Going to the Resurrection
Tag Archives: Crucifixion
Acting On a Dream
Bible Passages
13 Why do you complain against Him that He does not give an account of all His doings? 14 Indeed God speaks once, or twice, yet no one notices it. 15 In a dream, a vision of the night, when sound sleep falls on men, while they slumber in their beds, 16 Then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction, 17 That He may turn man aside from his conduct, and keep man from pride; 18 He keeps back his soul from the pit, and his life from passing over into Sheol.
Job 33:13-18 (NASB1995)
“I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”
John 16:33 (NABRE)
Devotion
I have a friend who is a struggling Vietnam veteran. He hasn’t had a good night’s sleep since he arrived in Vietnam. He was wounded, and pain flares up at times. He has also been a widower for only a few years. He misses his wife every day. He suffers inwardly much more than he lets on outwardly. He has told me several times that he lives in hell.
An ordained minister, he left the church after an incident in Vietnam. Fortunately, he never left his relationship with God. He is still very religious, and prays often. This has saved his life many times as he faces life’s difficulties.
Now retired, he makes and sells birdhouses, just to have something to occupy his mind and body. He does other woodworking projects from time to time, too. He makes beautiful furniture and decorative pieces. He is very creative and talented.
One day, he acquired a burled piece of wood he really liked, but had trouble figuring out what to make out of it. After it sat on a shelf several weeks, staring at him and begging him to make something with it, he asked God for help. That very night, he actually had a dream about it. God showed him exactly what he needed to do with that piece of wood.
With the help of an artist friend who painted the backdrop, he created the crucifixion scene pictured here. He added the crosses, but had trouble figuring out how to do the blood on Jesus’ cross. God whispered in his ear. Obedient, he grabbed a nail and pierced his own finger. He used his own blood as paint, letting it drip on the four places it was needed. He added the landscaping features and sealant. It looked just like the one in his dream.
He then brought it to his shop and put it on a display shelf. A couple of people asked him about it, but he could not part with it. A few days later, he decided to bring it home. He put it on a table in his living room, next to a scented lamp. He’d enjoy it when he passed by, but he didn’t really think much more about it than that.
Last night, he decided to light the lamp sitting next to it. Later, he left the room and turned the light off, forgetting to turn off the lamp. When he came back in the room, the cross grabbed his heart. Out loud, he exclaimed, “Whoa!” He got so excited, he took these pictures and sent them to me. Then he called. He just had to share the profound effect this had on him!
He actually got over 8 hours of sleep last night! A peaceful night’s sleep.
I believe God is using this to help him heal. By giving him a vision and a direction, God instilled in him an immediate love for that piece. Working on it gave him a new sense of purpose. His heart would not let him part with it. Now, having fully realized what he created, he is filled with a new sense of awe and wonder at God’s plan for his healing.
I believe he’s going to be okay. It will take time, but he’s on the road to recovery. Obedience to God is vital to healing. Because he listened, he was rewarded with a new peace, which is beginning to settle in his soul.
Prayer Focus
War veterans
Prayer
Gracious God our Father, thank you for being there during our darkest moments, holding us tight and seeing us through to the dawn of a new day. Amen.
Final Thought
You will be amazed at what God can do when you obey.
A Mother’s Perspective
Bible Passages
19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
Luke 2:19 (NASB1995)
51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
Luke 2:51 (NASB1995)
26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.
John 19:26-27 (NASB1995)
Devotion
The love of God knows no boundaries. Although we are all His children, there was one man who was more than that. He came to this world to set it right. We celebrate his birth at Christmas. We remember his teachings. We commemorate his death. On Easter, we celebrate his resurrection. He was God on Earth. He was also a man. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
At Easter, we talk a lot about how much God loves the world, and the sacrifice He made for us. We hear little about the sacrifices of his mother. I often think about what it must have been like for Mary, mother of Jesus. Being a good Jewish girl, she would have been very aware of what the Torah (Old Testament) said of the Messiah. When the angel told her she was chosen to bear the Son of God, ancient prophecy must have flashed in her mind. She must have known her child would one day die a horrible death in order to save the world. Perhaps all this flashed through her mind at the time.
Perhaps, being a teenager, she didn’t fully think it through. Perhaps she didn’t believe she would outlive her child. Perhaps she decided not to think about the difficulties ahead, preferring instead to think only of the present and the joy and honor bestowed on her when she was asked by God, through the angel, to do all this. We can only guess. I believe she knew everything that was being asked of her when she, without hesitation, agreed, “let it be according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)
Over the next 30+ years, she stored up many things in her heart, according to Scripture. This is normal for any parent, especially in an age without video cameras, cell phones, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and the hundreds of other apps parents use now to record every first or cute thing their child has done today: smile, walk, run, school, trophy, belch, hiccup, etcetera, ad nauseum and add nausea.
Mary did not have any of those modern conveniences. She only had her heart and mind to store up the memories. I also think that, more than any other mother, she had good reason to store in her heart all the deeds and wonders as she watched her child grow and mature.
I believe she loved God so much that, though she must have dreaded having to see her son tortured and killed, she willingly agreed to see him through the human world with the loving, open arms of a mother. I also believe she trusted God enough to know He would see her through the daunting assignment of being the mother of the Living God.
The stories survive to this day, written down for those of us separated by generations from the actual event. Mary must have kept back many stories that were deeply personal between her and God. Some stories she shared with His followers. We know this because several of these stories wound up in Scriptures. She must have loved and trusted God deeply, for she took that giant leap of faith and gave birth to Jesus, helped him navigate the world as a mere human child, proudly saw him become a master craftsman, teacher and healer, then helplessly stood near him as he suffered and died on the cross. She then helped the others as they laid him in the tomb. She also watched as they sealed the tomb and set guards to watch over it and prevent anyone from opening it and stealing the body. She would have known that would not keep God from fulfilling His promise.
What joy she must have felt that morning when she was told He had risen from the dead, overcoming death itself! I don’t think she was surprised by His resurrection. I think she would have expected it. She was the mother of the Living God, after all. Her faith was strong. She had seen Him do other wondrous, miraculous, seemingly impossible things to fulfill Scripture. I think if she was surprised, it was about how the event transpired, not that it happened. She knew He was the Son of God. She knew He would live again. He was God. God never lies. She must have been a brave, strong and amazing woman!
Prayer Focus
Parents who have lost children.
Prayer
Almighty Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thank you for saving me. Thank you for showing me how You want me to live. Help me remember to put You first in every aspect of my life, as You put me first in Yours. Help me to bring others to know Your love. Guide me to someone who needs my help today. Let me shine Your light boldly and brightly, so all will know You are mine and I am Yours. Amen.
Final Thought
Mary watched her son grow into the Messiah.
Tough Week
Bible Passages
Read Psalms 69:29-36.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 (NASB1995)
Devotion
According to tradition and many scholars, here’s Jesus’ week in a nutshell.
Holy Monday is the day on which Jesus cleansed the temple, entertained local children, and cursed a fig tree (Matthew 21:12–22).
On Tuesday, he traveled to Bethany (around 6 miles or 10 kilometers) and gave a sermon (The Olivet Discourse) about the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the age. It is also believed by many to be the day Judas betrayed him to the Sanhedrin.
On Wednesday, there’s no mention of his activities, so it is believed he rested. Up to this time, he’d had a rough few weeks. He probably really needed to rest after the last exhausting 40+ days. He also knew his agenda for the rest of the week, and that the next few days would be the hardest days he would ever face. I agree with the scholars who think he rested on Wednesday.
On Thursday (Maundy Thursday), he washed the feet of the disciples before supper, then spent the evening with them, hanging out and celebrating the Passover. Late in the evening, he took some disciples to an olive plantation. There, Judas gave him the infamous kiss of death (the likely origin of that term, by the way). The Sanhedrin arrested him and took him to the house of High Priest Caiaphas.
On Friday (Good Friday), no time was wasted. He was put on trial, convicted, sentenced to death, scourged, crucified, and buried, and the tomb was sealed shut. This all happened in a single day.
On Saturday, he got busy with the task of conquering hell and death.
On Sunday (Easter or Resurrection Sunday), he got back up (from being dead) and visited with his followers over the next few days.
Whew! What a tough week!
Why did he do all that? He is God. He could have dodged the whole ball of wax if he wanted. Scripture tells us why. He loves us. He wanted us to know, by His example, how to live life. He is also our stand-in on Judgment Day. Now, when we face judgment, God will let us into heaven because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us out of love. All we have to do is accept Him as our Lord and Savior.
Aren’t you glad you belong to Him?!
Prayer Focus
Believers
Prayer
Blessed Savior, thank you for loving us enough to live among us on Earth, showing us how you want us to live, and dying for us, taking our sins upon yourself. Amen.
Final Thought
Jesus really loves me!
Spread the Love 