89. "Resurrection, Scene Two", Pt. 3

Continuing with the theme of resurrection, we must remember that Jesus the Christ, was "the Firstfruits of those who sleep", as Paul has recorded. And continuing with our study of John, we read in vs. 17 that Mary, upon seeing her Lord in the Garden, supposed Him at first to be the gardener, but had begun to embrace Him when He finally revealed Himself to her. And Jesus stated, "Touch Me not, for I have not yet ascended to the Father...". All other aspects of His commission had been completed, and He was yet to return to the place of beginning. 

Now keep in mind that when Thomas finally met Jesus following His resurrection, Jesus invited him to touch Him, and even to thrust his hand into His open side, if need-be. But as for any speculation about Jesus' glorified body...as much as we may suppose, we can really only draw one conclusion...that it was just as much at home here upon earth, as it would be in Heaven! Whether walking the dusty roads of the Gallilee region, or sitting on the shore, breakfasting on fish with His disciples during those intervening forty days, or walking the golden avenues of the heavenly Jerusalem, preparing mansions for the faithful! 

Remember that Peter tells us the heavens will one day pass away in an uproar, and the earth will melt with a fervent heat, in preparation for the creation of the new heaven and new earth! Glorified indeed...no ordinary flesh and blood will survive that holocaust! When we "drop this robe of flesh and rise", as the hymn says...our gorified bodies will finally reflect the glory of Christ's own (insert another exclaimation mark, here please!)

And it was to Mary the faithful to whom He announced His soon-coming-going. Her faith in Him must have been great, and Jesus' love for her must have been great, for from that point forward, she would be a messenger of glad tidings of great joy...she will not be referred-to again in John's Gospel record. From that moment on, Jesus' sole task would be to prepare the eleven for their new role as apostles; they had spent three years with Him in ministry, and now they were about to be commissioned and filled for the difficult task awaiting them.

Mary's heart was completely absorbed with the sense of loss and grief she felt, having been completely devoted to the Healer of both body, and soul, as well as spirit. We may think that we are all that we can be, but the one whose heart is fixed on Him, is the one God fills to capacity. What about you, dear reader? Do you have a tender heart for Jesus? If you do, then you have a heart that Jesus will use. We can measure Mary's heart for the Lord, and the hearts of those eleven disciples, and our own hearts as well, by the limit, or the limitless bounds of our faith, love and obedience toward the Lord and His work. Stop and think about that right now, if you will.

That's where Mary was, right there in the Garden that day, and the disciples were not far behind her. You see, Jesus wanted them, and Mary, and us, to know that resurrection is the great equalizer, as He says there in vs. 17, "...I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God...". Although in that moment, Mary was separated from Jesus by her humanity and His divinity, there would be that great day coming, when she and He would truly fellowhip together in spirit and in truth! For now, she had a critical errand to perform, as Jesus commands her to run and tell His "brethren"...not that He was risen, but that He would be ascending to the Father. And she did-so...but Mark has recorded that as they received the news, they "mourned and wept", not yet believing it to be true!

You know, that is yet the response that many personal evangelists still  meet with...those who grieve more for some peceived loss, out of their own self-interest, rather than their sinful condition before the face of Creator God. Rather than joyfully believing and receiving, they continue to un-believe, in the One Who is able, and Who would, meet their needs...both physical and spiritual. The very ones you might expect to welcome the Good News of the resurrected and glorified Lord, as with those ten disciples, are often the very ones who hold out the longest. Go figure!

So we read in vs. 19 that, while the disciples cowered together behind closed doors later on that first weekday, "for fear of the Jews", Jesus appeared in their midst. And He commanded them to "Be at peace, because as the Father has sent Me to do His work, I am sending you to do My work. And then He breathed the Holy Spirit upon them". 

Wow...just WOW! This really had turned-out to be "the first Christian Sabbath (so-called), that first Resurrection Sunday, that first Easter (again, so-called). At any rate, those ten un-believing disciples were "assembled" away from the world and the worldly; no concern for their occupations or for their apostolic calling...just together, consoling and debriefing one another; discussing the horrible events of the past few days; trying to reconcile Mary's irrational story about a resurrection, as well as the very real risk to their own physical safety. The doors were closed, probly locked to all who didn't have the secret password, when of a sudden, there was Jesus in the midst of them! If the closed tomb hadn't contained Him, a closed door was no problem at all!

Remember in Acts 12, how when Peter had been imprisoned by Herod, no doubt for his preaching the resurrection of Christ, an angel had released him and led him away, so that Peter was able to return to the room where the Believers were gathered in prayer...for him. However, when he knocked on the door to gain entry, they refused him, believing he had already been executed, and that what they were seeing was his ghost! Well I can't begin to imagine what they must have thought about seeing Jesus, having miraculously entered a locked room. 

The resurrection body will indeed be a glorious thing to experience! And His word to them was one of quiet consolation, reassurance, and of course, commission to a far greater work than they had as yet ever experienced! Just think of the effect that must have had upon the hearts of those grieving men...Peter had denied Him, the others had forsaken Him, and for now, Thomas had gone on about his business. 

Have you ever been at a loss as to how , or what Jesus' commission is for you? If so, you can surely relate-to Peter and the others. So if you're tempted to say, "Shame on them", remember your own shortcomings...no, remember your own lack of faith, and your resistance to the commands of the Lord Jesus, and your neglect of the lost and the otherwise needy of this earth. Those men were only men, after all, and even though the Lord had "breathed Holy Spirit upon them", it would be many days hence before He would actually fill them up to overflowing with His own Spiritual Presence!

Why not take the time, right now, to stop and to pray for a renewed vision of your calling, and to be prepared for an answer from on high, to touch you deep within. 

88. "Resurrection, Scene Two", Pt. 2

You know, I've commented on this before, but it's amazing to me that it was the women who demonstrated the most fearlessness in terms of their presence at this most critical phase in the life of our Lord. At the cross, and at the tomb, wanting to be near Him, even in death; and to minister to His body as He lay cold in His grave! In fact, we read in John 21.19 that..."At evening on the first day of the week, with the doors shut where the disciples were, for fear...". Mary, on that very morning had announced to them that she had not only seen their Lord, but had had a conversation with Him...the first of all, to see Him alive. Meanwhile, His most trusted disciples cowered in the dark.

Moments before that occasion, two angels, still guarding the place where Jesus had lain, had very bluntly asked her, "Why do you weep, woman?" To which she had replied... "They have taken away my Lord...". Now since her first meeting with Jesus, long before this day, Mary had heard as much of His teaching as had any other, yet she had been satisfied just to be in His presence, and to fellowhip with Him and His disciples. Together, they had travelled from town to town, meeting new people, and basking in the glory as Jesus preached the Gospel and performed His miracles of healing. And isn't that so like the church today..."Tell me the stories of Jesus! When are we getting together again for a fellowsip supper?" Hearing, but never learning, as the apostle would say. Never quite getting the point of it all...enough just to be amongst the crowd. 

We see that so plainly in Mary's pleading reponse in vs. 13, "They have taken away my Lord...!" He is so patient with us! Fear and unbelief fill the hearts of Believers every day...so much so that it's often difficult to tell who is, from who isn't. In the same breath that she had acknowledged Jesus to be her Lord, she was, unwittingly of course, denying His resurrection power! And she hadn't even noticed that she had been speaking with angels...perhaps like many of us, she didn't even believe in angels, much less in the resurrection of the body! But just think of Mary's important role in the gospel account...first at the empty tomb, first to see the angels sitting, first to see the risen Lord (vs. 14) and the first to speak with Him (vs. 15). This was one blest woman, by anybody's standards!

You know, I truly believe that when you honour Christ, He will honour you; and you're talking here, to one who knows! After all, why was it that Jesus was right there as Mary turned from the empty tomb, to comfort her in her grief, and to bolster her frail faith? Recall that back in chapt. 11, in the record of His resurrection of Lazurus (think of the difference between resurrected clothes, and resurrection clothes!), Jesus had asked of Martha, "Said I not to you, that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God?" I'm sure that Mary had heard the story, and His teaching of it many times..."Believe Me and receive Me!" Mary, just like us on many an occasion, was stupefied by the loss that death always drops into our lives, and like us, her grief was wearing her down. I've been there, and you've been there, and we know the feeling all too well! But now, here she was, about to meet her resurrected Lord, in His glorified body, in His glorified robes! 

Then as we read there in vs. 14, Jesus puts the questions to her...first, as asked by the angels, "Why are you weeping?"; but second, and more critically, "Woman, who are you looking for, out here in this graveyard all alone?" You know, I think that sometimes, Jesus wants us to see that it's really Him that we need...not just any-old-body, or a hot cuppa tea, or maybe just a kick in the pants! Those are all things that the world would offer, while Jesus offers up Himself; it's seldom that we meet someone who will go that far, for you, isn't it? And I speak from vast experience. When Jesus asks that question, you had best know that He has a life-changing response in mind...and Mary was about to experience just that, first-hand. 

But at this point all she could think about was her dead Friend, while here He was, her risen Lord! Mary was only a poor sheep, after all, but once she recognized her Shepherd, she was immediately changed from a weeper to a worshipper! And Matthew reports just that...how she fell at His feet and worshipped Him. In vs. 16 of our passage, after Jesus had spoken her name, she's recorded as crying out, "...my Master!" At that moment her heart must have leapt, as she acknowledged "the Fairest of ten thousand to her soul"! In one moment she had her back turned to Him, and in the next, she had turned her back upon the empty tomb. 

People, this is written for our learning. Jesus, as Paul has taught, is only "the Firstfruits, of those who sleep". And now, wherever the Gospel message is preached, this singular event is taught as the proof text for the ressurection of the body. And when our time comes...an empty grave and decomposing graveclothes notwithstanding...the miracle of our own personal resurrection will have been accomplished! 

What a day that will be, when our Jesus we shall see!

87. "Resurrection, Scene Two!", John 20.11-23

Matthew has reported in his Gospel account, chapt. 28.5-6, "Fear not...He is not here; He is risen, as He said!" The serpent had only bruised the heel of the Christ, as prophesied in Genesis 3.15. Oh, he had intended a fatal strike, which had only resulted in the telltale wounds upon the hands, feet and side of Jesus' now-resurrected body. 

But was He really resurrected, or as some have alleged, merely resuscitated? Well we really do need to look more deeply into the evidence of scripture, as the Gospel record provides...as we've already seen, a fair number of reports of appearances to His disciples, and others, between His resurrection from His grave, and His ascension to glory. Do take the time to consult the following references, in order to prepare yourself, should you ever be challenged by a skeptic!

The first witness appears to have been Mary Magdelene, alone, as recorded by John in chapt. 20.14. The second was Peter, as reported in Luke 24.34, or perhaps the two Marys of Matthew 28.9-10. But we also have Peter, apparently alone, being the first of the disciples to see Jesus, as reported by two others, to the eleven, recorded by Luke in chapt. 24.34. Next, He appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaeus...Luke 24.13. Then, to ten of the disciples, in the upper room, John 20.19, as well as to the eleven, now including Thomas, in John 20.26. In John 21.1-2 we read that He appeared to seven disciples as they were preparing to go fishing. And the last record in the Gospels, to the eleven at the occasion of His ascension, is recorded in Matt. 28.16.  

Over in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul states that Jesus had been seen by as many as 500 people at one occasion before His ascension. Then he records that following that, He had been seen by His brother(?) James, along with the eleven. Finally, there are three post-ascension appearances following His return to the Father, the first being to Stephen, in Acts 7; then Paul reports having spoken with the Lord, along the road to Damascus, Acts 9; and finally, to John on the Isle of Patmos, in Revelation 1. So when will His next, much anticipated appearance be, to His blood-bought saints, as He descends, and they ascend to meet Him in the clouds, to be with Him forevermore?!

Well it's with the vss. 14-15 and possibily the vs. 19 appearances that we are concerned with just now. And it's here that we see just how great our Lord's love is...for womankind! As we've seen already, it was to Mary Magdeline that He first revealed His glorified body...one of very few, other than His mother, who had shown Him such loyalty and love. She, no doubt owed Him her very life; who knows what her end might have been, if He had not cast out those seven demons! And notice from vs. 17, that it was to her, that He revealed Himself to truly be, the true Son of God. He didn't appear to His disciples (those who had spent the previous three years under His teaching) until that evening, as they were gathered in the upper room, stewing in their own juices! 

But as we read in vs. 11, Mary "stood without, at the sepulcher, weeping". This was following her breathless run to tell the disciples of the missing body; and their breathless run to confirm her story...risen, or stolen! None of them knew for certain until Mary had returned, first. And little did she know, the miracle that had taken place there!

Do you know, today...that if we say that we love, when our faith is so weak and so fickle, is to cast a shadow over your level of commitment to the Lord? Mary loved Jesus...that's for sure, but her faith was short-sighted. She hadn't trusted in "things hoped-for", or "the evidence of things not seen", as Hebrews 11 states. This is a good lesson about the unnecessary fear and doubt that Believers so often burden themselves with! Jesus said that, "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light", so there's no need for the Believer to go through life burdened down by the things of this world, the flesh and the devil. Jesus died to carry just that burden as well, for you and for me!

Just consider how often we, like Mary, get the downers over even the simplest events of life, eventually to become just a memory. I have sometimes pointed out to others, that most mountains are really just molehills in disguise! We must grow to the point where our faith in Jesus to keep us, actually does keep us! And what a relief to know that, as the Psalmist has recorded, joy really will "come in the morning". 

We're living today, in a time when the hearts of men are "failing them for fear", as Luke 21.26 states, "...in expectation of those things that are coming." But rather than staking our future on our Lord's eventual (soon?) return, we are almost overwhelmed by the things of this world, and the evil that is so rampant in it...and too often, our faith is the victim. Jesus' best advice, as found in the 28th verse of Luke 21, is that now is the day to "lift up our heads...for our redemption draweth nigh"! 

86. "Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life!", John 20.1-10

Now we cannot say too much about the death of the Lord Jesus...it is absolutely the most critical event in all the great plan of God! But we CAN say too little about His resurrection. This is absolutely the most critical point in all the great plan of God (I thought I just said that), because I truly believe that Jesus' death would have served no purpose, if He had not risen again. And of course, without His death, there would have been no resurrection...the one, for salvation from the personal penalty of our personal sin; the other for personal glorification in the personal presence of Father God!

Then, if you would, turn to Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth...chapt. 15, and read again what Holy Spirit has given to Paul on the subject (noting that he states in vss. 5-6, that Jesus had been seen first by the twelve, then by 500 at one time). Next, turn to his letter to the church in Rome, chapt. 4.20-25, where Paul, in speaking of Abraham, records that Jesus, "...being delivered for our offences, was raised up because of our justification." And of course, the resurrection is a central theme in many of the great sermons found throughout the New Testament, as well as in the personal testimonies of the apostles in their witnessing (note Acts 2.22-36, 3.13-15, 10.37-41, 13.29-37). 

So this second last chapter of John concentrates on the various appearances of Jesus to His disciples and others, before His ascension back to the Father. It's always been a mystery, to anyone who cares, that Jesus rose from His grave entirely unobserved by anyone...other than the Heavenly Father and His heavenly host. The focus of the hour was still upon the cross of His execution, as the emphasis should be, and the roles each participant played...from the highest official to the lowest bystander; and from the dearest of His family and friends to the worst of His enemies. 

Upon Him were laid the iniquities of us all! But He had laid down His life, that He might "take it up again". As He had prophesied back in Matthew 12, He would spend three days and three nights in the belly of the earth, and when He was given back His life, it was in His resurrection body, as described by Paul in 1 Corinthans 15, and Philippeans 3.20-21.

"Now on the first day of the week..." (John 20.1). This is important detail...it must be, or Holy Spirit would not have included it! This matter of days is an important one...from the Jewish perspective, the celebration of Passover; for the Christian, the deed itself is what takes priority! The fact of the matter is, Jesus arose, and the first day was a part of God's great plan, although I have no idea why. What I do know, is that our Lord's resurrection ushered in a new age, in terms of the future judgment of mankind. The last sin sacrifice had been made, and the first glorified body had been raised, and the world had been offered a final opportunity to make things right, once and for eternity, with Father God! 

The Gospel according to Mark tells us that Mary Magdelene was accompanied by Mary, the mother of James, and Salome, as they approached the tomb that morning; and that it was early, after sunrise. And there were none of the disciples, no soldiers, the stone was rolled away, and no body of Jesus! Matthew tells us about the great earthquake, and the angel seated on the stone that had once sealed the tomb. But John, in vs. 2, merely reports Mary Magdelene running off to find Peter, with the "stolen body theory". She quite naturally supposed Jesus to still be dead...never once considering a resurrection, even though He had told His friends and His followers that death would not hold Him...His assurance that He would "rise again the third day" had fallen on deaf ears! 

So we read in vs. 3 that unbelieveing Peter (and John?) jumped out of bed to see what all the fuss was about...the other gospeleers imply that their hearts weren't in it, but at least two disciples went off to confirm, or refute, Mary's wild story. And we're told in vs. 4 that the closer they got, the more excited they became. 

The "other disciple", probably John, arrived first, having outrun Peter, and looking into the tomb, saw the linen cloth which had been used to wrap Jesus' body; when Peter arrived, he entered the tomb. Their hearts must have been pounding, both from anxiety and exertion, and the expectation that they must have felt! But when they found the tomb empty, and the graveclothes lying nearby, they believed (vs. 8)!

John confirms that "seeing is believing", which is the way the natural man responds to objective evidence...as in this case...the empty tomb. But later in his life, John was to experience the real truth, that "believing is seeing"...in his case, seeing, in his own personal Revelation, the effectiveness of faith, as well as the reward of faith...the eternal presence of his Lord! But as he has recorded here in vs. 9, "...as yet they knew not...". The Believer can not, should not, and must not allow his faith to waver, even for an instant. To do so is to invite all kinds of worry and doubt and fear into our hearts and minds. Remember... "He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world"...a reflection of the spiritual maturity of the apostle John, as he recorded letters to the early church. 

There the body of Jesus was not, although "the linen clothes were..."; the women had reported all they had seen, with the previous teaching of Jesus concerning His personal resurrection, now very much in their minds...the evidence was overwhelming..."He is not here...He is risen!" (Luke 24.6). So John saw, and believed. 

Verse 9 really is a very humbling testimony of the frailty of human understanding, and of faith. For three years these men had walked with Jesus while He taught of these things, and yet they had no understanding of spiritual truth. Many today hear truth week after week, and choose to arrogantly dismiss it. We're told by Matthew in chapt. 27.63, that even Jesus' enemies remembered, but at this point, the disciples "knew not" the meaning of the very words of God!

Back in Luke 24.5-7, we read that, "...as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men (angels) said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and on the third day rise.'”  

Do you know what affects our own understanding today? Exactly the same as then...selective hearing, lack of attention and lack of Spirit-inspired understanding! Carnal man makes altogether too much of "proofs", and "facts", while as Hebrews 11.1 so clearly states, faith involves belief in that which is not seen...rather, "hoped for", and grass roots trust in what the Word of God tells us, which is what those disciples lacked. We, like them, tend to pick and to choose what is of interest to us; more often than not, leaning upon our own personl experience, based upon our involvement with the world, the flesh, and sadly, the devil. 

So what do you do with Jesus, and why? And if your faith goes high and wide enough to believe and receive Him, why isn't it so with all of scripture truth? You should not, can not, must not pick and choose truth according to your own personal taste. If you can only see and believe, you have fallen far short of what God wishes you to have. If faith relies solely upon sight, then it is a pitiful faith indeed. 

And thus the disciples returned home, full of fear and anxiety about things not seen. But we'll see shortly, that Jesus, Himself, will have the last word on the matter...for them, for us, and for all, right into eternity future. Give Him, right now, the praise He deserves!

85. "That the Scripture Be Fulfilled", cont'd

We read in John 9.28 that, "...Jesus, knowing that all things had been accomplished to fulfill the Scripture, said. 'I thirst!'" We can only imagine! So the Roman guard allowed Him to sip a bit of sour wine from a sponge, raised to His lips.

The way was clear now, for Jesus to lay down what was left of His life. It's not likely, by the way, that Mary was present at the exact time of her Son's death, because as we have seen, John had taken her to his own home, at "that hour". And when the horrible end finally came, it was Joseph of Arimathea who took the body secretly, and laid it in his own, newly hewn tomb (vs. 38). Then finally, we read in vs. 39 that, "He said 'It is finished'. And bowing His head, He gave up His Spirit." 

You know, over in the Book of the Revelation, chapt. 21, we are given the account of the much older apostle John, and his vision of the new heaven and new earth, and New Jerusalem, "...coming down from Heaven from God". And in vs. 6 we read the words of Jesus announcing that, "It is done!" And, "...I will give to the one who thirsts, from the water of the river of life, freely." And that eternal-life-giving-water, is freely available, because upon His cross, He announced to all who would believe and receive that, "It is finished." The redeeming work of the Lamb  sent from God, had been succesfully completed! 

Now this was the briefest of Jesus' seven statements from the cross, yet you could discuss the theology here, for eternity! All that the Law required, had been finished; all that prophecy had announced, had been finished; all the Father's requirements of Him were finished; and every thing that was necessary to accomplish soul salvation was now finished! The sacrifice had been offered up, the ransom was given, the wages of sin were paid, the conflict with Satan was over, and justice was accomplished at last! All that remained was His resurrection, His ascension and His glorifed reign in eternity-come. 

This had not been the last, gasping groan of a dying man, but a solemn declaration by the Son of the Most High God, of the fact that sin had been put behind, and that Satan had been put down, and that every last, painful second had been worth it! Going back to chapt. 10.17-18 we read the words of our Lord..."For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.” And so, "He bowed His head, and gave up His Spirit."

Now we referred to this in our last lesson...that in vs. 31 we're told these things had occurred on "a high day", and that it was absolutely essential that the cross be taken down, and that Jesus' body be taken off and removed for burial before sunset. The Jews were a pretty zealous lot when it came to picking nits from the Law, even though they were spiritually blind when it came to seeing Jesus, for the man He wasn't!

So we read how the soldiers came, first to the guilty, then to the Innocent, but that His legs remained un-broken, "...that the scripture be fulfilled". We know that crucifiction was a slow and painful process, unlike hanging, electrocution, or lethal injection. Crucifiction was intentionally as painful as possible, often resulting apparently, in two, or three days of suffering...torture, in fact. But relief came to Jesus in just a few hours. And Mark, in his record, tells us that Pilate marvelled, that He was already dead by the time the soldiers got to Him. 

Now notice that all the fuss following the resurrection...and even yet today, with the claims that Jesus had never really died, are clearly disproved here. The Romans were well trained in the art of war, and with the dealing of death, and there could be no mistaking their diagnosis...the coroner need not be consulted...Jesus had died as a result of crucifiction! And no doubt they only pierced His side, to initiate the flow of both blood and water, being so symbolic of very life, and very death, and the crimson stream of the very means of our salvation...for the remission of our sins. 

Then, as John has recorded in vs. 35, "...this is my testimony, and my testimony is true (that you may believe)!" Let there be no doubt that Jesus died, and that His blood was poured out as a sacrifice for all who would believe. And as verses 36-37 state again, the prophecies had thereby been fulfilled. And then, not John, nor any of the other disciples, but Joseph and Nicodemus (perhaps secret disciples themselves), secretly took Jesus' body, wrapped it in linen along with 100 pounds of spices, and laid it to rest in a new tomb, recently carved out of the rock in the nearby Garden. 

Now as we know, Nicodemus was introduced to us back in chapt. 3, as the Pharisee who came to Jesus by night, having been advised by the Saviour that he "...must be born again!" And although we're not told there, we can see here, that he must surely have been, although he could have remained an example of the worst of all Christians...a secret Believer. When you think of it however, this was quite an act of love, by a man who had been "so loved" by the Lover of this entire world!

The Sabbath was to be a time of rest, at least for the Jews, but to Jesus, the finish of His long earthly commitment, to die and to be raised, for the lost souls of mankind.  

I'm sorry but I just can't restrain myself, as I say once again...thank you Jesus!!

84. "That the Scripture Be Fulfilled", John 19.25-42

The horrible account of the horrible death of Jesus Christ is well known throughout the Christian world, being recorded in all four Gospels, and remembered every Good Friday...even by the pagan, as he celebrates a holiday from his work. But regardless of either your personal perspective or your personal theology, the record of this horrible event is most certainly one of the most spectacular records ever recorded, of any other in history! And of course, is incomparable to any other event in scripture, in terms of its importance in both time, and eternity. Remember that this is not merely an account of a man's death...it's the true, Holy Spirit-inspired accounting of the sacrifice of God's Lamb, for sinners, slain!

Now John gives us no information at all, of the agony that Jesus suffered there upon that horrible killing machine...those details are provided by the other Gospeleers. On the other hand, John is the only Gospel recorder who tells us of His seamless robe (19.23), His un-broken legs (vs. 33), the bloody water flowing from His pierc-ed side (vs. 34)...and only John and Luke recording the Crucified One's last words, as quoted in vs. 40..."It is finished!"

You know, many churches include in their Good Friday observation, preaching on the "seven sayings of Christ" as He hung upon His cross, and this may be a good time to look at them, if you are so inclined. I'll not quote them all, but will leave it up to you to read and to meditate upon them as Holy Spirit leads. Taken from the gospel records of Matthew, Luke and John, this is the probable order in which they were uttered...Luke 23.34,42-43; John 19.25-26; Matthew 27.46; and John 19.28,30. 

But back to John 19.25. Everyone there that fateful day had a reason to be, as witnesses of Jesus' extraordinary execution...the Jews, the Romans, the curious, the bloodthirsty and the outright depraved. But there was one little group, probably unnoticed by all, other than Jesus...devoted and grieving and afraid. John records that there were five in all...four women, and only one man, John himself..."the discciple whom Jesus loved". First of the women was Mary, the Lord's mother; then there was His mother's sister, oddly enough, also called Mary; and odder still, a third Mary...the Magdalene, from a place called Magdala, located in the region of the Gallilee. The fourth was John's own mother, again oddly, mentioned only by Matthew in his gospel account. 

Imagine, that in His hour of greatest need, being deserted by all but these faithful few, to share His pain and His shame, and to mingle their tears with His. And the tears, along with the blood and the sweat, flowed freely amongst the jeers and the cheers of the crowd on that day. The malignancy of hate surely spread like a cancer through the whole of that body of unbelievers! A burden, none other than the God/Man, Jesus, could could have so peaceably endured. 

But then, as recorded by the apostle in vs. 26, at the foot of that altar He spied through swollen eyes and bloodied face, His mother. Think of your own mother for a minute...and then place her in the midst of your worst nightmare, along with your worst enemies, made crazy by the smell of death; and then spy her out of the crowd gathered to watch your execution for a crime you did not commit...and both of you know it. And then, with your dying breath you commit her to the care of your best friend on earth, standing shakily, with his arm about her. Imagine what Mary must have been thinking, as those few hours dragged on. 

To the very end, Jesus' thoughts were of those who loved and cared for Him...just like any of the rest of us I suppose...concerned for those we leave behind. First though, He had prayed for His enemies, then He had offered salvation and assurance to the dying thief, and now, securing His faithful mother's final years. And in doing-so, He broke the last ties that He had with mortal flesh..."Woman, behold your son"; and to John, "Behold your mother!"

You know, It's a great responsibility to take on the care of someone else's aging parent. But it's also a great privilege...one to only be entrusted to the closest and most trustworthy of friends or family; one who would take your mother in and treat her as his own. Wouldn't it be "just right", to live in a just and right world! One where trust would not be an issue, and where need would not be an issue; where comfort and care for one another would be the just and the right thing, and there would be no hesitation in doing it. 

That's the example that Jesus set for us as He hung there on the cross of His sacrifice...to honour our parents, even through their greatest and deepest needs. And we all know those needs are deep, and great! And Jesus' witness, and His love, and His provision, is deep, and it is great! He has provided for His own, and that provision is enough for an eternity. 

So we read in vs. 27 that..."From that moment on, that disciple cared for her in his own household." There must surely be a special place in eternity indeed, for John, "the beloved disciple"!

83. "Jesus the Lamb, Condemned to Die!", John 19.12-24

Consider Jesus for sinners slain...the last sacrifice for sin; and consider Father God, and those who would believe and receive. And consider Satan and his angels, hard at work in his chosen occupation...steering the world, in his many nefarious ways, toward a lost eternity. 

Consider Israel...the Jews, and the religious elite; consider Pilate, guilty of neglecting the King of creation, God having ordained it so. He was well aware of the attitude of the oh-so-religioso, that Jesus must die, but the more he interrogated our Lord, the less he was convinced of His guilt. And even so...guilty of what?!

True, the religionists had charged their Christ with treason, and of refusing to "tithe" to Caesar, and of claiming to be a King, when really, all He had done was to teach them truth and to be The Truth in the midst of them. But as we've seen, Pilate was afraid, and he had no intention of losing this plum appointment as the figurehead of authority in Judea. So just like the rest of us, he was forced to make a decision...Jesus, or Judea? Caesar, or God? His wife's sound advice, or the religious elite's worst judgment ever to be cast upon an innocent man! So here was the quandry he was in, although we read in 19.12 that..."from henceforth Pilate sought to release him..", while the Jews cried the louder for blood.

Remember, Jesus had revealed to Pilate, as we read in vs. 11, where true authority truly comes from, and Pilate had been impressed. In fact, Jesus had made no effort to defend Himself, but had only lifted His Father God higher. And what an example, both for Pilate and for us. When we raise God up, we become more aware of our own humanity; and we increase our resolve to be more of what He would have us to be! To stand up for the right, when we're being manipulated to do wrong. That's what "having a little talk with Jesus" could do for you, removing the scales from your eyes and the pride from your heart, and the fear from you mind. That's what had been happening to Pilate, so..."from henceforth he sought to release him." 

"But the Jews cried out..". They knew exactly where to stick the knife in order to do the most damage, and then, give it a good hard twist for good measure...these were the worst kind of hypocrites! There they were, the most favoured of God of all the peoples of the earth, beating up on Pilate in order to have this unblemished Lamb become the last sacrifice for their very own sins! 

Then..."When Pilate therefore heard these words...", vs. 13. His resolve had been broken; the Jews were insistent, having pronounced their decision in the matter, and for them, there was no turning back. Have you ever gotten to the point where you had gone too far to turn back? Well let me tell you...there is no-such-a'thing! Our great God is the God of second chances! Every decision is reversible, and before you leap headlong into forbidden territory, believe me, there's plenty of time for sober second thought. Every one of us should stop in mid-step, or in mid-sentence, and think of the consequences of our saying or doing or being. Some of our decisions, after all, may very well have eternal consequences! So be prepared for justice, as in the case before us, to fall upon the unrepentant guilty. 

For Jesus, final judgment was about to be cast, with disastrous consequence! Oh, not for Jesus, or for Father God, but for Pilate and the Jews. For us, His death would mean life and peace, while for the truly guilty, eternal loss and suffering. What a contrast, all due to the determination of guilt on a world lost in sin, to be borne by One Man, on the altar of His cross!

"Now it was the preparation for the Passover...", vs. 14. Remember, the Passover meal that had already been observed by Jesus and His disciples (13.1), preceding "that holy day" referred-to in vs. 31, and followed by the seventh-day Sabbath, left the first day of the week (our Sunday), as the first opportunity for the women referred-to in chapt. 20.1, to go and properly prepare the Body for burial. No work was allowed on these most holy of days of celebration in remembrance of God's provision for the escape of the children of Israel from their enslavement in Egypt (see Leviticus 23.5-9), so Joseph and Nicodemus, as we'll see from verses 38-39, took it upon themselves to  make temporary arrangements for Jesus' body.

But first, as we read in vs. 16, (Pilate) delivered him to be crucified...", according to the will of the Jews, and according to the will of the Father, But also according to the will of Jesus Himself! He was led as a Lamb, to the altar of His sacrifice...directly to Golgotha, the appointed place for crucifiction. Little did those Jews know that they were, right there and then, fulfilling the prophecies of their own prophets! 

And then, in John 19.19, we read the inscription written by Pilate himself..."Jesus of Nazereth, King of the Jews". This truly was God's King...King of the Jews and of the Romans and of all the peoples of the rest of creation! King in life, King in death, and King for eternity in His coming Kingdom! Pilate had been moved by the very will of God, regardless of what the religionists would have had to say, as we can see from vss. 20-22.

And the soldiers cast lots for His garments, as we read in vss. 23-24, fulfilling another prophecy..."Therefore the soldiers did these things." We can clearly see that it was God Who was in charge there, choreagraphing the minutest details, and we know today, that not one word of His Word will fail...exactly fulfilled to the very least letter. And there can be no doubt...at least not in my small mind, that the One Who hung there on that altar, was King, Messiah and the last Lamb to die for the payment of the debt of our sin. 

The other Gospeleers all record further details, but that terrible sacrifice is recorded by all four, as we read in vs. 18..."...and there they crucified Him...". You know, back in the Psalms, chapt. 22, we read another record of these very events, and again, of course, in Isaiah 53, the landmark prophecy, still rejected by His own people..."He was oppressed and He was afflicted...", and that He was to die with the wicked on either side, being "numbered with the transgressors"!

So Holy Spirit has recorded all the details as found in all of The Book, that we require this side of glory...because it's all about Him! The solemn fact is, Jesus is the Lamb of God...and the Lamb was about to die! God had decreed it, the Jews were demanding it, and Pilate, as much as he would liked to have declined, chose to declare it, so..."...he turned him over to them to be crucified" (vs. 15-16). Then, as Matthew has recorded, he poured water into a basin, and washed his hands of the whole bloody affair; but he couldn't wash the stain of sin from his heart. Little did he know, that the Precious Lamb, slain for sinners lost, could be his only salvation!

Hallelujah...what a Saviour!