Try to imagine being Mary Magdalene before she witnessed Jesus’ resurrection (Matt. 28:1). Luke tells us that she had once been in the grip of evil and Jesus delivered her, casting out seven demons (Luke 8:2). Who knows what the horrors of her life had been? Often identified as a prostitute forgiven by Jesus, though the New Testament never identifies her as such, she was certainly an outcast whose life Jesus had changed. Now she believed that Jesus was dead. She had seen his crucifixion and had now come to the tomb, Mark tells us, to anoint his body in burial (Mark 16:1). She clearly didn’t expect Jesus to rise from the dead. No one did. We can only imagine […]
Yearly Archives: 2018
128 posts
Matthew tells us that an angel from heaven came down in plain view of the soldiers who were guarding the sealed tomb. The soldiers watched in shock as the angel rolled away the stone from the tomb and sat on it. If we were there we would have expected to see Jesus walk out into the morning light. There was just one problem. The tomb was already empty. Just as he could not be hindered from entering in a locked room, he could not be contained by the sealed tomb. The stone was not rolled away so that Jesus could escape. It was rolled away so that you would know that the tomb was empty. With his resurrection Christ was […]
Think about Saturday. This day was different. The trial, the crowds, the drama of Christ upon the cross was past. It was a dark Saturday. Disciples were alone, their anchor was gone, they were overwhelmed. The eleven and those close to them had spent three years with the most powerful person in all of human history. Now, his calming presence was gone. It appeared their hopes and dreams had vanished before their eyes on a cross. The Roman leaders were relieved that this whole mess was behind them. But there was at least one Centurion who knew that a great wrong had been done. And, then there was Pilate, still washing his hands, still haunted by his face-to-face encounter with […]
On a Thursday evening, 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ celebrated the last Passover. This meal marked the fulfillment of the promise made to Eve in the garden. In one meal Jesus ended the symbolism and types the Old Covenant and established the New Covenant. The next day, Good Friday, Christ, himself, would become the Passover Lamb. After 33 years of perfect obedience, less than a day remained of his time on earth. It would be a time of crushing temptation and agony. Everything that Christ had accomplished in his life came down to these final hours. Being the perfect God-man Jesus knew he would bear the weight of my sin, my ugliness. He knew he would endure his Father’s terrible, […]
The pursuit of purity is not a popular quest! If someone asked you what your goal in life is and you answered “to pursue purity,” it would, for sure, be an unexpected answer. However, when James describes what wisdom that honors God looks like, the first word he selects is pure. Peter urges us to love one another from a pure heart. In the New Testament, to be pure is to be genuine, authentic and undefiled. Purity is vital to a life that honors God. So even though being pure may sound unexciting, that is exactly why it is worthy of pursuit. God’s ways are not our ways. The aggressive pursuit of purity will protect you from the attacks of […]
The evidence of our Lord’s anguish that night spreads over the entire narrative—in his emotions, words, and actions. Consider just the opening verses of Mark’s version: And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” (14:32–34) Notice the language used to describe Jesus’ emotions. First, he is “greatly distressed and troubled” (v. 33). Jesus was in mental and emotional anguish. He felt deeply anxious. Add to this his deep sadness: “My soul is very sorrowful, […]
Today hundreds of thousands of students across the globe are protesting gun violence. The motivation behind these protests is understandable and compelling. There is a growing, realistic fear that their school could be the next target. To date, despite impassioned political rhetoric, there is no appearance of protection for our students. So in this sense the need for action and protest seems clear and obvious. It is more than unsettling to walk out the door to go to school, wondering if you may never come back home again. The deeper sadness is that our nation’s political and educational systems have driven our children to trusting solutions based on laws to heal and stop the wreckage caused by human sin. The […]
Parents don’t often think of the gospel and discipline in the same sentence. Typically, we tend to think that discipline is what you do now and the gospel is what you hope your children will embrace in the future. But Paul has a different understanding of the place of the gospel. For him, the gospel is the foundation, the hope of all of life for Christians (see Colossians 1:21-23). This means that your parental discipline must rooted and built upon the gospel. Just as you know that you can’t make yourself “good” enough for God to accept you, your children must know that they cannot make themselves “good” enough to earn your acceptance and approval. This is huge! You are […]
In this video, author Brian G. Hedges explains how Jesus taught his disciples about union with Him. With Jesus takes us on a tour through Jesus’ life to show us how we can find our place in the story of Christ. Christianity is not a only a faith founded on facts, but also a deeply personal experience of God’s transforming grace in Christ. While our hope is rooted in history—the events of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension—the Scriptures also teach that every believer is included in these events. From the manger to the cross, from the empty tomb to his glorious throne, Jesus acted for us. And the mystery and wonder of the gospel is that we are crucified, […]
The disciples saw Jesus transfigured and then crucified before their very eyes. They may not have caught on as the events unfolded, but they soon understood—as we can also now—that Jesus’ path to glory was marked by suffering. What seems less clear is how we get to share in his glory. How exactly does that work? The Scriptures give us good warrant for asking this question. Paul describes Christians as those who “rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:2c) and assures us that “When Christ who is [our] life appears, then [we] also will appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:4). God has called us to his kingdom and glory (1 Thess. 2:12). Jesus prayed that his […]