Cinco de Mayo is a special day for people of Mexican heritage. It is not Mexican Independence Day. Mexico gained independence from Spain on September 16, 1810. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Thus, the Mexican holiday known as Cinco de Mayo, which literally means the Fifth of May, is a day to remember the cause for freedom. Similarly, Christians believe that freedom is rooted in faith in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection from the dead. And, it is remembered each first day of the week.
The Mexican Cause for Freedom
In that battle, a severely outnumbered Mexican army of 4,500 decisively defeated a French army of over 8,000 near the city of Puebla, Mexico. The French had invaded Mexico earlier that year because Mexico had been unable to pay its debts. The battle of Puebla was the only significant battle won by the Mexican army in the war with France.
The French eventually won the war and placed a “puppet” dictator as the Mexican president. After three years of this occupation, in 1866, the French were forced to withdraw from Mexico, when the U.S. Army under General William T. Sherman threatened to invade Mexico in order to liberate it from France.
Today, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated primarily by Mexican Americans as a way to celebrate the cause of freedom.
The Christian Cause for Freedom
Christians also have a cause to celebrate freedom! Freedom from sin, (Romans 6:6-7, 18). Freedom from the death sentence that comes from sin, (Romans 6:23). Freedom from the shackles that we would have had to share with the devil and his angels, (Matthew 25:4, 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). Freedom from oppression. Freedom from the debt of sin. Freedom to live for Christ!
At one time, in our innocence, we were pure and free from sin, (Luke 18:16-17). But sin entered our life and bound us, (Romans 6:16; 7:9-11); leaving us in the same miserable state, in which Paul had found himself, when he declared,
“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death…?” — Romans 7:24
Who could deliver us? We could not, on our own, (John 15:5). Man could not devise it, (Jeremiah 10:23).
Who could deliver us? Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:25; 1 Corinthians 15:57).
Man does have a part to play in all this. We must obey Jesus, the Captain of our salvation, (Hebrews 2:10; 5:8-9).
On our part, we have to only win one battle over sin in our lives when we obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We could lose every other battle in the war, but ultimately we are assured of freedom because Christ has already “invaded” and liberated us from sin and its oppression!
Like Mexico, we have a day to celebrate and remember the cause of freedom! The Day that our Lord overcame death and defeated the works of darkness.
We don’t celebrate this day only once a year, but we do so every first day of the week! This Cinco de Mayo weekend come join us in worship to our Loving and Holy God on the first day of the week!
by Jack McNiel, Evangelist
