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For April 14, 2019
Much like any other Sunday morning in Jerusalem, this particular one was peaceful and quiet. The Roman soldiers who were guarding Joseph of Arimathaea’s tomb were preparing for what would otherwise be an ordinary day. Not quite dawn; the horizon’s shades were gradually changing from a starry pitch-black darkness into breathtaking shades of orange-red, beige-yellow and blue; to welcome the dawning of a new day.

These highly trained, hardened soldiers were alerted by the shadowy figures and voices of women who were coming to the tomb to embalm their Savior and Lord. The tomb was sealed and the soldiers were prepared to defend it with their lives. The soldiers were poised to strike when it happened….

In Matthew 28, we learn there was a great earthquake as the Angel of the Lord descended from Heaven and rolled the stone from the door. The Angel appeared as bright as lightning with snowy white clothing. The solders trembled in fear—horrified by what they saw—“became as dead men.”

The Angel’s reassuring message to the women still comforts Christians everywhere today:

“Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.” Matthew 28:5-7 (NLT)

Naysayers have speculated the Lord’s Disciples stole Jesus’ body, the women went to the wrong tomb, or people hallucinated our Lord’s resurrection. Yet no one has yet to refute or discredit the New Testament account of the resurrection.

In addition, after two-thousand years, we are still not able to refute the testimonies of those, who like the Apostle Paul, claimed to have seen the Lord Jesus. Moreover, the incredible transformation in the lives of those who have encountered the Risen Christ by faith cannot be explained as well.

Jesus Christ is risen, and because He lives:

• • He proved emphatically that He is Lord and God.
  • We know that He is the only Mediator between God and humanity.
  • We have victory over sin, death and the Enemy (Satan) through our sincere, penitent faith in Christ.
  • Our true, lasting intimacy with our loving God is secured and guaranteed.
  • We know His Spirit inhabits and preserves us until He returns for us.

When we give our hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ, He transforms us so marvelously that we often cannot recognize ourselves as being “new creations” in Christ, just as 2 Corinthians 5:17 teaches. What a wonderful Savior!

Yes! Jesus Christ is risen indeed!

For April 12, 2019
It was early Friday morning of Passover Week, and Jesus had not yet slept. Over the last 24 hours, He changed the festive Passover Seder into a commemorative Lord’s Supper. Then while in Garden of Gethsemane, Judas betrayed Him into the hands of the corrupt religious leaders for a mere thirty pieces of silver.

He was unjustly hastened before Pilate, Herod Antipas and Pilate again to be condemned to death, but not before cruel Roman soldiers savagely beat him without mercy. Then when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him; but was our Jesus Christ a sinless, guiltless innocent victim of egregious injustice?

In Ezekiel 18:4, God tells us everyone belongs to Him and anyone who sins will die. While Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death. To remedy sin’s curse, God sanctioned blood sacrifices to atone for human sin (See Leviticus 17:11).

In other words, sin equals death, and blood atones for sin.

As the Son of Man, Jesus accurately predicted His vicarious death and suffering when He said:

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.   John 3:14-18 (NIV)

As the Lamb of God, Jesus chose to pay the price for our past, present, and future sins with His precious blood by freely giving His life at Calvary. In other words, someone had to shed blood and die to pay for our sins, and Jesus alone chose to pay this enormous price for us.

Although our Lord had the opportunity to escape death on the cross, He sought to fulfill God’s will instead of His own. Even after being beaten, spat upon, insulted, and crowned with thorns, our Lord was willing to suffer even more disgrace and humiliation by being stripped of His clothing and affixed to a wooden cross. Before throngs of mocking people, He had the power and the right to command legions of angels to destroy all humanity instantly; but He yielded His life for our sins and became our perfect Intercessor instead.

Yes! Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ chose to be the innocent victim so that we could experience eternal love, joy, peace and fellowship with God, which continues from this life into the next. What a wonderful Savior!

For April 7, 2019
What an exciting week for people in and around Jerusalem! Sunday, a Triumphal Entry captured the hopes and dreams of those who heralded Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah. The next day, Temple gatherers witnessed the Lord purging the Temple from unauthorized vending and money changing.

Then Jesus forever settles the dispute concerning His Kingdom authority, an unidentified woman, whom John indicates as Mary (John 12:3), anoints Jesus’ feet with very precious aromatic oil, Jesus and the Disciples find brief seclusion, and then He requests a furnished room for the Passover Observance.

Now it’s Thursday evening, and the Disciples looked forward to the Passover celebration, which is the festive gathering for all Jews to commemorate God’s deliverance from 400 years of Egyptian bondage by the hand of Moses.

But for the Twelve Disciples it was a much-need break from a busy week…or so they thought.

However, from the outset, this particular Passover observance was distinctly and uncharacteristically different from any they had ever experienced before or since.

After settling the discussion about who would be the greatest in the Kingdom, the Lord served as house servant and performed the ancient tradition of washing His Disciples’ feet by cleaning the dirt and dust that accumulated on their feet as they traveled the dusty Palestinian roads in open sandals.

Jesus spoke very graphically and candidly of His dying, their betrayal, denial, and ultimate desertion. Then inexplicably, Judas left the celebration without muttering a word. From first glance, one could rightly say that this very special celebration was ruined—completely!

Yet as the chaos subsided, a strange thing happened. Instead of the usual Seder recitation, Jesus changes it by taking the bread, blessing it, braking it, and giving it to His Disciples while saying: “Take, eat; this is My body!”

Then Jesus takes the cup, gives thanks, and while passing it to them He says: “Drink ye all of it; for this is My blood, a New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you: I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom! Do this in remembrance of Me!”¹

I can imagine how while the Disciples were leaving the room, singing a hymn, and accompanying the Lord to the Mount of Olives, they were asking themselves: “Why did the Lord change the Seder so unconventionally?” and “What did He mean by saying: This is My body and blood—a New Covenant?”

They would have the answers to these two questions within the next seventy-two hours.

For April 1, 2019
Travelers from around the word assembled in Jerusalem to commemorate the Exodus, or the miraculous deliverance of God’s people from Egyptian bondage. Vast crowds descended upon the city because this was one of three designated times when all Jewish males had to assemble before the Lord in the place He chose to meet them, according to Deuteronomy 16:16.

Then on Sunday, it happened. While the people were preparing for the Passover, the excitement in the air fueled a commotion, which was followed by a murmur. The murmur turned into a chant, and the chant became a deafening roar: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the Highest!” (Matthew 21:9)

It was apparent that royalty was coming to town. Jesus Christ had arrived in His earthly splendor and as His critics observe: “The whole world had gone unto Him!” (John 12:19)

Today, chauffeured limousines provide transportation for persons of nobility. Two thousand years ago, conquering rulers rode horseback to symbolize their power or dominance over their vanquished subjects.

Yet humbly and meekly, our Lord rode on the offspring of the donkey to fulfil the words of Zechariah 9:9 (NIV):

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Analogous to flying as a “stand by” customer when He had a first class ticket, Jesus could have used a more notable means to present Himself as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In other words, Jesus had every right to ride into Jerusalem on horseback as the Conquering King. Instead, He chose to be the Humble Servant, as death awaited Him.

It is quite remarkable that our eternal and holy God chose to occupy human flesh as Jesus Christ. Even more amazing was that although He is our Creator and Sustainer, He used this form of modest transportation on the first day of the last and most important week of His life on earth.

However much like His humble birth, the Lord’s choice is not surprising given His description of Himself (my emphasis):

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)

On His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, our Lord chose the mode of transportation that would present Him as the “Prince of Peace” featured in Isaiah 9:6 also. As result, throngs of people covered the road with clothes or palm branches while swelling crowds cheered and/or waved palm branches in celebration.

Our Lord established a new ministry paradigm featuring genuine humility, unrivaled meekness and matchless love. He humbled Himself subjected Himself to those who were insulting, demeaning and humiliating because He loves us more than we could ever love ourselves

What’s all the commotion? Jesus is coming, and He is still accessible to us by faith today. What a wonderful Savior!