My memory of my past is hazy, to say the least. But one thing I do remember is a small part of a Bible study I did with my old study group. We spoke about how much we, as Christians, tend to focus on Jesus' death, even to the point where it eclipses the resurrection. Yet the reality is that both the death and resurrection of Christ are equally significant!
In Jesus' death, He ensured forgiveness for all of our sins. That, in itself, is amazing. That God should crush us for our iniquity, but instead He levied it upon His own Son, is unthinkable in itself. Can we imagine such love from a human? "You, my enemy (Romans 5:10), have sinned against me, and yet I will take the punishment of that for you." What man would do that? For our family, this is conceivable. For a friend, perhaps. But for an enemy? Such love is scarce in a world that still lives by the concept of an eye for an eye.
But Jesus didn't stay dead. It wasn't as simple as "mission accomplished, you're forgiven, we're square, now goodbye." Jesus punched death in the face by walking out of the tomb, not just forgiving us in our sins, but raising us to a bright and glorious future. One which we can't even imagine! (1 Corinthians 2:9). Let us not forget, therefore, the resurrection, a vital part of our faith. Let us not just say "Jesus died for you", but also "Jesus rose for you". The cross leads to an empty tomb. He's not there, because He is preparing a place for you.