October 22 - Mark 15,16
How many times have you read the account of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection? Was today your first time? Have you read it hundreds of times like me? Please, take some time to let the reality of the account sink in to your heart. Sometimes, we allow Satan to steal away the Word of God before it bears fruit in us. Don't let that happen this time.
The disciples had a very difficult time grasping what Jesus had told them over and over. When it actually happened, they still had a hard time. Then, when the women came to tell them what an angel had told them at the empty tomb, it gradually began to sink in. Jesus appeared to them and commissioned them to go and tell the world what had happened. It all finally made sense, and they went out changed people. They knew that their Lord was alive. Later, on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came into them in power, the transformation was complete. They had gone from helpless, doubting disciples to powerful, faithful apostles.
I find it interesting that it was a roman centurion who first realized that Jesus was "the Son of God" dying on a cross. (15:39) Then, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Sanhedrin council, came to claim His body for burial. I believe he understood who Jesus was at that point. The women also seemed to know something, even when all of the disciples were hiding. Why was it so hard for the disciples to see what was going on? Had they become too familiar with Jesus? Did they not see His deity because of His obvious humanity? Did they love Him so much they did not want to think of His death? Whatever the reason they were the last to see what was happening at the cross and the tomb.
Before we get too judgmental, let's stop and ask ourselves some personal questions. Has Jesus told us about His death, burial, and resurrection? Yes, He told us in His Word. Has Jesus even given us more explanation in Paul's letters and the rest of the New Testament? Yes, He has. Has Jesus appeared to us personally by His Holy Spirit showing Jesus to us? Yes, He has, especially if we are believers, but everyone has been convicted of sin, righteousness and judgment. (John 16:7-11) Have we been changed by this revelation, so that we have trusted Christ as Lord and Savior, and we are ready to tell others? That is the question. Knowing Jesus should not just set us free from our own sins, but it should free us to share the Good News with the people we know and those we meet. If we haven't come to that place yet, we have not really understood the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is not a personal truth to be hidden in our hearts. It is a universal truth that must be shared with a dying, dark world. Therefore, in the end the disciples turned apostles did God's will. They spread the Good News to the entire inhabited world in one generation. We are the ones who have failed to do the same thing in our generation.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Luke 1-3.
The disciples had a very difficult time grasping what Jesus had told them over and over. When it actually happened, they still had a hard time. Then, when the women came to tell them what an angel had told them at the empty tomb, it gradually began to sink in. Jesus appeared to them and commissioned them to go and tell the world what had happened. It all finally made sense, and they went out changed people. They knew that their Lord was alive. Later, on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came into them in power, the transformation was complete. They had gone from helpless, doubting disciples to powerful, faithful apostles.
I find it interesting that it was a roman centurion who first realized that Jesus was "the Son of God" dying on a cross. (15:39) Then, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Sanhedrin council, came to claim His body for burial. I believe he understood who Jesus was at that point. The women also seemed to know something, even when all of the disciples were hiding. Why was it so hard for the disciples to see what was going on? Had they become too familiar with Jesus? Did they not see His deity because of His obvious humanity? Did they love Him so much they did not want to think of His death? Whatever the reason they were the last to see what was happening at the cross and the tomb.
Before we get too judgmental, let's stop and ask ourselves some personal questions. Has Jesus told us about His death, burial, and resurrection? Yes, He told us in His Word. Has Jesus even given us more explanation in Paul's letters and the rest of the New Testament? Yes, He has. Has Jesus appeared to us personally by His Holy Spirit showing Jesus to us? Yes, He has, especially if we are believers, but everyone has been convicted of sin, righteousness and judgment. (John 16:7-11) Have we been changed by this revelation, so that we have trusted Christ as Lord and Savior, and we are ready to tell others? That is the question. Knowing Jesus should not just set us free from our own sins, but it should free us to share the Good News with the people we know and those we meet. If we haven't come to that place yet, we have not really understood the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is not a personal truth to be hidden in our hearts. It is a universal truth that must be shared with a dying, dark world. Therefore, in the end the disciples turned apostles did God's will. They spread the Good News to the entire inhabited world in one generation. We are the ones who have failed to do the same thing in our generation.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Luke 1-3.