(Inspired by John 20:19-29) What a day! The sorrow and grief all of the followers of Jesus felt at His death was compounded when Mary of Magdala came running into the upper room early Sunday morning, yelling that someone had taken Jesus’s body from the tomb. The Magdalene loved the Lord. Nobody would question that. She had been absolutely devoted to the Teacher since He had cast seven demons out of her. Maybe it was living with demons for so long, or maybe it was just Mary, but there had always been something a little strange about her that caused most of the disciples to question her perspective on things. When she came running in announcing that Jesus’s body was missing, Rock and young John immediately went to check out her story. After they returned, the two of them confirmed to the ... Read More about 46 – Christ’s Greater Blessing
45 – Making All Things New
(Inspired by Matthew 28: 1-10; Luke 24: 1-9; and John 20: 1-18) Mary of Magdala was awakened by a hand lightly touching her shoulder. Looking up, she saw the Lord’s mother bending over her. The faint light seeping around the shuttered windows told her that it was very early. She was relieved to be awake. Mary’s dreams had been stressful and sad since Jesus’s death. She supposed those horrible images of the crucifixion would never leave her. Rising quietly so as not to disturb the many others sleeping in the large, upper room, she threw on her shawl and followed Mary of Nazareth out the door. “Do you have the bags of spices Nicodemus gave you?” the Magdalene asked as they stood at the bottom of the steps. In answer to her question, Mary opened the folds of her robe and revealed the ... Read More about 45 – Making All Things New
44 – Time to Take a Stand
(Inspired by John 19: 31-42) Once Jesus had died on the cross, His mother and young John, His best friend, couldn’t leave. It was like they were nailed to the spot. They stood there for quite some time, staring at the abused body of the Lord, unable to mentally process what had been done to the Son of God and Savior of the world. “Orders from the procurator!” a Roman soldier, who had just marched up to the execution detail, shouted. “What are they?” growled the guard in charge. “The Jews’ Sabbath day is supposed to start in a couple of hours,” the soldier reported. “At the request of the chief priests, the procurator orders that the legs of the prisoners be broken to allow them to die quickly. He wants them all three dead and off the crosses before the trumpets from the temple signal ... Read More about 44 – Time to Take a Stand
43 – The Lamb of God Revealed
(Inspired by John 19:17-30) After Pilate had given the order to crucify Jesus, two other condemned criminals who were thieves were brought out to join Him. A large wooden beam was placed across the shoulders of each, and their arms were tied to it. When the heavy, rough wood was dropped on Jesus’s severely lacerated back, intense pain shot through his body. As all of this was taking place, Pilate had gone back into the Roman headquarters and called a scribe. “Take a piece of parchment,” the governor ordered, “and write on it in large letters, ‘JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.’ I want everyone to be able to read it, so write it in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, or whatever it is the Jews speak.” “They speak Jewish Aramaic, Excellency,” the sleepy scribe returned humbly. “Well, write ... Read More about 43 – The Lamb of God Revealed
42 – Satan Is Allowed His Way
(Inspired by John 19: 1-16) Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, stood before the chanting crowd and literally felt sick to his stomach. He knew that the chief priests had arrested Jesus the Nazarene out of pure jealousy. Their hatred of the teacher was so great that they were doing everything they could to force Pilate to kill him, but Pilate knew the Nazarene was innocent. The governor felt sure that he could appeal to the common people, who were supposed to like Jesus, and he would be able to release the teacher. That’s why he offered them a choice of releasing Jesus or Barabbas, a murderer and thief. To hear the people responding to the pressure of the chief priest by crying for the release of Barabbas over a guiltless man disgusted him. The gloating smile on the face of Caiaphas, ... Read More about 42 – Satan Is Allowed His Way
41 – Truth’s Witness
(Inspired by John 18: 28-40) Things were going Caiaphas’s way, and he was quite pleased about it. He and his cronies had arrested Jesus, the controversial teacher from Nazareth, and had managed to finagle a death sentence for Him. Now only one step remained to complete their plan to kill Jesus, and that was to convince Pilate, the Roman governor, to carry out the sentence. When the detail of Roman soldiers sent to assist the high priest’s guards with the arrest arrived at the military barracks, they marched straight in with the prisoner. All of the Jewish leaders stopped at the gate. This took place so early in the morning that the servants had to wake Pilate up. He was still hurriedly tugging on his robe when he rushed into the large hall where the soldiers waited with Jesus. The ... Read More about 41 – Truth’s Witness