I found myself in a vicious cycle last night. I was watching a show which continuously ended on a cliff-hanger, and worse for me, a scary one. I didn’t want to go to sleep until the show had a happy resolution so I wouldn’t have nightmares. (I turn 28 in a couple weeks, maybe I’ll be a grow-up then.) So finally, just before 3 am the show came to the very happy conclusion… of killing the main character. Are you kidding me? Come on! Confession: when I saw it going down-hill I turned the TV off and googled what happened so I wouldn’t have to watch it. I’m weak. But on the article, I was reading with the spoiler, it had an interview with the actress about how the show-runners arrived at the decision and basically it was: she wanted to leave but her character would never abandon her family, so she had to die.

A big part of the Easter narrative is the death of the main character, but the show-runners have a plot problem. Wow, that’s blasphemous. I’m not trying to deny that Christ’s death was a historical event, but bear with my blasphemy for a second. So Christ needs to be crucified but who would crucify someone who hasn’t done anything wrong? But Christ can’t do anything wrong. That’s imperative. He has to remain sinless otherwise he deserves to die just like the rest of us and his death carries no redemptive power.

So what sin can Christ be guilty of but which will not make him have any guilt? What can Christ do wrong, but since he’s Christ will be right?

He calls himself God’s son, making him equal to the Father. That’s blasphemy! Unless it’s true.

Now we have an excuse to crucify Christ but also maintain his perfect righteousness. Easter is saved! It’s almost like the Godhead planned all this out from before the beginning of time!
So as we prepare for Easter, we reflect on the Christ that was able to save us. He, unlike the rest of us, never gave in to temptation, never did anything wrong and what’s more: did everything right. It isn’t enough to have a blank slate, but instead Christ “achieves righteousness” by not only adhering to religious customs like baptism but serving the people and worshipping the Father.

Still Christ was killed, taking down to the grave all the sins of the world. He could take on these sins because he had none of his own. Then, because he was in fact God, he was able to rise again, conquering death for all that would believe in him.