Holy Week Thoughts

This week instead of sharing my regular SOAP devotionals I wanted to share some thoughts on Holy Week. Since I'm currently reading the end of Leviticus and the beginning of Luke, and wouldn't have the opportunity to write about the Easter story, I thought taking a diversion was the best way to focus on the importance of remembering God's greatest gift to us. Next week I'll be back to my regular routine.

S - Luke 24:35-49
"Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread. And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. He said, 'Peace be with you.' But the whole group was terribly frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! 'Why are you frightened?' he asked. 'Why do you doubt who I am? Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it's really me. Touch me and make sure that I am a ghost, because ghosts don't have bodies, as you see that I do!' As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see, and he showed them his feet. Still they stood there doubting, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, 'Do you have anything to eat?' They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he ate it as they watched. Then he said, 'When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me by Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must all come true.' Then he opened their minds to understand these many Scriptures. And he said, 'Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah must suffer and die and rise again from the dead on the third day. With my authority, take this message of repentance to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: "There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me." You are witnesses of all these things. And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.'"

O - There are several eye witness accounts in the gospels of Jesus' appearance after his death on the cross and being placed in the tomb. I like this one in particular for several reasons:
1. He already knows the disciples are afraid, and that they think he is not real, that he is a ghost, and he tells them that he has a body, unlike a ghost would have. He also asks them to touch him. He knows that they are in hiding because of the Jewish leaders and His appearance to them in a locked room is powerful because of it's great testimony. How could 12 men in a locked room have the same hallucination? Why would they testify to this eyewitness account later and suddenly change their frame of mind when they feared for their lives?
2. He asks for food. Now this is my kind of guy! Let's eat is always what I say!
How could a ghost physically ingest food?
3. He restates what he's been telling them all along: look at the scriptures in the Old Testament (back then it was just the Jewish scriptures) and see what it says. It says he will suffer, it says he will die, and it says he will conquer death by resurrection on the third day. The Jews many times over had been looking for a different kind of Messiah, a warrior savior among them and they missed the message. He reminds them again what God spoke to his people in Isaiah 43:12, "First I predicted your deliverance; I declared what I would do, and then I did it - I saved you."
4. His final words in this passage are powerful because of what follows these events, recorded in the book of Acts and the rest of the New Testament through the writings of Paul and other witnesses. He sends His Holy Spirit to be here with us on earth and there are many miracles that take place. His resurrection is not the end of the story, it's the BEGINNING!!! There will be more witnesses beyond these 12 men and many who are willing to give their life giving testimony to these things.

A - So how is it really that many still doubt or have different beliefs about who Jesus was and is?

The Jews believe that he was not the Messiah they were looking for...He died and the Messiah would have conquered the cross itself, never dying in the first place. In addition, the tomb guards told the Jewish community that the disciples stole the body from the tomb (they were bribed by the Jewish leaders) and therefore they believe that it was a hoax. But why would hundreds of thousands of people be willing to die for what they believe in? For what advantage?

The Muslims believe that God is ONE, and deny the Trinity...that God would not descend low enough to come to earth as a man...He is too great to walk among His people. They believe Jesus was simply a prophet. They believe that if we follow the Five Pillars of the Faith set before us in the scriptures, then God in His mercy will save us, if it is His will.

Buddhists also believe that we can achieve "enlightenment" by making the effort ourselves in following the "middle way", therefore there is no need for a "savior". Hindus believe that God is in all of us and in everything so there is not one path but many to finding God. Buddhists and Hindus believe in many lives lived over and over until we achieve a release from this "illusion" of material reality through union with "God".

To apply the study of this passage to our lives today, how can some not believe that what Jesus did was real? Eyewitnesses SAW for themselves Jesus perform miracles, raise people from the dead, heal the sick and cast out demons. They saw Him die and they saw Him out of the tomb and alive. If the disciples conjured up a scheme to begin a new "religion" in order to save face, then they had thousands of people in on this lie. Today, we may not have seen Jesus for ourselves or been witnesses to His story but I KNOW that Jesus is alive and is living today because He has changed ME. I do not have to SEE Him to know that He lives in me and gave His life so that I might live with God in eternity. Only God can be God - the creator of the universe, all good and all powerful, who can speak a word and move mountains - and yet because of His nature of not tolerating anything but goodness AND at the same time having an extreme love for US, His creation, found a way to come to earth in flesh and take the weight of our sin on His shoulders. He is God WITH us. He took our place. He paid the toll. We have received the greatest gift ever given and there is NOTHING we can do to EARN it, except to ACCEPT it.

P - I pray Lord today for those that have doubts and fears about who you are and the gift of life that Jesus gave. It can be confusing to some and I pray that the veil of unbelief would be lifted so that those that might read these words today would believe. I pray that if they still have doubts, they would investigate more and that through your Holy Spirit Lord, you would reveal to them that you are REAL and that you are ALIVE. I claim this truth for myself and I praise you that you would do this for ME! And those that don't see the need for a savior and that life is "just fine", I pray that you would show them Lord that life is better and more incredible when we invite you to be a part of it! I thank you that even today you have given me the desire and the opportunity to speak your truth through this blog and in other avenues so that others might claim this salvation for themselves. Hallelujah, Christ is Risen indeed!!! Amen.


If you would like to investigate more on the evidence for the Resurrection, read "The Case for Easter" by Lee Strobel. It is only 90 pages and I would be happy to loan you a copy if you know me personally. God's peace to you this Easter as we celebrate and remember God's greatest gift to us in Jesus.