Breaking Script

Our lives are a story, but what happens when we break script?  Let’s take a look at someone’s life who did: Jesus Christ.  Picture this: 

Scene 1:  Crucifixion

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.  And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.  ~ John 19:16-19.

(The soldiers divided his garments.  As Jesus hung on the cross, His mother and others looked on.  From the cross, Jesus told His Mother, Mary, to take John the disciple as her son, and He told John to take Mary as his mother.)

Scene 2:  Death

….After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop (a plant used for ceremonial cleansing), and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.  ~ John 19:28-30.

Scene 3:  Burial

Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulcher, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus…

Cut!  Great job, folks.  Let’s call it a night.  End of story.  Right? 

Or is it? 

Scene 4:  Resurrection Life

The world left Jesus in His grave, but the life of Christ didn’t end there.  There was a final scene, that didn’t make the cut for most people in the world today.  Most people still think Jesus is in the grave.  If you’ve tuned into the uncut version, however, you know that Christ is alive today.  How did that happen?  Jesus broke script.  When the world declared Jesus Christ dead, God raised Him from the dead and seated him at His right hand in heavenly places.  Ephesians 1:20-21 says God seated Jesus Christ “far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world (age), but also in that which is to come.”  Ephesians 2:5-6 says “and when we were dead in sins, God quickened (made us alive) together with Christ and raised us up with Him and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” 

The good news is our story doesn’t end after 80 or even 120 years.  Because Jesus Christ broke script, our story never ends.