Posts about the resurrection of Jesus (not necessarily an Easter series)

Newness

[J]ust as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4

Not new like my running shoes which are just like my old ones except for the color.

Not new like the year, or the month, or the week which are just marks on the calendar.

New like heavens and earth cleansed and reformed (2 Peter 3:13)
New like the song of the redeemed (Revelation 5:9)
New like the creation in which the old is passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17)
New like the heart and spirit God Himself gave us (Ezekiel 36:26)

The resurrection makes everything new.

Has it made me new?
Does my life reflect that newness?

Or is it like everyone else’s life except for the “color”?
Is my walk about keeping a schedule or checking a list?

If it is, that’s not the newness of life He gave me.

They Recognized

By Paula Wiseman

And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. Luke 24:31

A careful reading of the gospel accounts of Jesus’s crucifixion gives a probable identity to the disciples on the road to Emmaus – Cleopas and his wife, Mary.

She had stood at the foot of the cross with Jesus’s mother, Mary, with John, with Mary Magdalene and Salome.
She had watched Him suffer.
She heard the blasphemous insults hurled at Him.
She felt the earthquake and the darkness.
But it didn’t click.

Jesus joined them as they walked home.
They rehearsed for Him all that had happened.
Jesus a Prophet, mighty in word and deed …
We were hoping He was the Redeemer …
There is a rumor He was alive …
But it didn’t click.

Jesus explained the Old Testament to them.
The prophecies.
The types.
The fulfillment.
It still didn’t click.

Until they invited Him to stay.
Until He broke the bread.
Until the moment of intimate fellowship.

If we are only observing, no matter how closely …
If we are only discussing, no matter how passionately …
If we are only hearing, no matter how attentively …

It is only in intimate fellowship that we recognize Jesus for who He truly is.

Let These Words Sink Down into Your Ears

By Paula Wiseman

“Let these WORDS sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. Luke 9:44-45

Before His death, Jesus spoke very frankly with His disciples about the coming events. He was going to be betrayed, handed over, and crucified, but He would rise again after three days. Everyone who heard Him understood the WORDS He was saying, but none of them grasped the reality of them. Even as the events unfolded before them, the disciples struggled with how things played out. Instead of clinging to their faith in Christ, in who He is, and what they had already witnessed from Him, that faith gave way to fear for their very lives. They heard the hatred in the mob’s cries and the religious leaders’ hypocritical disdain. They saw the brutality and the scorn of the Romans. That very natural fear led to doubts about this man they had given up everything to follow. Had they misunderstood? Was this the way it was supposed to be?

Surely, some of the longest hours in their lives were those between the Upper Room and the empty tomb.

The Resurrection changed all that. The doubts and fears gave way to the boldness and fire at Pentecost and beyond. The WORDS that Jesus said became real. Things that they struggled to grasp in those hours in between made sense at last in ways that were beyond their imagination.

Even now, with the Holy Spirit living in us, with the completed canon of Scripture readily available to us, and with 2000 years of church history to draw upon, we have the same trouble grasping the WORDS of Jesus.

Toward the end of His earthly ministry, He said, “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.” (Matthew 24:9) And we struggle to understand why culture is so hostile to our values.

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. (Matthew 24:7) And yet we trust treaties and military buildups to protect us and depend on science and technology to fix everything else.

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. (Matthew 24:12) We’re still shocked at scandals that reveal the depth of our self-absorption and misogyny.

Jesus told us these things would happen, and now we are living in the in-between time like the disciples in those hours between crucifixion and resurrection. We wrestle with questions – Why doesn’t God do something? Is He even paying attention? Why is everything a struggle?

But when He comes again, and He will just as surely as He resurrected, everything will make sense. The questions and the frustrations will melt into worship and affirmation that He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His words will be fulfilled in ways outside the bounds of our imagination.

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Peace. He has overcome. We’ll know exactly what those WORDS mean. Just a little longer.

What Martha Knew

By Paula Wiseman

Martha said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11:27

I think it was on a day not unlike the ones we have this time of year. Bright blue skies. Soft green grass blowing in the gentle breeze. The freshness of spring. In contrast, there was a family in deep mourning over an untimely death. Before the miracle of restored life, John relates a private conversation between Jesus and Martha. It was Martha’s brother, Lazarus, who had died after the messages to Jesus to come heal him were left unanswered.

Martha gets a bad reputation because the other time we see her in Luke 10, she is stressed, stretched to the limit, and underappreciated. Or, basically how most of us feel on any given day. But I don’t think that’s who she was. We caught her on an isolated bad day. I think the conversation in John 11 proves that.

Even now I know – Her first words to Jesus in verses 21-22 were, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” She was not only convinced that Jesus could heal, but she was certain that Lazarus’s death was not an insurmountable obstacle.

I know he will rise – In verse 24, she confirms her faith in the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises and the hope that even death is not the last word.

I believe that You are the Christ – Finally, she testifies to her confidence in Jesus Himself. He is the embodiment of salvation. A few minutes later she would see Christ’s power over spiritual death displayed through his power over physical death when her brother walked out of the tomb.

Martha was a woman of tremendous, genuine faith. Don’t let the account in Luke detract from that at all. Her caring and skills made their Bethany home a respite for Jesus. That is an immeasurable act of devotion and service.

But here’s where we may identify with Martha most of all. Just a few verses after the conversation, she stood at her brother’s tomb with Jesus, while Mary, the disciples, and the rest of the mourners looked on. Jesus called for the stone in front of the tomb to be rolled away.

Martha tries to intervene. “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.“

Martha believed Jesus was the resurrection and the life. She believed He would receive whatever He asked of the Father.

But she believed it in the abstract.

He was Lord of Big, Important Things. She struggled to grasp He was also the Lord of Immediate, Personal Needs.

Yes, He was the resurrection and the life, but not just in a vague, impersonal way. He was Lazarus’s resurrection right now. He was life, her life even, right now.

Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” John 11:40

Jesus says the same thing to us. Believe He is personally involved, personally at work, intimately concerned right now. Resurrection and life are not some far-off events or theological constructs. They are current. Urgent. Watch for the evidence. See His glory.

Study Tip: Emphasizing the Resurrection

By Paula Wiseman

And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 1 Corinthians 15:17

In the book of Acts in nearly every sermon from Pentecost through Paul’s trials in the later chapters, the key point is Jesus’s resurrection from the dead.

Acts 2:24, 2:32, 3:15, 4:2, 4:10, 5:30, 10:40-41, 13:30, 13:33-34, 13:37, 17:31-32, 23:6, 24:21, 26:8, 26:23

Why was the resurrection such a focal point?

Keep in mind that these sermons were often preached to Jewish crowds. In their system of sacrifices, they depended on the intercession of the High Priest. Once each year, on the Day of Atonement he would take the lamb’s blood into the Holy of Holies into the presence of God and sprinkle it on the lid of the ark of the Covenant, the box that held the Ten Commandments. The lid was called the mercy seat. The High Priest was required to follow every detail of God’s instructions, from the selection of the lamb and the preparation and presentation of the offering down to his bathing routine and clothing. If every detail was correct, if every instruction followed, God would accept the offering and withhold His judgment for a year. If the High Priest failed in any point, even a minor one, he would be struck dead and the people would fall under God’s wrath.

So when the High Priest would emerge from the tabernacle and later the Temple there was great relief among the people. The High Priest lived! That meant the offering was acceptable, their sins were covered, they were safe.

Jesus is our Great High Priest, and the Lamb of God.

After offering His life’s blood, God had to signal that the offering was accepted, that it was sufficient. The High Priest had to live. But because the offering was so perfect, the judgment was stayed not just for a year, but for eternity.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that our redemption is finished.

If He hadn’t raised from the dead, then it was only a martyr’s death and not a Savior’s death. But because He lives, we know we will too.

As you read the New Testament, notice how often the resurrection is mentioned. Do you think we focus on the resurrection more or less than New Testament believers?

(Although there is no longer a Temple or a system of sacrifices, the Day of Atonement is still observed by Jews today. You may have seen it on your calendar – Yom Kippur.)

As I was making notes, I discovered I had already posted on my topic. So yes, this is a repost but good information.

Jesus and Women: Mary Magdalene

By Paula Wiseman

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). John 20:16

One of the things that set Jesus’s ministry apart was the way He interacted with women. Each encounter teaches us something about Jesus and our relationship to Him. It is important to notice in each case, Jesus treated these women with dignity and respect that was unheard at that time and in that culture. That in itself is instructive as we interact with people now.

This week we’ll finish up with Mary Magdalene.

Mary is the subject of a lot of legend, a lot of speculation and conjecture, and a lot misinformation. The truth is, the Bible says very little about her. Luke introduces her in 8:2, simply saying she was from a Galilean town, Magdala, and that Jesus had driven seven demons from her. We know she was devoted to Christ and was present at His crucifixion. At daybreak on Resurrection morning, she came with the other women to properly anoint the body of Jesus.

However, they found the tomb empty, and the angelic messengers explained that Jesus had raised from the dead. Peter and John confirmed that the tomb was empty and everybody went back into town. Everyone except Mary Magdalene.

She hung around the tomb alone, privately grieving. In spite of the fact that the angels had explained Jesus was risen, it was too much to believe. We live on the other side of the resurrection. It is a familiar reality. However, Jews in Mary’s day had only a vague understanding of a general resurrection. We see that in Martha’s conversation with Jesus after Lazarus’s death. Mary mourned not only Jesus’s death, but now there was nothing left of Him. No place. No marker. No memorial.

I can identify with Mary. I have followed Jesus for a long time. But I admit, sometimes His words are difficult to grasp, even with the evidence right in front of me.

But for Mary, it was more than evidence in front of her. It was Christ himself! He asks her two questions to help her understand what was happening. Why are you weeping? Jesus, whom she loved, was gone. She could not perform the act of devotion, caring for His body, for Him. She had been robbed of that opportunity and she was utterly devastated. Jesus was gently prodding to think about her situation. Why was the body gone?

Then He asked, Whom are you seeking? Jesus was not like anyone else she had ever known. She had heard His words. She had experienced His liberating power in her own life. Essentially He wanted her to consider who Jesus is. Ordinary men are buried in tombs, Mary, Jesus is no ordinary man.

Do we weep and mourn when our plans, even our ministry plans, are disrupted? Do we cling to our loss rather than considering who it is that we worship and serve? I know I have.

Jesus doesn’t belabor the lessons, though. He speaks Mary’s name. (This moment chokes me up every time I read it.) That’s when she recognizes Him. After all, Jesus said His sheep would hear His voice. He IS alive! Her natural reaction is to embrace Him, but Jesus holds her off. Instead He entrusts her with an amazing mission. You see, Mary Magdalene is the first person to see the risen Christ. Not Peter. Not John. Not even Jesus’s mother. Mary of Magdala. What an honor! What a privilege!

Mary vindicated Jesus’s trust in her by immediately carrying the news to the other disciples.

Jesus has called us by name and honored us by commissioning us to carry this amazing transforming message to others. Because He lives, we will live also (John 14:19) Let us, like Mary, be faithful to carry that message!

Read more from the Jesus and Women Series