Check out this collection of posts celebrating Easter

I Have Come: To Be King

Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” John 18:37

Nearly every Christmas movie and special reaches its climax with a declaration “that’s what Christmas is all about.” Multiple times in the gospel of John Jesus clearly says what Christmas was all about. First, Jesus explained He had come to do the Father’s will, resulting in salvation, preservation and glorification for us. Jesus explained He came for judgment. Jesus declared He came to bring us life, and even better, life more abundantly. He even said He came as Light. But toward the end of John’s Gospel in a conversation with Pilate, Jesus makes one more statement about why He came. He came to be King.

The paradox of the King’s earthly power versus eternal power

In John 18:31, we learn the whole reason the Jewish leaders brought Jesus to Pilate was that the governor had the power of life and death in Palestine. Just in this narrative, he ordered Jesus to be scourged. He ordered Barabbas released. He ordered the crucifixion, the relinquishing of the body to Joseph of Arimathea the posting of the guards at the tomb. Every one of those orders was obeyed. Pilate was quite used to exerting his power and being obeyed.

Pilate was therefore quite taken aback by the prisoner before him.

So Pilate *said to Him, “You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?”
Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” John 19:10-11

Jesus knew Pilate was playing a part in the plan laid down by God. Pilate’s only power came at God’s pleasure. Jesus was going to give His life to redeem mankind and Pilate would give the order. In the garden, mere hours before, Jesus asserted that He had legions of angels (Matt 26:53) available to deliver Him from the Jews and from Rome. If He chose. Pilate could not conceive of that kind of power.

The paradox of the King’s judgment

Pilate thought he sat in judgment of Jesus. In reality, Jesus will judge him. God in the flesh, the King of all creation, the Ultimate Truth stood before him and he refused to recognize Him. Earlier in John’s gospel, Jesus explained:

“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, … “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. John 5:22, 24

Pilate temporarily passed judgment on Jesus. Jesus will eternally judge Pilate and all others who reject Him.

The paradox of the King’s testimony

Pilate cross-examined Jesus, looking for evidence of His crimes. Jesus provided testimony as to His identity. The King said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” John 18:36

The King came to bear witness of this truth – that He was building a kingdom, not of this world. The great gift to us is that we can be part of this kingdom. If we hear His word (Hear is not just listen but understand and agree with. “I hear what you’re saying!”) and BELIEVE the Father who sent Jesus (Not believe the Father exists, but believe the things God says about Christ) we have eternal life, a gift beyond our comprehension.

That eternal life includes ruling with Jesus when He receives His eternal kingdom.

THAT’S what Christmas is all about. Christ came to pay the awful price required to bring us back into His kingdom. Merry Christmas!

He is Risen!

By Paula Wiseman

But [the angel] said to [the women], “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. Mark 16:6

This is an incredible moment – literally. Too extraordinary and improbable to be believed. Jesus told them. (Matthew 16:21, 17:23, 20:19). He had raised Lazarus a week or two before. But the women (and the rest of the disciples) go on, operating on their own understanding of how life works, how it has always worked. That’s about to change. Incredibly.

God graciously sends an angel to help the women understand what had happened. Let’s break down his message.

Do not be alarmed. – Our first response to drastic change and worldview shift is … stress and worry. Things are uncertain and no longer secure. But in this case, the change is the best thing ever.

You seek Jesus of Nazareth – The angel knew the mission the women were on. And they could be confident that this message was for them,

Who was crucified – He didn’t “swoon” or faint. He died. No one survived a Roman crucifixion.

He is risen! – Jesus is no longer dead. He has been raised by the power of God.

He is not here – This is a tomb, where dead people are. He is not dead, so He is not here.

See the place where they laid Him – You are not in the wrong tomb. Here’s is the place where you saw the body laid on Friday afternoon. Now the body is gone. Jesus isn’t just “spiritually” raised. He isn’t a ghost. His body has come back to life.

The Resurrection changes everything

We change from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant.
The payment for all our sins has been accepted.
Every word Jesus said is true.
We are reconciled to God
We are adopted into His family.
We have an inheritance and eternal life.
And so much more …

If you don’t believe He is risen …

Then you don’t believe the gospel. Paul preached the Resurrection, and he said if anyone preached anything different from what he had preached, that was another gospel, a false gospel. (2 Corinthians 11:4, Galatians 1:8-9)

Then you aren’t saved. Paul says in Romans 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” The Resurrection proves the sin debt is paid. You must believe that Jesus Christ’s death was for your sins and that He was raised, proving you are right with God.

You have no hope.

Paul walks through the logical implications if Christ is not risen from the dead.

And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up–if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
1 Corinthians 15:14-19

Jesus Christ is risen, as He said. That is the theme of Acts and the Letters. It is the reason for the praise offered to Christ in the Revelation, praise He alone is worthy to receive.

Since that morning, the Resurrection has changed everyone who has believed it. The women. The disciples. Us.
We have hope. We have life, and we have a message to share.

Hosanna

By Paula Wiseman

And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Matthew 21:9

Hosanna is a Greek transliteration of a Hebrew word that simply means, Oh save! As was the custom during the Passover season, the Jewish people rehearsed the Exodus story again. Part of that observance included the recitation of the Psalms of Ascent and Psalm 118. When Jesus entered Jerusalem on the back of a young colt, the people lined the streets, waving palm branches and shouting from Psalm 118:25-26. “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” Which was exactly what Christ was doing. But over the next few days, the people would reveal their hearts. A Christ was not what they wanted at all.

A disingenuous hosanna

The people wanted a deliverer who would save their nation.
Jesus wanted to save their souls.

The people wanted a war with Rome.
Jesus came to bring peace with God.

The people wanted a leader who could conquer the Roman army.
Jesus was about to conquer sin and death.

The people wanted a comfortable, easy life.
Jesus offered them eternal life.

The people cried for political deliverance from the oppression of Rome.
Jesus accomplished spiritual deliverance from the kingdom of darkness.

In other words, the people wanted salvation on their terms.
Jesus only offered salvation on God’s terms.

Is our cry different?

Do we want a Jesus of our own design? A Jesus who will make our lives easier but not expect too much from us in return?
Do we expect Jesus to answer our prayers but aren’t interested in His words about how to follow Him?
Do we believe we are entitled to a measure of blessings?
Are we offended by challenges, setbacks, or hard times? Do we feel like we deserve better?
Do we ever think Jesus should accept whatever effort we manage to put out, especially in view of how busy we are?

Jesus came to save us, not serve us.

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. John 6:66

In John chapter 6, after Jesus gives His great Bread of Life Discourse where He explains He hasn’t come to meet physical needs, that His ministry doesn’t have temporal goals, the crowds thin. Drastically.

He said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me,” (Matthew 16:24) and “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world,” (John 16:33).

Jesus never misrepresented Himself or what following Him would mean. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? (Luke 14:28). Count the cost, He says.

If we don’t, we may end up like the crowds that first Palm Sunday. A few days later, their adulation turned to animosity. “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes,” became “Away with Him.”

That Friday: Malchus

By Paula Wiseman

We are very familiar with the events of Good Friday. We know the people, the details, the horror and the injustice of it all as well as the love and strength of Christ. It is the key to our salvation and redemption. But in the background of the events are several people, minor characters in the unfolding drama. However when we give them a closer look, we may find they are more familiar, more recognizable than we realized. For example, there’s a guy named Malchus.

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. (The slave’s name was Malchus.)
John 18:10

Malchus was the servant of Caiaphas, the high priest, the one pushing for the arrest and removal of Jesus. It is possible that he was serving as the representative of Caiaphas at the arrest, while the high priest quickly gathered the Sanhedrin for the coming trial. I envision his role something like Joseph’s when he served as Potiphar’s steward. If he was loyal to his master, he likely would have seen Jesus as a threat.

As Jesus negotiates to ensure His disciples are allowed to leave in peace, Peter acts in violence. There are a couple of ways to frame Peter’s action. He was intending to fight his way out and killing the nearest man was the first step. Except he missed. Or Malchus mostly dodged the attack. Another possibility is that Peter only intended to deliver a non-lethal but humiliating injury. If Malchus were maimed, he would not be allowed to serve with Caiaphas in the Temple. Further, the high priest may not have wanted a servant with a physical deformity and may have sold him. This would have cost Malchus his position. This makes Peter’s act one of petty vengeance rather than foolhardy bravado.

Whatever Peter’s motive, Jesus’s power, compassion, and love for His enemies is fully displayed as He rebukes Peter and heals the ear (Luke 22:51).

Why should we give Malchus a second thought?

He represents all those who come to Easter season and see Jesus as a threat. He threatens their lifestyle–no more shallow relationships based on selfish gratification. Jesus threatens their politics–no more support for things like abortion or sexualizing children. Maybe Jesus is a threat to their leisure time–an end to lazy Sundays and a time commitment to participate and serve somehow. Or perhaps it’s their view of themselves as totally okay without “religion” that’s most at risk.

We as believers cannot engage with people who already see Jesus (and us) as a threat the way Peter did with Malchus. We must not set out to destroy them. We must not set out to humiliate them, even if it’s on social media. That just results in deep wounds.

Instead, let’s be Jesus. Let’s extend mercy and compassion. Let’s work to bring healing. (Remember we don’t have to do the healing. That’s a Jesus thing.) Let’s be willing to love sacrificially. Let’s let our deeds and lifestyle match our words and our profession.

Peter certainly picked up on that lesson, maybe even from his attack on Malchus. He writes:

Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do what is evil, they will, by observing your good works, glorify God on the day of visitation.
1 Peter 2:12

Next week: Pilate’s wife.

Lost and Found

By Paula Wiseman

It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found. Luke 15:32 ESV

I’ve always been a dog person. I read a quick story about Sage, a twelve-year-old Labrador who wandered away from her family one night. Wandering is kind of a dog thing. Two of mine got disoriented and lost after they got up in years. The police picked up the male and dropped him at the animal shelter and we got him the next day. Holly found a three-foot construction trench and couldn’t get her terrier body back out. We found her a couple of hours later. Sage was missing for a solid week. In cold, wet California. Where mountain lion sightings were common. Oh, and Sage is blind.

Family and friends had combed the area looking for the dog with no luck. On the eighth day, a neighbor spotted what he first thought was a trash bag in a creek. And then it raised its head. He put the old dog on his shoulders and carried her out of the canyon and back to her family. There was much rejoicing. And dog treats.

We connect deeply with the lost being found because we’ve been there. We were separated from God, blind to the danger we were in, exhausted and hopeless. And we were rescued. And there was much rejoicing.

For a while. Then we settle back into routine and complacency. Maybe we forgot the desperation of being lost. Maybe we forgot the cost of the rescue. Whatever the reason, stories like Sage’s jog our memory. Not only that, they impress on us how many others are still waiting to be rescued.
Separated from God.
Blind to the danger.
Exhausted.
Hopeless.

Easter is a few days away. Christ’s death and resurrection made our rescue possible. Celebrate your rescue. Tell the story. Help others get rescued themselves.

Journey to Easter: The Locked Room

By Paula Wiseman

Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” John 20:26

For the last several weeks, we have stopped at significant places with Jesus as He moved ever closer to fulfilling His mission. The Upper Room. The Garden. The Chamber. The Judgment Hall. The Empty Tomb. We’ve seen that each stop was purposeful and planned. And if we took the time, we learned something at each location.

Pessimistic. Loyal. Fatalistic. Devoted. Thomas is an interesting character.

When Jesus receives word of Lazarus’s death and heads toward Jerusalem, knowing the imminent danger He faced there, Thomas is ready to go die with Jesus. (John 11:16) He wasn’t afraid. He didn’t hesitate. In the Upper Room, he wasn’t much for abstract ideas about going and preparing places, and said as much. Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (John 14:5)

Like the other disciples, he fled when Jesus was arrested. Like the other disciples, he really didn’t expect Jesus to raise from the dead. In his defense, the other guys were trying to persuade him AFTER they had the evidence. A few hours before, they didn’t believe the women’s reports any more than Thomas believed theirs.

On the eighth day after the resurrection, the disciples were gathered in a locked room.

This time Thomas was there. I suspect we have all been where Thomas was that day. We have heard the promises Jesus made, but reality and the pain we’ve experienced made those words seem distant at best. We have heard the joyous testimonies of people around us, but struggled to respond with the same faith. Maybe we have wondered what was fundamentally wrong with us. Why don’t we get it? The faith thing seems so easy for everyone else. Maybe the heartache and struggles make the risk of faith too great.

But he was in the room.

Notice how Jesus interacts with Thomas. Jesus doesn’t upbraid him for his lack of faith. It’s important to remember that Jesus didn’t shy away from doing exactly that when the situation warranted, like when He calmed the storm, or at Lazarus’s tomb. However, there is a difference between faith in Jesus and faith in our EXPECTATIONS about Jesus. Thomas misinterpreted that faith in his expectations for faith in Jesus Himself. When the expectations weren’t met, a faith crisis resulted.

Maybe you can identify. I know I can.

Thomas teaches us something else.

His response wasn’t one of wonder or confusion like Peter and John at the tomb. It wasn’t even joy like Mary after seeing Christ in the garden. Thomas exclaims, “My Lord and my God!” Complete surrender. Genuine faith in Christ brings that. It throws out our agenda and our posturing.

The locked room is where things get real.

Pretenses are stripped away, and humility is refined. But the authenticity that results opens us up to the kingdom assignment Jesus has for us.

Thomas was in the boat when the tremendous haul of fish was taken a few days later. He was on the mountain when Jesus ascended. He was in the room when the Holy Spirit came. On Pentecost, Thomas preached the gospel in a language he had never studied enabling foreigners to hear the gospel clearly. There is strong evidence that he carried the gospel all the way to India where he almost certainly was martyred for his faith.

As you spend some time here with Thomas, consider your own faith.

Is it in Christ or your expectations of Him? Are you genuinely surrendered? Are you ready to take on the task He has for you?

When you leave the locked room, your journey beyond Easter awaits!