We’re celebrating Easter and as we all know it’s all about Jesus being crucified. And the value of Easter being in the fact that Jesus rose again on the third day. Which is really amazing. If I try to think about the resurrection in human terms, there’s no way that is could have happened.
Matthew 28:1 – 10,”Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of Him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid for I know that you seek Jesus who is crucified. He is not here, for He is risen like He said. Come see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee: there you will see him. See, I have told you.’ So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.’”
If this was a fairy tale or a work of fiction, it might be hard to think of as being plausible. It outrates the most dramatic soap opera. Superman, Batman and Spiderman don’t have a chance of coming anywhere near this story. Jesus is the ultimate super hero. There is not one single logical thing about the resurrection. When the soldiers went to tell the story, the elders bribed them to say that the disciples had stolen Jesus’s body. The whole thing didn’t make the least sense to Thomas either.
John 20:24 – 29 , “Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.’ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” So here Jesus not only knows what Thomas said, he also walked through the wall!
If we confess to being Christians, believers, followers of Jesus, then we have to totally believe what’s written in the Bible. If the Bible says Jesus appeared, and if He walked through the wall or just appeared out of nowhere, it doesn’t matter, we have to believe it. It’s as simple as that. But is it as simple as that when our faith is tested. Is it simple when we’ve been praying and trusting God for a miracle and it hasn’t happened?
Isaiah 40:28 – 31, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
And what shall we do while we are waiting on the Lord?
Colossians 4:2, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it, with thanksgiving.”
That’s the answer, keep on praying and praise God. Even though nothing makes sense, God hears your prayers and He loves you so much He sent His only Son to die so that you can be saved.
Tag: Easter
Forgive her Father…
I wove the crown of thorns
That our precious Savior wore
FORGIVE HER FATHER
SHE KNOWS NOT WHAT SHE DOES!
I wielded the whip
That tore into His flesh
FORGIVE HER FATHER
SHE KNOWS NOT WHAT SHE DOES!
I drove the nails
That held Him to the cross
FORGIVE HER FATHER
SHE KNOWS NOT WHAT SHE DOES!
I lifted the spear
That pierced his side.
FORGIVE HER FATHER
SHE KNOWS NOT WHAT SHE DOES!
She is Your precious daughter
Who will take up Your sword
And fight the enemy
She is Your precious daughter
Who will go into the world
And open the eyes of the blind
She is Your precious daughter
Who will overcome evil
And receive the victor’s crown
She is Your precious daughter
And it is for her
That all this pain I bear.
FORGIVE HER FATHER
SHE KNOWS NOT WHAT SHE DOES!
What to eat over Easter??
The commemoration of the crucifixion of Jesus is 2 days away. Shops are full of Easter eggs and Easter bunnies and fancy chocolates. People are getting excited about having a long weekend. A lot of people won’t be working for 4 consecutive days and they’ll have the opportunity to visit friends and relatives, or go to the beach before winter starts.
The Jews have the tradition of the Seder plate on Passover. It consists of Z’roa which is a lamb shank which represents a symbolic offering to the temple. Beitzah, which is an egg and a symbol of rebirth. The third is Maror or bitter herbs such as horseradish to signify the bitterness of enslavement. Karpas is a non-bitter vegetable like parsley and it is dipped into salted water to symbolize tears. The fifth item on the plate is called Haroset. A mixture ofapple, nuts and wine that represents the mortar and bricks used by the enslaved Jews. The last is an optional addition and is another bitter herb such as romaine lettuce. Four glasses of red wine are also required at the Passover Seder, each representing one of the four promises made by God. The only grain which is allowed is the Matzo, a flat wheat bread which is watched from grinding to finished product to make sure no fermentation takes place. Any other grains which can ferment, wheat as well as oats, barley, rye and spelt are not allowed and are called hametz. During the flight from Egypt the Jews took along unleavened bread. During the Passover it is eaten as a flat cracker-like bread of used in dishes as breadcrumbs and in the traditional matzo-ball soup.
Apparently pickled fish on Good Friday is a uniquely South African tradition with a history that’s as mysterious as the sea itself. One thing everyone agrees on is that this food tradition hails from the Western Cape. Some say it came about because fishing boats didn’t go out over the Easter weekend, making the pickling of fish a necessity in the days before fridges and freezers. Having lamb as part of the meal comes from the Israelites in Egypt who had to slaughter a lamb and mark their doors with the blood to cause the Angel of Death to pass over their houses. The lamb was roasted and eaten by the family. I am not going to get into an explanation or an argument about hot cross buns. They are a little controversial, just like the celebration of Easter itself.
Ephesians 3:22-25, “But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” Sometimes we have to be reminded that for us as Christians, traditions of eating certain foods and doing certain rituals, are just that, traditions. If they bear significance to us that’s great. Maybe they remind us of an age gone by when our grandmothers used to serve a particular dish on a certain occasion. There’s nothing wrong with keeping the tradition, but we have to remember that there is no spiritual significance to it. When I say spiritual significance, I mean that it doesn’t influence our salvation or our relationship with Jesus. 1 Corinthians 10:23 and 31, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Paul is explaining that there are certain things that may give offense to other people and in that case it is better not to do those things. Just note that he says these things give offence to people, not to God. With whatever we do we should take into consideration Ephesians 10:24, “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.”
Whether we choose to eat pickled fish and hot cross buns on Good Friday, or if we choose to celebrate the Passover instead, really makes no difference to our salvation as long as we don’t do it as an act of trying to win God’s favor.
Forgive them Father
We wove the crown of thorns
That our precious Savior wore
FORGIVE THEM FATHER
THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO!
We weilded the whip
That tore into His flesh
FORGIVE THEM FATHER
THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO!
We drove the nails
That held Him to the cross
FORGIVE THEM FATHER
THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO!
We lifted the spear
That pierced his side.
FORGIVE THEM FATHER
THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO!
They are Your precious sons and daughters
Who will take up Your sword
And fight the enemy
They are Your precious sons and daughters
Who will go into the world
And open the eyes of the blind
They are Your precious sons and daughters
Who will overcome evil
And receive the victor’s crown
They are Your precious sons and daughters
And it is for them
That all this pain I bear.
FORGIVE THEM FATHER
THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO!
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