Everybody loves a good comeback story. There’s just something exciting and heartwarming about watching a down-on-your-luck individual or sports team somehow overcome the odds and win! We love to cheer for them and history is awash with such stories.
Comebacks are the basis for many good books and movies. It might be the only thing Michael Jordan, Robert Downey Jr’s acting career, lost dogs, homing pigeons and Jesus of Nazareth all have in common.
For a large portion of the world’s population, Jesus is the most important person who ever lived. His life, death and resurrection literally changed the course of human history forever. He experienced the ultimate setback and then had the greatest comeback of all time! Despite being a perfect person and living a perfect life, Jesus’ time on earth was not a smooth run and things progressed less than perfectly for Him. Setback after setback was thrown His way; plotting church leaders, backstabbing friends and followers, and a biased jury which all led to Him being murdered on a cross, considered to be one of the most cruel and torturous methods of death in the ancient world.
If death isn’t the biggest setback anyone has ever faced, I don’t know what is! Jesus willingly died for the sins of the world—every sin that has been committed and will be committed He paid for by going to the cross.
When He uttered the words, “It is finished” and then bowed His head and died, everyone thought that was it. After being crucified on a Friday, Sunday brought good news when Mary and Mary, two of His friends and closest followers, went to mourn His passing at His tomb. Amazingly, it was empty! At first they were devastated, thinking someone had taken His body, and then confused, but they were confronted by an angel who said, “Jesus told you He’d come back. And He did. He’s alive!” (Matthew 28:6). [pullquote]
Jesus made the most epic and victorious comeback of all time when He was raised back to life and, in doing so, beat sin once and for all. It’s the most pivotal, highly-debated, beautiful and important moment in the whole story of Jesus, and it is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Jesus died for our sins so we wouldn’t have to, and now He is alive and well, and, together with the Holy Spirit, He’s present and working in our lives today.
Because Jesus was raised from the dead, and because of His victory over death and sin, we get to experience forgiveness and eternal life. Because of what Jesus went through, we can now overcome any setback through the strength He gives. We can do everything in Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13)!
No matter what mistakes we make, no matter what we’re caught up in, distracted by or addicted to, our setbacks don’t define us under God’s grace and forgiveness. You are never too far, never too lost and never too behind on the scoreboard for God to orchestrate an epic comeback for your life.
We can have a personal relationship with God, experience His plan for our lives and spend eternity with Him.
Oh, and just in case you haven’t heard, the best part of it all: after His resurrection, Jesus finished His personal ministry here on earth and left to prepare a place for us in heaven!
Next on His agenda? To come back.
Interested in knowing more? Subscribe to Waymaker.TV or download the Waymaker App to watch “Comeback”, the seventh episode in a series of 26 WHAT DO YOU THINK episodes on Waymaker.TV.
Natalia Melville is a freelance artist and writer with a bachelor’s degree in Film and TV Production.
