Mark 16:1-20 Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” Mark 16:15 (NIV) Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed! Easter Sunday is such a celebration day after the sombre time leading up to this day with Jesus’ suffering and death. Today is a day to break open the chocolate Easter eggs because Jesus also broke out of the tomb. God performed the most miraculous miracle today. He brought His one and only Son back to life after so many witnessed His most gruesome death. He had even laid dead in a grave for three days with a battered, pierced body.
That is truly the most wondrous miracle of all. With this also, God not only raised Jesus, but through Jesus, He assured our relationship with Him. What a blessing for us! We read in the Gospels that Jesus was not only raised but he appeared to over 500 people (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). This gave Him many witnesses to God’s amazing miracle that they could testify first-hand. People can be so sceptical. Last year, while travelling through Europe, my husband and myself, went to the city of Trier (the oldest German town) which had Roman ruins from the 170 A.D. There was a Porto Nigra (city gate), amphitheatre and Roman baths from that time period. Even seeing it, it was so hard to believe that these things were built just 150 years after Christ. How is this possible?
We see things, and then we tell others that they too might believe and want to know more. That is what Jesus has commissioned us to do. We have the testimony of all these witnesses to God’s love and His saving actions through Jesus in the Bible. Now we need to go out to the whole world and do the same. As we share the Good News of Easter Sunday to one person, they would hopefully do the same with another, and so on! This is how Christianity spread back in the first century. How about we try it again this year and beyond. Jesus rose for the people back then, also for you and me today. Go out into the world, your neighbourhood, and share this Good News!
Prayer: My risen Lord and Saviour, you rose from the dead and showed yourself to so many witnesses. Help me also to be a witness for you. Amen.
Read: Matthew 27:45-56 “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.” Matthew 27:51-52 (NIV) I do not enjoy horror movies. Scary things give me nightmares. I still have nightmares from when I was a child and went into the TV room when my brothers were watching “The Blob”.
These days with CGI and everything that movie is pretty lame, but to a child, very impacting and I looked under my bed for many nights after. Jesus performed many miracles and healings through His life on earth and to the people of the day (even for us). The people of the day were unsure about who this Jesus was, but if He could help their family, they would believe in Him. Throughout the Old Testament, God performed miracles through the prophets. But at Jesus’ death, God performs a miracle that many times is glossed over. When Jesus took His last breath on the cross, we hear that the temple curtain was torn in two, signifying we now have access to God through Jesus and not through all the Jewish leaders and priests – our access is direct. But in the Gospel of Matthew, we read of another miracle.
Read again the above verse: “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.” What power and an incredible witness to the people of that time and to us today. Yes, it was scary, but God raised those who believed in Him that they might also be witnesses to the power of Jesus and His Father God. These raised people were not zombies but restored people of God. After Jesus’ resurrection (not before), they went out into Jerusalem and appeared to many. What an amazing gift of life God gave to the people of that time and also to us today. This is proof that Jesus has now conquered death. We can be confident through the death and rising of our Saviour Jesus, that we too will be raised on the last day to live for eternity in heaven. Through Jesus our eternity is assured!
Prayer: Thank you for assuring me of my eternal life in Heaven in your conquering death itself. I welcome seeing you and experiencing this joy one day with you. Amen.
Read: Isaiah 50:5-8; Isaiah 52:14 “Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. Then they said, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ And they struck Him with their hands.” John 19:1-3 (NKJV) If Jesus was innocent, He should have been set free. If Jesus was guilty, He should have just been crucified; but to scourge Jesus was unlawful, and Pilate ordered this to please the Jews. It seems that the soldiers took this opportunity to then have fun with Jesus before He was crucified as He had caused them so much trouble during His ministry. ‘A scourge is a whip or lash, especially a multi-thong type made of leather, used to inflict severe corporal punishment.’ [Wikipedia] A scourging of the prisoner’s back usually means that much of the flesh is removed by the thrashing of the whip and sometimes metal ends with barbs are added to the lashings.
This just makes my stomach turn to think of anyone being treated in this sub-human way. In the two verses from Isaiah above, it was prophesied that the coming Messiah would be subject to absolute horror and not a word would he speak. His face and appearance would also be so disfigured that He would no longer look human. Jesus knew of this prophecy and yet He obeyed His Heavenly Father so that the prophesies would come to pass. If I were Jesus, I would have had a good case to argue with God that this wasn’t fair, nor was I prepared to have this done to me.
Fortunately for our salvation I am not Jesus. In Isaiah 53:7 it was prophesised: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” This was foretold 700 years before Jesus’ birth. God had a plan for our salvation from the very beginning and it was through sending His willing Son to the cross to bear all the pain that our sins hold on us, that we can now come into God’s presence and spend eternity with Him. God’s love for humankind is greater than we could ever imagine!
Prayer: Our loving Saviour, thank you for being prepared to suffer and die for me and all the wrong I do every day. I am sorry for my sins and thank you for your forgiveness. Amen
Read: Luke 22:49-51 “And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear… And [Jesus] touched the man’s ear and healed him.” Luke 22:50, 51b (NIV) Each of the four Gospels record this event happening at the time when Jesus was arrested. But it is only in the Gospel of Luke that it says that Jesus healed the high priest’s servant. This is the last recorded miracle of Jesus as a man… the next is the resurrection of the Son of God. Only in the Gospel of John, is the disciple named as Simon Peter who committed the crime, and Malchus as the name of the high priest servant.
Sometimes I am asked why are there four Gospels telling the same thing? It is only through looking at all four Gospels that we can get a more complete picture of who this Jesus is who performs all these miracles. When an accident happens, police ask as many eyewitnesses as possible to get a greater understanding of what happened. Each person views things through different eyes and opinions. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John looked at Jesus differently. Matthew was writing as a Jew for the Jewish people trying to convince them that Jesus is also their Messiah. Mark was a reporter, evangelist and a friend of Peter and wrote for the Gentiles (Romans). Luke was a doctor, a physician and many of his stories are about healings. He wrote for the Greeks. John is known as the disciple at the foot of the cross who then cared for Jesus’ mother. He wrote for the Christian community sharing what he saw and experienced.
Through these four Gospels we learn about Jesus’ love and compassion for His people. Even as He was arrested, He cared for Malchus by healing his ear. As you learn about Jesus, reading the Gospels gives a fuller understanding of the true man/true God nature of Jesus. None of the Gospels contradict, rather, together they describe Jesus’ birth, His sinless life, His death and resurrection, forgiveness given and that He is God’s only Son, the Saviour of the World and our Messiah and King. Reading the Bible produces a greater understanding of our miraculous Jesus!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, guide me as I read about your life and understand about the miraculous God you are. Help me to also share what I learn with others. All people need to know you! Amen
Read: Luke 22:7-23 “And [Jesus] said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.’” Luke 22:15-16 (NIV) Jesus spoke prophetically and in riddles to His disciples. No wonder these poor fishermen had troubles understanding what Jesus was talking about or trying to teach them. They understood Passover – it had been celebrated since the Israelites were taken from captivity in Egypt by Moses in 1440 B.C. It was here that God told the people to eat a lamb, unleavened bread and put blood on the door of their houses to escape the angel of death (Exodus 12:1-14). Since that time, the Orthodox Jewish community still celebrate God’s deliverance, so it was not unusual to the disciples to celebrate this festival time.
However, Jesus changed the storyline. He changed the meaning. No longer are the disciples or us to celebrate the deliverance from Egypt, rather we as Christians (followers of Christ) are now to celebrate our deliverance from death through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Jesus came to change our way of thinking and set us free from the old laws and introduce us to freedom and salvation. Every time we partake of Holy Communion, we celebrate God’s love and grace for us through the gift He gave of His Son. As Lutherans we partake of Jesus’ death in His body and blood given as bread and wine. Jesus comes to us with love and forgiveness every time we celebrate communion. Traditions and ‘this is the way we always do it’ mind-sets are hard to change.
The Jewish people of Jesus’ time could not understand this new way Jesus was instituting, which is why they put Him to death. The Jewish Passover was commemorating an act of the past. The Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion) is a celebration of the living Jesus in the hearts and lives of all believers until He returns. It is a power that lives in us that is made possible through Jesus’ actions on the cross. It is a promise of God’s presence always! Celebrate God’s gift of love and grace in Holy Communion!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for giving me the gift and promise of your presence every time I take Holy Communion. You gave up so much so that I can live in your forgiveness. Amen
Read: Isaiah 53 “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought him peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:4-5 (NIV) I recently went and saw the new movie – ‘Wicked’. Years ago, I saw it as a musical in Melbourne and loved it and so was not sure how it could be portrayed as a movie. I was impressed (with the first part released so far) as it told more of the background leading up to the story of the ‘Wizard of Oz’. It explained how and why the characters then behaved in such a manner to others and the story behind the scarecrow, tinman and lion.
I won’t spoil it, but I do recommend it. To understand the whole crucifixion and why Jesus came to die for all of humankind, we need to understand the background and the stories in the Bible from the beginning of time when God created the world. Seeing and hearing just the story of Easter is like just seeing the musical, leaves you wanting to know more of the background. God wanted all His people to come to believe and love Him, not because we are forced to, but out of our free will. Things went sour with Adam and Eve and humankind didn’t improve. So, from the beginning God had a plan of salvation for us and it was through His beloved Son.
God waited until the right time to send His Son into the world to be the sacrifice for all our sins. We would no longer be condemned to our wrongdoings but be set free through the rising of Jesus from the dead – He beat the devil who now has no power over us. Through the Old Testament, God sets out His plan as to why He chose to save us in this manner. We see the nature of a loving Father who wants all to follow Him and love Him by sending His Son to die for the sins of the world so that we can enter heaven. When we understand the backstory of our salvation, we can fully realise the extent of God’s love for us. God loves us so much that He gave up everything for our eternal life!
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me your story of salvation so that I can understand the extent of your love. Help me to continue to learn and grow more in understanding. Amen
Read: Psalm 22:1-11,16-18; John 19:23-24 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? … They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” Psalm 22:1a, 18 (NIV) This Holy Week we are going to be reading about the prophecies made by Old Testament prophets concerning the events which happened to Jesus in the last week of His life on earth. At each Maundy Thursday service that I have attended it closes with the stripping of the altar signifying abandonment. During this time when all is taken from the sanctuary, Psalm 22 is usually read. This Psalm is prophetic in nature and written by King David (who was close to God’s heart).
The beginning of this Psalm is a quote that Jesus also says from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46b) and there are other references to Jesus’ hands and feet being pierced (Psalm 22:16b) and His clothes and robe being gambled for (Psalm 22:18). King David reigned as the King of Israel 1010 – 970 B.C. so it was written about 1,000 years before Jesus. Psalm 22 describes with amazing accuracy the means of death and other significant details surrounding Jesus’ death. Humans are unable to predict the future, only our God can. I am reading a book by Liane Moriarty, ‘Here One Moment’ for a book club. It tells the story of a woman who predicts the time and means of death of a whole planeload of people and the fallout from these predictions.
Being halfway through this book, I can see the danger in knowing the future as it becomes a determinant to all actions and behaviours. You can be bound by the prophecy. God knows our future and all that it entails. Jesus knew from the beginning that He was to suffer and die and that did not determine how He acted or saw people with total and absolute love in His heart. He could have changed His mind at the last moment and renounced He was God – but that would have changed our future! God loves you so much that He lets us live one day at a time. Live it for Him!
Prayer: My loving Father, thank you that you hold my future and life in your hands, and you lead me where I should go. Help me to live my life in a way that brings glory to you. Amen.
(Luke 19:38a) Read Luke 19:28–38
Can you imagine it? The commander of the Roman legion rides into Jerusalem with all the pomp and pageantry to which they were accustomed – riding on a donkey! The onlookers would have held their stomachs to stifle a collective guffaw, snickering at such a sight. Yet Jesus, whom the crowds praise as ‘king’, does just that. Rides into Jerusalem on a donkey – and a young, little one at that!
It’s curious that the Christian church marks the beginning of this week, Holy Week, with the event we know as Palm Sunday. Even the gospels other than Luke don’t place this event at the beginning of this week. But there’s something significant about marking Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and the welcome he receives at the beginning of this week.
For the rest of the week in our devotions, we will turn to the Gospel of John. One of the themes of his account of the Passion story is that of Jesus as king, especially in his trial before Pilate and his crucifixion. But what kind of king?
Among some Christians today, there is a strong emphasis on Jesus as king. You can see it in a lot of modern Christian songs. Jesus rules, he sits on the throne, and all power belongs to him. For me, personally, that puts him out of reach. The Jesus the crowds proclaim as king is betrayed, ridiculed, beaten, bloodied and crucified. He is the king who comes not on a stallion but on a donkey. As we go into Holy Week and relive the events, here, at the start, we are reminded of who this Jesus really is. He is the king on a donkey, and a donkey was considered a ‘beast of burden’ – a carrier of heavy loads.
A verse from the prophet Isaiah has come to mean a lot to me in recent years. Isaiah 53:4 says, ‘Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows’. That’s my king. Not far off, but right there alongside me in all my experiences. The king, riding on a donkey. Lord Jesus, you are my king. You sit on the right, ruling side of God. But I thank you that you are not way up there, somewhere away from me and my life – you are alongside me, sharing my burdens, and there for me. Thank you. Amen.
Greater than Moses 33rd Day in Lent (Friday) Read: Deuteronomy 18:15-18 Moses said: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.” Deuteronomy 18:15 (NIV) How did Moses know about Jesus? The book of Deuteronomy was supposedly written about 1406 B.C. Moses described the person to come as someone like him. Both Moses and Jesus were delivered from the threat of death as babies. They were both born during a time of ruling oppression (the Egyptians and the Romans). Both were adopted – Moses by the Pharoah and Jesus by Joseph.
They both performed miracles: Moses - parting of the Red Sea, water from the rock, and Jesus - with all the healings and miracles you have just read about in these devotions. There are many other similarities, but one of the biggest was that they both interceded for the people with God. There are important differences also: Moses was a sinful human and Jesus was sinless, fully human and fully God. Jesus is a part of the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Back to my question, how did Moses know about Jesus as the Messiah? He prophesised what God told him. Jesus was the longed-for Messiah whom the Old Testament people had been waiting for. There are so many prophecies in the Old Testament pointing to Jesus coming to be the Saviour of the World. During this Lenten season we have looked at the miracles that point to Jesus as being God’s Son. As God’s Son, His greatest miracle was to give Himself up to death to atone for our wrongdoings.
We remember our Saviour’s path to this final miracle in rising from the dead. We have seen the love and compassion Jesus showed in healing those sick, helping those in need, using everyday food and drink to feed multitudes. Just as Moses predicted Jesus coming to the world, so we can know with certainty the life that He has prepared for us in Heaven – it has also been foretold. God has prepared a wonderful future for us, and it is up to us to share this future with as many as possible. Our lives are not predestined, but with Jesus they are certain.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are my Saviour and the Lord of my life. In the Bible and through the prophets you have shared with me the plan of your Father’s from the beginning. Guide me and teach me. Amen.