Christ is risen!

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When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb  and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”   But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.

Mark 16:1-4

Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb  and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.  They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”  “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.  “Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”  Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

 She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).  John 20: 10-16

Today's highlight verse(s): John 20:16    Jesus said to her, "Mary."

There is so much in the resurrection!  Today, in keeping with our Easter discussion I'd like to look at one point.

We read earlier, that on Good Friday, Joseph and Nicodemus to Jesus' body to the tomb and prepared it for burial.  We also read here that these women went on Sunday to do the same thing.  Could it be that the men acted somewhat in secret, and that the women did not know that the body had already been prepared?  Or that the preparations were not complete?  That might explain their actions.

Maybe, just maybe, God caused these events to happen this way, for His purposes.  Had they no reason to return to the tomb, they would have not discovered the 'missing' body at that particular time!  But by obeying the Law, obeying God's Law, they found Jesus!

May this be a lesson for us.  Sometimes, we don't need any other reason, we don't need all the information, we just need to obey...to do that which He has commanded in His Word for us to do.  In that way, we too may find the resurrected Christ. 

As we close this season of Easter, may we continue to seek Him...He has promised that we will find Him.

Questions:

1. What do you think of this passage?

2. Is it hard to obey without knowing the 'why'? 

3. How do you feel on this, the day He arose?

May we seek God by obeying His Word.  Jim

The week that Jesus died: Saturday

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Scripture - John 19:38-42 

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. 

Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.  

At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.  Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Today's highlight verse: 41  "At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid."

What happened after this point?  There are no Scripture references for Saturday, the Sabbath, the day between the burial and the resurrection.

So, let us look at His burial, in the context of His life.  As far as we know Jesus had few, if any, possessions.  Consider this:

He was formed in a borrowed womb. 

Born to a borrowed father, in a borrowed stable, and laid in a borrowed feeding trough. 

As He said of His life; "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

He rode into Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey.

Then, borrowing the sins of the entire population that ever lived and ever would, He laid down His life, and was laid in a borrowed tomb. 

From a borrowed womb to a borrowed tomb.

This season of Easter, may we appreciate His giving up all of Heaven, to live as He did, for us.

Questions:

 1. What do you think of this passage?

2. Why do you think Scripture does not refer to this day? 

3. How do you feel on this, the day He lay in the tomb?

The week that Jesus died: Friday - Good Friday

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Scripture - Matthew 27: 31-54    

After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 

There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.  And sitting down, they kept watch over him there.  Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.  Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.  Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads  and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”

In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.  “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.  He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”  In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lamasabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”  Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.  The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.  They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed,

“Surely he was the Son of God!”

Today's highlight verse(s): 54b    "Surely he was the Son of God!"

How did Jesus spend His final week on Earth?  

On this day, He died.

What can be added to this?  The most tragic, yet the most triumphant event in all of history.  Volumes have been, and will be written regarding this day.  Some poor souls, sadly many inside the church, debate that it even happened.

For today, I would like to focus on one event -- Simon's carrying of the cross, also recounted in Mark 15, and Luke 23.

Jesus is often betrayed in movies and stories as being too weak to carry the cross, and that Simon was forced into His place.  This may or not be true, but it is never mentioned in Scripture, that Jesus couldn't, only that Simon was forced to.

But this is not my point.  Let us consider Simon, who, not knowing what was going on, suddenly yanked from the crowd and forced into what he might have believed was his own execution march.  How would he know any different?  And yet he was innocent of any capital crime -- as innocent as any man might be.

I consider the story of Simon to be a comma, a punctuation mark in the story of the crucifixion.  For as innocent as he might have been, he was far more worthy of death than Jesus, the only true innocent who ever lived.  And it was Jesus on His way to be executed, for Simon, and you, and me.  And so, it might just be, that as God watched His Son march toward death, he paused the events, and caused the cross to be put on an ordinary man, like you, like me, where it truly belonged.

Yes, it was Simon, and you, and me, that deserved to die...for all have sinned.  Maybe, just maybe, for the onlookers then and now, God gave us a moment to think about that.

This season of Easter let us appreciate our guilt.     

Click HERE to see 

The Via Dolorosa - 

The  Way of Suffering

Questions:

 1. What do you think of this passage? 

2. Why do you think Simon had to take the cross?  

3. How do you feel on this, the day of His death?

The week that Jesus died: Thursday

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Scripture - Luke 22:14-22 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table.  And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.  For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.  But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table.  The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him.”

Today's highlight verse(s): 22

"The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him."

How did Jesus spend His final week on Earth?  On this day, many things took place; He washed the disciple's feet, served the Last Supper, prayed at Gethsemane, predicted Peter's denial.  This, one day, could be an entire study, which we may come back to.  Today, however, we will focus on Judas' betrayal.

We know that when Jesus referred to "him who is going to betray me" that He meant Judas.  Much has been made of this man Judas.  A few years ago there was a lot of attention paid to  'Gospel of Judas', saying that he and Jesus had a secret understanding; the news magazines ran an article that portrayed him as a terrorist, bent on removing Roman rule from Israel, and conspiring with Jesus to do so.  I've heard many teachers say that Judas was simply trying to force Jesus' hand, in an effort to speed up Jesus' takeover as King.  If Judas' actions were sanctioned by God, why would Jesus say "woe to that man who betrays him"?  And let us not forget John 12:4-6;  "But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages. "He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it."

No, Judas was not a good man, he was a thief.  Many would say that the thirty pieces of silver would not have been enough to persuade him...but he was a thief! 

Brothers and sisters, the church today is much like this band of disciples.  There are rash, unthinking people.  There are those who doubt.  And there are thieves...those who would betray Him for next to nothing.

Worse yet, is when we see these traits in ourselves!  Have we ever betrayed Him for thirty pieces of silver...or less?  How about for a dirty joke?  For a juicy piece of gossip?  For how little have we turned our back on Him and provided one more nail for His cross?

This season of Easter, now nearly over, let us look at our motives and actions, as if we were leaving Jesus' table to commit them..

Questions:

1. What do you think of this passage?

2. Why do you think the world pursues justification for Judas so desperately? 

3. How do you feel as you move toward the day of His death?

May we seek God by not betraying Him. Pastor Jim

The week that Jesus died: Wednesday

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Scripture - Luke 21:1-4:  The Widow’s Offering

As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.  He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.  All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.  

Highlight verse: 3  "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others.

How did Jesus spend His final week on Earth?  On this day, it is widely believed that He took a day to rest, because this day is not specifically mentioned.  Personally, I would think that He spent some time teaching, because He knew time was short.  Either way, today we will look at another famous story from His final week.  

We all have probably heard this story, of the "widow's mite'.  I'm tempted to re-title it, "The Widow's Might".  Because of the awesome power over money that this woman had.  or, because of her incredible resistance to the power of money.  Jesus made a simple point here, that I believe is sometimes misunderstood.  It is surely true, that this woman gave more per capita than the others, but this story goes beyond simple percentages.  Physically, God doesn't need much to work with.  Remember the five loaves and two fishes that fed over five thousand people?  And man was created from a handful of dirt...and the world from...nothing!  

He doesn't need a millionaire's millions.

What He does need, are willing, generous hearts.  In dealing with us, He needs a starting point.  Those giving grudgingly weren't giving God much to work with.  This widow gave Him a 'broken and contrite heart’; she gave it all, not financially, but spiritually.

What do we give Him?  Spiritual pennies, left over from work, school, marriage, and worldly spending?  Or do we give God the first fruits of our hearts, and see what He can do with them?

This Easter season, may we let go of our spiritual stinginess.

1. What do you think of this passage?

2. Does anything Jesus says in the Bible bother you?  Has God led you to anything that you disagreed with? 

3. How do you feel as you move toward the day of His death?

David Livingstone
Click here for David Livingstone's biography

"Do not think me mad. It is not to make money that I believe a Christian should live.  The noblest thing a man can do is, just humbly to receive, and then go amongst others and give."

David Livingstone

The week that Jesus died: Tuesday

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Scripture - Mark 12:28-31;  The Greatest Commandment

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”  “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Highlight verse:  30~"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

How did Jesus spend His final week on Earth?  On this day, He spent it avoiding traps set by the priests, and teaching, much of it in parables. 

For more on this day, read Matthew 21:23 - 24:51; Mark 11:27 - 13:37; Luke 20:1 - 21:36.  Here we will focus on this one exchange.  

Remember, they were looking for ways to convict Jesus.  But look at this statement:  "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

Does this conflict with anything in the Law? 

Is He not reaffirming their own beliefs?  

They could not see Him for who He was.  The claimed to seek the truth, yet the Truth was right in front of them.  Their concern with not being wrong outweighed their desire to be right. 

Let this not be us!  This Easter season, we should look beyond what we've 'always heard' and ensure that the Christ we seek, is the one, true, living God.

1. What do you think of this passage?  

2. Does anything Jesus says in the Bible bother you?  Has God led you to anything that you disagreed with?  

3. How do you feel as you move toward the day of His death?

The week that Jesus died: Monday

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Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.  “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’”  The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.  But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.  “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.  “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise’?”  And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night. - Matthew 21:29-44; 

Highlight verse: 16b ~ "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, " 'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?" 

How did Jesus spend His final week on Earth?  On this day, He spent it setting His death into motion, and loving His people.  Imagine, He was here to perform the ultimate sacrifice -- and some of His own were in His Father's house, taking advantage of the poor -- over sacrifices. 

He was certainly angry, and displayed His anger in a righteous way.  There was control here as well.  The time of His crucifixion was near, and no one knew it, but Him.  So by creating the stir in the Temple, He stepped up the accusations against Him, and started the ball rolling that would lead to His death.

But He did not leave on that note.  No, He took one of His last opportunities to love and to heal. This Easter season, let us look at our Savior as a righteous, justice seeking, loving God.

1. What do you think of this passage? 

2. Did you ever consider that Jesus, through the Father, determined the exact time of His arrest and death?  

3. How do you feel as you move toward the day of His death?

Seek God for the City - Day 40: Is it over?

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We are continuing to Seek God for the City, following this great plan laid out by Waymakers. 


Our weekly focus is: to seek His visitation; welcoming Christ our King.  Under that umbrella, we are seeking God this week on behalf of Jerusalem. Today, we are seeking God on behalf of the coming generation, and for Christ to visit our communities with His presence and saving power.


It has been several days since I have written here.  It has been a tough time; more tragedies involving young people...two more local teenagers have taken their own lives in the last two weeks.


The Seek God for the City 40 days may have come to an end, but the urgency to seek Him increases.



It is Palm Sunday.  The 19th chapter of Luke tells us:  As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it  and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.”


Jesus was days away from ending His earthly ministry -- and His heart was breaking; no one knew who He was.  The crowd thought He was taking over the government; the Pharisees thought he was a troublemaker. He was the answer to all their problems, and they couldn't see past themselves to the Truth.




So, here we are.  For forty days we have sought God for our city.  But as I look around, as I read the headlines, as I visit with grieving families, I realize we have not finished anything.


I hope we have just begun.


I hope and pray that each of us will look over our own city and weep.






I hope and pray that each of us will look over our own city and that our hearts will be broken.




I hope and pray that each of us will look over our own city and realize just how much we need Jesus...and who He really is.


I hope and pray that each of us will look over our own city, and pray, and witness, and disciple.


It rained for forty days and the new world was begun with Noah and his family.


Moses spent forty days on the mountain and saw the Glory of God.


Elijah spent forty days in the wilderness and heard the voice of God.


Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness to prepare for His ministry and forty days after His resurrection to prepare the church.


What has happened to you during this forty days?  What is your next step for the Kingdom?