3 Days That Changed The World

There are certain moments in life that change everything.

For me, one of those moments happened when I was 14. I didn't grow up thinking much about God. At 14, I had my first real encounter with Jesus, and honestly, it was confusing.

What did it mean to follow someone who lived 2,000 years ago?

Could I really trust something like that?

Now I'm 24. I'm pursuing a master's degree and planning to pursue doctoral studies. I'm a thinker. I'm skeptical by default. I don't blindly follow things that don't make sense to me. So when I say I've put my entire life and trust in one event - Jesus dying and rising from the dead - it's not because I've turned my brain off.

It's because this story has captured me. It's made sense of my life in a way that nothing else has.

This isn't just a good story - it's the kind of story that invites investigation. That Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, buried, raised from the dead, and then gave His followers a mission to bring others back to God.

Today, let's explore this through the lens of Matthew's account of Jesus' life, specifically Matthew 26-28. These three days - Jesus' trial, death, and resurrection - are the most important days in history. And I think they're worth sitting with. Worth wrestling with. Worth re-examining.

If Jesus really did rise from the dead, everything would change.

Let me break it down real quick:

1. Jesus is plotted against and put on trial (Matthew 26-27v31)
Jesus tells His disciples He's going to be crucified.

One of His disciples, Judas, betrays Him. Peter, Jesus' closest disciple, denies knowing Him. He's dragged through a mock trial and sentenced to death unjustly, even though the Roman governor Pilate seems to think He is innocent.

"He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified"

Jesus is sent to his death by crucifixion.

2. Jesus is crucified and dies (Matthew 27v32-66)
Jesus is whipped, mocked, and forced to carry His own cross.

He's nailed to it and left to die slowly by suffocation and organ failure. The earth shakes. The sky turns dark. The curtain in the temple rips in half. And as He dies, a Roman soldier - one of His executioners - says,

"Surely this was the Son of God"

Jesus gives up His Spirit and dies.

3. Jesus is resurrected (Matthew 28v1-15)
Three days later, two women show up at the tomb. But Jesus isn't there. An angel says,

"He is not here. He is risen, just as He said."

Jesus shows up in person and tells the women to find His 11 disciples so He can meet them.

4. Jesus gives a mission (Matthew 28v16-20a)
Jesus meets His disciples and they fall down to worship Him, seeing that He truly is who He said He was, fulfilling His mission.

He sends them on what we call the Great Commission:

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."

These disciples were not just called to go back home. They were invited into the continuation of God's story.

5. Jesus makes a promise (Matthew 28v20b)
The final words Jesus gives in this Gospel aren't just a conclusion - they're a promise that still holds up today:

"I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

This isn't just a closing line - it's a reminder that the resurrection wasn't the end of Jesus' story. It was a new beginning of theirs - and it can be the beginning of ours too.

I know this all sounds bold. It's no small thing to put out there. But here's the thing - I don't believe it because someone told me to. I've wrestled with it. I've questioned it. And over time, I've come to trust it.

Here are a few reasons why:

1. Jesus was a real person who really died.

This isn't a myth or a legend. Atheist and Christian scholars alike agree that Jesus was a real historical person. He is one of the most historically verified figures in ancient history, even more that people like Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great.

2. The resurrection has real weight behind it.

There are multiple reasons I've come to find it compelling:

First, nine independent historical sources affirm that Jesus died and was seen alive again. That kind of evidence is incredibly rare.

Second, it is recorded that Jesus appeared to over 500 people after rising. This isn't a private hallucination.

Third, Jesus' own brother James was skeptical during Jesus' life and did not follow Him, but James came to believe after the resurrection. He even wrote a book of the Bible (James). I don't know about you, but if my sibling told me they were God, I wouldn't buy it. Something had to shift James' whole perspective.

As Tim Keller puts it powerfully:

"If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that He said; if He didn't rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what He said?"

One of the things I find most moving is that Jesus didn't just die generally. He died intentionally for His people.

And I believe that includes you.

The Bible says that when Jesus died, it wasn't an accident or a random martyrdom. Jesus knew He was going to the cross. And He still went. He believed it was the only way to make things right between us and God.

Tim Keller writes yet again:

"The Cross is not simply a lovely example of sacrificial love...Jesus' death was only a good example if it more than an example, if it was something absolutely necessary to rescue us. And it was. There was a debt to be paid - God himself paid it. There was a penalty to be borne - God himself bore it."

This is why I follow Jesus. Not because He asked me to earn anything. But because He gave everything.

If this is all new to you, or if you're still unsure, I'm not here to pressure you. But I do want to say: this story changed my life. And if Jesus really did rise, then He's worth your time, your attention, your questions.

Romans 10v9 says:

"If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.:

That's it. It's not about checking every box or cleaning up your life first. It starts with belief. It starts with saying, "Jesus, I trust in You."

Jesus gives you a gift that all can have; you just have to accept it. And I know it is the best gift I've ever chosen.

And for those who do believe, Jesus gave us a mission.

"Go and make disciples...And be sure of this: I am with you always."

If you're still figuring things out, that's okay. I am, too. I still wrestle, still ask questions, still growing.

But I believe Jesus rose. I believe it changed the world. And I believe it can change your life too.

If you're curious, if you want to talk, if you want to pray, or consider giving your life to follow Jesus for life and trust in Him - I'd love to connect. No pressure. Just an open door. If you want to take me up on that, you can email me at will@ebenezerbaptist.ca or hit this link to chat with me about anything:

https://www.calendly.com/williamdmytrow

Jesus died. He rose. He's alive today. And He's inviting us to trust Him.