The War Is Over
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to Easter week.
And welcome to the most wonderful, most joy-filled, most astounding week in human history. I mean, maybe back in the book of Genesis, God declared war between mankind and Himself. That enmity, that spiritual warfare between God and man started way back in the garden of Eden all because of our sin and rebellion. But, that was then. This week, Easter week, it’s a whole different story. Let me unpack that thought with this true account of a different kind of war. It was back during the Franco-Prussian War in the winter of 1870. A very similar thing happened in World War I in 1917, but this is the first account of it occurring. French and German soldiers faced each other in opposite trenches. It was Christmas Eve and while a light snow covered the battlefield, a young Frenchman leaped up out of his trench and began singing a French Christmas carol. The Germans were stunned, and they laid aside their weapons in disbelief. But suddenly, then, a young German soldier climbed up out of his trench and he began singing a German Christmas carol.
And for the rest of that day, in the middle of that war, not a shot was fired. A calm and gentle peace fell over the battlefield. The bloody Franco-Prussian War, just for a day, just for a few hours, had stopped. It was a truce, of sorts, a white flag waving. All so that, the heralding of a greater Peace Treaty might ring across that battlefield. The war between heaven and earth, God and man, had ended with the birth of Jesus Christ. And the beautiful thing? It wasn’t just for a day. The war was not simply suspended. Jesus did not come offering a truce or waving a white flag. No, as far as heaven and earth was concerned, as far as the angels were concerned when they sang out “Peace on Earth” that night, they were announcing Armistice Day. And God’s goodwill toward men was the gift of Jesus. It was V-day. Victory Day.
When God sent His Son, the Prince of peace, He was proclaiming that the war was over. What war? Again, remember, that war of rebellion that began when man turned his back on God. It was a war that, for millennia, had no end in sight – until God intervened, sending Jesus as His peace treaty. Now, here’s the thing. At Christmas, we celebrated Jesus invading enemy territory. But at Easter, we’re celebrating Jesus defeating the enemy and triumphing over sin. At Easter, with the resurrection, Jesus laid claim to what was rightfully His – the hearts and souls of human beings. And at the empty tomb when the angels heralded “Christ Is Risen,” it was a battle cry that told mankind that Jesus won the war to set them free. And the beautiful thing is, Jesus signed the peace treaty in His very own blood on that Good Friday.
So, come Easter Sunday, let’s be like freed men on Armistice Day. Let’s gladly spill out onto the streets, as if it were V-Day, cheering, laughing, singing happy hallelujahs, with a pump-your-fist-in-the-air, and jump up and down, throw-your-head-back and shout out loud, “He Is Risen! Jesus is our Peace Maker!” This Easter week, please tell so many others about this Good News. Ask God to shine on the lost: “The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” To help you do it, please ask for our 10 free gospel tracts at joniradio.org. Share these gospel tracts with unsaved friends, maybe a waiter, or with a neighbor. Let’s tell people about our conquering hero, our peace treaty with God, the Lord Jesus. Share that story. Give that good news! And let us help you do it at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends
Contact Us! Support Our Ministry!
Amazing Love
In her moving account of Christ’s crucifixion, Joni Eareckson Tada reminds us of the suffering our Savior endured on the cross. God poured the judgment for our sins upon Jesus, so that we could be adopted into His family. “Amazing Love” is a powerful tract to share at Easter with those who need to know the mercy and grace of God.
