Scripture

“He isn’t here. He is risen from the dead just as he said would happen. Come see where his body was lying.”

Observation

As Sunday morning dawns, the two Marys go to visit the tomb of Jesus and to complete the burial processes.

Suddenly there is an earthquake. An angel of the Lord comes down, rolls the stone away from the entrance to the tomb, and then sits on it. The guards shake with fear and fall into a dead faint.

The angel speaks to the women, telling them that the good news that Jesus is alive. He has risen from the dead.

Filled with joy and fear, the women run to tell the disciples what they have seen. On the way, Jesus appears to them and tells them to tell the disciples that they must go to Galilee and meet Him there.

Application

The greatest day in all history was the day of the resurrection. Jesus who died is now alive.

Jesus has conquered all the effects of the Fall- Sin, death, enmity with God. All of these things are done away with forever, at least for those who choose to walk in the way of Jesus.

We don’t have to accept this in blind faith. Jesus invites us to check it out – to visit the empty tomb, as it were

The resurrection is historically viable and experientially viable. The only explanation that makes sense of history, is that Jesus is alive. But the faith is experientially viable by the fact that millions of people from all nations can testify to the power of the Risen Lord in their own lives.

Prayer

Hallelujah! Jesus, you are alive and you are my Lord. Amen.

Scripture

Then Jesus shouted out again and he released his spirit. At that moment, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead.

Observation

At noon, darkness falls across the land for three hours. Jesus calls out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Then Jesus shouts again and releases his spirit. The curtain in the Temple is torn in two, the earth shakes and tombs of godly people are opened, their bodies resurrected,

Joseph of Arimathea asks Pilate for the body. Pilate orders the body to be released to him, and he lays it in his own tomb.

Remembering Jesus’ promises that He would be raised on the third day, the leading priests and Pharisees ask Pilate to seal the tomb. This would prevent the disciples stealing the body and claiming that Jesus has risen.

Application

Jesus willingly lays down his life to defeat satan, death and sin. As he does this many miraculous signs occur.

Firstly, the sun goes dark for the three hours prior to his death. This was not an eclipse, as they last only minutes. This was a prophetic sign of the end of Israel and all earthly powers.

Secondly, the curtain in the Temple is torn from top to bottom. This curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, previously, separated all people, except the High Priest, from the presence of God. Jesus’ death removes the separation and ends the Jewish priesthood with all of its rituals and sacrifices; they are no longer needed.

Thirdly, there are physical signs in the earth – earthquakes, rocks are split and tombs opened This is the beginning of the new creation, even the earth is being set free from the effects of the Fall.

Fourth, godly men and women in Jerusalem are raised from the dead. Jesus has conquered the power of death. The resurrection of the old saints prefigures Christ’s own resurrection and the general resurrection of all believers on the last day.

Prayer

Thank you, Jesus, for the earth-shattering, universe-resetting,mankind-redeeming effects of your sacrifice on the cross. Amen.

Scripture

When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

Observation

Pilate asks the crowd who they want him to release, as was his custom, at Passover.

Pilate’s wife sends him a message, urging him to leave Jesus alone. The priests and other leaders persuade the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be set free rather than Jesus.

When Pilate asks them what he should do to Jesus, the crowd yells “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

Pilate releases Barabbas and orders Jesus to be flogged and crucified. The soldiers find a scarlet robe, and weave thorns into a crown and mock Jesus.

Then they lead him away to be crucified.

Application

The soldiers’ mockery of Jesus is followed by many people today.

First, they will laugh at his claims to be the king. You see this everywhere on social media and also on traditional media. If they cannot mock Jesus, they will mock his followers.

Next, they try to put his own clothes on him again. They reduce Jesus to an ordinary man because they cannot cope with the truth that he is the Son of God. Some people will acknowledge that Jesus is a “good man” or a “good teacher.” They will not acknowledge that, he is the Saviour and Lord.

Finally, they led him away to be crucified. The world does what the world does, and it always ends up with the death of everything that is godly.

Yet, God is greater than all this. The crucifixion was followed by the resurrection.

Jesus death brings everlasting life for all wo trust in him

Prayer

Thank you, Jesus for enduring such suffering for my salvation. Amen

Scripture

“Don’t you realise I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and He would send them instantly? But if I did that, how would the scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen next?”

Observation

Judas, along with a crowd of armed men comes, and he greets Jesus with a kiss, the pre-arranged signal of who must be arrested. So the men arrest Jesus, but one of Jesus’s followers pulls out a sword and slashes off the ear of the high priest’s slave.

Jesus tells His followers to put away their weapons. The Father could send a thousand angels to protect them. But for now, they must allow God’s plan to unfold.

Then, as Jesus is taken away, the disciples flee.

Application

Jesus was not helpless as He was arrested in the garden. He could have summoned a legion of angels to rescue Him. But this was not God’s course for Him.

Having prayed in the garden for the strength to take the cup of suffering, He must now proceed to the cross.

It is an awesome thought to consider that the cross was God’s idea, and that obedience was Jesus’ path to exaltation.

He could have refused the cross at any time. He could literally have transported Himself away from the place of suffering. But then we would not be saved, We would still be lost in our sins.

It is because of His love that He willingly embraced the cross.

Prayer

Thank you. Jesus for setting me free from sin. Your suffering open the way for my salvation. Hallelujah! Amen.

Scripture

Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scripture and you don’t know the power of God.”

Observation

Jesus is approached by some Sadducees who do not believe in the resurrection of the dead. They pose a question to Jesus that is meant to prove that he’s wrong. The question involves a woman, who marries a man who dies. She is passed along a line of brothers without producing any children. So, whose wife will she be in the resurrection?

Jesus responds by saying these people know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. Marriage is not an institution for the next life, but it is for producing children in this life, Moreover, the proof of the resurrection is seen in that God describes himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and he is the God of the living, not of the dead.

Application

The Sadducees were the liberals of the Jewish people. They basically denied everything supernatural, including the resurrection of the dead.

Like modern liberal christians, they didn’t know the scriptures and they didn’t know the power of God.

We can learn much about the Lord and His ways from studying the Bible. We find that there is much in the word of God that contradict so much of the world views of unbelievers.

The resurrection of Jesus gives us hope because it demonstrates the power of God. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to us also. What a glorious hope that is! The same God answers prayers and provides all that we need.

Let us endeavour to do all that we can to know the Scriptures and the power of God.

Prayer

Lord, you are a mighty God. Please help me to understand your Word and to have greater faith in you. Amen.

Scripture

“Well, then,” he said “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

Observation

The Pharisees decide to trap Jesus into saying something that would get him into trouble. They send a deputation of various factions to meet Him. They start with flattery to disarm him. But then ask the question, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

Jesus sees through their words because he looks at the heart. He tells them to show him the coins used to pay the tax. He asks, “Whose image is stamped on the coin?” “Caesar’s”, they reply.

Jesus, then tells them to give to Caesar that which belongs to Caesar and to God that which belongs to God.

Application

Nobody likes paying tax. This was especially true in Israel where the ordinary people had to pay tax to the hated occupying Romans

By asking Jesus. if it was right to pay tax to the Romans, the Pharisees thought they had trapped Him. He couldn’t say “No” because that would be treason. But He couldn’t say “Yes” because that would discredit him in the eyes of all the people.

Jesus does not directly answer the question, but turns it into a teachable moment. He points out that the coins have Caesar’s image on them, marking them has already belonging to Caesar.

The second half of his answer, that we give to God, what belongs to God is a reminder that people are made in the image of God. If it is right for me to render tax to Caesar, then it is also right for me to give my life to God, who created me.

For this reason, our lives are not about gaining power or status over the other image bearers. Rather we are called to give ourselves to serving God and to serving others.

Prayer

Lord Jesus. Please help me to distinguish between what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to you. Amen.

Scripture

“’Friend,’ he asked, ‘why is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

Observation

Jesus tells them (the priests and Pharisees) another parable about the Kingdom.

A king prepares a great feast for the wedding of his son. He sends his servants to notify the invited guests. that the feast is ready, but they refused to come. They make excuses and some even kill the king’s messengers.

The king then sends his servants out to invite everyone they find to come to the feast. The king notices that one of the guests is not wearing the right clothes. So he orders him to be bound and thrown into the outer darkness.

Application

The king is God the Father and the son is Jesus. The wedding is obviously the end times feast referred to in Revelation.

The originally invited guests are the Jews, particularly the leaders who reject God’s commission to be His people. They beat up and even killed the prophets, who gave the invitation to His wedding feast.

With the original invitees refusing to honour the king by attending his feast, the king invites everyone, good and bad, to come to the feast. That is us, the Gentile followers of Jesus.

One guest got into the feast improperly dressed. Paul tells us that we must be clothed in Christ. This man was dressed in his own righteousness, the deeds that are like filthy rags.

There are people in churches who have not put on Christ, They have come in through the door of the feast, but they will be kicked out.

Prayer

Thank you, Jesus, for inviting me into your great Feast. Please help me to remember to be clothed daily in you. Amen.

Scripture

“Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces and it will crush anyone it falls on.”

Observation

Jesus tells a parable about a landowner who plants a vineyard and then makes various improvements to the property. He leases the vineyard to some share farmers. At harvest time, he sends servants to collect his share, but the tenants beat up the servants. He sends a bigger group of servants and finally his son, but they kill them all. Finally, he sends an army to kill the evil farmers.

Jesus says that the kingdom will be taken away from the priests and teachers and given to a nation that will produce good fruit. The priests and Pharisees realise that Jesus is speaking His stories against them. They want to arrest him but they dare not because of the crowds.

Application

This is one of those hard sayings that commentators either slide past or offer contradictory explanations.

The basic issues concern, the identity of “that stone.” Does it refer to Christ himself who is the stone the Builders rejected, or is it His statement that the kingdom will be taken from the religious leaders to be given to a new nation, a new kind of people.

In either case, we have a choice, we can come to Christ or the warning of the Kingdom being taken as broken people, repentant people. Or else we can be crushed by God’s judgement.

This is always the choice that Jesus offers people: turn away from your sins and follow me. for the kingdom of God is here.

Are you in or out? There is no middle of the road position.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for opening the kingdom of God to everyone who will repent. Amen.

Scripture

“I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you do, for John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did.”

Observation.

The religious leaders demand to know by whose authority Jesus does things. Jesus answers them with a question: Did John’s authority come from heaven, or from people?

The religious leaders are stuck on a dilemma. If John’s authority came from God, then they will have to explain why they did not believe him. But if they say it was human, they will be mobbed by the crowd who believe he was a prophet.

Jesus says that because they refuse to heed John’s message tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of Heaven before they do.

Application

Salvation is not about believing a set of beliefs or saying a prayer. Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God, which is not a political entity as such but the people who together walk in the ways of King Jesus.

Repentance, that is turning away from our selfish ways to live God’s way, is important. We must recognise that God’s way for our life is very different from our own self-directed ways.

Jesus told the religious leaders that God would judge them because they refuse to pay attention to John the Baptist’s message. They were worse than the worst of sinners because at least some of those tax collectors and prostitutes heard John’s message and repented of their sins.

True faith, true religion, is to find out what God wants of us and then, in humble obedience, to go and do it.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, please help me to turn away from all selfishness and to obey you in all things. Amen.