OK. Please don't criticize until you read the whole post here. Today, I read the current pope's Easter message. I thought it was quite good, as far as it went. In part, this is what he said:





(https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/04/16/resurrection-not-fantasy-pope-francis-insists-easter-sunday/)

So to be clear, i am in no way criticizing what the pope said. I actually think it was quite nicely done.

The topic of the resurrection seems to come into most prominence and recognition around this time of year. But I must confess it is only because of my birthday being this time of year, that I recall this amazing theme from the Bible.

It did get me to thinking about something though. I always enjoy any focus on the resurrection, but most years, I am left wondering why so much focus on the resurrection, with so little focus on the crucifixion, or the life of our Lord?

I think of a verse that helps me to sum up my many questions:


Years ago, I was holding the hand of an elderly gentleman as he was dying, and something made me pick up his Bible with one hand and just start to leaf casually through it. The first thing that caught my eye was this text, scrawled in his hand writing. I turned to this man who was dying and told him what I saw, and he gripped my hand tight, smiled, and died.

I will never forget this text, and this text leads to my summary of all my other questions. World leaders and pastors everywhere, if they do celebrate Easter, usually focus on the resurrection. But this text mentions two things:

1) "the power of His resurrection..."
2) "the fellowship of His sufferings..."

Which of these two should we focus on more and why? What should each of these two phrases should manifest most in our daily life, and how should that look to the outside world?

Which should be our focus?

Both!

Without the suffering and the cross, their would be no "power of resurrection".
Without the resurrection Christ's death on the cross would be in vain for death would still be the end.


Applying the events to us -- as Romans 6 does.
We too, through Christ, must suffer death to sin, that we might rise to newness of life in Him.

Yes! I certainly agree with what you wrote dedication. I found this quote which seems to illustrate further:

The disciples of Christ, as Jews, had been educated to hate the Samaritans, and this was a lesson that would be of great benefit to them in their future experience. Jesus would have them understand that there were many precious souls among the Samaritans who would not refuse to come to the Gospel feast. This Samaritan that had returned to give praise to God was no mean citizen, and he would prove an effective witness for Christ. After the resurrection and ascension of Christ, he would bear decided witness that Christ was the Son of God. He would repeat the story of his restoration, and with a heart full of intense love and interest, he would say to those with whom he came in contact, "Will you believe in Jesus?" It was testimonies of this kind that turned men from the established teachings and endless repetitions and worthless traditions of the scribes and Pharisees. Unlearned men testified to the power of Christ, and spoke boldly of the grace of God, and their glowing testimonies were placed in sharp contrast to the heartless, exacting ritual of the Pharisees. And the people were constrained to say that these men had been with Jesus, and had learned of him.
{ST, June 25, 1896 par. 6}

I find it very interesting how the word "constrained" was used in the above quote.

A very nice reflection! Tx for the opportunity for us to indulge also.

The first thing that came to mind is no life-resurrection can happen without first having the death & burial of the seed. The old is passed away and the new is present & today.

Death comes first and Paul tells us that it is our "old man" that needs to die and is crucified with Christ at the cross (Rom6:6; Eph 4:22; Col 3:9). And that Death needs to be destroyed(1Cor 15:26)...right?


I do understand why you have this question as in our church we are taught to focus on Christ death rather than His resurrection while some other denomination like to focus on His resurrection. I think both focus can be wrong if God's truth is not well presented.

But I do think that the resurrection is more important than the death for 3 reasons.

For sure we are to meditate on Christ life & death as it illuminates the path to the cross that we also all have to undergo. However, I don't think that His death is the central point of God's gospel;but rather it is His resurrection. If there's no resurrection, then what's the point of Him[us] dying. right?

Point One: It is the hope of the resurrection that makes the long undesired [spiritual]death of the "old man" process bearable. Ro 8:18 "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

We are still all following that "death" process-path that Jesus showed us that ultimately leads to the cross.

No one of us has experienced Christ full resurrection yet.

However, we all have undergone and tasted small "resurrection" experiences as we go thru the 3 veils(==tearing of the flesh - Heb 10:20) and we enter the 3 compartments of the sanctuary service. These depicts the 3 phases of our spiritual growth : Passover(baby-congregation : circumcision & baptism); Pentecost(adolescent-Levites: hearing God's voice and learning His laws-will); Tabernacle(Sons-Priests: enter our calling and we only do what we see the Father do, and only say what we hear our Father say).

Each of these veils represents a [spiritual] death that we all have to undergo. And on the other side of these veils is a "small" resurrection as we enter the new life stage that is found inside each compartment of the sanctuary.

Point Two: I think once we experience a [spiritual] death as "the tearing of our flesh"(==our carnality) happens as we pass thru a veil, is we leave that old sheded dead skin (of our immature babyhood or foolish adolescent behavior) behind and we focus on the new life that is found on the other side of the 3 veils.

As a comparison, What does a woman with child remember most? the pain of the childbirth or the birth & the new life of the born child?

I agree, our experience falls short, because of the humanity factor. I have sometimes wondered what place, texts like Gal 6:14 would have in telling people "The Easter Story?"

Long ago, I memorized a quote from EGW regarding "the cross:" and it goes like this:

It can be found in several places in her writings. I am currently contemplating how to apply this principle to "Easter."

How about applying it to the "Passover" story instead, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread instead of "Easter?" Christians celebrate "Good Friday" and "Easter" as if these DAYS are important (Friday and Sunday) when the truth is that it is Passover, the Sabbaths (of the feasts), and Wave Sheaf that are the true symbols, and they could happen on any day of the week in the Jewish economy. If one's thrust is to promote a false Sabbath (7th-day), then lets push Easter Sunday, and ignore the whole meaning of the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread! The last thing the Christian world is seeking is to remove the Leaven, which is the central theme to Christ and Him crucified.

I don't think that the typical "Easter Sunday" has any functions that would promote a false Sabbath. That does not seem to fit with my OP either. But if you have some clear documentation about this, it would be worth looking at. How does "Easter Sunday" promote a "false Sabbath?"

"Easter Sunday" is already a false idea. In the type, Christ was raised on the day of First Fruits, which could have been on any day of the week. Yes Christians promote a false idea that Sunday replaces Sabbath because it is the day the Christ was resurrected. Easter is rarely if ever "celebrated" on the real day according to the Passover Feast type.

We seem to give such consideration to the Papacy. I never trust what they say anymore. I don't trust their words , even though they sound good and right, to have the correct meaning in their hearts. The Papacy that is.