Quietly Christmas

I want to say something brilliant today.  Something that will make us stop and think about the true meaning of Christmas.  I want to build up my family and friends, turn their hearts towards God, and help them to sense His very dear, very intimate presence today – especially today.

But there are so many words this time of year.  Christmas cards, songs, special programs and sermons – it’s so … wordy.  

So believe it or not, I don’t have much to say.  And the scripture on my heart today is not a traditionally “Christmas” scripture. 

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.  1 Kings 19:11 – 13

Sometimes I think the magic of this season is in the gentle whisper.  It the sudden, powerful, quiet realization that Christ is here.  The Faithful and True.  The Mover of the Mountains.  The Messiah.  Our Salvation.

I hope and pray over the next two days that I find that quiet, and I hope you do, too.  Merry Christmas. 

What's it all about?

Hey there.  I don't blog much anymore, but I've been thinking about something this week, and wanted to write about it. 

We're heading into Christmas, and I'm determined to have no let downs.  Realistic expectations.  I'm determined to enjoy my husband and my child.  I'm determined to have fun with my family.  I'm determined to remember what it's all about.

Once upon a time, someone said to me, "Christmas is about family!"  And I about came unglued.  I thought, Christmas is about Jesus, not family.

But I was wrong.

Christmas IS about family.  It's about God extending his family lineage to man, by sending his son to be our redemption.  Through that redemption, we become joint heirs with Christ.  We are his brothers, his sisters.  We are the sons and daughters of God.

Of course it's about family.

But I could argue, it's about the family of God, not my earthly family. 

I'd be wrong, again.

I serve God when I serve my family.  I love God when I love my family.  I'm faithful to God when I'm faithful to my family.  I don't do these things because I can, or because they are easy, or because I want to.  It's not always fun to love people!  But I can't love God and not love others.

And I can't love the family of God, and the world beyond, if I can't love my family.

I think I'm a hostess by nature.  I love to have people in my home, I love for them to come in, kick off their shoes, and relax.  And I love to have a big crowd for Christmas.

But I have loved this for the wrong reasons.  I think, deep inside, I feel guilty for only - "only!" - having one child.  I have friends with lots of kids, and their holidays are busy, busy, busy.  And I want to be like that.  So I invite and invite. 

But not this year.  This year, Christmas Day could be just the three of us.  We've always told the grandparents and other family members to come over any time of the day if they want.  But this year, it might not happen.  And a lot of years, I invite friends over in the evening.  I've always wanted a big crowd.

I think - and I'm really confessing here - that having people here on Christmas validates me.  Which makes Christmas about me.  Not others.  Not family.  Not God.  I'm using Christmas to make me feel popular and accepted.

Not this year.  I want my son to know, first of all, about the Christ child.  And he does, I have no doubt.  And he has a healthy perspective on gifts and the "reason for the season" and all that.  He's not greedy and when I asked him for a list, he really had to think about it.  There wasn't much on his list!  So I'm not worried that he's getting a world view of Christmas.

But I want him to know that God created our family to be three.  Just the three of us.  And the three of us are complete, just as we are.  We don't need acceptance from man.  We've been accepted into the family of God, and that's all we need. 

If I wanted people here on Christmas because I wanted to serve and love them, then that would be great.  But at the barest part of my soul I have to admit that I want people here because I feel "less than" without them.  I don't want my son to see that. 

If infertility taught me anything, it should be that God gives what he gives when he gives and it's always perfect.  He has blessed us - literally - a million times over with Samuel, and while we wanted more children, and tried for more children, God had a different plan.  For me to need to use this day as a way to validate my "only" child and myself is inexcusable.

So what's it all about?  Everything, every day, every moment is only and always about God.  But he allows it to be about other things, too.  It is about family.  It's about MY family.  And we are enough.

Giving Thanks Day 6

But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.’”  Jonah 2:9

Giving Thanks - Day 5

With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: “He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.” And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.  Ezra 3:11

Give Thanks - Day 4

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, \because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.  Timothy 4:4-5

Give Thanks Day 3

“When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf."  Leviticus 22:29

Give Thanks - Day 2

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. -- 1 Chronicles 16:34

Giving Thanks - Day 1

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

2 Corinthians 9:10 - 12 

That's Rich

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  Psalm 145:8

Think of the definitions of rich.  Rich means an abundance, right?  An abundance of money; an abundance of taste; and here, an abundance of love.

We should be overwhelmed that the God of the universe has an abundance of love for us.  May it humble us in a particular way today.

The Sword of the Spirit

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Ephesians 6:17

I love how Paul clearly explains here what he means - the sword of the Spirit is the word of God.  There's not just a word picture or metaphor, there's a strong explanation.  That must mean it's important!

I don't think we can under emphasize how important the word of God is.  This week I'm helping with VBS at church, and every night, when we discuss the point of the lesson, I say, and how do we know this is true?  Because God's word tells us so!

Notice also that the sword is the one offensive weapon we are equipped with.  That tells me that the Bible is all we need!  It tells me how strong and powerful and - can I say - macho God's word is!

When we come up against the enemy, we need to speak God's truth - God's word!  But we cannot speak it if we do not know it. 

Having a "devotional time" each day is one of my pet peeves.  It evokes a picture of 15 minutes a day, a quick read of a scripture, a quick story, a quick prayer. 

Time with God is so much more than an item on our agenda, a part of our daily checklist.  Our time with God is our living, breathing time.  We get to the point where we cannot go on without Him!  And the best way to connect with him is to read, study, and meditate on his word.  That way when we need this weapon in our spiritual battles, we can quickly and easily pull it from within.

A final thought, from freebiblestudyguides.org:  "Swords are used for close combat, not long-range warfare. Could this imply the nature of the battle a Christian fights?"

Wearing the Helmet

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Ephesians 6:17

Today we are going to look at the helmet of salvation, and tomorrow we'll think about the sword.  Think of all the sports and activities that require a helmet.  Football, one of my favorite sports - and it doesn't necessarily stop a player from getting a concussion!  Batters in baseball.  We're supposed to wear helmets when we ride bikes, skateboards, etc.  How many of you wear helmets when you ride a bike?  Raise your hands - be patient while I count.  Just kidding!

A lot of us don't wear helmets.  We feel like we don't need to, like we have some superhuman ability to avoid disaster, or our heads are so hard there's no way we can get hurt.  Or maybe it's a vanity thing - a helmet will make us look dumb or mess up our hair.

But every physician and athlete in a sport will tell you how invaluable a helmet is.  It's a simple piece of equipment that, obviously, protects our head, our brain.  Our bodies were designed to protect our heads, as well as our hearts, above all else.

But why does Paul equate salvation with protection of the head?  Perhaps he, as a good Jew, knew the scripture from Isaiah 59: 

Truth is nowhere to be found,
    and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.

The Lord looked and was displeased
    that there was no justice.

He saw that there was no one,
    he was appalled that there was no one to intervene;
so his own arm achieved salvation for him,
    and his own righteousness sustained him.
He put on righteousness as his breastplate,
    and the helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on the garments of vengeance

and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak..  (verses 15 - 17)

Of course, he would have known this scripture, and many like it.  But even more importantly, Paul knew that our heads - our intellect - is where our salvation begins.  While we often "feel" God, to completely know him, we have to understand him - as much as we can! - with our heads.

So the helmet (protection) of salvation (to be saved from sin) is an essential piece of our armor.  Our salvation, our personal relationship with Christ, our acceptance of his redemption, means that we will think and act differently now.  Our salvation is both our inspiration and our protection.  Isn't that amazing? 

There is a wonderful treatise on the helmet of salvation at http://www.freebiblestudyguides.org/bible-teachings/armor-of-god-helmet-of-salvation.htm.  They have much more insight than I could hope to share! 

The Shield of Faith

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Ephesians 6:16


On the surface, I first thought that the shield of faith didn't need much thought.  I mean, it seems pretty obvious what Paul wants us to do!  He wants us to protect ourselves from the slings of the enemy by having faith.

Ah, but it can be so easy to talk about faith.  And so difficult to put such action to our faith as to make it a weapon.

So, to me, it's worth a little digging.  

According to wikipedia (and when have you ever known wikipedia to be wrong?), shields were not only used for protection, they would also be painted with a design that would be used for identification - whose "side" this particular soldier was on.

Ah . . .

I see.

My shield of faith doesn't just protect me.  It identifies me with Christ!  In Galatians 2:20, Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

My faith protects me.  It protects my heart.  My mind.  My body.  My faith identifies me.  It identifies me as a daughter of the King.  The Ruler of the Universe.  The Alpha and Omega.  The Beginning and the End.  The Faithful and True.

It sounds to me that for our faith to protect us, it must be strong.  For our faith to identify us, it must be real.  For our faith to be real, we must get it from the Source!!

So how is our faith?  How strong is your faith?  Are you like me, really wanting to have a strong faith but afraid God will put me to the test?  (That's me being real with you!)  Or maybe your faith has been put to the test, and you're coming out on the other side, stronger, truer.

There are all kinds of ways our faith is tested; you don't have to be a missionary to be on the front lines of a spiritual battle!  Our faith is developed daily - when we believe God loves us, takes care of us, has a plan for us. 

Praying that your faith is a strong shield for you!

Be Ready

. . . and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6:15

Someday I will love to sit down and talk to Paul.  I'm amazed at the way he can take the most complex idea and break it down - the way he creates word pictures that allow us, generations later, to completely identify and understand what he is saying.

Isn't the Armor of God just such an amazing picture?  Thinking of putting on the attributes of God like we put on clothes, shoes, battle gear - it's a wonderful analogy.

So far we've talking about worship, standing and being prepared, hold our equipment with the best of truth, and protecting our hearts with the breastplate of righteousness.  Now we come to our feet - shoes!  Now here's something I can really identify with!

I've been reading freebiblestudyguides.org and I love what they say about the shoes: "In short, shoes allow us to step freely and without fear while we turn our full attention to the battle at hand."  While shoes can sometimes play a superfluous role in our daily garments, in truth they also offer us protection from painful and annoying elements.

So shoes help us move forward, walk ahead.  With shoes on our feet, we can be prepared - ready - to go where He calls us to go.  It reminds me of the verse from Isaiah:  "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'”  (52:7)

Would you say that is a good summary of the gospel of peace?  I think so!  To me, the gospel of peace is simply the "good news" - that God loved the people of the world so much He sent His son, His only son, Jesus Christ.  He sent Him to deliver us from our own sinful and evil nature and desires and give us life - forever, for always, with him!

What news!  What peace!  What joy!  One of our weapons is to know and share the gospel, the living truth of our Lord!  So when we live prepared, with shoes on our feet ready to walk, and the gospel of Christ on our mouths, we can fight the enemy! 

The Breastplate

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place . . . Ephesians 6:14

I want to begin today by making sure that I am clear and transparent with you - how ever many "yous" there may be.  I am not a scholar or theologian, and while I study and try to present truth, yet I still recognize how limited my brain is.  I pray that if I am presenting something incorrectly, God will stop me!  And I pray that He will correct me and show me what is right.  But just know that I am basically presenting to you only my understandings. my thoughts.  I'm sharing with you the Bible as I comprehend it.


OK, having said that, let's move on to the breastplate of righteousness.  It's interesting to me that in the Jewish world it would not have been just soldiers who wore breastplates.  The priests also wore a breastplate, as established in Exodus 28.   So a breastplate was not just used by a soldier as a protective piece in a battle; it was also a way of making decisions: 

“Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions—the work of skilled hands. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. It is to be square—a span long and a span wide—and folded double. Then mount four rows of precious stones on it. The first row shall be carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; the second row shall be turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; the third row shall be jacinth, agate and amethyst; the fourth row shall be topaz, onyx and jasper. Mount them in gold filigree settings. There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes." (vv 15 - 21)

I think it is clear why Paul uses the breastplate as his personification of righteousness - a breastplate protects the heart.  In spiritual terms, it keeps our hearts pure, able to make wise and godly decisions.

So let's speak for a moment about what righteousness is.  I guess it's pretty simple - to be righteous is to be right!  Righteousness is the choice to reject sin and its ways and its consequences, and choose love, and truth, and God.

There are so many scriptures about righteousness, but here a just a couple that I think are special:

I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban.  Job 29:14

But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children —with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.  Psalm 103:17-18

If you would type in the word righteousness in a scripture search, you'd see that many of the verses are about God's righteousness, not ours.  And that tells us that we cannot have righteousness apart from Him.  We cannot make ourselves righteous, we cannot pretend to be righteous, we cannot fake being righteous.  God, our loving father, gives us the gift of His righteousness, so that we too can be right.

The breastplate of righteousness is our decision to be and do right.  This decision, to reject sin and embrace holiness, protects our hearts and our lives.  What a wonderful weapon for us to have.

The Battle Begins

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place . . . Ephesians 6:14

Again, the instruction to stand.  It reminds me of a movie I referenced the other day - The Patriot.  There's a battle scene towards the end of the movie where the line of the militia soldiers begins to fall.  The men begin to panic, and start to run.  Mel Gibson grabs the American flag, and runs in front of them, shouting, "hold! Hold the line!"

I envision Paul doing the same thing.  "Stand!  Stand firm"

How wonderful that he doesn't stop there.  He gives us more instruction.  First, to buckle the belt of truth.  What is the belt of truth?

I need to look at this two ways:  First, what is the purpose of a belt?  Ok, ok, we all know a belt keeps our pants from falling down.  But in a military uniform in the time of Paul, a belt was more than that.  The belt was the way the soldier carried his weapon.  Matthew Henry said that the belt secures all the other pieces of armor. 

Second, what is truth?  Well, Jesus said that HE is the Way, the Truth, the Life.  If we read the passage just before this verse, in John 14, we can see why Jesus made such a statement:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”  (vv 1 - 4)

This was a bold statement!  In order for the disciples to believe the things that Jesus was teaching, He had to teach them that He - His character, His essence, His Self - He himself is truth, in an absolute form.  He could not, would not, lie or mislead them.


Therefore - He is truth.  Our first weapon is truth - not as an abstract concept, but as a Person.  We must know Christ, we must know Him as Truth.  


If He says it's so, it's so.  If He said He'll do it, He'll do it.  If He said it's sin, it's sin.  


It's really that simple.  All truth is found in Him, because He IS truth.  


We wrap truth securely around us, holstering all our other weapons close to our us, living and breathing truth.  We therefore begin with Christ.  We must know Him, know His word and accept that He is truth.


That is where we start, and that is where we end for today.  Tomorrow we'll discuss the breastplate of righteousness. 

Stand Firm

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Ephesians 6:13


Have you ever seen the movie Braveheart?  The one where Mel Gibson leads a rag-tag army of Scottish farmers in a rebellion against the British king?  (As opposed to The Patriot, where Mel Gibson leads a rag-tag army of American farmers in a rebellion against the British king.)


There is a scene in Braveheart where William Wallace (Mel Gibson) tries to stir up his troops with a rallying-cry speech:  

Aye, fight and you may die. Run and you'll live -- at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!!!

Wallace was telling his men, as Paul was telling us, that yes, the battle will be difficult and painful.  But we must stand!  We must fight!

There are a few lessons to take to heart in the verse above.  First of all, we must purposefully seek out and put on this armor.  While God freely gives us every weapon we need, we must go get it!  These battle pieces don't just fall onto us.  Second, we put on the armor in order to be prepared for the battle.  We cannot try to grab the helmet at the last minute - we must always be ready!  We must always be prepared!  And third, we must take action - stand our ground.  Standing takes movement, correct?  It takes an effort!  To win, we must fight.  To fight, we must stand!

I also think it bears noticing that there is a particular order here.  First, seek God and his armor.  Second, put on the armor.  Third, stand and be ready! 

God is very detailed, very strategic, very purposeful.  What may at times seem like chaos to us is very much planned and ordained from his point of view. So we must be ready to fight, because at any moment, God may have a battle ready just for us.  And while it may seem that the battle has come on us from out of the blue, if we are prepared - detailed, strategic, purposeful - we will be victorious!

Needing the Armor

 Ahhhh . . . I'm such a flunkie.  I had promised a study on the armor of God, and I let life get away from me!  As I sit contemplating tomorrow, and the new few weeks, it is easy to feel overwhelmed.

Tomorrow my son has eye surgery.  While it's a fairly routine procedure, that he's already had twice, he'll be completely asleep, and there's always a risk with surgery.  Just ask my sister-in-law, Melanie, about routine procedures!  Sometimes things go wrong.

And after this week's recovery, there's writing camp and VBS and church camp and vacation.  All good and wonderful things, but for me, easily overwhelming. 

This morning, in my Sunday School class, we talked about God preparing the people to enter the Promised Land, in Numbers 27 and 28.  Matthew Henry's commentary says - in Jenn's translation! - that this would be the perfect time for God to prepare a war plan for the Hebrews.  Instead He reminds them of their ways of worship - their daily, weekly, and monthly sacrifices.  Their feasts and festivals.  He reminds them to worship, to worship wisely, and to worship purposefully.

And in a very weird way - only God can make these connections! - it made me think of the armor of God.  Worship is the one of the best weapons in our arsenal to win this war we are in.  And make no mistake - we are at war!  We have a definite enemy who wants to take us down.

But the wonderful part of this story, is that we have every weapon at our disposal to win this war.  If you've ever been in one of my classes, you've probably heard me say that we are called to be warriors, not wimps!  And my friends, I hope you know the truth in that statement!

We are not called to sit around and wait for Satan's next attack - we are called to attack him!  We are sons and daughters of the Almighty, the King of the Universe, the Creator!  We have so much power, by Him and through Him, and He wants us to use it!

So putting on the armor of God - suiting up, so to speak, preparing for battle - that requires a oneness with Christ.  It implies a unique desire, to commune with Him, know Him intimately. 

That intimate relationship is worship, don't you think?  We cannot be ready for battle if we cannot worship the God who equips us.  So when Paul begins his instruction on battle gear in Ephesians 6, he starts by reminding us of whose we are!  What a worshipful statement:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  (vv 10 - 12)

Who is strong?  The Lord.  Whose power?  God's.  Whose armor?  His.

That's a worship statement if I've ever heard it!  (As Melanie would say, Haleluyer!)

Friends, we are called to be warriors.  We are called to put on the armor of God and fight!  And that battle begins with worship of the God who has already defeated the enemy!

This week I'll be sharing more thoughts on the armor of God.  I would love to hear your thoughts.  Some folks have let me know that they haven't been able to leave comments; I think I have that issue fixed now!

Remember, warriors begin with worship.  I hope you've had a spectacular worship experience today, and that it continues every day!  

Warrior Women

I've been thinking for awhile about the scripture in Ephesians 6 on the Armor of God. I've been applying it to my life; actually, thinking of ways to apply it to my life. Which lead me to thoughts of warriors - being a woman of God necessarily means becoming a warrior woman.

So for the next couple of weeks I'm going to be exploring Ephesians 6:10-20, and how we can apply these verses to our daily lives.  It's not just for women - for any male readers I have, too!

Here's the scripture:  Tomorrow or Monday we'll start digging!


Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
 
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

What Joy!

Found this verse today and just wanted to share it - what joy it brings me! Hope it brings joy to you, too. Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.” Deuteronomy 33:12

Wait

I gave someone a piece of advice this week.

Are you shocked? That I had an opinion?

I try not to give advice unless it is asked for. But occasionally, I just can't help myself.

So I gave advice. My friend was wondering when their current situation would be over. I know they've been crying out to God to end their suffering, take away their pain, and help them move on to happy, good times.

My advice? Stop trying to get it to end. Start asking God how he can be glorified through it, instead.

Not all periods of suffering are meant to just go away. Sometimes we have to stay there for awhile, to learn what God has us to learn. And if all our energy is spent trying to get away from the bad, we'll never get to the good.

You know that saying, "When God closes a door, He opens a window"?

I hate that saying.

Because that's not my experience. In my experience, sometimes God closes the door and locks it. Sometimes He shuts the windows and nails them closed. Sometimes He turns off the lights, closes the drapes, and tells us to sit down, be quiet and wait.

There's a scripture that is much loved: Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. That's the modern version of Isaiah 40:31. But look at the older version:

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Do you see what I see there? "They that wait."

Hope. Wait. What do those words have in common? I think it's another word: trust. That's the key. The key is trusting that God will take care of us, no matter what happens. Is is trusting that no matter what the circumstances show, God loves us. God is good, even when life is bad.

Do you believe that today?

God is good. All the time. And all the time - He is good.

Oops

Uh oh. I have an oops.

When writing about Mary Magdalene last week, I read that there are scholars who think Mary of Magdala and Mary of Bethany are the same person. But that is not proven anywhere that I can find.

So I just wanted to clarify that point; apparently I am just making things up! ha ha

Hope everyone is having a great day! I'm ready for the warm weather that spoiled us so much to come back!

No Matter Where I Am

I am reading Psalm 139, one of my favorites. Today I am struck in a new way, by verses 7 - 10:

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

No matter where I am, He sees me. He knows me. He knows my thoughts and he know my heart. He knows my strengths and he knows my weaknesses. He knows me.

Verse 13 goes even farther; not only does he know me. He created me. Created these strengths. And these weaknesses. He created the very heart that He allows to turn against him. My heart that is so faulty, fallible, sinful. My heart that is often so full of love and praise, and so full of sin.

At times I can be my own worst enemy. I see the things that I don't like and I magnify them to impossible proportions. I do the same thing with things I do like.

But here's what I know: when my life gets out of balance - when I get out of balance - my God knows. He is there. He is here! He knows my thoughts, hears my prayers, and loves me. No matter what.

That Psalm ends special, too. Here's how the New Living Translation reads:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

When I invite him to search me, to point out anything I need changed, he'll do it. But he doesn't say, fix this, fix that. He says . . . let me.

So today, I let him. And tomorrow, I pray for the strength and wisdom to ask again, and let him again.

Jesus, the Risen Savior

Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it. John 20:30-31, The Message

There are so many other things Jesus did. If they were all written down, each of them, one by one, I can't imagine a world big enough to hold such a library of books. John 21:25

After writing for 25 days on the different people who were part of the Easter story, it almost seems anticlimactic to find the right words that can fully describe the end.

Nothing can really be written that hasn't been written already.

I love what John says. He wrote all these things so that we might believe that Christ is the risen Son of God. But there is so much more!

Wouldn't you love to know the other things Jesus said and did? I suppose someday we will know. We will get to talk to John and the other disciples, and hear every story. We will get to talk to Jesus himself!

So how to conclude these Easter reflections? If you don't mind, I'd like to quote . . . myself! When I did the characters of Christmas, I wrote the following about Jesus. And I think it sums it up pretty well:

There are many names for Jesus in the bible. He is the only begotten son of God. He is the Alpha and Omega. He is Emmanuel, God with us. He is Christ. He is Lord, Rabbi, Teacher. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

He is all those things and more. He is King of Kings, Lord of Lords. He is the Lion of Judah. He is Faithful and True. He is our Salvation.

He is all those things and more. He is Worthy. He is the Word of Life, He is the Bread of Life, He is the Light. He is the King of the Jews and the King of the Ages.

He is all those things and more. He is the Way. The Truth. The Life. He is the Savior of the World. He is the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever.

He is all those things and more. He is the Messiah. He is my Messiah.

Jesus left of the splendor of heaven, to be born in a dirty stable. He left His Father, to be born to human, sinful parents. He left His kingdom, to be spat upon, beaten, and killed. Then He left us here to go to heaven, to prepare it for us, to await our time together.

He is risen! Hallelujah!

Thomas, the Doubter

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though 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; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:24-29

Poor Thomas. In 2,000 years his reputation for unbelief sure hasn't changed. And yet, all of the disciples doubted, for days . . . right? Peter wasn't sure he knew what had happened when he ran to the tomb. In fact, when the women who had seen the empty tomb ran to tell the disciples, only Peter and John had enough inkling of hope to even rush to the tomb to see what was going on!

Interestingly, Jesus does not condemn or even chastise Thomas for his fears. He simply appears to him and tells him to trust. "Stop doubting and believe." What words of hope for us today!

Even Jesus' final words are not a criticism to Thomas. They are simply a statement of fact that hold such promise for us today. We have not seen him. Billions of people have not seen him, and yet believe. Jesus has promised us a special blessing for that!

But what I think is most striking here about Thomas is that we are so quick to judge him, even though Jesus didn't, and despite his earlier reputation. That's right, he has another reputation that most people don't even know about.

Look at John 11. This is the time that Jesus was going to Bethany to see his friends Mary and Martha, who were grieving over the loss of their brother, and Jesus' friend, Lazarus.

The disciples try to talk Jesus out of going, because they know that the Jewish leaders are after him. The Jews had recently tried to stone him, and the disciples felt like it was too dangerous.

They told Jesus that. It's too dangerous. It's not worth it. Don't go.

All of them, that is, except Thomas. Look at verse 16: Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

I've heard people label Thomas as a coward for not believing in the resurrection at first. Does this sound like a coward? He was the only one of the disciples that was ready for war!

We can learn a lot from Thomas. That we must believe despite what we see. That we must be humble, and fall on our knees before him. But we can also learn this: that we must be prepared to do battle with our God.

And . . . that we should not judge someone by one action only, but by a close inspection of all their fruit.

Someday, when we get to heaven, Thomas will not be walking around the streets of that city with an albatross hanging around his neck. In other words, he will not be defined and characterized by his sin any more than any of us will be. His mistakes and issues will shine like those very streets of gold, because the blood of Christ has turned them from shame to glory!

Amen!

The Angels at the Tomb

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” Matthew 28:2-7

Don't you wish you knew more about these angels? I've studied angels before, and wrote about them at Christmas time, but I'm talking about these specific angels.

Like the angels who were privileged to tell the shepherds that Jesus was born, and join in chorus, making worship music like never heard before or since - these angels were chosen for the most important task imaginable - to share that Jesus was alive. Again!

Let's go into my imagination again. (It's a scary place to be sometimes, but I like it there!) Let's imagine two angels, sitting in the tomb. Let's pretend they are Gabriel and Michael, since we know their names already. They appear in the tomb, waiting for Mary and the other women.

Can you sense their excitement? They are heavenly creatures, but maybe they are antsy, eagerly anticipating the women. Maybe they are pacing, or if they are sitting, maybe they are bouncing their legs up and down.

I hear them talking to each other. "I want to talk first!" "No, I'm going to. Father already told us what to say, and who was going to say it." The first angel grins. "I know. I'm just excited!"

Maybe their excitement is tempered with the knowledge of all that their Savior had been through in the last few days. They know how he had gone into Hades, preaching to the souls there, how he had seen and heard potentially horrible, blasphemous venom. They know the sin he endured on the cross, the price he paid for this moment.

They also know the glory of the price paid. That now redemption is possible for all. That Jews and Gentiles all over the world can join in this glorious freedom song. That God's plan, now fulfilled, had always been plan A, and was now richly and miraculously fulfilled.

It might seem weird to include angels that we don't know and can't name and can't describe as an important part of Easter. But they are. They delivered the best news. They regenerated the movement of Christianity. They confirmed hope, love and joy.

I can't wait to meet them someday. How about you?

Mary Magdalene

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
 
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”  Jesus said to her, “Mary.”  She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).  John 20:15-16

Mary Magdalene is not the woman most people think she is. 

Did you realize that?

She is not the adulterous woman.  She is the one who was healed of seven demons.  She is the sister of Lazarus, the one who anointed Jesus' feet with alabaster oil, using her hair to wipe them.  She is the woman who held fast at the foot of the cross, never fleeing or turning away from the carnage that was before her. 

She is a unique witness to three events:  Jesus' crucifixion, his burial and his resurrection.

Pope Gregory the Great in 591 signified Mary as a prostitute, although she is not portrayed that way in the gospels.  And writers, artists and believers have propagated that myth for centuries, despite its obvious glaring inconsistencies. 

My first reaction was, how sad that she has been wrongly been considered, basically, a whore.  But really, what difference does it make?  Does it matter if she was a prostitute or possessed?  Does it matter what kind of sinner she was?  Why?

You know, we've all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  We're all the same at the foot of the cross. 

So it doesn't matter who she was.  It matters who she became.

By the 10th century, she was widely known as the "Apostle to the Apostles."  It makes sense.  The word "apostle" has a different meaning than the word "disciple."  A disciple is one who follows.  An apostle is one who was sent by Jesus to spread the good news.  John 20:17 says, "Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

We are also considered apostles, because we take to heart Christ's commission in the Matthew 28:19-20:   "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

I say all this because we can easily consider Mary Magdalene as the very first apostle.  Not a prostitute.  Not a sin-filled woman.  Not lesser than a man.  Instead, she was the very first person that Jesus sent with a message.  

And what a message it was!  What an honor and a privilege she was given! 

(By the way, her role as the first apostle, showcases just how valuable Christ saw women.  But that's a discussion for another time and place.)

I wonder if there was a part of Mary that always believed Christ would not stay dead.  After all, if anyone could believe that this man, the Son of God, had power over death, wouldn't it be the sister of Lazarus?  Did a part of Mary go to the tomb to see what was there?  

I can't wait to find out, can you?

The point of Mary's life is that she didn't let anything hold her back.  Not her past, whatever it was.  Not her gender.  Not her helplessness at the cross.  She followed.  She stayed.  She returned.  

As should we.
 

Nicodemus

“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.  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."  John 3:9-15

He [Joseph of Arimathea] was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.  Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. John 19:39-40

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, and from his conversations with Jesus we derive a phrase that is still used in our Christian culture today:  being "born again."

The conclusion of this conversation contains arguably the most popular Bible verse in the world:  John 3:16.  Let's read it in context:

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. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.  John 3:16-21

In this passage Jesus concisely sums up God's plan of salvation.  We can thank Nicodemus for his question, for instigating this conversation.  We can thank him for his willingness to stand out among the others as someone unafraid to examine Jesus.  We can thank him for his genuineness in asking Jesus the question, how can one be born again? 

Truly, it didn't make sense in any kind of practical way.  So it is a legitimate question for Nicodemus to ask. 

How can we be born again?

It's simple - it's believing in Him.  That's all.  It's believing that Jesus is the Son of God, and He came to give us life.  Eternal life.

It's fitting that Nicodemus, who asks the question about life, is present at Jesus' death.  He takes Jesus' body along with Joseph, and he brings the burial spices.  He who asked about being born, is working on his loved one's death. 

There's another place in the gospel of John where Nicodemus is mentioned.  It's in chapter 7, when the Jewish leaders meet to discuss what to do about Jesus.  Nicodemus stands up for Jesus:  "Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

Nicodemus showed a beautiful curiosity when he examined Jesus.  Nicodemus showed great courage when he questioned the council.  And Nicodemus showed great tenderness when he prepared Jesus for burial.

The key ingredient here is not Nicodemus.  It's Jesus.

Joseph of Arimathea

As evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea took a risk and went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. (Joseph was an honored member of the high council, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come.) Pilate couldn’t believe that Jesus was already dead, so he called for the Roman officer and asked if he had died yet. The officer confirmed that Jesus was dead, so Pilate told Joseph he could have the body. Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth. Then he took Jesus’ body down from the cross, wrapped it in the cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone in front of the entrance.  Mark 15:43-46 NLT

Joseph, from the city of Arimathea, in Judea, was a member of the Sanhedrin (the high council).   He was risking his status with the Jewish leaders by making such a bold move.  The gospel of John describes him as a "secret" disciple of Jesus (19:38).  

He was also risking the wrath of Pilate.  "According to Roman law, a close family member could come and take away the body of an executed person. But there was no entitlement for a non-relative. There was a risk that a request from a non-relative would be denied and the body dumped, denying it proper burial. Tradition and sentiment also demanded that the body be interred with those of other family members, and not in the tomb of a stranger."  (wikipedia.com)

Joseph was also a prophecy fulfilled.  In Isaiah 53, one of the most interesting descriptions of the coming Messiah, we read:  "He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word.  He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.  And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.  Unjustly condemned, he was led away.  No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream.  But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people.  He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone.  But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.  (7-9)

So what can we learn from Joseph's life, from his presence in our Easter story?  I see three lessons:

1.  We must have convictions.
2.  We must have courage.
3.  We must have compassion.

Joseph had a conviction that Jesus was the Messiah.  Despite his position, the possible damage to his reputation and status, he believed.  He might have had to do it in secret, but he did not waver from his belief.

Joseph had the courage, upon Jesus' death, to defy his peers and Rome by asking for Jesus' body.  He wanted to give something to Jesus, a way to honor him somehow.  He didn't care who knew it.  He didn't count the cost.

Joseph had compassion upon Jesus and his family.  Jesus, who had nothing - not even a place to lay his head - had no place to be buried.  I'm not sure it even mattered to Jesus.  But it mattered to Joseph, and his care for Jesus' body, and the heart of Mary and his family, is evident in his desire to give Jesus' body proper care.

Joseph's desire to house Jesus' body shows that he didn't understand what the end was going to be.  He didn't understand the whole story.  But that's ok.  No one did.  And his lack of understanding does not erase the fact that his conviction, his courage, and his compassion are life lessons for us today.

Mary, the Mother of Jesus

And Mary said:
   “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.  From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.  He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever."  Luke 1:26-55

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.  John 19:25-27

I cannot imagine this moment for Mary.  She who had been so full of hope and promise, so humble yet so rich in spirit, was now in the throes of despair.  Did she understand?  Could she maintain her hope, her promise, because she knew this moment would not last forever? 

Was her soul still glorifying the Lord?

I imagine John ushering her into the upper room, where the other disciples are hiding.  I see her staring at them, eying them with grief, and perhaps disgust.  As the men try to approach her, to console her, to comfort her, she finally explodes:  "Where were you?  My son - my son!! - he needed you!  You who said you would never leave him.  You who proclaimed him as the Messiah not one week ago!  You ABANDONED him.  How could you?  How could you?"  I imagine her crumbling into a heap onto the floor.

And there is nothing that can be said to turn her mourning into joy.  Because everything she said was true. 

Was she a woman grieving because her son, this heaven-child who grew in God-man, had been tortured and killed?  Was she grieving because a piece of her felt betrayed, even lied to?  Was she grieving because everything she had believed had just been torn into bits?

We really don't know, do we?  Not much attention is paid to Mary, and no attention is paid to her grief, her feelings, her thoughts. 

Yet she is a vital piece of this story.  Her mere presence shows her absolute courage in the face of death.  Her presence at the foot of the cross, Jesus' concern for her as he approached death, shows the intimacy of their relationship.  Surely Christ loved her.  Surely she loved him.

Do you think that, when Mary stood before the angel Gabriel, when she submitted her will to God's will, when she hurried to her cousin's side and sang the beautiful song, above - do you think she had any idea what her submission would cost her?  She might have had an inkling that Joseph would be upset, that her parents might not understand, that her community would ostracize her. 

But did she know she would give birth in a cave?  Did she know that she and Joseph would be surrounded by smelly animals and stinky shepherds?  Did she know that Jesus would be tempted by the devil?  That he would be plotted against, sold, beaten, tortured, and crucified? 

I don't know.  I only know that we don't have to have courage to face tomorrow.  We only have to have enough courage to face today.  Day by day.  Every day. 

None of us can know what tomorrow holds, what obstacles we will face or glory we will receive.  We can only know that we serve the God who knows.  And that he will conquer our foes, face down the enemy, trample the terror in our lives.

Before we end today, we - again - can only imagine what three days later looked like for Mary.  We can only imagine how her eyes - puffy from crying for three days - how they widened when she saw a figure coming towards her that looked familiar.  We can only imagine her joy, her hope. 

We can only imagine the moment that her son became her savior. 
Wow.

John, the Beloved Disciple

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.  John 19:26-27

John the Disciple is a very interesting character, known by several names:  John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, John the Revelator.  He is known as the beloved disciple, and was one of the three, along with his brother James and Peter, who were in the inner circle of Jesus.

John and his older brother James were the sons of a man named Zebedee, nicknamed by Jesus as the "Sons of Thunder."  Fishermen by trade, they were following the preaching of John the Baptist when they were called by Jesus to follow him. 

John was evidently important to Jesus; as one of the inner circle, he witnessed the raising of Jairus' daughter, the Transfiguration, and Christ's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He was the only one of the disciples who did not run away when Christ was arrested; he stood watch over him, comforting and supporting Mary and the other women.  Some think that he was a relative of the high priest; John 18 refers to John being "known by the high priest" and was therefore allowed in to witness the trial of Jesus, and was able to bring Peter inside the court with him.  Perhaps that is why he was allowed to stand at the foot of the cross, bringing the women with him.  He was the only one of the disciples to live into old age, and the only one who did not die for his faith.

When John writes about himself as "the disciple that Jesus loved," he is not singling himself out as special.  He is simply identifying himself while maintaining some anonymity.  It is interesting that John identifies himself with "love"; in his writings he speaks often of love. 

  Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.    This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
   God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.  This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  1 John 4:7-18

We can therefore easily surmise that John's very life was defined by love.  He showed great love to his Savior.  Great love to his fellow disciples.  Great love to Jesus' mother and the other women.  Love.  
 
But perhaps the most important thing that we know about John is a very simple sentence found in his gospel, chapter 20, verse 8:   "Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed."

When Mary Magdalene came running to John and Peter, sobbing that Jesus was no longer in his tomb, the men rushed to the tomb to look at the evidence themselves.  And John believed.

He saw.  He believed.  He loved.  

What can we learn from John's life.  We can learn to not run away.  We can learn to live a life of love.  We can learn to see, and believe.    

The Penitent Thief

But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?  We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”  Luke 23:40-43

Here again we approach this singular, historical moment with recognition that this encounter is the ultimate metaphor for the eternal decision of mankind.

Will you mock God?  Will you turn away from the redemption he offers?
Or will you turn towards him?  Will you recognize him for who he is?  Will you accept his gift?

The great Charles Spurgeon wrote:  "He who is mighty to save was mighty, even during His own death, to pluck others from the grasp of the Destroyer, though they were in the act of expiring."

He who is mighty to save.  What an amazing thought.  The point is, that the same one who is mighty to save us allowed himself to be put to death!  And even more amazing is that two men, seeing the same sight, suffering the same fate, met the same man and had two very different reactions to him.

What caused this thief, known through the apocrypha as Dismas, to repent instead of curse?  What did he see that his companion did not see?

I again refer to Charles Spurgeon, who in a sermon from 1886 wrote: 

 "When he saw the Savior surrounded by the Roman soldiers—saw the executioners bring forth the hammers and the nails and lay Him down upon His back and drive the nails into His hands and feet—this crucified criminal was startled and astonished as he heard Him say, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” He, himself, had probably met his executioners with a curse, but he heard this Man breathe a prayer to the great Father! And, as a Jew, as he probably was, he understood what was meant by such a prayer. But it did astound him to hear Jesus pray for his murderers.  That was a petition, the like of which he had never heard nor even dreamed of! From whose lips could it come but from the lips of a Divine Being? Such a loving, forgiving, God-like prayer proved Him to be the Messiah! 

How joyous!  How much easier the pain of a crucified death must have been for him!  Jesus promised him not just heaven, but Paradise on this day.   Do you see the depths of that promise?  That his suffering would end.  That eternal life would begin.  That he would receive a reward, not a punishment.

As he died a death of ultimate punishment, of horrible pain and depths of agonizing, he received the promise of life.  Of forgiveness.

It's worth noting that there is no evidence that the penitent thief ever heard a sermon.  No evidence that he was evangelized.  No evidence that he had been witnessed to.

He simply looked at the Savior's face, marked by the cruel acts of evil men.  Just looking at Jesus changed his life - and his death!

One more quote from Spurgeon's sermon:

As the robber looked, he believed. Is it not amazing—the very sight of the Master won him? The sight of the Lord in agony, shame and death! Scarcely a word. Certainly no sermon, no attending worship on the Sabbath. No reading of gracious books; no appeal from mother, or teacher, or friend. The sight of Jesus won him! I put it down as a very singular thing, a thing for you and for me to remember and dwell upon with quite as much vividness as we do upon the lateness of this robber’s conversion!

The lesson from this thief's life is really a question:  What will you do when you look at Jesus?  And boiled down, it becomes this:  What will you do with Jesus?

The Impenitent Thief

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”  Luke 23:39

We have hurtled ahead to the moments where Jesus now hangs on a cross.  He is placed between two thieves, one who spews venom, one who cries for mercy. 

The first thief is traditionally known as Gestas, hanging to the left of Jesus (this according to the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus).

There's not much known or said about these two thieves.  But at this one moment in history, we are given a glimpse into the eternal conflict:  the punishment versus the redemption.  One of these thieves is rushing towards punishment; one toward redemption.  One of them mocks the sacrifice of Jesus, the other receives it.  It's the common theme of mankind.

Can you imagine hanging next to Jesus, dying basically the same death, and having so much evil in your heart that instead of identifying with him, you mock him?  I mean, how many times do you approach something unpleasant - say, a dental visit - and find camaraderie with other patients in the waiting room?  You don't say, you're an idiot for being here.  No, you commiserate with their misery, as you anticipate your own.

This man's heart must have been so corrupted.  And how Satan must have been crowing at this moment.  How he must have been mocking Jesus - look!!  Son of God!!  You hanging like a common man, like a common criminal.  And look!!  Even the criminal next to you hates you.

Thankfully, this thief is not the end of this story.  But this story is the key metaphor for our lives:  who will you be like?  How will you respond to Jesus?