I got my youngest through finals, picked up another from college, and survived yet another sinus infection. Being able to be still and write is healing to the soul (like chewing on "soul food"!)...
I have always loved a good story, and I have recognized that
in order for a story to be worthy of captivating an audience’s attention, it
MUST have conflict. Disney has had a handle on this for many years.
Cinderella’s parents never intended for their precious daughter to be a cinder
wench. And once she had ‘earned’ such a dubious title, it seemed impossible
that she could one day be a princess. Snow White was certainly the “fairest of
them all,” but an evil queen would work her spell, tempting this fair maiden
with a lovely apple that would put her in a deep sleep. Would her prince ever
find and awaken her? Rapunzel was born a princess, but stolen from the safety
of her crib by an evil fairy. How would she ever escape the tower of doom?
Our own story is no
different. A lush and pristine Garden of Eden… Two sinless people walking daily
with God… All is well--for a short time, anyway. Enter the serpent. Enter sin.
All people born of Adam’s seed would be born into a world now polluted with the
nasty stuff. And they would not know, as Adam and Eve had known, the intimate
fellowship with their Maker. I have to wonder if we truly understand the depth
of the separation. The only thing that comes to mind yet hardly touches the
surface is a story from my own marriage. My husband was in the military, and
during this one particular season, he was deployed, and was difficult to reach
for over four months (Yes, I’m aware I had it “easy” compared to many!). But I had enjoyed his presence in our
home for a number of years, and we had three young children. He had always
taken care of many things, such as finances, and now I was left to do it all by
myself. And it was lonely. I missed my best friend. I felt incomplete. And at this stage of life, I can honestly say that I feel
the same when I get too busy to spend time with the Lord.
But I’m jumping ahead
of myself! Let’s look again at this “Jesus” who was turning the Roman world
upside down with new ideas. One crystal clear statement of belief in Jesus Christ
as God comes from Martha, after the death of her brother. Most seem to remember
her as Mary’s complaining sister (Luke 10:38-41)! But in this instance, after
articulating her understanding that her brother Lazarus will “rise again in the resurrection on the last
day,” and being informed that “Whoever
believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and
believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25, 26), her response is
remarkably straightforward. “Yes, Lord; I
believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world” (verse
27). Later, as Jesus proceeds to have the stone moved from the cave which
contains Nicodemus’ corpse, the same sister, Martha, informed him of what a
stink there would be with a body that had been laid to rest for four days! His
gentle reminder, “Did I not tell you that
if you believed you would see the glory of God?” (verse 40) was soon followed
by his command to Lazarus to come out of the tomb. Imagine actually being
present in that moment! Her mustard seed-sized faith had to have grown
immensely that day! Two sisters, in an age and culture that necessitated a man
to provide daily bread, were in dire need of a miracle… not to mention the pain
of having just lost a loved brother. Filthy linen strips pulled off of his once
dead body, the dead man was now freed to go.
And
now Jesus would have to start “laying low” pretty soon. This resurrecting miracle, which drew many more to believe, also sent some Jews fussing to the
Pharisees about what he had done – as
if this most certainly GOOD thing was something terrible! But now the Pharisees
feared his power, and they also stated a great fear of the Romans, who would
not be happy with a new king (verses 45-48), fearing they would “come and take
away both our place and our nation.” Because of this, “… from that day on they made plans to put him to death” (verse 53).
I
have to wonder at those who “believed” in Jesus at that time. They continued to
seek him, hoping to find him in the temple as they came to Jerusalem for
Passover (John 11:55-56). And on that day that we remember as Palm Sunday, they
met him with cries of “Hosanna! Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel” (John
12:13). However, a few verses
later the truth of the matter unfolds… “The
reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign”
(verse 18, referring to Lazarus’ resurrection). In a world where sickness
prevails, it seems reasonable to seek the One who can bring a cure... But only
five days later, many of these same “believers” would unite in shouting, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him”
(John 19:15). The miracle man who had
loved the unlovable and had healed so many from illnesses, even bringing a dead
man back to life, now hung between two robbers who joined the crowds in mocking
him (Matthew 27:38-40). Meanwhile, blood gushed from “thousands of rams” while “ten
thousands of rivers of oil” rushed upon the land as Passover sacrifices
were made. The little “lamb” who had begun his journey on earth in a stable
would end it on a cross. “It is finished”
were his final words.
Paul
Harvey, an American radio broadcaster who died a few years ago, is best
remembered for his line, “And now you
know the rest of the story.” Logic would argue that Jesus’ story was
most assuredly over. If he truly was
the Son of God, would he not have avoided all of the excruciating pains which instead
he quietly accepted?
Isaiah,
a prophet of the Old Testament, who lived more than 700 years before Christ,
wrote the following (Isaiah 53:8-9):
He was oppressed, and he was
afflicted, yet he opened not
his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep
that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By
oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who
considered that he was cut of out of the land of the living, stricken for
the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and
with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there
was no deceit in his mouth.
The
reason for his death—“stricken for the transgression of my people”—sticks to my
gut with bitterness. Who are his people? Why such a brutal death? Furthermore, is
the likeness of this “prophesy” to the actual death of Christ a mere coincidence?
Former atheist, Josh McDowell (The New
Evidence That Demands A Verdict) cites a scientific study of probabilities,
which states that the odds of one man fulfilling just eight prophesies is 1 in
100,000,000,000,000,000. That said, I can hardly imagine the number of zeros which
would follow for the odds of the 61 major prophesies that were fulfilled in
Christ, not to mention the nearly 300 “minor” prophesies which were also
fulfilled.
Returning
to some events which followed Jesus’ crucifixion… He was buried in the tomb of
a rich man, Joseph of Arimathea (John 19:38-41). His frightened disciples mournfully
hid, probably fearing by association they would also make their graves with
him. A huge stone sealed his tomb, which was also guarded by soldiers sent by
Pilate to keep any more stories of “that
imposter” from arising (Matthew 27:62-66).
Problem
is, those stories have been arising for more than 2,000 years since that day. Mary
Magdalene, a most unlikely witness, who had once been a demoniac (Luke 8), was
first to gaze upon an empty tomb. Peter, a disciple of extremes, who had
exercised faith and walked on water with Jesus (Matthew 14:29), had been severely
rebuked for his outspokenness against Jesus’ predictions of his death and
resurrection (Matthew 16:21-23), and finally, just as Jesus himself had
prophesied, had, not once, but three times denied having even known him (John
18). And stories of his resurrection continued to mount. Paul, who penned at
least thirteen of the books which we still find in the New Testament, announced
it this way in 1 Corinthians 15:3-10a:
For I delivered to
you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on
the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to
Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers
at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then
he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely
born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to
be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace
of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.
Was Paul delirious? How about
all of the rest? And we still haven’t touched upon the reason for Jesus’ death or
at the meaning of “his grace toward me.” Oh, how I LOVE to tell the story! And
I will certainly be back with more, because it’s just getting “good,” and it’s
going to get even better!
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