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THE JEWS

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THE JEWS

“When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there…

“When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ‘Where have you laid him,’ He asked. ‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied. Jesus wept.

“Then the Jews said, ‘See how He loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?'” John 11:31; 33-37 NIV.

Once again, the Jews are in the mix! John has consistently called Jesus’ opponents “the Jews”. Are these ones here with Martha and Mary the same people – the ones who were planning to kill Him?

Is it possible that He was using this situation as His trump card against them? In His altercations with them, He had insisted that they see His works as His calling card. ‘Who are you?’ time and again they demanded. His response was always the same. ‘Look at my works and decide for yourself. Whom do I resemble?’ In their perversity they responded, ‘You look like the devil. Demon-possessed! You’re the son of Satan!’

“Funny!’ He replied, ‘You are remarkably like your father, the devil! Your works look just like him – thief, liar, murderer!’ In spite of their protestations, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants; we are disciples of Moses; we are God’s sons,’ there was an unmistakable likeness to their real father and they hated Jesus for pointing it out.

Now they were in Bethany with the sisters, milling around, observing, even mourning a little with them. Give them their due; perhaps their grief over the death of Lazarus was genuine – or was it also part of their practised religion, sitting shiva with those who mourn?

How was Jesus ever to convince them that He was the Father’s Son, showing them what the Father was like by the works He did? Miracles didn’t do it – the Jews assassinated His character because He broke THEIR rules by healing on the Sabbath. Perhaps raising a man to life who had been decaying in the tomb for four days might do it.

And what about the two bereaved sisters? It was time to take their faith to a new level, especially since Jesus would soon be where Lazarus was, although they didn’t know it yet. What would happen to their confidence in Him when His battered body lay in the tomb and their shattered hopes died with Him? Would they recall His words, “I AM the resurrection and the life?’ Would their memory of Lazarus keep their faith in Him alive?

Jesus knew exactly what He was doing! This miracle of all miracles would either convince the Jews or drive another nail into their coffin – and His! Did they really want to know who He was or were they looking for another excuse to kill Him? When He called Lazarus from the grave, it was His way of saying, ‘Take that, you Jews!’ and their response. ‘Kill Lazarus! Get him out the way! He’s the reason for all this!’

And Martha and Mary? Time would tell whether this event would forever cement their trust in Him and bind them to Him in adoring love forever. And Lazarus? What would this experience do for him? After all, he was the one who had crossed the great divide and come back again? We never hear the story from his lips, but we have hints in John’s record that help us make up a story that could well fit the evidence.

How true it is that God always has a reason and a plan for everything He does. Life is lived forward and understood backwards. Our hearts break for the sisters in their grief and disappointed hopes and celebrate with them in their joy when they received their brother back alive. We suffer in our own anguish and pain but, when we trust Him, somehow, we receive back in abundance more than we ever lost – and the ecstasy of knowing, after all, that He knew what He was doing!

Acknowledgement

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – BUT PETER…

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BUT PETER…

“They left the tomb and broke the news of all this to the Eleven and the rest. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women kept telling these things to the apostles, but the apostles didn’t believe a word of it; thought they were making it up.

“But Peter jumped to his feet and ran to the tomb. He stooped to look in and saw a few grave clothes, that’s all. He walked away puzzled, shaking his head.” Luke 24:9-12.

Poor Peter! His mind must have been in torment. Put yourself in his shoes. A few days before, he had said something to a few strangers that would change his life forever. In the heat of a terrifying moment, unprepared because he would not heed his Master’s warning, he had vehemently denied the one to whom he had pledged lifelong loyalty, and whom he had recognised and confessed as the Messiah.

And now, He was dead. Peter would never have the opportunity to express his sorrow and regret for what he had done. The look in Jesus’ eyes when He had caught Peter’s eye as the cock crowed, would haunt him forever. The anguish in his heart was unbearable. He had not slept since then. He was afraid to close his eyes because of the flashbacks of all the horrifying scenes of that day.

And now the women come with a story that He was not in the tomb. Something about the stone rolled from the entrance; about shining men inside the tomb; about their incomprehensible words – “He’s not here. He has risen!”, about grave clothes left as though the body had simply evaporated! It all sounded like fairy stories to him but how he yearned that it would be true.

He wanted to believe them. He wanted to wake up and find that it was all a bad dream. He joined the others in pooh-poohing their story; (after all, they were only women, and women were not permitted to testify in a court of law. They were discredited as unreliable witnesses), but in his heart of hearts he wanted it to be true.

He couldn’t just sit there, wishing and hoping. He had to find out for himself what had happened. Had the authorities removed Jesus’ body to stop any rumours of a resurrection? Had Joseph taken Him for burial to an unknown tomb?

What Peter saw was just as puzzling to him as it was to the women. They had told the truth. The tomb was open. The body was missing. There were no angels, but the grave clothes were not just lying in a heap as though tossed aside by a careless grave robber. If someone had stolen His body, why would they have left the shroud? None of it made sense to Peter. He walked away in a daze, his heart as heavy as lead.

With masterful brushstrokes, Luke paints a picture of mystery and intrigue. Jesus was not there. Everything pointed to a very unusual event, but where was He? The women saw the tomb and the grave clothes and the angels, but no Jesus. Peter saw the tomb and the grave clothes but no angels and no Jesus?

Only one person could change this puzzling situation – Jesus Himself! But He did not show up. He left them to stew in their confusion and unbelief for a while. They had to come to terms with the situation before He could reveal Himself to them and convince them that He was alive so that every other word He spoke would be embedded in their souls and shape their lives forever, and compel them to testify that He had risen from the dead.

The entire success of His mission to earth stands on this one fact – He was crucified but now He is alive. We can trust Him and what He told us because He beat death and He is here now with His offer of eternal life for those who stake their lives on him.

And Peter

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AND PETER

As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen. He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him as He told you.’ (Mark 15: 5-7)

Now why would Jesus single Peter out for a special message? Wasn’t he one of the Twelve, even their self-appointed leader? Peter had the biggest mouth and was always the first to speak or act. He was not only one of the Twelve but also the first of the Three; Peter, James and John, the three men who were closest to Jesus. If anyone had anything to say, it was Peter. If anyone was first to react, it was Peter. Who wanted to walk on water with Jesus? Peter! Who was quickest with the sword to defend Jesus? Peter!

Peter was up front alright when it came to being noticed. So why Peter?

I think the answer is obvious. Peter was not only ahead when it came to responding to Jesus. He was also right out front when it came to disowning Him. He has pushed his way into the courtyard of the high priest’s house, mingling among the “enemy” in the hopes that he would not be noticed, but his Galilean accent gave him away. And the serving maid had pounced on him. In that split second, did Peter think that she had any influence to get him arrested along with Jesus? Why did that bother him? It was not he but Jesus they were after.

A downfall happens in an unguarded moment. Peter didn’t have time to think. He blurted out his denial before his brain caught up with his mouth, and it was too late to take it back. The next time he faced the same accusation, he had to carry on the deception. It was not planned; it just happened. Wasn’t that exactly what Jesus had warned them all about? He knew what Peter would do, but what about the rest? Was he the only guilty one?

When it was time to prepare themselves for the unexpected, they slept. It was a lesson they had to learn through hard experience. They did not know what was coming but Jesus had warned them of impending trouble. It was not about the details of the circumstances but about having a watchful attitude that they completely missed.

How did Jesus handle their failure, and especially Peter’s, seeing he was their leader? Did He write them off as hopeless? That would have been a disaster because He had invested three years in them, grooming them to take over where He left off, and there was no one else to whom He would entrust His message; even more important, His very own presence in them. Apart from Him they could do nothing.

Jesus was neither disappointed in them nor disillusioned with them because of their failure. He knew that it was part of their journey and far more important than any successes along the way. They had to know that He had not written them off. ‘Tell my disciples and Peter . . .’ Jesus did not miss a beat. Love doesn’t give up. He knew that it was not their love that had failed Him but their flesh. Their intentions towards Him were settled. Unlike Judas who had abandoned Him in his heart long before his dastardly action, the disciples loved Him.

He saw Peter’s bitter tears. How He must have longed to comfort Peter in those terrible moments when remorse hit him like a tidal wave! God’s like that! No angry accusations. No harsh judgment. Just mercy and compassion for a fallen son! No matter how Peter felt, he could not take back his hasty words. And he could not get near to Jesus.

‘Go and tell His disciples . . . and Peter.’ And Peter? Packed into those two words are all the scandalous mercy of a forgiving God. Can you feel the compassion of the Master’s heart towards His fallen companion? Unlike us, unlike the gods we have created in our own image, the heart of Jesus was for him. Yes, he did wrong; yes, he sinned grievously; yes, he lied and deceived to save his own skin, but Jesus was not offended. He thought only of the pain in Peter’s heart for the severing of fellowship in that moment.

Peter’s tears were the visible evidence of a broken heart; not broken as shattered but broken as submissive – like a young horse that submits to a saddle and rider after a great struggle. Peter knew, in that bitter moment that Jesus was right and he was wrong. It was not his worst failure but his first victory. A ‘broken’ Peter would finally submit, knowing that all his blustering protests of self-control were but a vapour.

‘And Peter’ was Jesus’ declaration of confidence that Peter had finally ‘got it’. Teaching him didn’t do it; warning him didn’t do it; he had to feel and know the pain of failure before the lesson was firmly embedded in his spirit. ‘And Peter’ was His call to leave his pain and bitter remorse and step back onto the path of trust and obedience, a humbler and wiser man. No, Peter’s failure did not disqualify him. On the contrary, it eminently qualified him to be a true disciple of Jesus.

Nothing teaches a disciple better than the exposure of failure. Failure brings him right down to earth with a bump. It reveals not only who he is but also who He is, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness. (Ex 34:6)

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Watch this space. My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master, will soon be on the bookshelves.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

 

A Shocking Discovery!

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A SHOCKING DISCOVERY!

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. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ’You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone because they were afraid. (Mark 16: 1-8)

What a shocking discovery! It was nothing like these women expected when they arrived at the tomb. What did they expect to find when they got there? A cave in the rock, the entrance guarded by a huge stone which they were powerless to move? How would they get in? They thought about it and discussed it on their way through the quiet city. It was too early for anyone to be out and about to help them. It was a problem but it didn’t seem to bother them. They would make a plan when they got there.

Imagine their surprise and horror when they found a gaping hole at the entrance instead of a huge rocky barrier. What did they think? Were they afraid to go in for fear that grave robbers might still be inside? It seems that curiosity drew them into the tomb. Imagine their shock when they found, not a body but a person – a young man dressed in dazzling white, sitting on the edge of the slab! He spoke to them, and what he had to say shocked them even more.

‘He is not here.’ Well, that was pretty obvious! But where was He? Did they even hear the first words of the stranger? ‘He is risen!’ Preposterous! As far as they were concerned, no one gets up and walks out of a tomb. It was unheard of. There must be some other explanation.

The young man had a message for them to deliver to His disciples. What he had to say made no sense to them. Not only did he tell them the unbelievable news that Jesus was no longer dead; that He had got up and left the tomb; but he told them to tell His disciples that He would meet them in Galilee, as though He knew that they would be the first to arrive at the tomb, It was just too much for them to absorb.

Not waiting to hear any more, they turned and fled – back to the city to cower behind closed doors and try to process what they had just seen and heard. They were so frightened and overwhelmed by what they had just witnessed that they did not breathe a word to anyone in case it was all in their imagination.

If we put ourselves in their shoes, would we have reacted any differently? Perhaps we may be thinking, “What’s wrong with you women? Why didn’t you just believe him and do what he told you to do?” Of course, we are wise after the event. We know better because we have the whole story. But they were at the forefront of the sequence of amazing events following Jesus’ crucifixion.

There are still many who refuse to believe that Jesus actually rose from the dead. Other religions have created fanciful stories about dead gods coming to life again, but there are no historical facts or proofs to back up their stories. Well-educated scholars have fine-combed the evidence of the resurrection in the hopes that they can find errors to disprove its truth, but every single one has come up empty.

The fact is, whether people believe the evidence or not, Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He is alive and at work in the world through His Spirit to transform the heart and lives of those who believe in Him. What other explanation can there be for the preservation of the world from the rot of sin which destroys wherever the influence of Jesus is not felt?

Religion, no matter how good or ethical it might be, can offer nothing but self-help which cannot work because the human heart is corrupt at best. Only the risen Jesus, who made forgiveness of sin possible through His sacrifice, can transform the hearts of those who believe and give them a brand new life. Because He lives, we will also live.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Watch this space. My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master, will soon be on the bookshelves.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

 

 

    

Two Kind Men

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TWO KIND MEN

It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that He was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph.

So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid. (Mark 15: 42-47)

Again we have Mark’s terse and unembellished account of Jesus’ burial. He included none of the paranoid instructions of the chief priests to try to secure the tomb. No Roman guard, no official seal on the stone. It was not his focus. His was the simple story of Jesus’ death and burial. Not that Matthew’s version of the events was exaggerated or even untrue. It was just a detail Mark did not include for his own reasons.

Who was the man who had the courage to ask for Jesus’ body which was destined for the city rubbish dump where His body would have been cremated in the valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem if it were not for his bold intervention. He was a member of the ruling council, Joseph of Arimathea. He would have been present at Jesus’ trial, a lone voice protesting Jesus’ innocence, but not even heard against the howling mob.

According to the Apostle John (John 19:38-39), he was not alone in this final deed of love. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the Pharisee who visited Jesus one night. Although these two men were members of the upper class, unlike their peers they were honest enough to evaluate Jesus without prejudice. When the crunch came, they boldly and openly took their stand with Him. One wonders what the rest of their associates thought of them, but they didn’t care.

It was evident that Pilate was still sympathetic towards Jesus otherwise, would he have released His body to Joseph? He was amazed that Jesus had succumbed to the torture so quickly. It was often a long drawn-out affair. Some of the victims of crucifixion lingered on the cross for days, hence the request of the Sanhedrin to hasten His death by breaking His legs (John 19: 31). Since Jesus was already dead, His bones were not broken but His side was pierced with a spear (John 19: 34). Amazing how accurately the Old Testament prophets predicted the exact details of His death!

Since Joseph was a wealthy man, he owned a yet-unused tomb which had been prepared for him and his family. He gladly gave it over to the body of the one he had come to recognise as his Master. He had to act in haste in order to be faithful to the requirements of the Sabbath, and he and Nicodemus moved quickly to have the body in the tomb before sunset. There was no time to give the body its proper treatment with ointments and spices but just to wrap it in cloth and place it in the tomb.

Again it was the Apostle John who noted that the next day was a special Sabbath. Traditionally, Jesus died on the day before the normal Sabbath, Friday but, according to John, this Sabbath was not on the seventh day of the week but the day before the Sabbath. Hence in that year, there were two Sabbaths, Friday and Saturday. Jesus would have been crucified on the Thursday and His body would have been in the tomb from Thursday before sunset to early Sunday morning, three days according to Jewish reckoning.

How accurately God arranged all the details to fulfil the imagery of Passover. Like the Passover lamb which had to be selected on the tenth day of the month and slaughtered on the fourteenth day after careful inspection for defects, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the first day of the week preceding Passover, put on public display and crucified on the Thursday, the fourth day of that week. He died at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, at the exact time when the high priest slaughtered the first Passover lamb.

When Joseph and Nicodemus walked away from the tomb at sunset that afternoon, did they ever dream that the empty cave would become the symbol of a mighty victory for the one whose body they had so tenderly placed there? Did they ever visit the empty tomb to see for themselves that the bloodied corpse they had left there had vanished? Was their faith forever confirmed by this silent witness to His resurrection?

This simple act of kindness would change the lives of these two men forever. They have the assurance in their hearts of the words of the writer to the letter to the Hebrews:

God is not unjust; He will not forget your labour of love. (Heb. 6: 10)

Their names will always be remembered for their kindness to Jesus.

Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my new book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Watch this space. My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), companion volume to Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master, will soon be on the bookshelves.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com