Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Cast of the Resurrection…Mary Magdalene

My name is Mary Magdalene and I had never been this broken-hearted. Even in the midst of my demon-possessions, when all seemed lost, I somehow managed to go on. But now, since the death of my beloved Jesus, I can’t quit crying …and sleep; well, that’s certainly out of the question.

It’s been two whole days since that horrible crucifixion. I still see him hanging there, the thorn of crowns pressed deeply into his head; his beautiful hair, matted and blood-stained. He is missing parts of his beard that were ripped out by the Roman guards as they mocked him. His back is laid open and the muscles are torn to pieces from the scourging that he endured…Oh, Jesus, why did you not die before you were lead down the Via Dolorosa to Golgotha’s Hill?

And where are your disciples, those cowards? They have all fled and are hiding from the centurion’s guard….only a few of us, the women who loved and cared for you deeply, remain. Even the darkness that fell across the land could not hide the great sorrow that was etched in every line upon your face….the sorrow; the shame; the humiliation and degradation that you endured before that barbaric crowd. And those religious hypocrites, those Pharisees, calling out for you to come down and prove that you are the Son of God. Have they no shame….jeering at the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world?

May God deal ever so severely with them and heap coals of fire upon their foolish heads; yet, I know that you died for them, too. How often I listened as you taught your disciples to turn the other cheek and to forgive and to love those that persecute us. Even in your dying breathe I heard you plead with God to forgive them for they had no idea of what they were doing….Oh, how great a love you have shown for us.

It still makes me sick to my stomach as my mind replays the hammer’s blows as the soldiers nail you to the cross. I hear your anguished cry for mercy as it falls on deaf ears and the blows continue…CLANG…CLANG…CLANG…as the hammer drives the nail spikes through your feet and hands….please let it stop; I can’t bear to think of your precious body torn and mutilated for my sins….but you told us all this must happen if we were to belong to you.

And then, your body, now limp upon the cross, the last signs of life vanished. The guards approach to break your bones but instead, thrust their spear deep into your side as water and blood gush forth….I turn and leave with John and your mother and the other women…but we are lost and without hope.

I try and try to put these terrible images out of my mind and get some sleep…we will be going to the tomb in just a few hours to anoint your body….please Jesus, help me rest.


THE SABBATH MORN…..A Few Hours Later

It was not yet daylight when Joanna and Mary, the mother of James arrived. We gathered our herbs, expensive aloes and fresh linens and made our way through the Mount of Olives to the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea…the tomb where Jesus had been laid. Along the way, we discussed how we might get the Roman guards to roll back the stone so that we could get into the tomb….otherwise. all would be for naught and we would be unable to provide Jesus with a proper burial.

When we arrived….WE COULD NOT BELIEVE OUR EYES ….THE GUARDS WERE GONE AND THE STONE WAS ROLLED AWAY….we ran full speed into the tomb, but there was no body. We were totally dismayed and wondered who could have taken our Savior’s remains when suddenly, like a bolt of lightning from the sky, the entire tomb was filled with this glorious light and two men, dressed all in dazzling white garments, stood before us.

I will never forget what they said to us as we hid our faces and bowed before them.

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? HE IS NOT HERE; HE IS RISEN, JUST AS HE SAID. Come and see the place where he lay. Now, go and tell his disciples: HE IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him”……and then, they were gone….and my heart leapt into my throat…MY LORD IS ALIVE!!!!!


What about you today? Is your Lord alive or do you worship a God that is dead and powerless? Do you know the crucified Christ as the Redeemer of the Resurrection or are you still searching for a life of meaning and purpose? Have you gone to the tomb; found the stone rolled away and heard the words of the angels….HE IS NOT HERE FOR HE IS RISEN….JESUS IS ALIVE!

Why not become a Mary Magdalene today and hurry to the tomb and find it empty....Rejoice with her that Jesus is alive …in fact, there’s more to Mary’s story in John 20:10-18….Take time to read this passage and you will see the personal encounter that Mary had with her Lord….it's the same kind of personal encounter He wants to have with you.

Then, do as Mary. Go and tell others that your Lord and Savior is alive… Forevermore!

Seeking the Empty Tomb…Praising the Living Lord,
WPQ

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Arturo …The Guard of the Tomb

At last this horrible crucifixion was over, so I gathered my men and began the march back to the guard’s barracks. It had been a harrowing night and day leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus…and now we all deserved some much needed rest…but alas, that was not to be.

We had barely made our way back to the Palace walls when I was summoned by Pilate. He had been petitioned, by a follower of Jesus named Joseph of Arimathea, to have the body of Jesus released to him for a quick and hasty burial before the start of the Jewish Sabbath. So, I gathered a small detachment of my men and headed with him back to the Hill. We arrived and quickly took the body of Jesus down and wrapped him in some linen sheets for his transport to the tomb….at last we were done with this man…whoever he was….Son of God or Galilean lunatic….he was no longer my concern…or at least that’s what I thought.

We marched back to the garrison and I set the guards for the rest of our duty and then, I went to bed. I was dogged tired yet, I could not sleep. I could not get the face nor the words of this man Jesus out of my mind; “Father, forgive them” and “It is finished”….what was finished and how could a mortal man endure such pain and agony and ask that his executors be forgiven?

I finally seemed to drift into an uncomfortable and fitful sleep when I was abruptly awakened by one of my men; seems I was being summoned to Pilate’s court again. I dressed hastily and hurried to the courtyard where I was ushered into the presence of my liege. Pilate was surrounded by the same yammering mob of Pharisees that had clamored for the death of Jesus and now, they wanted a Roman guarded posted to keep out his disciples…they were afraid that his disciples would steal his body within the next three days and make claims that Jesus had risen from the dead. They listed several times that they say Jesus had made such claims and somehow, they had convinced Pilate that such a commotion would be bad for him and the keeping of the peace during the Passover days.

Pilate gave me my orders and instructed me to go with 11 of my men to post a full watch over the tomb…that meant 24 hours of guarding a dead man…and for what…..to appease a group of malcontents that hated our very existence in their land….but, I had my orders.

I posted the first watch and then went over to the hillside there in the garden. I found a grassy knoll that peered across the valley of Kidron and settled in for the hours that lay ahead. I checked on the guards periodically and made sure that the tomb was secure and that the seal had not been broken. Now, all that could be done was to spend another night and the three days would have passed….and then, maybe, I would be finished with this Jesus once and for all.

I set the mid-watch and fell asleep for what seemed like only minutes when, I was awakened to the violent shaking of the ground …it reminded me of that day…just days before at Calvary when the ground shook and was split open. There was a bright light and I saw standing before me, a man or some angelic being, clothed all in white. I turned away for I feared that he had come to take my life. I threw myself on the ground and felt it tremble underneath my shaking body…it was hard to tell who was shaking more; me or the ground. I dared not look up in fear that I might be blinded by such a fearsome light.

Now, I have been in many great and ferocious battles in my life…and I have been frightened many times before; but never in my life have I been this terrified of what was about to happen. Was I about to die at the hand of this man robed in white or was there some escape from this doom that was set before me?

I lay perfectly still, hoping that this being might think me already dead….I kept my head still and lay motionless, afraid to look around. I could sense that my men had deserted their post and fled in terror at the first sight of this creature. I was all alone…awaiting my eventual doom….but as I lay there, still and lifeless, I heard voices ….women’s voices.

I decided to risk it all; so, I slowly rose to my feet and looked up. The great stone that my men and I had rolled into the mouth of the tomb was now rolled away…and sitting upon it was the same man of white brilliance. He spoke softly to a small band of women…the same women that had been at the foot of the cross of Jesus …I heard him say that Jesus was not there….that He had risen and was alive and was going before them and would see them in Galilee…and then he commanded them to go and tell his disciples that He had risen from the dead…. a moment later, this man robed in white was gone.

I stood there motionless, as the women peered into the tomb and then rushed by me as they hurried from the garden. I inched slowly toward the tomb, the huge stone rolled over twenty feet from the mouth of the grave; then, I walked inside.

I can hardly describe what I saw next….nor my astonished reaction….the tomb was empty…except for the neatly folded linen and face napkin…Jesus was indeed…GONE!

As a soldier, I knew what this meant….I had failed my assigned duties and I would pay dearly for my dereliction of duty (and so would my men); but, as a mortal man who was in complete control of my intelligent faculties, I knew a miracle had taken place.

My men and I had guarded this tomb with our lives and no one had breached our security…BUT THE TOMB WAS EMPTY…and I had seen with my own eyes, the stone rolled away and a being, not of this realm, seated upon it….and he proclaimed, in no uncertain terms.... JESUS WAS ALIVE!!!

For me that left me with only one conclusion... the same conclusion that I uttered at the time of his death…..


Truly, this man was the son of God!

Today, you are faced with the same unequivocal evidence that the Roman centurion saw as he stood before the cross of Jesus and then later, as he peered into Christ’s empty tomb….Truly, This Man…This Jesus so despised by the maddening throng….This man of sorrows… is the son of God.

Now, we may never know, this side of heaven, if that centurion’s declaration of Jesus as the Son of God sealed his place in God’s eternal home; but today, you can know for yourself….if you will accept His blood shed for your remission of sin and if you will peer into that empty tomb and believe that Christ has been raised from the dead….then, Easter is your time of thanksgiving and eternal celebration….Jesus said many times, “He who has ears, let him hear.”

Are you listening today for the voice of the risen Savior as He pleads, "O Sinner, come home?"

Declaring the Risen Lord….Savior and Friend,

WPQ

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Arturo Augustus….Captain of the Guard

In all my years upon the battlefields of the world, I have never been as fearful as I was on that Sabbath morning; but, I get ahead of myself. My story really begins on Thursday evening, when I, and 24 of my best men, encircled a band of misfits in search of the Nazarene, Jesus of Galilee.

We had been lead to the Garden of Gethsemane by one of his inner circle, Judas Iscariot, with orders to arrest the man that he kissed. After a brief skirmish, one of the servant’s of the High Priest had his ear cut off …and this man, Jesus, reached out and touched his wound…and he was immediately healed. We bound him and lead him away.

In the courtyard of the High Priest, Jesus was beaten, kicked and spat upon as my men and I sat silently by…totally amused by these pitiful, rabbinical guards. After their mock trial and its shallow proceedings, Jesus was given to us to be taken to Pilate. We gathered our prisoner and made the short march across the open city square, followed closely by the High Priest and his entourage of Jewish malcontents.

At the palace of Pilate, I entered and asked permission to present the prisoner and in a short time, Pilate appeared. It was clear by his countenance that he was not happy to see this crowd and I reasoned that this matter would be over quickly. He engaged Caiaphas and upon learning that Jesus was from Galilee, Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, the local Roman administrator of the Jews.

Herod had his fun with Jesus as he had his soldiers dress him in a purple royal robe. They spit upon him, kicked and punched him, then blindfolded him to see if he could tell them who it was that was beating him. They amused themselves for sometime; then Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate.

Pilate was not happy as I marched Jesus back into the great hall, followed closely by the mob of Pharisees. One by one they brought forth witnesses that condemned Jesus for inciting the crowds with his magic and miracles and speaking out against Rome. Pilate heard the trumped up charges and then turned his attention to Jesus. He asked him many questions and gave him every opportunity to defend himself; but Jesus just stood there and offered no defense. It was clear to see that Pilate had grown weary of the whole proceeding and so he gave his verdict… he found no fault in this man but to please these peasants, he would have Jesus flogged.

He instructed me to administer his sentence…39 lashes with the cat of nine tails; a Roman device of torture that had killed many a man after only half as many lashes. My men and I took Jesus out into the courtyard and began to take turns beating him with the whip of chards of glass and bits of metal. Some how, in some way, Jesus, though mangled and bloody from this ordeal, was still alive….then once again, with his purple robe and crown of thorns, he was lead back to Pilate. The crowd became enraged that Pilate purported to release Jesus; instead they demanded that Barabbas be released and that Jesus be crucified. Pilate called for a wash basin and there, before all the gods of Rome, he washed his hands of the innocent blood of this man…then he ordered me to carry out his execution upon a Roman cross.

Now, I have followed many an order to execute a prisoner by means of crucifixion and I have hardly ever given it a second thought; but this time, I felt very uneasy as I prepared my men to obey this order. We gathered the other two prisoners set for execution that day and gave each their wooden beam to carry to the hill known as Golgotha. We flanked the prisoners on each side as we made our way through the burgeoning crowds …many still chanting, CRUCIFY HIM, CRUCIFY HIM…as the lowly carpenter of Galilee passed by. The women that had been had his trial followed closely; they kept crying out for us to let him go for he had done nothing wrong…and somehow, in my heart, I knew they were right. But, I am a soldier and captain of the guard and I follow orders no matter what!

We had barely begun our march along Golgotha's Way when Jesus stumbled and fell; it was clear that he could not make it on his own, so I grabbed a man from the crowd and made him carry his cross. At the summit, we placed Jesus and the other two criminals on their cross beams and began the torturous process of nailing them to the wooden cross. As captain of the guard, it was required of me to deliver the first blows and to see that the spikes were driven through the flesh and into the hardened wood. Once this was complete, I gave the order to raise the cross beams and lower them into the prepared holes…the resounding THUD and the ensuing cries of pain let me know that the dance with death had begun.

I took my place at the peak of the summit, just a few feet from the cross of Jesus. I ordered one of my men to hang the sign that read, JESUS, KING OF THE JEWS and listened to the angry response from the Pharisees. The crowd was still large for such an early morning hour and they continued to mock him and jeer at him…even my own men joined in as they called for him to save himself, if he was indeed the son of God.

I watched as my men took his garments and divided them among themselves… and because the purple robe was one piece, they cast lots to see who would become the owner of this fine linen. The day wore on and slowly, many of the accusers and the riotous crowd began to disperse…only a few of his women followers remained, along with his mother. I watched as he tenderly asked a man standing there to see to her care…and then, he uttered the unthinkable….that His Father should forgive those that had sent him to such a horrible death….. And I thought to myself, could he possibly mean me?

The next few hours are really almost a blur as the clouds began to gather and the sun seemed to be blackened from the sky…it was high noon, but for the next three hours, it seemed as dark as a starless night. The wind began to blow and torrential rains began to fall and in one defining moment, Jesus raised himself up and cried in a loud voice, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!” …. And with that cry, the earth began to shake; the sky was pitch black and the rocks upon Golgotha’s Hill were split open …and Jesus, this innocent man, breathed his last breath.

I literally shook in my sandals and I could hear my armor rattle as the son of God died on Calvary ….my men lay prostrate on the ground, daring not to move for fear that one of the cracks in the hill would open up and swallow them whole. We were all fearful and yet our orders were not complete. We were to guard the body and to make sure that each of the criminals were dead. We broke the bones of the other two, but since Jesus appeared to be dead, one of my men stuck his spear in his side and watched as water and blood gushed out. It seemed to be finished and yet, it was only beginning.

There’s more to my story….if you care to hear it.


Are you like the Roman centurion…the evidence of Christ as the Son of God is presented and you believe ….at least in your head; but the real message at Calvary has not yet touched your heart.

Arturo proclaimed, as the earth shook and Jesus died…”Surely, this man was the son of God;” but Arturo believed in many Gods and so he felt safe in making such an exclamation of fact…he had head knowledge based on what he had just experienced, but his heart was far from convinced…..

How about you? Do you believe in Jesus or ….DO YOU KNOW JESUS? The answer to that question makes all the difference….ETERNAL DIFFERENCE!!!!!

Come by next week and hear the rest of Arturo’s story and meet the Characters of the Resurrection….you’ll be blessed as you celebrate with each of them the Risen Lord, JESUS CHRIST.

HAPPY EASTER,

WPQ

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Manger…The Cross….The Tomb

Mary, Mother of the Condemned…

I stand here at the foot of this hill to see my son, my firstborn, hanging on this cruel cross and my heart is torn from my body. It only seems like days ago that I birthed him on that blessed evening and laid him in that manger while the cattle were lowing in the stillness of the night. I knew he was Heaven’s child as I held him in my arms and sang a mother’s lullaby. Oh, how my heart leapt for joy as Joseph and I stood over our son and prayed for God’s blessing and faithfulness. As I nursed and nurtured him, he grew into a strong and well-mannered child. I still remember the visit from the Magi with their precious gifts, our trips to the synagogue for his Bar Mitzvah and the Passover sacrifices. I remember the panic I felt when we could not find him for three days …and the look of peace and serenity on his face when he told us that he must be about His Father’s business. Though puzzled by his remark, I was so happy to have my precious Jesus in my arms again that I even failed to scold him. Even now, as he labors to breathe, his thoughts and concerns are for me…to give me to his beloved friend, John, so that I may be cared for in the days that are left for me. He told me, so many times, that this day would come…a day when sinful, deceitful men would triumph and he would give his life as a ransom for many….and for me….my Jesus….my son….my Messiah.

Artemas, Thief among Men…..

I have been dreading this day and yet, knowing that it was inevitable. It gave me a sense of strength and purpose, killing that Roman guard after what he did to my mother and my sister…well, he got what he deserved…and now, according to Roman law, I will get what I deserve. But, this man, Jesus? I can’t believe that he is hanging next to me? What crime are they punishing him for….healing the sick, making the lame to walk or the blind to see? My death; I get it! And I would do it over again to avenge my mother and sister. But why Jesus? I heard their accusations; watched as Pilate had him beaten beyond recognition, then washed his hands of this whole fiasco. And these religious hypocrites clamoring for him to be crucified…they should be the ones hanging next to me, not Jesus. Even now, they scoff at him and beg the soldiers to take now the sign hung there by orders from Pilate…”Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.” The soldiers have stripped him naked and cast lots for his purple robe and yet, I heard him say, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

Who is this man that even on this cruel cross he pleads for those that would kill him? And you….you vile serpent ….you are getting just what you deserve…a sentence to death and damnation….do not mock this man. For He is innocent and does not deserve the same fate as you and I. Do you dare mock God and fear Him not? Leave him alone and let him die without the haunting screech of a condemned man ringing in his ears….but King Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom and do not count my sins against me. And then, He did the unthinkable; he raised himself upon the nail and looked at me with his loving eyes and said, “It will be so. Today, you will be with me in paradise.”

By now, it was near noon and I was beginning to lose some of my strength and my will to live was beginning to falter. The sky began to darken and it became like night…the sun seemed blotted from the sky. The women at the foot of Jesus’ cross kept reaching up to touch Him as they held on to each other, sobbing and calling out for God to save His Son. Then, as the darkness seemed to deepen, Jesus called out in a voice that shook the heavens above and made the foundations of the earth quake. He cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” The sky grew darker still and the heavens opened up with torrential rain. The rocks seemed to split open as the whole earth shook. Then he shouted again, “Father, It is finished! Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

And in that last breath, He was gone. I heard the centurion who had stood guard at His feet, turn and tell all those who were still there, “Surely this man was the Son of God.” Then I turned and looked away…. for I, a guilty, sinful man, was not worthy to gaze upon the Son of God.


Joseph of Arimathea, Disciple of Silent Action….

I had to hurry for the day of preparation would soon be over and the Sabbath would be upon us. I had all the necessary things for a quick burial. There would be time later to return and finish the process after the Sabbath. But, first, I had to get before Pilate so that I might claim His body or Jesus would be given a criminal’s burial in the Potter’s field.

I knew I would take some punishment from my fellow members of the Sanhedrin; but if only there had not been such a rush to judgment, Nicodemus and I might have been able to talk them into something less than death. I know Jesus spoke out against them and their deceitful ways, but He only spoke the truth…and that’s what brought about his death… for evil men do not want the light to be shone on their evil deeds.

I hurried off to see Pilate. When I arrived at the palace, I asked the guard to tell Pilate that Joseph of Arimathea would like an audience with him to plead for the body of Jesus. He quickly returned and said that Pilate was sending one of his personal guards to insure that Jesus was dead and that I should wait here. I sat down and began to think on the events of the last 24 hours …the mock trial before the religious leaders of the Sanhedrin; the confrontation with Caiaphas; the trial and subsequent sentence to death by Pilate; the long road to the cross… and the pounding of the hammers as they drove those spikes into His hands and feet. I knew that I would never get that sound out of my ears….and I knew it was time for me to do something that let others know that I loved and believed in this man Jesus.

I had been a coward and afraid of the Jews for far too long…that’s why I had to do this for Jesus …I had to give him the burial that he deserved. The guard returned and not a moment too soon, for the sun was setting and I had to have his body in the tomb before the Sabbath began.

I had told Nicodemus to meet me at the garden, not far from Golgotha’s Hill, and to bring the burial spices and some additional linen. I ran to the cross and the guards, though visibly shaken, helped me remove Christ’s body. My servants and I hurried to the nearby garden and to the new tomb that had just been dug. There, Nicodemus and I bathed our Lord’s body, washing away the blood and the torn flesh that clung to his lifeless corpse. We wept uncontrollably as we saw the pierced hands and feet; taking our time, we placed aloe leaves in the holes and rubbed the myrrh and spices all over His beaten and bruised frame. We began at his feet and gently, lovingly wrapped his entire body in the fine linen, laying more of the aloe leaves and spices in each fold or crevasse of the cloth.

When we had finished, we each kissed him on the cheek and placed the napkin over his head. I looked over my shoulder, to see standing in the doorway, His mother and the other women from Galilee. They stood there sobbing but could not come in … for contact with a dead body would defile them on the eve of the Sabbath. We left the tomb and with the help of Nicodemus and several of my servants, we rolled a stone in front of the doorway to keep out the grave robbers. I told the women that I would come back with them after the Sabbath so they could finish what we had not….and then, with once last parting glance, I left the garden and the place where my Jesus lay…in a cold, dark tomb.

I had done in His death what I had failed to do in His life….tell my Savior that I loved Him. God forgive me for my unbelief!


The Manger, the Cross and the Tomb….three different places…three different experiences…one Loving Savior. Today…HE IS CRUCIFIED ….he hangs upon that cross for his mother…the criminal ….Joseph of Arimathea….and for you and me.

Don’t be like Mary and love a nostalgic Savior ….for He is alive and waiting for you to confirm Him in your life today.

Don’t be like the criminal and wait until the very last second to meet Jesus…he will save you, but that’s a risky way to live…or then die without Him.

Don’t be like Joseph and be too afraid of the “established” powers in your life to let others know that you love and serve a risen Savior.

Today, proclaim that Jesus is yours and you are His….and then you will enjoy the glory and the blessings that belong to Jesus and those that follow Him….and you will celebrate His Resurrection as a new creation in Christ.

Hallelujah…He died for my sins, yet….. He Lives Forevermore,

WPQ

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Pilate…the Desire to Believe?

I hate this desolate, barren land. It is worse than a boil on the backside of their wretched camels. Why would I, a captain of Caesars’ very own Elite Guard, end up in a place like this? What could I have possibly done to displease him that would merit such punishment? Governor of this region is certainly not what I was hoping to have as my reward for my last great victory. Surely, my time here will be short and my interactions with these Jews will soon be over.

And yet, here they are again….these weak, insignificant peasants; religious pontificators whining about some homeless prophet that they can’t control. It’s barely daylight and already they would summon me from my slumber to decide the punishment for this Jesus. I should have them all dragged into the palace and made to bow at my feet…it is of no consequence to me that they would be unfit for their Passover feast. My only desire is to make this situation go away as quickly as possible so that I can get back to more important matters ….like leaving this wretched land and all its pettiness to the goat herders and the Jews.

Once in the courtyard, I listened as they brought witness after witness to regale how this Jesus had excited the crowds to follow him; had turned out the moneychangers and the livestock from their beloved temple…so I told them to take him and judge him by their puny Jewish laws. They refused since for them it was unlawful to crucify anyone. I found no fault in him; but better to let the local ruler have this on him than me …so I sent him to Herod….and in only a matter of hours, Jesus was standing in front of me again.

So I asked him, “Tell me, are you the King of the Jews?” ...and his answer puzzled me; “Are you asking this of your own accord or have others told you about me?” I told him that I was not a Jew and it didn’t matter to me…. That it was his own nation and High Priest that had brought him to me and that I had the power to have him killed or let him go. He told me that His kingdom was not of this world and when I questioned him about this, he told me that he was here to testify to the truth…whatever that meant, I really wasn’t sure. So, I sought to return him to the Jews for I found no legal grounds on which to condemn him….but they shouted me down and called out to release the rebel, Barabbas, according to the custom of the Passover to release one criminal from bondage.

I sent Jesus away and had the captain of the battalion beat and flog him…they placed a crown of thorns on his head and wrapped a purple cloth around him, all the while mocking him, punching him and asking, “if you are a prophet, tell us who hit you.” I then brought him back before the assembly of the Jewish leaders and the ever-growing crowd and told them once again that I could find no grounds to merit a conviction.

He stood before them, wearing that purple robe and his kingly crown of thorns and I said, “Behold, here is the man!” I was really not prepared for this angry mob as they screamed out … “CRUCIFY HIM, CRUCIFY HIM!” I silenced them and told them to take him away and kill him according to their laws for I found nothing in this man that deserved his death by crucifixion ….but they would not be silenced.

What happened next gave me great pause for concern…they told me that he must die according to their rabbinical law…for he had proclaimed himself to be Son of God. Now, I am a god-fearing man that worships many Gods and I was not willing to take the chance that this man might actually be the son of one of them, so I brought him back into the inner chamber and asked him once again, “Where are you from? Who are you? Are you the Son of God?”…but, he just stood before me and offered nothing in his defense. I reminded him that it was within my powers to release him or to have him crucified, yet he told me that I had no authority over him had it not been given to me from above.

This was not an ordinary man and I did all within my powers to release him…I truly desired to let him go with the beating that he had endured and a strong reprimand not to appear before me again. I took him back to the courtyard with every intention to silence the Jews and to let Jesus go, but they cried out even louder that if I did such a thing, I was no friend of Caesar. I could not let this anarchy go on any longer, for word might return to Rome that I was unable to control these weak-minded Jews…so I presented them with the King, yet they shouted even more, “Away with him. We have no King but Caesar. Crucify Jesus!”

So, I did what was expedient. I called for a basin of water, and there before this angry mob and the gods of Rome, I washed my hands of his innocent blood…then, I gave Jesus over to them so that he should be crucified.

It had to be done. I had no choice. I had sworn an oath to Rome and to Caesar to protect this horrible land and to keep the peace. If I failed to give this mob what they wanted, many would probably die trying to restore order and I would be held responsible for their deaths…but my conscience was clear; I had tried to release Jesus …I had done all that I could to let him go, but my duty to Rome came first. After all, I am a soldier and soldiers follow orders no matter how unpleasant they might be. I did all that was possible that day…his death was not my fault!


Today, is that what you have been telling yourself….that Jesus’ death was NOT YOUR FAULT? It was not your decision to send Him to his death… to have Him bludgeoned to within an inch of his life, nailed to a rugged tree and hung between two thieves. Have you tried to wash his innocent blood from your hands and declare that you, too, have a clear conscience?

If so, you have missed the meaning of the cross….Christ may have chosen the nails, but it was your sins that swung the hammer…you and I were the ones that drove those spikes deep into the flesh of Jesus. God requires that we come to Him, holy and acceptable; Jesus accomplished that for us by giving himself as a blood sacrifice on the cross. Now, we must accept our part in His death….it was our sin that put Him there; it is our pride that keeps us from accepting the fact that WE NEED A SAVIOR!!!!

Don’t let pride keep you from knowing Jesus and accepting what He accomplished for you on Calvary…He is just a heartbeat away ….and so is eternity without Him!

Sorrow-filled for My Part … Forgiven and Forever His,

WPQ

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Annas and Caiaphas …The Holy Priesthood

Annas speaks....I’m still not sure why they brought Jesus to me in the first place. I am an old, tired man and I am so weary of the Pharisees and their timidities. This Jesus is a crowd-pleaser, a cheap magician with pleasing tricks. If they would just ignore him, pay him no attention; he would soon be forgotten. But each day in the temple complex, they plot as to how they might bring about his demise. In my day, we knew how to deal with such rift-raft…we took them outside the city gates and stoned them to death; then left their rotting corpses for the buzzards and the Roman guard to dispose of. But, Caiaphas, my son-in-law, is still new to this game and I don’t believe he is aware of just how much power he holds as the High Priest. He is the leader of God’s chosen; though oppressed and downtrodden, we are still to claim our position of power in dealing with those that would subvert our culture…and this Jesus, he has surely done just that. Teaching them to turn the other cheek; to walk the second mile; treating women with love, dignity and compassion…over turning my money tables in the temple and driving out my people. Well, now the tables are turned….send him to Caiaphas, let see if he will do the right thing and get rid of this man …once and for all.

Caiaphas, The High Priest speaks....I had been awakened from a troubled slumber to hear the voice of the High Priest’s guard announce that they had Jesus; bound and waiting for me in the courtyard. I had already dispatched a number of the guards to call an emergency meeting of the Sanhedrin; for when Caiaphas, the High Priest calls, they drop everything and come. Surely, time was of the essence if we were to meet our objective to judge, convict and turn over Jesus to the Roman governor for his sentence of execution. I had already set aside the Mishnah and its Jewish laws…desperate times call for desperate measures….after all, we had to silence this Jesus before the people followed him in open rebellion and brought down the wrath of the entire Roman Empire. If that were to occur, we would be displaced as the rulers of our people and nothing of our way of life as God’s elect would remain. I had said it before and it was even clearer after the events of the past week, “it is to our advantage that one man should die for the people rather than the whole nation perish.”

We had been conspiring for weeks to bring Jesus to Jewish justice, but he had been elusive and the timing had never been good, especially since his triumphal entry last week; but now, if we hurried, we could have Jesus tried before Pilate, sentenced and crucified at the hands of the Romans and there would be no repercussions against us.

It was the perfect way to be rid of the Nazarene …once and for all!

I questioned him; heard the testimony of the eye-witnesses regarding him destroying our sacred temple and rebuilding it in three days…and then, I asked him, point blank, “Tell us, are you the Messiah, the Son of God?’

I still can’t believe what he said; “You have said it. But I tell you in the future, you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Immediately, I cried out and began to tear my robes, to wail and to claw my flesh. I denounced his blasphemous statement and cried out to the Sanhedrin for their decision…their answer was clear and without reservation….HE MUST DIE.

So, I did what needed to be done…I sent him away to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. There he would be tried and found guilty for crimes against Rome. We would have to pressure Pilate for a speedy crucifixion for the Sabbath was approaching and the Passover crowds were large and the people were still celebrating. All this would have to be done quickly… before the throngs of those following Jesus had time to mount any type of movement against the will of the Sanhedrin. It is best that one man dies ….then a nation and its leaders can breathe easier …God Bless the will of His People.


Are you an Annas or Caiaphas in your relationship with Jesus? Do you see his teachings as a conflict or a constriction on your actions? These men were each living for themselves …though their pompous and pious attitude let them think that they were doing what was best for God’s chosen elect. In simple fact, they were sinners…blinded to the truth of God’s infinite grace and they chose to inflict their blindness on the Jewish nation. They had power, prestige and a perverted sense of God’s will….and their decisions cost a nation the opportunity to embrace their Messiah.

Don’t let someone you know, possibly someone you hold in high esteem, keep you from meeting the Savior today. There intentions may be good; but good intentions never got anyone into heaven….and they never will!

Only a personal relationship with the risen Lord Jesus will guarantee you a written invitation to attend the celestial celebration we call heaven….your invitation is from this man Jesus …He died and rose again and now sits at the right hand of the Father…and His invitation is just one word….COME!!!!!


Come to Jesus…and Be Eternally Blessed,

WPQ

Monday, April 18, 2011

Judas Iscariot...Satan's Servant or Scapegoat?

I have traveled road after dusty road, following this teacher from Galilee …and what has it gotten me….Just dirty feet, blisters and a few coins of little value. And what’s the matter with the rest of the inner circle? We have watched Jesus heal the sick, make the blind to see, cure the leper …even raise Lazarus from the day. He is wasting his great abilities on the common and unlovely….and he is constantly at odds with the rulers of the Sanhedrin and with Caiaphas, the High Priest. I have a plan that will force his hand …a plan that will cause him to use his powers against those that oppress us and force us to obey foreign and pagan laws. Surely that is not what the great God of our forefathers had intended for this man. If he is the chosen one, the true Messiah of Israel, it’s time he began to act like it and do something to free His people. Yes, a little nudge should be all he needs.

As the Feast of the Passover draws near:


Well, that went better than I expected…the Sanhedrin and the entire Jewish nation will have me to thank in just a few days….and I got 30 pieces of silver for my trouble. I would have been willing to take half as much; but this could be dangerous, especially with the excited crowds Jesus has been drawing. I will be patient and I will deliver him to the High Priest, just as I promised….He’ll never be expecting this. But when he comes into power, Jesus will have me to thank for forcing his hand and I’m sure I will be richly rewarded in his new kingdom…maybe a provincial governor or ruler of some foreign land. I will be rich…no more paltry coins in the collection bag….RICH, RICH …FILTHY RICH.

At the Passover Feast:


Look at him…acting like a servant, washing and drying our feet. Only a few more hours and my plan will begin to emerge …and Jesus will be the ruler of the Jewish nation and all nations will bow before his great and awesome powers. What was that? How could he possibly know that someone is going to betray him…does he know that it is me? No, he couldn’t possibly know. I have been ever so discreet…must be the rising tensions between him and the Sanhedrin that have him on edge. Time to go…I need a diversion…he has given me the dipped bread and told me to go and do quickly what I must. No one will miss me …I’ll just slip out the door into the darkness.

In the Garden:

I know just where he is going after the Passover meal…where he always takes us …across the Kidron valley to the Mount of Olives. I had told this to the Captain of the guard and explained to him that there was no need for so many men. The disciples were unarmed and Jesus surely offered no physical threat. But, I was surrounded by the Palace guard from the High Priest and a full company of Roman soldiers…at no choice but to proceed as planned. We entered the garden at the south entrance …a small winding trail leads to the top of the Mount. It would be hard for anyone to hear or see us coming under cover of darkness, but it seemed like every one of the soldiers was carrying a lighted torch….it was as bright as noon day. So much for the element of surprise! The Roman centurion led the way and when we arrived, he told the small band of men that we were looking for Jesus the Nazarene.

What happened next caught me fully off-guard. Christ stepped forward and said, “I am He!” and when he did, all of the Roman soldiers and the Palace guard stepped back and fell to the ground. It was as if his words knocked them over and rendered them helpless. But, I stepped forward and gave the agreed upon sign that would signify that they should arrest that man…I kissed Jesus on the cheek….and he looked into my eyes and said, “Judas, my friend, why have you come? Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

And in that moment, it was all set in motion. They bound Jesus’ hands and feet and literally dragged him down the mountainside. They took him to Caiaphas and they began to pummel his face, to pull out his hair and to spit upon him….and all the while, Christ Jesus did nothing…he did not even speak in his defense. In just a few hours, he stood before Pilate who ordered that he be flogged with 39 lashes, The Roman soldiers hit him, kicked him and spit upon him…they placed a crown of thorns upon his bloody brow….and still; Jesus did nothing. Where were his powers …why did he not strike out at his tormenters and call down fire and brimstone from Heaven? He claimed to be the Son of God, but all he did was to take their abuse and to stand silent before his accusers.

I couldn’t take it any longer. This was not going according to my plan…Jesus was silent as a lamb… being led to slaughter….and it was all my fault. I had sold him out for thirty pieces of silver and the desire to be great in his kingdom. Instead, all I could do was to stand hopelessly by and watch as they led him away to be crucified. I ran as fast as I could back to the Election hall and threw the money at the feet of the chief priest and the elders. I begged them to forgive me for my sin of betraying innocent blood…they laughed at me and told me it was not their concern. I had lost it all…Jesus would die because of my greed, arrogance and selfish desires. A man who had loved me and called me one of his chosen, I had sold to be crucified for 30 pieces of silver…I was not fit to live, so I did the only thing I knew…I took my own life …for it was a life not worth saving.


Maybe, you have come to that conclusion today…with all the sin and mistakes, the betrayal and the callous, selfish attitude you have toward Jesus. Maybe, you too see a life that is not worth saving…but that’s not what Jesus sees. In fact, your sin-filled life is the very reason He went to that cross…the only reason He would have chosen the nails….so that you could ask for His forgiveness and have your sin debt paid by His shed blood.

The choice is really quite simple; you can ignore what Jesus has done for you or you can accept His offer of love and forgiveness that was bought and paid for on the Cross of Calvary. If you know Jesus as your personal Savior, then this week is a week of celebration as we, those that love and follow Him, anticipate His resurrection. If not, then your fate is the same as Judas Iscariot….hopelessly lost, awaiting the coming Judgment.

I pray that you will come to know my Jesus this Easter …and that in Him; you will know a life, complete and full of promise.

Forgiven…by His shed blood,

WPQ

Saturday, April 16, 2011

The Cast of the Crucifixion…Peter

I couldn’t believe that I could treat my Jesus like that …what happened…what went so miserably wrong that I would deny and forsake him; turn my back and run away….I should suffer the same fate as Judas Iscariot, but I’m too much of a coward to die at my own hand.

It had only been a week ago that Jesus sent John and me into the village to find the young donkey. It was tethered there, just as Jesus said, and when we told the owner that Jesus had need of it, he gladly gave it to us. We placed our cloaks upon it and Jesus rode upon the back of the young foal as the crowd cheered wildly and lay their coats and palm branches across the road saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord.” And now, less than a week later, they cried out, “Away with Him! Crucify Him!”

And then, there was the Passover meal that we shared in that upper room…as we sat down to eat, Christ arose and girded himself with a cloth and began to wash our feet. When he came to me, I arrogantly announced that he would never wash my feet. Then, he lovingly told me that if he didn’t wash me I would have no part with him…so I proudly proclaimed that he should wash all of me. He told us later, after the meal that he was going away and that, for now, we could not follow. But once again, I proclaimed my love and desire to follow him …even unto death; but, he lovingly told me that on that very night I would deny him three times.

I failed him again …in the garden. There in the darkness, Judas Iscariot showed up with the Palace guard and a company of Roman soldiers. They said they were searching for Jesus the Nazarene and when they took hold of him, I drew my sword to smite them…I was not one to run from a fight; but again, Jesus gently rebuked me and told me that he must drink the cup that His Father had given him and there should be no more of this…and then, he healed the servant’s severed ear.

Oh, but my greatest failure was the one that Jesus had predicted before we left that upper room….that I would deny Him. After they seized him and led him away, I followed in the shadows…not close enough to be noticed, but I could not forsake Him after all he had done for me. We arrived in the courtyard of the high priest’s house and they built a fire. As I sought to warm myself, a young servant woman looked closely at me and declared that I was one of his followers …but I denied that I knew him. The rooster began to crow to announce the coming of day. A few moments later, someone else saw me and said. “He’s one of them too!” I vehemently denied that I was one of his followers and thought that would be the end of it. As I walked round and round the fire, peering into the house, straining to hear what was happening to Jesus, another man, a relative of the servant whose ear I had cut off, exclaimed, “You were with that man. I’m sure I saw you in the garden with him this very night. You are certainly one of them, since you are also a Galilean.” But I started to curse and to swear with an oath that I never knew the man that they were talking about….and then, it happened….the rooster crowed the second time….and it all came crashing in on me. I ran and I ran into the fleeting darkness as dawn began to make its arrival known…tears streamed down my face as my breathing became labored and strained. I sobbed uncontrollably ….how could this have happened to me…for I am Peter, the one that the Messiah said he would built his church upon that even the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Yet, I had betrayed my Jesus by denying that I ever knew him …that He ever had a position of love and authority in my life.

I wanted to die, but instead I ran away and hid in fear and expectation that they would soon come after me. Within hours, Christ had stood before Pilate, been sentenced to death and had been crucified upon the cross….and while all this took place, I was in hiding with the other disciples. Our world had ended and I was the most miserable one of all…I had denied the one that loved me and called me out to make me one of his chosen…and I had failed him when He needed me most. And now, it was over and I would forever carry that guilt and shame with me …I could never ask my Christ to forgive me for He was gone.

Maybe, today, you see yourself as Peter saw himself, just hours after he had denied that he knew Jesus. You call Jesus your friend, your Savior, even Lord and Master; but there are too many times that you are called upon to make Him known in your world and you pull a Peter…you deny that you love him or that He has the position of love and authority in your life. You have had countless times in many situations to speak up and live out your witness for Jesus Christ; but, too many times, your actions, as well as your words (or lack of them) deny that you belong to Him. You can do as Peter and carry that guilt and shame around with you …or you can be restored by the love and grace that was Peter’s after our Lord arose. You can follow the risen Lord and FEED HIS SHEEP (John 21:15-19).

Today, that choice is yours and yours alone. No one knows the times you have failed to let others see that you belong to Jesus….only you and Jesus know….and He’s not telling.
But, He is waiting for you to ask for His forgiveness…. and then He is ready, willing and able to equip you with a bold love and a loose tongue that gladly proclaims that you know the man from Galilee. May you always be ready to speak His name and share His love….for there’s no denying that He loves you and gave his life for you.

Loved and proclaiming it,

WPQ

Friday, April 15, 2011

The Triumphs of Easter….

This weekend begins the week that leads to Passover and to our celebration of Easter; but for Christ, the journey to the cross began with His triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. John 12:12-15 gives us insight into this celebratory event in the life of Christ as it reads, “

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,
Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”


The way of the cross began as the crowds celebrated Jesus and the many miracles He had performed. He had touched so many lives and the passion of the crowds swept them into the streets as they sought to honor him as their King instead of the Romans who now enslaved their nation….however, Christ knew this celebration would be short-lived and that the cries of hosannas would soon be replaced by the shouts of an angry mob to crucify their once triumphant King.

How will you enter this Easter season? As one, who by word and deed, praises the man of sorrow and exalts him as King….or will you prove to be as fickle as the angry crowds and shout to crucify the Lord of Lords …Your actions and how you spend this Easter season will tell others how much you really care for Jesus.

Begin this Easter season on this upcoming Palm Sunday in praise and worship at the church of your choosing; then, join me all next week in the reprint of the Cast of the Crucifixion and the Cast of the Resurrection….come share the stories of those who encountered the Christ of the Cross and the Redeemer Resurrected….your heart will be blessed as you meditate on all that Christ accomplished on the cross and your soul will overflow with joy as you reflect on the great love of our Heavenly Father….

REJOICE AND BE JOYOUS …..WE KNOW HOW THIS STORY ENDS……

Secure in the works of my Savior…..Longing for Eternity,
WPQ

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Releasing the Pain…

Everywhere today, people are suffering and enduring pain. It may be physical pain that is the result of some disease that is ravaging their body; emotional pain from the loss of a loved one through death or divorce or it may be the pain of rejection, withdrawal, remorse or neglect. As sure as there is breath that confirms life, so there is pain.

In fact, doctors often speak with their patients regarding their “threshold” for pain before or directly after a surgical procedure….trying to determine the level of awareness at which they feel pain. For some that level is high and they can tolerate a great deal before they feel the pain….others are not so lucky. Once that determination is made, the doctor then prescribes an aspirin or similar medication to relieve the pain. However, although that is what we think is occurring, it is not. The aspirin actually has no effect on the physical problem; rather, it only raises your threshold for pain….and by raising your threshold, you are able to endure more pain before you once again fill its damaging effects.

As Christians, we have a “spiritual” aspirin that God has given us to help us endure the pain and suffering that we encounter as we make our way across this landscape we call life. In Nehemiah 8: 10 we read, “The JOY of the Lord is your strength.”

Joy is the aspirin that God has given us to help us endure. When we spend our time in thanksgiving and praise, we will be filled with the joy of the Lord. As we come to God and our continuously reminded of His faithfulness, His joy fills our hearts; and then, when troubles and the pains of life come, we will not succumb to the damaging effects of doubt and disbelief; rather, we will be conquerors in Him.

They are many ways to experience the joy of the Lord…to find that “spiritual” aspirin when the ways of the world seem too much to bear. For King Saul, it was the harp of David that brought peace to a tortured soul….for Jesus, it was the solitude of the mountainside that brought strength for the task ahead…for me, it is a round of golf that refreshes and renews me for the battle against the enemy.

You see, when I step on the first tee and see the beauty of the blue sky; smell the freshly mowed grass; watch the flight of that little white ball as it soars through the air….I am reminded of my awesome God and the beauty of His creation. I revel in the joy of the Lord …that I am healthy in Him, both physically and spiritually and I REJOICE that I belong to Him.

Whatever problems, mistakes, miscalculations or misgivings I may be experiencing melt away as I spend time in pursuit of that ball and my Lord…it is indeed my release from all of my pain. I know that He loves me and that He is preparing a place for me ….and that some day SOON, He is coming back for me….and that thought fills me with JOY!!!!

What’s your “spiritual” aspirin that fills you with praise and adoration for you Savior? Is it listening to beautiful music or walking through a forest glen….biking across a mountain trail or reading from the Holy Scriptures….singing at the top of your lungs or whispering a simple prayer… whatever it is, do it to the glory of Him who has saved you and be filled with the joy of the Lord!

For when His joy fills your heart, your pain will diminish and you will be….Blessed Beyond Measure,

WPQ

Thought for the Day:
Life’s problems may weigh you down
Dark clouds may bring you rain
But when your joy is in the Lord
You’ll hardly feel the pain.


PS: Come back tomorrow and all next week to meet The Cast of the Crucifixion and the Cast of the Resurrection.