Pay Attention!

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 
Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” (Luke 22:7-8)

The critical and decisive point had arrived and Jesus tells His closest disciples to, “Go and make preparations.” Why is it that oftentimes we do not take advantage of the opportune moment? For me, the critical moment is when I am asked about my faith and I stumble and trip over my words leaving my listener with no greater understanding of who Jesus is. Sometimes I miss an opportunity to teach the truth to my children because of my all too important busyness–robbing me of intimacy in my family life. I am sure that you can name your own ways of not making the most of every opportunity.

Scripture tells us that we are to be “very careful” regarding how we are to live:

Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)

Have you noticed that many times, we just get one shot? Some opportunities only present themselves once.

While Paul tells us we are not to dwell on the past losses or mistakes, we are to strain toward what is ahead in this race called life:

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. (Philippians 3:12-16)

Let’s be honest, the greatest gift in human history was about to be accomplished for mankind and the disciples were basically unaware. The prophets had foretold it, Jesus had spoken plainly to His closest confidents about it, and still the disciples were, for the most part, clueless. I am reminded of Jesus’ appearance to two of His followers after His resurrection as they walked along the road to Emmaus.

Unaware that it was Jesus, they were downcast and befuddled:
Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.

He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

“What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”

He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. (Luke 24: 13-27)

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Take It to Heart
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“Our God is a God who not merely restores, but takes up our mistakes and follies into His plan for us and brings good out of them.” (J. I. Packer)

“Real trust in God is above circumstances and appearances.” (George Muller)

“We mustn’t doubt in the darkness what God has shown us in the light.”
(Robert J. Morgan)

That You May Have Life

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31)

In our verses for today John notes that there were other signs performed by our Lord Jesus not recorded in his Gospel. It wasn’t that there wasn’t enough evidence of our Lord’s miracles and of His resurrection–indeed, there were plenty of proofs. But the penman who wrote regarding Christ’s resurrection provided sufficient evidence that one stands on solid ground in believing on a risen Savior. John wrote with the intention of confirming our faith.

Indeed, the authors of the scripture, guided by the Holy Spirit, gave their accounts without any view of temporal benefit to themselves. Their goal was to establish the faith of their readers–bringing people to Christ and to heaven.

John was zealous for those in his sphere of influence to believe in the risen Savior–it was of utmost importance to him.

The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. (John 19:35)

In like manner, the Apostle Paul burned with passion for the salvation of souls, particularly for his brothers, the Israelites. He writes in Romans:

I speak the truth in Christ–I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit–I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. (Romans 9:1-5)

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1)

The Lord’s first disciples were confident in what their eyes had seen and their ears had heard–propelling them to tell others of a saving faith and life in Christ.

Take It to Heart

We are to be like minded. Not simply living as unto ourselves but also for the good of those God strategically places in our paths. They are not there by chance. Believers have life-saving news for every soul:God richly blesses all who call on Him in faith! We are to speak it and live it.

If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:9-13)

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Romans 10:14-15)

I think it interesting when John writes:  “that by believing you may have life in his name.” We have life in abundance when we walk as He walked–when we manifest His character through the Spirit’s power. This truth greatly affects our here and now. This changes everything when we grab hold and apply the truth that we are to walk as Jesus did. Freedom, peace, joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment–indeed, every promise in Scripture is a “Yes” in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). It is the fullness of our joy.

Love for Jesus

Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:17-18)

Oh, the zealous love Mary had for her Lord! With all her might, she gripped Him with the fervent attempt of not ever letting Him go! She simply never again wanted Him out of her sight. The thrill of seeing her Master alive and standing before her produced within her an immense excitement and an extravagant joy. I wonder, do I love the Lord like that?

No one had loved Him more or clung to Him more tenaciously than she, and she was richly rewarded for this. It is no wonder the Lord Jesus conferred upon her such high honor.

“Singular honor is reserved for solitary faith. Mary has the first personal manifestation of Christ after His resurrection. She is the first witness of this most important and illustrious fact, and the first messenger of it to His disciples.” 

Jesus forbids Mary to dote on His bodily presence as before, leading her rather to a spiritual communion which she would enjoy with Him even after His ascension. What perhaps reads harsh to us, Christ is lovingly pointing her to look higher than His bodily presence–further than the present state of things. The best service she can now do for Him is to go and tell others. This was the very first work that our risen Savior proposed to John as well. Jesus calls Mary to an active duty to others–to arise and be useful. He calls every believer to this high calling as well.

Mary becomes an apostle to the apostles in reward for her constancy in clinging to Christ. She was comforted by the sight of her Master and now she is sent with the good news to comfort others. When God comforts us, it is often with the purpose of comforting others:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Take It to Heart

Jesus was entering glory and He now refers to His disciples as brothers instead of friends. He wanted them to know that the earth was not their home. He wants us to know this as well. We are born from heaven and are bound for heaven. We are to keep earth under our feet and heaven in our eyes. We are to seek things above, not earthly things. Paul states:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

The Tomb Is Empty!

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) (John 20:3-9)

A footrace ensued between two very anxious and excited Apostles. Mary’s announcement to them that their Lord’s body had been taken from the tomb rang in their ears and propelled their steps. We can only imagine that her words overwhelmed them–taking them both by surprise and wonder. Surely their thoughts must have run as fast their feet. Had someone taken His body? Were Jesus’ often repeated predictions of His resurrection true? Could it possibly be that their deep sorrow would somehow turn to abundant joy? Perhaps King David’s words in Psalm 30 rushed through their minds, even though surely beforehand, in their sadness, they had missed meditating upon its promise:

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)

The disciples had often been slow in their understanding of Jesus’ words. Their hearts' desire superseded what their ears heard–they wanted the glory without the cross–the heavenly kingdom without the cost. Don’t we as modern day followers of our Lord fall into that same pattern as well? We decide what would be best for us and we pray to that end. We even become upset when God doesn’t fulfill our perfectly ordered plans as we see fit. We embrace the instantaneous and kick against the pain of true growth which will make us more like Christ. The pain and suffering of the Lord Jesus is a necessity for our freedom. And so it is with us who believe in Christ–there is the cost of the cross:

Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:23-26)

Often singled out by Jesus from the rest of the disciples, it is fitting that Peter and John would be the only of our Lord’s disciples to actually enter His empty tomb. They were most likely the closest to the Lord and more willing to take the lead. They certainly wanted to see with their own eyes what had been reported to them–no hearsay would suffice. John gets to the tomb first and simply gazes rather than goes in. Peter makes the discovery. No enemy or thief, in removing Jesus’ body, would have taken such great pains in removing the linen clothes in which our Lord was wrapped.

Interestingly, the linen cloths wrapped around the dead body with myrrh would have stuck to it like pitch. Considering the spices used in wrapping His body, the amount of linen would have been more than likely no small heap. The clearest evidence of an orderly and deliberate transaction, however, was discovered in the napkin which had been tied around Jesus’ head–it was folded neatly in another place. Certainly this was an indication of order without the hurry and haste that would have accompanied a robbery.

Flashes of truth must have come across John’s mind as we are told that he “believed.” We are told both Peter and John had forgotten their Lord’s predictions while His enemies–Caiaphas and his wicked companions–remembered them:

The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first." (Matthew 27:62-64)

Take It to Heart

Christ left His grave clothes behind–rising never to die again!

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)

Our Sin is Forgiven!

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:28-30)

Nearing the end of the greatest accomplishment ever to be done on behalf of mankind, our Lord proclaims, “I am thirsty.” In Psalm 22, King David prophesied what Jesus would someday experience. David’s use of many poetic expressions were literally fulfilled in the Savior’s suffering:

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. (Psalm 22:14-16)

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? (Psalm 22:1)

Having once refused the soldier’s medicinal offer of wine vinegar to dull His pain (Matthew 27:34), Jesus now readily accepts this mocking offering. The vinegar soaked sponge on a hyssop branch would be used to free His tongue. Jesus had words left to say and He needed His mouth moistened to declare them.

Tongue freed, our Lord now offers the three greatest words of triumph ever uttered to a startled universe. Expressed with majestic simplicity, the Savior states from the cross, “It is finished.” Inexhaustible in meaning, these three words are rich and full of deep truths. Jesus had accomplished what He had come to do. He had done all that was needed to save sinners–all that was needful to satisfy the justice of God.

“The death of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment in history of the very mind and intent of God. There is no place for seeing Jesus Christ as a martyr. His death was not something that happened to Him–something that might have been prevented. His death was the very reason He came.” (Oswald Chambers)

Jesus had come to die as our substitute; He had come to fulfill the ceremonial law; He had come as the true sacrifice for our sin; He had come to fulfill many of the prophecies; He had come to accomplish the great work of man’s redemption. Nothing was whimsical or happenstance regarding Christ’s life or death–not one thing in the minutest details was by accident or by chance.  The cup of suffering was at last now drained to the last dregs. He was rightfully preparing to enter back into glory–right back to His Father’s side:

I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. (John 17:4-5)

Take It to Heart

We can rest our souls on the finished work of Christ! We need not fear sin or Satan or the law to condemn us on the last day. Jesus has done all, paid all, and accomplished all that was necessary for our salvation. When we look at our own works, we may well be ashamed at the imperfections we see, but when we focus on the finished work of Christ, we have comfort and peace. We are made complete in Him–not lacking anything:

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. (Colossians 2:9-10)