the New Testament are about 2,000 years old. Easter, on the other hand, is about 4,000 years old. For us, however, the age of these holidays is irrelevant, because humans live for a maximum of 100 years, and these holidays have existed for them since time immemorial. The biblical holidays continue to exist because God willed and commanded it. Their observance has several distinctive features.

The special features of biblical festivals

The first characteristic of the biblical holiday is remembrance. There is profound meaning in remembrance. God knows how quickly people forget. Therefore, He has commanded us to remember! For the Easter we celebrate today, and the way we celebrate it, differs greatly from the Old Testament feast. Back then, God commanded His people to leave everything and go out into the desert. We should reflect on what happened then, remembering those great days when God glorified His name.

The second characteristic – judgment. It is not enough to remember that someone once left Egypt or that Jesus rose from the dead. These momentous events are meant to have an impact on our lives. For they are eternal orders. God wants them to live in the human heart. Freedom and slavery, love and hate, holiness and impurity, pride and humility – these feelings did not originate in our time; they have influenced people for a very long time. We should reflect on this. One of the greatest holidays that prompts us to reflect is Easter . “Yesterday we were slaves, and today we are children of freedom” – is sung at Passover in Israel. Let us consider what kind of freedom that is.

Indeed, just yesterday they were in Egypt: 400 years of hard work, contempt, punishment, no rights of their own. And yet, the people had grown accustomed to many things, built houses, started families, ate onions, garlic, and even melons. And then they went out into the desert. And here it was, freedom. They could go wherever they wanted. But these thoughts only lasted until lunchtime. It quickly became clear that they had very few flatbreads with them and that they wouldn't be able to plow or sow in the desert. They would have to survive in the desert in other ways. On the way, they encountered hostile tribes who attacked them. Yes, it turned out that the desert was terrible. Not least of all, the Pharaoh was also pursuing them. Was this the freedom they had hoped for? They began to wonder if they needed this freedom. Perhaps it had been better in Egypt?

This question has remained unchanged throughout the millennia and still confronts us today: What does freedom mean to me? Am I ready to embrace this freedom, or should I rather "wait and see" in Egypt? God has His own opinion on this, and this is also the third characteristic of the holiday—God's opinion . God wants us not merely to remember and judge, but to stand on God's side so that we can see that being close to Him is the most important thing for a person. God lived with His people in Egypt, increasing and strengthening them. That was the blessing of Israel. Then He led them out, and that too was a blessing. We, too, must orient our lives so that God leads us. Then we will understand the deeper meaning in the fact that God first leads His people to Egypt in order to ultimately lead them out.

The fourth characteristic of the festival is to experience joy . God gives His people a profound, serious story. We should not reflect on this story in a human way, but in the way that God Himself offers us.

Easter – is the festival of God, on which He won victory. He once triumphed over the Pharaoh in Egypt and over death itself. He did not keep this victory for Himself, but gave it to His people as a great gift. This is freedom. This is a great blessing for humankind – the true freedom of which God said: Remember this day, rejoice , celebrate, and savor it!

Even before the Israelites in Egypt, people served their God. Undoubtedly, the life of Abraham, the patriarch of faith, and his children Isaac and Jacob was a service before the Lord. But Easter is the birth of a new people. “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go to Pharaoh and say to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, that they may serve me ”’” (Exodus 9:1). It is the election of an entire people—thousands of people who wanted and were to serve God as one. It was the first service before the Lord to which He called His firstborn people, Israel.

 

Freedom

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night and strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment on all the gods of Egypt, I, the Lord. And the blood will be a sign to you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you without sacrificing you; and no plague will come upon you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt ” (Exodus 12:12-13).

This is the most terrible death sentence. It doesn't say: Save your lives with your righteousness. The people didn't understand: "Listen to my word, do the work you will remember in all your future generations—smear the doorposts with the blood of the sheep. You will understand later what this is for, and now do as I tell you." And a huge crowd, all as one, anointed the doorposts. God demanded their obedience. And they obeyed, although it wasn't solely because of obedience. God pronounced judgment on Egypt for reasons we don't know. Had they not anointed their doorposts, the firstborn in all of Israel would have died. The angel of death walked over the whole earth, and only blood saved them from him. The blood that was the sign of their obedience, the blood of the innocent sheep, for whom they surely also felt compassion.

God said, “ This day shall be a day of remembrance for you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it as a perpetual statute ” (Exodus 12:14). For thousands of years, the Jews ransomed their firstborn sons by remembering this night. But it was the first night of freedom for Israel. The Israelites testified: God has brought us to freedom, and He will accomplish even greater things.

This image doesn't stand alone; it's for humanity and foretells that death will pass away. This is especially important for us right now. When we celebrate Easter, we must understand that death has passed away. At the moment when the fullness of time had arrived, God pronounced judgment on Egypt. Great tribulation had befallen the earth, from which God led His people into freedom. And into this freedom they were to follow Him. Therein lies a great lesson for us as well.

Sometimes we wonder how we can follow God in sickness or other difficulties. Doesn't God care? Surely He can turn every situation around for us in the best possible way, making it comfortable and pleasant. And for the Israelites, too, it was a departure from comfort into the desert. Four thousand years later, we say, "Glory to God, it was a great victory." God still asks this question today: Will you follow me, even if it means going into the desert, under unexpected circumstances, to a place where it is not pleasant?

It is said that where God is, all is well. But from a human perspective, not everything seems well. Expecting that one day the secrets of this feast would be revealed, God commanded: Celebrate this feast – every year.

Court

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). From these words, it becomes clear that God was not merely speaking about the earth and social issues, nor was he simply leading Israel out of Egypt and giving them another land, although all of this was and continues to be a blessing for that people. But God had greater plans. He was prepared not only to free this small nation from slavery, but all people. And not just from earthly slavery, but from inner slavery—the slavery of sin. People ask themselves where all the suffering on earth comes from: hatred, wars, violence? God answers this question : All suffering comes from the rule of sin. 

Finally , the time came to save humanity. “Here is my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul delights; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles” (Matthew 12:18). “Now judgment is coming on this world ” (John 12:31). “ And the ax is already laid to the root of the trees. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire ” (Matthew 3:10). The time of salvation has come, but this salvation has not escaped from people’s consciousness. God did not say, “I will deliver you, and only then will I tell you from what.”

The appearance of God united love and justice within himself. It cannot be otherwise. God's love and God's justice are inextricably linked. It is impossible to pardon someone who does not yearn for forgiveness, who is unaware of their transgressions, and who does not consider themselves a criminal. This must be revealed to humanity. God came to proclaim judgment and forgiveness to humankind: "And this is the judgment: The light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil " (John 3:19).

God came into this world in an unexpected way: Jesus Christ, an itinerant preacher, came from a poor family whose roots trace back to King David. Christ belonged to a noble family, but there was no indication of this – he possessed neither wealth nor honor. He knew hunger, hardship, and thirst. But he was a light . He also comes into the human heart now, primarily as light.

When a person comes to God, what do they long for? That God will help them and save them from difficulties and distress. God says, "I am the light." Then the person must decide what kind of relationship they have with the light. God awakens in them, as He once did in Israel, a thirst for mercy and for knowledge. Had Israel understood Him? No, the people loved the darkness more. But God continued to pursue the plan He had prepared from eternity.

Death

“Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to save us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Gal 1:3-5). 

First, it must be stated that the death of the Son of God was voluntary. This is one of the pillars of faith in God. We follow Jesus Christ willingly. We have seen in Him beauty, glory, goodness, love, freedom, and life. But He, too, has willingly accepted us. His death occurred in fulfillment of the Father's plan and will. For your and my good, He controls our lives. We don't know everything about it, and in difficult times, questions arise: Could He have resisted death in another way? In what way are children involved with blood and flesh? What does all this mean for us?

God is almighty, and nothing is impossible for Him. In every situation, we can say, " I don't understand you, but I thank you." In every situation, a believer can glorify God—this is the fruit of Easter. Beyond strength and human understanding, humanity ascends to where almighty God is enthroned, to say, "Glory to you, Lord! It is difficult, painful, incomprehensible to me; I cannot grasp it, but I thank you for revealing your great love on Golgotha. Almighty, omnipresent, reaching to the very depths, I say: 'Not that I have already obtained all this or have already been perfected, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me' (Philippians 3:12)."

Secondly , Christ died for our sins. Many say that one must fulfill the law, but this is simply impossible. Why is it impossible? Let's imagine an ordinary person wanting to fulfill the law. They must fulfill everything written in Scripture—everything there, both positive and negative. Even if a person decides very early on to fulfill the law, they will find that some sins have already accumulated in their youth. And since the retribution for sin is death, they must receive the sentence of death according to the law. This is the consequence when we say, "Judge me, O God, according to the law, since I have decided to fulfill it." Once righteousness has been accomplished, there is no return from death. Thus, life under the law brings a person to a state we cannot even imagine. Therefore, God has provided the only way He can bring us salvation—through the union of man with God in His Son, Jesus Christ. In this union, all our sins and transgressions fall upon Jesus, and this brings with it the fullness of suffering and death. Christ drinks the cup of wrath and bears our punishment.

 

Life

The Son of God, Jesus Christ, answers all the Father's demands. He received the resurrection from the dead, for He was the only one among humankind who received everything that is due to everyone who lives according to the law. "Now the law is not based on faith, but: 'The one who does these things will live by them'" (Galatians 3:12). "Moses describes the righteousness that comes from the law this way: 'The one who does these things will live by them'" (Romans 10:5). Therefore, He receives life from God. The only one who has not sinned, the one who is faithful to God. But because He is united with us by God, and we are one with Him, He bestows all blessings upon us. And we receive them absolutely freely.

One with Him – we cannot even begin to imagine what that truly means, how much wisdom, pain, and divine power are contained in God's plan. To unite humanity with the Son of God, so that He would both rise from the dead and, through His death, preserve us from eternal damnation . It was as if we were living at the crossroads of two separate lives. As children of Adam and Eve, we were born into this world. We know sin, untruth, deceit, suffering, and lies; we ourselves are liars and lie to ourselves before the Lord. Through the grace of God, a miracle happened to us: Easter. Christ is our Easter. He died to free us from eternal damnation, to ensure that we would find the way to the next world, so that we could live in the reality of the present. And we have risen for another life!

Sometimes people ask why we should love, forgive, turn the other cheek, and wear pious clothes. It's all for one thing—for a new life on earth. It is the appearance of the new glory that God has commanded us to live and practice here on earth, so that we may already taste what life there will be like. But if we don't like it, what future life are we supposed to talk about?

Lord, as many years ago, when Your Easter saved the firstborn, save us now. That we may turn the other cheek, that love may overcome hatred, earthly desires may vanish, and the feelings of the life to come may appear. Because the Father accepted the work of Jesus and He truly rose, so too has our hope of loving and not sinning risen. The promised land awaits us, and we do not practice freedom in vain. One day there will be a true union with God. The Lord will not abandon us midway. Glory to the Lord!

Leonid Odesskii
Tel Aviv, Israel