Yesterday was Friday, but Sunday’s coming……
Just a reminder…
A borrowed tomb – John 19:38-42
Who showed up to take care of Jesus body when he died? Where did they put Jesus body? Read this short passage to find out:
38 Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. 39 With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes.40 Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. 41 The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. 42 And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
—John 19:38-42 (NLT)
I find it interesting that the Disciples were still afraid to show up to take care of Jesus’ body. Instead a secret disciple, who was also afraid of the religious leaders, and Nicodemus dared to come and tend to Jesus’ body. They laid him in a borrowed tomb as none had been prepared for Jesus and wrapped his body with spices and ointments.
Matthew 27:62-66 picks up where John stops as he reports how the Jewish leaders asked Pilate to set up guards to be sure that the disciples wouldn’t come to steal Jesus’ body and claim he had risen from the dead. Roman soldiers were stationed at the tomb to guard it around the clock.
And the time passed… and the people waited and wondered what might happen next…
Easy to be bold until… – John 13:36-38
Peter was the impetuous Disciple. He stepped out of the boat to walk to Jesus on water. He offered to build shelters on the mountaintop for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. He proclaimed to Jesus and the Twelve Disciples that Jesus was the Messiah. He cut off a soldier’s ear to defend Jesus.
When Jesus told the Disciples that he was going to leave them, Peter proclaimed that he was willing to go with Jesus even to death. Read the passage below to see Jesus’ response to Peter’s pledge of loyalty:
36 Simon Peter asked, “Lord, where are you going?”
And Jesus replied, “You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later.”
37 “But why can’t I come now, Lord?” he asked. “I’m ready to die for you.”
38 Jesus answered, “Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter—before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.
–John 13:36-38 (NLT)
Click here to read the rest of the story about Peter’s denial of Jesus: John 18:1-27.
It is easy to boldly proclaim what you would do in any given situation before it happens. But when reality hits and we are face to face with the situation it is often easier to give in to fear and turn away from what we thought we would have the courage to do.
But even though Peter gave into his fears before Jesus was crucified, he became empowered to face those same fears after Jesus’ resurrection and Pentecost. Through the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, Peter became the courageous person he only wished to be earlier.
Where are you on the courage scale? Are you able to boldly affirm your faith when others challenge you? Jesus is there through the Holy Spirit to strengthen you. Put your trust in him, put time into nurturing your relationship with him, and watch your courage grow.
Jesus’ last meal with his Disciples – Mark 14:12-25
Jesus ate his last meal with his Disciples. It wasn’t just any meal, it was the Passover meal. The Disciples were still unaware that this would be their last meal together. Jesus would soon be carried away and nailed to the cross.
It was no coincidence that this happened on this night, for just as the blood of the Passover lamb was used to protect the firstborn that night in Egypt hundreds of years earlier, the blood of Jesus, our Passover Lamb, saves us from our sins making God’s forgiveness possible.
Read about The Last Supper in Mark 14:12-25:
12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”
13 So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him.14 At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ 15 He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.”16 So the two disciples went into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.
17 In the evening Jesus arrived with the twelve disciples. 18 As they were at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me.”
19 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one?”
20 He replied, “It is one of you twelve who is eating from this bowl with me.21 For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”
22 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.”
23 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many.25 I tell you the truth, I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.
–Mark 14:12-25 (NLT)
Jesus modeled communion for the Disciples and for all Christians from that time forward. Communion offers us a time to pause and reflect on what it cost for Christ Jesus to bring us salvation.
Most of my readers have probably shared in communion many times in their lifetimes. There may be merit in trying to observe it through the Disciples five senses on this first communion experience. Jesus broke the bread and shared it with each of them. This is my body broken for you… eat it in remembrance of me. Imagine what must have gone through the Disciples minds as they perhaps hesitantly put the bread in their mouths. And then he gave them the wine. This is my blood poured out for you… drink it in remembrance of me. That would have been harder for me on that first communion. Would it taste like blood?
Jesus was still in their presence. What did the Disciples understand that night? When would it all come together for them so that it would become a joyful time of remembrance of the time Jesus walked with them?
This post is a little long… It was a long night for Jesus as well. I haven’t even touched on that.
Image credit: carlosphotos / 123RF Stock Photo
Parable of the Evil Farmers – Mark 12:1-11
Jesus was a great story-teller who used stories to teach lessons. Here is one he told while in Jerusalem:
Mark 12:1-12 (NLT)
Parable of the Evil Farmers
Then Jesus began teaching them with stories: “A man planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. 2 At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop.3 But the farmers grabbed the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. 4 The owner then sent another servant, but they insulted him and beat him over the head. 5 The next servant he sent was killed. Others he sent were either beaten or killed, 6 until there was only one left—his son whom he loved dearly. The owner finally sent him, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’
7 “But the tenant farmers said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ 8 So they grabbed him and murdered him and threw his body out of the vineyard.
9 “What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do?” Jesus asked. “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others. 10 Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.
11 This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is wonderful to see.’”
12 The religious leaders wanted to arrest Jesus because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him and went away.
Jesus knew that the religious leaders were plotting to kill him. In this parable he was represented by the son of the owner of the vineyard that the wicked farmers killed. The wicked farmers were the religious leaders.
Who were the earlier servants that were beaten and sent back empty-handed by the wicked farmers? John the Baptist would have been one for certain. Others would have been the prophets of the Old Testament who had been mistreated and whose counsel had gone unheeded.
Let’s bring this story home into our own day. How are we treating the servants who bring us God’s Word? How do we treat his Word – the Bible? How do we receive Jesus into our own lives? Would Jesus consider us faithful farmers or wicked farmers in this parable?
It was the jealousy, contempt, and hatred the religious leaders had for Jesus that moved them to have him crucified. Those same attitudes toward Jesus today are barriers that will keep many from entering God’s eternal rest.