Three voices on one question

On the road to Easter, three members of the Elan family share why the death of Jesus still matters.

Julian: Adam's fall and Christ's redemption

Julian begins with Rex, the family pit bull he spent years training, whose obedience his daughter undid after she took him with her. When she later asked him to take the dog back, he refused because he did not want to undo everything she had done. He is glad Jesus did not think that way about Adam. Adam's disobedience brought sin, death, and separation (Genesis 2:16–17); Jesus' obedience brought redemption and eternal life (Romans 5:19). Adam brought thorns and thistles (Genesis 3:17–18); Jesus wore a crown of thorns and turned it into a crown of salvation. Adam had companionship in Eden, but Jesus was alone in Gethsemane while His closest friends slept. One garden led to a curse; the other led to our salvation.

The oil press

Julian explains that Gethsemane comes from a Hebrew word meaning oil press. Olives were crushed and pressed so the oil could be used for light, anointing, healing, and nourishment. It is no coincidence that Jesus' soul was pressed in that very garden. Luke 22:44 says His sweat was like drops of blood, a rare condition under extreme stress, and Matthew 26:38 says He was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. In Eden, God told Adam he would eat bread by the sweat of his brow; in Gethsemane, Jesus sweat blood as He prepared to become the Bread of Life broken for us. "Jesus in Gethsemane is Adam in reverse." Because He was crushed, the oil of God's grace flows to us, creation will be set free (Romans 8:21), and there will be no more curse (Revelation 22:3). Adam's disobedience brought the night, but Jesus' obedience brought a new dawn.

Abigail: who am I, why am I here, what should I do?

Abigail, a middle school teacher who has called Elan home for just over a year, notes that her students wrestle with the questions of identity and purpose, and so do most adults. She gives the room time to answer three questions silently, then builds the answers from 2 Corinthians 5:15–21. Who am I? Because of Christ's death I am a new creation; the old self chasing personal gain is dead. Why am I here? I am reconciled to God and restored to His original design as a steward of creation who walks with Him. What am I supposed to do with my life? I am Christ's ambassador, imploring others to be reconciled to God. Every ordinary moment should testify to the life-changing work of Jesus. Her homework: write the questions and answers down and let them guide real decisions.

Serge: do not miscalculate the blood of Jesus

Serge tells of renting out a townhome to tenants who stopped paying, blocked his wife's calls, and hid inside while he knocked at the door until a lawyer had to evict them. That, he says, is what we often do to Jesus. First Corinthians 6:20 says we were bought at a price, yet we lock Him out through unrepentant sin, secret sin, addictions, and distractions. Reading Isaiah 53:3–5, written seven hundred years before Christ, he insists that our salvation was intentional. Killing Jesus was Satan's biggest miscalculation; 1 Corinthians 2:8 says the rulers of this age would never have crucified the Lord of glory had they understood. "It is finished" was a heavenly mic drop declaring us redeemed.

A word to the lukewarm

Serge shares that he grew up in a Christian home but became lukewarm, going to church, praying, and fasting while bound by distractions and trying to overcome in his own strength. Revelation 3:16 warns that God will spit the lukewarm out of His mouth. Only when he understood the full power of the blood of Jesus and the help of the Holy Spirit did he break free, and now he wakes each day with the joy of the Lord. He urges anyone bound by distractions that crowd out God's purpose not to be in denial. Jesus' death demands an urgent response, because none of us has forever. He is knocking with grace and mercy, though He is also a righteous judge. Closing with Revelation 12:11, Serge reminds Elan that we triumph by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, fighting from a position of victory.