Spoiler Alert

He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as He said would happen. Come, see where His body was lying.

Matthew 28:6 

What would you think if you came to visit the grave of someone you loved only to find the grave not only open, but empty as well?  Once your recovered from the initial shock and outrage, what would you do?  Suppose a caretaker was there and told you that your loved one had risen from the grave?  Given that the Walking Dead has become such a popular show, perhaps your thoughts would go toward the idea that your loved one is now a zombie.

Well, Jesus isn't a zombie, but He did rise from His grave.  So what's the big deal about Jesus leaving His grave?  Because it proves that Jesus defeated Death itself!  And because we are His brothers and sisters, forgiven, adopted children of God, we will also follow Christ's example and defeat death as well when Jesus returns to call us to Himself.

The Spoiler Alert is simple, Jesus, who had died on the cross, got up from His grave and lives again.  And He has claimed those who choose to believe.  So in the end, Jesus wins and the Pit Dweller loses.

Remember Me

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Luke 23:42-43 

 

Imagine you are the thief on the cross next to Jesus.  You see how badly He has been beaten and you wonder if He truly is the Savior.  You realize that by the end of this day, you will be dead.  You may have heard Jesus' teaching.  You probably have heard others talking about Jesus' healing in the name of God.  As you feel your breathing becoming more and more labored as you hang there on the cross for your crimes, you realize that Jesus is the One.  He really is the Messiah.  On the other side of Jesus is the criminal who is arrogant to the end.  In fact, even as he, too, is dying slowly and painfully, he demands Jesus perform a miracle and save them all.  You pull yourself up painfully so you can gasp a breath and tell him to shut up!

 

Once more, you dig deep and summon the strength to raise yourself up again, fighting the intense pain, to gasp a breath and say, "Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  There are perhaps no more human words in all of Scripture, no prayers we can pray so well as this one.  "Jesus, remember me."  

 

Isn't that what we truly want? To be remembered by Jesus?  Perhaps that should be our prayer even now, "Jesus, remember me."  When Jesus gave the Disciples the last supper, he told them to remember Him.  Remembering someone is a powerful gift.  To be honest, I am horrible with remembering people.  I can remember either the name or the face, but seldom both, at least until I get to know you.  And there's the key to Jesus!  The thief didn't even give his name, he just asked Jesus to "remember me."  Jesus already knew him and loved him and was, at that moment, dying for him.  And He took the time to say kindest words one could hope to hear, "Today YOU will be with ME in Paradise."

 

The one thing that stuck out to me in this scene is that the thief had probably spent a lifetime living against God's Will, probably had lived a life that he messed it up over and over.  I can identify with that.  I, too, have messed up over and over!  Yet, even with a life blackened by sin, this man was forgiven at the proverbial last second and entered Paradise with Jesus.  There's hope for us because Jesus doesn't stop loving us or caring for us or reaching out to us.  And it doesn't matter how badly we have messed our lives up, Jesus died for us and that should give us hope to run to Him and ask Him to remember us.  Isn't it time to ask to be remembered?

Personal Jesus

  

When I was younger, I remember reading the story of the Crucifixion and hearing lots of sermons on the subject that made Jesus' death seem as if it were some great mystery that only a few of the "chosen" could understand.  The more I heard and read, the more I decided that there had to be more to this than some big secret mystery.

Guess what I discovered?  Jesus' act of love was for me too!  Whether I accept it or not does not change the fact that Jesus loves me so much that He gave Himself in MY place. What a sacrifice!  Remember what Jesus said, "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." (John 15:13).  

Now, as sterile as that act may sound, Jesus didn't just lay down His life for us, He suffered the torments that WE should have endured.  He endured the horrific slow death that WE should have.  And the thing is, He did it willingly!  He didn't have to do it.  He could have told God, "Nope, not gonna do it!  It's not going to be fun so I don't want to do it."  But He didn't.  Jesus CHOSE to take our place!  That makes me grateful beyond expression, how about you?  

Stripes

He was wounded because of our rebellious deeds,
crushed because of our sins;
he endured punishment that made us well;
because of his wounds we have been healed.

Isaiah 53:5 

 

Several years ago, I saw The Passion of the Christ in the theater.  There was something about seeing this film on a huge screen that made it more meaningful.  When Jim Caviezel, as Jesus, was turned over to the Roman Soldiers the torture Christ endured became VERY real! 

 

You see, I was stunned by the brutality because in my own mind, I had sanitized the scene to the point that I no longer understood the sheer agony endured by my Savior.  And even worse, I had discounted the price Jesus paid so that I could stand before God as one of His forgiven children!  When I saw the film, my soul broke because I felt as if I had turned my back on His suffering and, like those who cheered His entry into Jerusalem, I had rejected Him.

 

We lose so much when we choose to sanitize the Scriptures so that they are Politically Correct and there's nothing that would disturb our soul.  The Scriptures are supposed to be disturbing, I believe, in order to show us just how God has provided for us and helped us and love us even though we may not return His love.  

 

If you have never seen the film, I encourage you to watch it.  If it has been a while since you saw it, watch it again.  We do a great disservice when we whitewash the Scriptures so they are more palatable to us. 

Learning Is Essential

Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Matthew 9:13 

 

 Who was Jesus addressing with this statement to "go and learn"?  The Pharisees!  They had criticized Him for eating with the tax collectors and sinners.  Jesus reminded the Pharisees that we don't go to the doctor unless we are sick.  Then Jesus tells them to go back and study Hosea 6:6 and figure out what the prophet was saying.

 

I don't know about you, but I have a feeling that the Pharisees were quite a prickly bunch who were not TRULY concerned about the people they were supposed to serve.  The Pharisees seem to only be able to provide arrogant criticism and haughty attitudes. Oh and watch them get bowed up if you try to correct them.  I also believe that Jesus got a chuckle out of annoying the Pharisees.

 

What does the passage Jesus quoted mean?  "I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices."  What does that mean? Well, let's take a look at this and see.

 

Sacrifice - a physical act which can be completed without much thought and can become just another ritual which has lost all meaning.  We can sacrifice out time by doing activities at church, we can sacrifice our money by giving it to the church, any physical act we can generate without much thought can be a sacrifice.

 

Love - is an action that comes from within us. It is a conscious decision.  When we CHOOSE to love the "unlovable" we are reminding ourselves that some probably unlovable to some, and we remind ourselves that Jesus loves us so much that He died for us.  Love is an internal decision that is expressed outwardly.  Love cannot be done by ritual, as sacrifice can.  

 

When we learn the difference, we will begin to have a greater appreciation for Jesus' love for us.

Rock Choir?

But some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, 

“Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”  

He answered, “I tell you, if they keep silent, the very stones will cry out!”

Luke 19:39-40

I don't know about you, but I like genuine enthusiasm.  You see it in toddlers when they take off....well, toddling.....down the hallway.  They are so excited at this new adventure and they squeal and giggle all the way, at least my daughter did.  When we get older, why do we seem to lose that enthusiasm?

I hate to say it, but I have been in church services where everyone sat there like rocks only to tell the pastor "Wonderful Service Today" as they were leaving.  I wondered what sort of life these people led outside the church.  Now, I'm not a fan of services where there's so much going on that it seems as if chaos is the rule.  But I admire those who can attend services and are enthusiastic about learning, enthusiastic about worship, and are genuinely glad to be there.  Far too many attend church merely out of habit instead of sincere desire.

When did we lose our enthusiasm?  When Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time, the people cheered Him and gave Him a rousing welcome.  This apparently annoyed the Pharisees because they told Jesus to get His disciples to stop and be quiet.   And Jesus, as was His habit, annoyed them further by telling them that “I tell you, if they keep silent, the very stones will cry out!” Can you imagine the stones crying out God's praises because we stopped?  That is a rock choir that would break my heart!!

We should never be afraid to tell God that we love Him, are glad He loves us, and thank Him for all He does and gives us.  Unless you are waiting for the stones to do it for you.

Rest

Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”
So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.
1 Kings 19:5-8 

Elijah was under a LOT of stress.  Queen Jezebel had promised to take his life, so Elijah became fearful and ran away far into the wilderness.  When he was exhausted, he lay down and slept.  He was worried about Queen Jezebel's threat more than he remembered that God is the one in control.  And guess what?  God took care of Elijah!  He provided food, drink, and safety while he rested.

Remember that on the seventh day, even God rested.  We are not designed to charge ahead without rest.  We need time to recharge.  We need time to be restored.  We need time away.  Therefore, I will be away for the rest of the week.  I will be back on Monday.  

It is my prayer that each of you will also make time to rest, recharge and be restored.