There was a large crowd gathered when Jesus was crucified. Can you picture them all? Jesus was there, and the two criminals crucified with Him. There was a group of Roman soldiers to do the crucifying. There were many passing by on the road to Jerusalem and others who came out of curiosity. The religious leaders were there to hurl their insults at Jesus and to intimidate His followers. His mother Mary and the disciple John were there.

    There were many people at the cross that Friday, but very few people of the cross. Three, to be exact: Jesus and two criminals. At and of. There is a big difference between these two. It’s the difference between being a spectator and a participant. Sitting in the sun with a hotdog at Comerica Park is not the same as playing for the Tigers! While Jesus did tell us to remember Him and the price He paid for us at the cross, He also said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Jesus was sacrificed by God for us at the cross. As the Lamb of God, He came to die in our place and pay for our sin (our rebellion against God in all its forms). We must acknowledge this and come to God in humility seeking His forgiveness because of what Jesus has done for us, not because of any good we have done. 

    At the same time, Jesus told us that following Him includes denying ourselves and taking up our cross. This means that I begin every day knowing that today is not about me, it’s about Jesus. Honouring Him in all things, living with His values and priorities. It’s about obeying him as the Lord of all. Taking up my cross is about dying to my own selfish, sinful ways. When anyone in the Roman Empire saw someone walking down a road carrying a cross, they knew one thing for sure. It was over. This guy was done for. When I “take up my cross” each day, I am saying that this is all for and about Jesus today. 

     Look at Easter. That morning there were a number of people at the empty tomb. Jesus was there, having walked out of the tomb. The angel was there to roll the stone away. Peter and John came when Mary Magdalene told them that the tomb was empty. There were people at the empty tomb, but only one was of the empty tomb: Jesus, the risen Lord. When His followers found that He had risen from the dead, it changed everything for them. Jesus promised to rise again and He did! If He kept this promise, we can surely trust Him to keep the rest of His promises. With death conquered, we can live without fear! As followers of Christ, we can live in His resurrection power each day, confident in the eternal life that only He can give to us. We can be people of the empty tomb!

    Romans 10:9 says “…if you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Jesus died for us, but He also rose again for us. Have you embraced Him for who He is and for what he has done? Thank God for the cross and the empty tomb. Then respond in humble surrender to the Lord who offers forgiveness and eternal life and live every day for the Risen One.     

    This Easter, are we people at the cross to only remember or people of the cross, who follow Jesus? Are we people at the empty tomb to see what Jesus did or people of the empty tomb as we live in response to what Jesus did? Are we people at Easter as we gather as families, friends, and churches, or will we truly be people of Easter, who acknowledge who Jesus is and what he has done for us? Will we be spectators or participants this Easter? There is a big difference between the two.