The Followers Receive the Holy Spirit

Verses: John 20 : 19 - 23

My thoughts about the verses:

Imagine for one moment being held up in a locked room.  You and your friends are scared because you know that the Church leaders may blame you for starting this "rebellion."  You already know  that they have killed your teacher, what will keep them from coming and getting you.  I can see the stress on each person's face as they sit together.  You can almost hear their nonstop chatting about what they have seen.  Jesus body has been stolen.  Mary swears that she talked with Jesus and that he is alive.

with all of this commotion and emotions going on can you almost feel the tensions in the air.  Then all of a sudden out of nowhere Jesus is standing in the room.  The door is still locked no one could come in the door unless they were let in the room.  Yet, Jesus had done it.  Then he says for them to have peace and shows his scars.  The whole room changes to excitement and happiness.  Jesus was standing right there.

Then Jesus breathes on the followers.  He tells them to receive the Holy Spirit.  They were given the gift of everlasting life in that room.  They were granted the gift by the beloved teacher who had perished for them.  He knew they had run and hid.  That they had acted as if they did not know him.  Yet, that did not keep him from giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Instead he personally awarded them because of their faith and loves the gift of everlasting life.

Then he tells them that those that believe what they teach will also receive the Holy Spirit in the life.  Those that deny their teaching will not receive the gift.  This is true even today.  Those that believe what Jesus did for their sins have the gift of everlasting life.  Those that deny the existence and the sacrifice of Jesus will not receive the Holy Spirit.

Prayer:

Thank you dear God for breathing the gift of everlasting life into our souls.  Thank you for sacrificing yourself so that we may be free.  Thank you for giving us the gift of the Holy Spirit even though we do not deserve it.  Thank you for your love.  Right now we ask that you help us spread the good news to the whole world.  In your Holy Name we pray Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted the Holy Spirit in your life?  Have you shared the gift to others?  What can you do to help others learn about God?  Are you hiding your from God?  Is it finally time to come out of the closet and let people know that you are a child of God?

Jesus greets Mary in the Garden

Verses: John 20 : 10 - 18

My thoughts about the verses:

The disciples leave the scene.  They are devastated, but do not know what to do so they leave. Mary Magdalene comes back to the grave.  She falls to her knees and begins to cry.  Her beloved teacher and friend have been killed.  Now his body has been stolen.  As she is on bended knee she sees two figures.  The bible says that they are Angels but I doubt in her sadness she could understand this.  All she saw were people sitting where her Savior's body should be.

They ask her simply why she is crying.  Her response is simple they have taken my friend's body and I don't know where they have taken it.  She is in shock and grief.  She was there as he hung on the cross and took his last breath.  She had come this morning to properly prepare his body and to mourn him appropriately.  Yet, she does not get the chance because in her mind the body has been stolen and further mistreatment is taking place.

Then a voice behind her asks why you are crying.  Mary does not recognize Jesus and think it is the Gardner.  This time she accuses the man of taking Jesus.  Her simple plea if you have told me where he is and I will go get his body.  Imagine being so buried in grief that you do not even recognize the one you are grieving for.  Mary had one thing on her mind honoring her Messiah.  She would go to any lengths at this moment to bring Jesus back so he could have a proper burial.

Then Jesus shakes her from her despair by calling her name.  As soon as she hears her name being called by her teacher she turns and immediately knows that she is with the one she was searching for.  Can you even imagine the thoughts running through your head.

You were not told that Jesus had died.  You actually had witnessed the brutality of the crucifixion. You were there as he was placed in the tomb and the stone rolled in front of it.  Now you are standing face to face with your Savior.  What would you do?  I think I would go numb.  Imagine the shock and excitement that would rush through your veins all at once.

Then Jesus tells you not to hold onto him.  Jesus says to let him go to the Creator so that all could be fulfilled.  That she needed to tell the followers what she had witnessed.  I know that for me I would want to grab hold of Jesus and hug him without releasing him.  He was alive and standing in front of me.  Yet, I am being told to let him go so that he can go to the Parent.  I would be confused and numb.  I have a feeling that Mary was in the same place as I would have been.

Yet, she so loved Jesus that she did exactly what she had told here to do.  She followed him even to the point of putting her own desire of holding onto him aside.  Think about how hard this had to be for her.  Yet, she left and told the followers.  I am almost sure they felt sorry for her.  That through her grief she had come up with this idea that Jesus was alive.  We truly know that she believed Jesus was alive and had walked out of the grave.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for sending Jesus to give us everlasting life.  We thank you for allowing Jesus to take on our burdens and take them to the cross.  We thank you for allowing those burdens of sin to stay buried in the tomb.  We thank you for bringing Jesus out of the grave without our burdens.  We ask now that you help us understand the true sacrifice that was made on that day.  may we understand the true love that you have for us.  In you Holy name we pray  Amen.

Questions:

Have you allowed Jesus to take away your burdens of sin?  Can you be like Mary and share the good news?  Have you allowed God to bury your burdens of sin?  Do you love Jesus as much as Jesus loves you?

The Stone has Rolled Away

Verses: John 20 : 1 - 9

My thoughts about the verses:

When we often think about this we think about the fact that Jesus has risen from the grave.  Yet, for those that were right there what they saw had to be a shock.  The large stone that had been placed in the front of the tomb was now rolled away.  The cloth that covered Jesus's body was now lying in the tomb, but Jesus's body was nowhere to be found.  How could this be?  I believe my first thought would have also been they have stolen his body.

You can see the thoughts running in their mind.  Wasn't it enough that they had crucified Jesus. they had mocked and whipped him.  Now what have they done with the body?  We were in such a rush to bury him because of the Sabbath now that we have come to do it properly his body is gone.  I can almost hear Peter's thoughts someone must pay.  The beloved follower had to be standing there with tears streaming down his eyes.  How was he going to tell Mary, Jesus's mother and now his charge, that the body was no longer where they placed it.  Then there is poor Mary Magdalene.  She loved Jesus and had done so much for him.  He had also saved her life and she knew it.  What thoughts had to flood her mind as the body was no longer there.

The stone was rolled away so that we could know of the resurrection.  Jesus made a grand entrance back from the grave.  You can almost see the trumpets in Heaven blazing as Jesus awakens and walks out a victor from the grave.  Abraham must have smiled because he saw the Messiah for who he truly was.  All those in the Bosom of Abraham must also be rejoicing.  They had lived their faith walk and now would be going to Heaven to be among their living Savior.

The stone rolled away for the deeds of all people.  Not just those few that had witnessed it but for all to come afterwards.  The chasm between death and everlasting life had been crossed.  We would now have a gift that we could never repay.  The glory came with the exit out of the grave. No longer would we be shackled to the large stone of our sin.  The grave would not be the end for those that accepted the miracle.  Instead the stone would be a sign of our freedom.

Jesus is no longer in the grave.  We need to accept Christ as your risen savior.  The stone of your heart has been replaced with the Holy Spirit.  The stone of despair is now the stone of hope.

Prayer:

Dear God we are so grateful that you made the stone roll away.  We thank you for coming out of the grave so that we may be free.  We thank you for loving us so much that you came back to set us free.  We ask you right now to fill our lives with everlasting love.  May we understand the beauty which is you.   We ask you to help us break down the stone barrier that we have built in our hearts.  Dear Holy one  we ask that you help us allow you to freely walk within us.  In the Name of the Most High we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted Jesus in your heart?  Have you allowed him to break down all the stone barriers that you have built that keep him from walking freely within you?  The stone has rolled away. Jesus has risen.  Are you ready for what the future holds?  Why wait allow God to do a miracle for you today?  It is simple believe in the one Most High.  Allow the spirit to fill you with the abundance of love.  There is no better day than to day to ask Christ to forgive you.

If you have asked God in your heart now is the time that you spread the news.  The stone has rolled away.  Jesus is alive.  What is keeping you from sharing the message?  Do you still have stones that you need to roll out of the way so that you can do the work God has called you to do?

Jesus Dies

Verses: John 19 : 28 - 42

My thoughts about the verses:

Jesus dies.  Jesus died is Two simple words, yet so full of meaning.  Jesus died on his.  He did not have to have his bones broken to help end the torture of the cross.  Jesus simply released his spirit back to the Heavens.  It was on his terms and in his own time.  Jesus fulfilled his mission on Earth.

Many people see this as the saddest part of the story.  Jesus could have been saved by God.  He could have been taken down from the cross by a crowd of Angels.  In fact, he could have been whisked away when before the crucifixion even started.  All was in the power and control of God. Yet, Jesus walked boldly into his death.

His followers saw their leader perish.  I can almost see the pain on the faces of those that watched. Then one of the guards takes his sword and to add insult to injury rams it into his side.  His blood poured out of his body.  Yet, Jesus was already in the arms of God.  The Creator had welcomed the son back into the presence of the trinity.  The blood that flowed is to remind us that we are cleansed by the power of Jesus.  The blood that flowed that day is our life line to everlasting life.

You know there was great weeping by those that were present that loved Jesus.  They had witnessed the greatest miracle that Jesus had performed.  Yet, in that moment they did not truly understand what they had seen.  In their eyes their friend, son, beloved teacher was dead.  You can only imagine the tons of emotions and thoughts going through their heads.

Yet, I find it quite interesting that comes and takes the body down.  It is not his beloved disciples.  It is a follower that up until this point had kept hidden.  He and Nicodemus ask that they may take the body down from the cross because the Sabbath was fast approaching.  They are given permission and hastily prepare the body and place it in a tomb that had not been used before.  Their action shows that all followers have a role in spreading the news of Christ.  These two men did something that most family members or beloved followers would have done.  They gave their Messiah a resting place.

We are like these two followers.  Joseph and Nicodemus showed compassion and love when there was nothing left to do.  We can learn a lot from these two believers.  First we learn that we need to be there during other people’s time of need.  Secondly, we can learn that whatever we can do is just what God is asking for us to do.  Lastly, we can learn that the most important thing that we can give someone is compassion.  To sacrifice our own desires and to help those around us is exactly what God desires from us.  It isn't a matter of being first that is important.  It is a matter of giving your all that God requires.

Prayer:

Dear Jesus we pray to right now us thank you for the sacrifice you made.  We praise you for the love that you showed to us even to the very end of your life.  We thank you for choosing to die so that we might have abundant life.  Right now God we ask that you use us.  Help us be the people that you desire us to be.  Help us put down the barriers that we have built so that we can reach out to those that you love.  In you Holy name we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you been cleansed by the power of the blood?  Have you turned from your own ways and picked up the task God has for you?  Are you willing to step out in faith and be a follower of Jesus? Today is the best day to decide that I will give my life over to God, for we are never promised tomorrow.  You have witnessed the death.  What have you decided?

The King of the Jews is nailed to the Cross

Verses: John 19 : 17 - 27

My thoughts about the verses:

Think about this a moment.  The one thing that the Jewish leaders wanted was a Messiah to save them from what was going on.  Pilate does exactly what the leaders want and he nails Jesus to the cross.  He takes it one step further and places a sign saying "King of the Jews."  Pilate accepted that the reason for Jesus's death was hypocritical.  How can a community want someone dead that was there to help them.  The leaders wanted him to change the sign, but Pilate refused.

I think it is important to understand the history of crucifixion and why this is what the Jewish leaders wanted.  Placing bodies on stakes or crosses was done as a form of humiliation.  This was reserved for individuals that were considered rebels.  Often times individuals were crucified that had been enslaved due to a battle to teach others not to stand up against the new rulers.  Imagine seeing your friends or family member hanging from a wooden stake.  I know for me it would keep me from standing against the ruling class.

Now Pilate didn't think that Jesus had been rebellious against the state.  He had found no fault so therefore it is kind of crazy that he agreed with the Jewish leaders and killed Jesus.

Yet, here is where I think we can learn something important.  It wants that Jesus was a fault but that we as Humans are at fault.  The death was to make it possible for us to get to Heaven.  Jesus was standing up against a much stronger ruler.  Jesus was standing up against The ruler of sin.  Jesus was rebelling against the entire world.  He was making a way for them to get blessed even though they had sinned.

Jesus death was a humbling experience for his followers.  They saw the teacher crucified for what he taught.  They could have stayed hidden forever.  Yet, what is amazing the death brought them closer to understanding what Jesus had taught them in his lifetime.  It taught them that he was the Messiah.  That he wasn't there to free them from others, but rather to save them from themselves. Jesus did not die in vain.  He died as a true victor. He did not fight his death instead he welcomed his crucifixion.

He stood up to the world and won a victory that no man could ever win.  His death won all those that believed a place in the presence of God.  He won them a blessing that they would never be able to repay.  Jesus was doing something no one else could do.  Jesus was giving all those that believed a cleansing of the Spirit.  Those that accept Christ are given the free gift of everlasting life. You cannot earn this on your own.  It is something that only God could give.

There are several things that happen during the crucifixion that one must understand.  The first thing that occurred is that Jesus was not killed by himself this day.  Instead there were two men that were placed one on each side that had broken the law.  It is important because it shows that no other person’s death could fulfill the prophecy.  As the one ask Jesus to forgive him amazingly Jesus says yes and he rewards this man that was full of sin.  If Jesus can do this then he can save us from all of our sins.

Secondly, we learn that his clothes were divided among the guards.  The clothes were divided into four and each guard received part.  I believe this is to show that we can each have an opportunity to receive the gift of everlasting life from God.  Yet, the tunic was then won by drawing lots and was not torn to pieces.  In this instance the lot is our free will.  Those that are willing to believe in Jesus will receive the cloak of forgiveness.  Those that choose through free will not to receive the gift will have had the chance.  Yet, they will not receive the gift even though they had the opportunity to receive.

The last thing that happens concerns Mary and the beloved follower.  All the rest of the followers had run and hid.  Yet, this one disciple stayed at the cross and witnessed the death.  Jesus tells the follower that his own mother was now in his charge.  Think about this a second you are on death's door and you worry about your grieving mother.  If you think about it the charge goes much deeper than just to taking care of Mary.  The principle behind this is now that Jesus's work on Earth is completed we the followers must be willing to take on the responsibilities of helping the world.  We must not just take care of our own family, but we must reach out to those in need around the world.  It is one thing to console your family, yet something much stronger to console a stranger.  To be a true follower you must look outside yourself and be like Christ.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for your gift of everlasting life.  We praise you for the sacrifice that you did without reluctance.  We honor you with our songs of praise and worship.  We ask right now that you fill us with the abundant love of Jesus.  May we teach the world what you have done for them.  Help us be your faithful follower.  In your Holy name we pray.  Amen

Questions:

The nails have hung Jesus to the cross.  His clothes divided among the guards.  His mother is now protected.  The only thing left is the death.  Yet, for us we must stand at the bottom of the cross right now.  Look up into Jesus's eyes and think about our life.  Have we done anything to deserve him giving his life for us?  Is this not true love?  The blood that is pouring from his hands is our cleansing power.  Today will never come again so what is your decision?

Pilate gives into the Crowd

Verses: John 19 : 1 - 16

My thoughts about the verses:

It is amazing to look what is happening at this point of the story.  Pilate who was not Jewish could not find anything to sentence Jesus to death.  He had his men whip Jesus.  They made a crude crown out of thorns and placed it on his head.  Yet, there was no reason to crucify him.  He only caved in after pressure from the Jewish leaders.

They were so afraid that Jesus would lead a rebellion and this would upset Caesar.  Amazingly they were more afraid of the worldly ruler than the God they served.  Yet, they were part of the plan.  See the followers had to take part in the death of Christ.  If it had been done because he was guilty of a crime then he would not be the true sacrificial lamb.  The entire story is to fulfill the promise made to Abraham that a greater lamb would come and there would be no more need for sacrifices.

I know that we often get confused in our day to day life.  We put others before God.  We look at the world and think what they have is more important than a spiritual connection with the Creator.  Yet, how many of us would have been at the palace asking for Pilate to crucify Jesus.  I would dare say that there are a lot of us that would have sided with the church leaders.

I mentioned this before but it is important to note that church leaders are human.  They make mistakes just like the rest of the world.  They do their best to serve God and share the gifts that they have been given. Yet, there are times that church leaders stray from the path that they need to be on.  We can often be fooled into thinking that things should be one way because the leaders have said so.

The main thing that I see out of this scripture is to stand your ground.  When you feel something is not right do not cave to the pressures of others.  Often times that caving any separates you from the peace you have with God.  Do not let others intimidate you into doing things that you feel are not appropriate.  Instead work hard and focus on living a Godly life.  Let yourself be immersed fully in the spirit so that when the time arises you can stand up for what you believe.

Plate caved in because he did not have the faith he needed to stand up to the mob.  See Pilate himself was manipulated by the leaders into hanging Jesus on the cross.  Yet, Jesus gives him an out to his part in his own death.  Jesus tells Pilate that he is not as guilty as those that brought him to him to die.  Pilate did everything that he could to release Jesus because he saw him as an innocent.  Yet all of a sudden when he feared that they were going to get Caesar involved and he would also be charged with treason he agreed and let them take Jesus to the cross.

My favorite play is Jesus Christ Superstar.  In this play there is a song in which Pilate had a dream in which he is faced with the upcoming trial.  He doesn't know what it means but it wakes him from his sleep and puts fear in his heart.  The part of the song that sticks out to me is the last verse.  "Then I saw thousands of millions crying for this man and then I heard then mentioning my name and leaving me the blame." (Webber).  Pilate was aware what was happening even though the Jewish leaders didn't.  He feared that people would see him as the bad guy.  Yet, in reality I feel like he found his faith in this trial.  He felt that Jesus was innocent and it is amazing to think that he knew it was wrong even though the leaders did not feel this way.

What we can learn from this even is not to give into peer pressure.  If we feel that something is wrong then don't do it.  Keep your eyes focused on God and know that standing up to things that you feel are wrong is OK.  You do not have to go along with things that are out of boundaries.  So if you feel that things are wrong then stand up to the crowd.  They may give you a hard time but know that if you do what Christ would do you are in the right.  Being a Christian means that there will be many times that you will stand out from others around you.  The Holy Spirit will lie on your heart what needs to be done.  That small voice that you hear saying this isn't right is Jesus. That whisper that you hear that says step up against the crowd is the Holy Spirit guiding you. When you do these things you will have rewards outside this Earth.

Prayer:

Dear God thank you for being the love of our life.  Thank you for helping us is the servant that you desire.  We praise you for becoming the sacrificial lamb.  We know that you died without a blemish and we thank you for the gift that you give us.  Dear God we ask you right now that you help us stand up to peer pressure.  Help us keep focused on you.  Help us become the person that you desire.  In your Holy name we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you stood up against the crowd?  Are you willing to put Christ desire before the masses? Have you allowed the Savior into your heart?  What is the Holy Spirit telling you to do today?

Ruler of the Heavenly Realm

Verses: John 18 : 28 - 40

My thoughts about the verses:

Jesus is the ruler that the Jewish community had been waiting for.  Yet, he wasn't what they expected.  They wanted someone to bodily come in to take back their land.  Free them from tyranny and allow them to reestablish the Kingdom they once had.

They did not understand the prophecies that had been told as far back as time had begun. Sometimes you do not get what you want you get what you need.  People have their own view on what would make them happy.  Free them from the struggles that they are going through and allow them to live the peaceful existence that they crave.

I want to make it clear that Jesus was exactly what this community needed.  In fact, he was what everyone in the world during those days and today needed.  They needed a way to cleanse themselves from the impurities that infiltrated their life.  They could not do it on their own.  They needed a sacrificial lamb to take their place.

How ironic that they brought Jesus to Pilate on the Sabbath, but because of their customs would not even enter the palace of Pilate.  They made the Governor come to them.  Pilate was just an instrument that was needed to fulfill the prophecy of Jesus's death on the cross.  The Jewish leaders knew that they had no right to kill anyone so they had to go to their conquerors to get justice.  How many times do we seek out the help of others because we cannot do it ourselves? Yet when we seek them out we tell them exactly how to do what we want.  Pilate saw no harm in Jesus.  He wasn't there to take over Roman rule.  So why should a man be killed that had done no wrong.

The Jewish leaders wanted Jesus dead out of their own fear.  They would rather release a man that they knew was had started a rebellion, than to allow Jesus to continue spreading the good news. They were so afraid that he would upset the Romans and that they would quit allowing them to worship.  Yet, here Jesus is with the Governor and nothing can be found that makes him guilty.  As you read the scripture you will notice that the Romans were not interested in Jesus.  It was the church leaders who were afraid of him.  The entire reason for killing Jesus is totally in their head. What they needed was not delivered in the package they wanted.

The lesson that we need to take from this is that God gives us everything we need.  Sometimes the way receive what we need is different than the way we want to receive it.  Often the package is so much different that we do not realize until later that we have what we really desired in the first place.  The Holy Spirit will free us from our worries if we allow the grace to flow through us.  We need to allow God to do the work we need done in our life.  You need to depend on your faith because we will one day no that both answered and unanswered prayers are exactly what we need.

Prayer:

Dear God we thank you for your presence in our life.  We thank you for granting us the gift of the Holy Spirit.  We ask that you help us accept the gifts that you give us daily.  May we look at what you have done in our life and help us understand what you have given to us.  Let us accept the times when prayers are not answered just the way we want us.  Help us not be a stumbling block in the path of others.  Dear God we praise you and ask for your guidance in all things.  In your Holy Name we Pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you ever had prayers answered differently than you desired?  Have you realized later that you got just what you needed?  Have you become a stumbling block in others life?  What do you need to do today to remove obstacles that you have placed between you and the Savior?