At this time of the year, many people’s eyes, thoughts, and actions are focused on Easter. Often, when people think of Easter, they think of the Easter bunny, a large family get-together, or something of that sort. Sadly, many people do not realize that there is actually a reason Easter exists – there is a story behind it. This story tells how a man who had done absolutely nothing wrong was unjustly killed. Although this murder was unjust, there was a reason for it – a reason great enough to call the man who died a hero.

This whole story begins approximately six thousand years ago, around the time that God created the world. In Genesis (a book in the Bible), you can read how God created everything, including people. God gave the first two people, Adam and Eve, everything they needed. They lived in a beautiful and perfect place called the Garden of Eden. There was plenty of food for them to eat, they lived in harmony with the animals, and there wasn’t any pain or suffering. Adam and Eve had only one restriction – they couldn’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, a tree near the center of the garden. God told them that disobeying this command would result in death for them.

One day Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted Eve to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3:1-4). Eve gave in to the temptation, and she also shared some of the fruit from the tree with her husband (Genesis 3:6). Since they had sinned (done something God said was wrong/disobeyed God) and the garden was perfect, they could no longer live there, so God kicked them out (Genesis 3:23-24). From that point forward, they had to work for their food – they had to plant and harvest it (Genesis 3:23). Adam and Eve’s sin not only got them kicked out of the garden, but it also separated them from God and brought death upon themselves. Romans 6:23 states: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Adam and Eve’s sin not only separated them from God and brought eventual death on them, but it also caused all future generations to suffer the same consequences. There are numerous passages from the Bible that show this. For example, Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your iniquities [sins] have made a separation between you and your God,…”, and Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Since God loved mankind, He decided to send His only begotten Son to die for all of mankind’s sins. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” God’s Son, Jesus, is the man mentioned at the beginning of this article. He was born approximately 2000 years ago in a town named Bethlehem. This was not an ordinary birth, since Jesus’ mother, Mary, was a virgin until after He was born. God (the Holy Spirit) had caused Mary to become pregnant. Jesus grew up like other boys – He learned His father’s trade, carpentry, and, as Luke 2:52 states, He “kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” There was one major difference between Jesus and every other person who’s ever lived – He never sinned. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” As that verse also shows, Jesus went through every type of hardship that we go through.

When Jesus was about the age of 30, He began preaching and performing miracles. Although many people were amazed and overjoyed because of these miracles, not all people felt this way. The religious leaders of the day didn’t like Jesus because they didn’t realize that He was God’s Son, the Savior whom God had sent. They considered Jesus’ teaching blasphemy because Jesus said He was God. Jesus did nothing wrong by stating He was God because it was true, but the religious leaders still despised Him and, therefore, plotted to kill Him. The religious leaders captured Jesus one evening, and He was put on trial before Pontius Pilate, the local governor. When Pilate found nothing wrong with Jesus, he sent Him to Herod. When Herod questioned Jesus, he got no reply, so he treated Jesus with contempt and mocked Him, and then sent Him back to Pilate (Luke 23:11). Pilate again tried to release Jesus, but the crowds wouldn’t let him. The people wanted Pilate to release a criminal named Barabbas and to crucify Jesus. Pilate finally gave in because he wanted to please the people (Luke 23:13-25). This was the ultimate unjust verdict in the history of the world.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines injustice as the “violation of a person’s rights,” or, “an unjust [unfair, undeserved] act or deed.” Not only does Jesus death fit perfectly with these definitions of injustice, but it also provides the ultimate example of injustice. Jesus did absolutely nothing wrong, and yet He was given the same sentence as murderers – the death penalty. Rather, He deserved to be honored and respected.

Although the religious leaders were happy to see Jesus dead, they didn’t feel that way for long. After Jesus was dead for three days, some of His friends went to His grave to anoint His body with spices (Mark 16:1-3). When they arrived at the grave, an angel told them that Jesus had risen from the dead (Mark 16:4-8). Jesus resurrection from the dead is the real reason Easter is celebrated.

Jesus’ death for all of mankind’s sin was not a small sacrifice. He didn’t have to leave His beautiful life in heaven and come to earth to die for mankind’s sin. Because of the huge sacrifice Jesus made, He can be considered a hero – a person who is admired for something He has done. In this case, Jesus is admired for taking all of mankind’s sin upon Himself. John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down His life for His friends.” Jesus did just that. He loved every person who ever lived and has yet to live so much that He laid down His life for them. All they have to do is believe with their hearts and minds that what the Bible says He did is true. There are many people who have been harassed, beaten, or even killed for believing this. Every year, it is estimated that 186,000 people are killed for believing in Jesus as their Savior and for refusing to deny their faith in Him. This reveals just how great a hero Jesus is.