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Today we are reading John chapter 20.

Take some time today to read this chapter of Jesus and His resurrection. How special to be reading this chapter and be reminded of what Jesus has done for us just before we Celebrate Easter two weeks from today!

What is your favorite dream gift? If you could have any gift you dreamed of wrapped in a box with the perfect bow on top, what would you dream of? A new car? Jewelry? Myself, at this stage of my life, is a dream vacation on the beach. I would love if someone wrapped up this vacation in a box and gave it to me. But, what if I was given the box, un-tied the bow, lifted the lid, and…the box was empty?? I would feel let down and pretty disappointed.

In Verse 2 we find Mary Magdalene going to the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body for burial.

John 20:1&2
Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark. Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and I don’t know where they have put him!”

When Mary was going to the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body, a couple of days after he had been crucified, she was not happy with what she found. The tomb was empty. Jesus’ body was nowhere to be found and she became very distressed as to where it could have been.
Yet, the empty tomb was the best present she could ever receive. The empty tomb meant that Jesus had risen from the dead and that even death could not overpower the strength of God.
Sometimes we look at our lives and it all feels like empty boxes – disappointment, pain, grief. And yet we worship a God who is stronger than anything we have to go through. When we have faith in God, He can turn the devastation of an empty tomb into the best gift anyone could ever desire.

What are you facing in your life today? The power of Jesus’ resurrection is the power to take your disappointments and devastations and transform them with His resurrection power.

I love how this song speaks to me about the Power of Christ!  Especially the verse that sings about the tomb being empty!

“Then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave he rose again!  And as He stands in Victory, sins curse has lost its grip on me, for I am His and He is Mine, bought with the precious blood of Christ.”

Today’s reading:  John 19

Last weekend, I traveled to Florida to see my grandma.  As always, our time together was precious and filled my heart with gladness…until I got to the airport to go home.  I had chosen to fly a discount airline because it was a direct flight AND because it was $300 less than any other.  I should have known better.  I hate this airline.

On Sunday afternoon, I boarded the plane on time.  Then I waited, and waited, and waited.  Eventually I learned the fuel truck that was under the wing wouldn’t start.  Nothing was wrong with the plane, but it took almost an hour for a tow truck to come pull the fuel truck out of the way.  Did I mention this airline also boards their planes 60 minutes (not 30 minutes) in advance of the flight?  I didn’t have enough time to get lunch.  To say I was crabby is an understatement.

If you know me well, you know I prefer to keep to myself on flights.  I like to read my book and ignore everyone around me.  Because of the fuel truck debacle last Sunday, however, I struck up a conversation with the woman next to me.  Her name was Sharon.  Turned out she was as annoyed as I was, and we shared a few chuckles.  The conversation went on.  She shared that she had lost her husband five months ago.  While she has been enjoying her new independence and the ability to travel more, she is still struggling through her grief.  We talked about her three sons and how they take the time to call and check up on her every day.  We talked about Jesus.  She remembered back to 1970 when she and her husband gave their lives to him and never looked back.  She smiled, knowing having Jesus by her side is the only way she’ll ever recover from this loss.

Why do I tell you this story (other than to warn you never to sit next to me on a plane)?  When we got ready to get off the plane, Sharon looked at me and said, “Thanks for the conversation.  You touched my life today.”  I responded to our flight struggles in a way with which I’m ordinarily uncomfortable.  Boy am I glad I spent time talking to Sharon instead of ignoring her and reading my book.

As I was studying John 19 this week, I thought about how Jesus’ life touched many people.  His death, the subject of our text today, was no less impactful.  The books of Mark, Luke and John identify several specific people whose lives were changed after coming into contact with Jesus.  After his death, each of these men were compelled to respond in a way they had never been comfortable responding before:

• The criminal on the cross next to Jesus in Luke 23:39-43 – He recognized Jesus’ innocence and, for the very first time, confessed him as Lord. Jesus responded, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
• The Roman officer standing in front of Jesus when he died – When darkness came over the land and the curtain of the temple was torn in two, the Roman officer standing in front of Jesus proclaimed, “Truly this man was the son of God” (Mark 15:39). The Bible doesn’t specifically identify what happened to this officer, but I have to believe his life was changed forever.
• Joseph of Arimathea – A member of the Sanhedrin Council who was a secret follower of Jesus.  Joseph asked Pilate if he could have Jesus’ body to bury it (John 19:38).  He was now out in the open, and could no longer follow Jesus in secret.
• Nicodemus – A Pharisee who had only visited Jesus at night.  When Pilate released Jesus’ body to Joseph, Nicodemus brought spices with which to help prepare Jesus’ body for burial.  He was no longer able to secretly follow Jesus either.

What about you? How have you responded to Jesus’ death?  As you ponder this question, may I remind you of its significance?  Sin separates people from God.  Until Jesus death, people were required to abide by a complicated system of sacrifices to atone for their sin.  Do you remember how confusing the five different sacrifices we studied in Leviticus were (burnt offering, grain offering, peace offering, sin offering, and trespass offering)?  The instructions about what to do and when were very detailed, very confusing, and pretty disgusting.  But they were necessary.  These sacrifices were the only way people could pay for their sins.

As we read the account of Jesus crucifixion in John 19, may I draw your attention to the final moment of death in verse 30?  Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30).  Not only did this statement signify the death of Jesus’ earthly body, it also signified the start of God’s new covenant with man.  The shedding of Jesus’ blood became the final sacrifice to atone for our sin.  If we put our faith in Jesus Christ and accept him as our Lord and Savior, our sin is no longer a barrier between us and God.

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22).

As you prepare to celebrate Easter in two weeks, would spend time contemplating your response to Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection?  Does it compel you to respond in a way you’ve never been comfortable responding before?  Are you using your response to impact the lives of other people?

Potter's Field, Israel.  The place where Judas hanged himself.

Most Christians are familiar with Judas’ story.  We know him as a traitor, a cheat and a thief.  The Bible has plenty of evidence for those conclusions.  But, was it his fault?  Today, as we read John 13, I get stuck on three words from verse 27, “Satan entered him.”  As I read it, the thought of Satan entering chills my bones.  I begin to worry that Satan, at any moment, can take over my heart and mind. That he can control my actions as he did with Judas.  Does it work that way?  Are we susceptible to catastrophic failure at any given moment of the day?  To answer those questions, we need to look closer at Judas’ life.

Surely, like you and me, Judas’ choice to follow Jesus was pure.  He saw in Jesus what we all see.  Love, joy, hope and peace.  Also like us, as Judas followed Jesus, he was confronted with his old self.  Judas’ old makeup was filled with greed and love of money.  That life is marked with continuously cultivating thoughts of wealth and prosperity.  As an apostle, he must have found himself continuously at odds with those desires.  At some point, the frustration is too great.  He must choose one or the other.  How does he choose?  The same way we do.  Whichever desire gets more attention wins.

The Bible is clear that the desires we feed will produce results.  In fact, James 1:14-15 says that, “temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.  These desires give birth to sinful actions.  And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”  Sounds like Judas, doesn’t it?

Imagine Judas sitting at home, alone one evening, relaxing by the fire, contemplating his life.  His thoughts drift to the wealthy people.  He ponders what their lives are like.  He adores their clothing, their homes, maybe even their chariots.  But, he doesn’t have any of that.  How can he get it?  As he lies down in bed he’s still thinking of the possibilities of having money.  Oh, how it could change his life and how much better he could be.

The next day, Judas hasn’t shaken the thought.  He begins to think more and more about what he could have. He must have it!  Judas begins to craft a solution in his head.  ‘How can I get the money?’  As he evaluates his skills and resources, he has an idea.  He could sell out Jesus.  I imagine him immediately dismissing the thought as he remembers why he follows Jesus.  But, every time he is alone, he ponders how to live a bigger life.  The thought of selling out Jesus returns.  This time, it’s not so easily dismissed.  He begins to ask it questions like “how would it happen,” and “what is the next step.”   Over time, the thought is large enough to be carried with him.  Everyday, he’s returning to it, considering it, even strategizing it.  Just like us, once we have considered it long enough, an opportunity will present itself.  For Judas, he finds a special opportunity while talking to the chief priest. “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” (Matthew 26:15).  And that was it.  The response given by the chief priest encouraged and empowered him.  He could see victory.  Now, he just needed the right time.

Even though Judas’ mind was resolved and his heart now hardened against Jesus, he must have questioned the decision.  I see him sitting with Jesus and the disciple’s at the Passover table.  He’s floundering and filled with anxiety. Is this the time? Little did Judas know that the decision was no longer his. He had been surrendering the choice to Satan little by little for the last several weeks.  The thing that was once just a thought had been cultivated in his heart and it had control. His floundering was not an obstacle for Satan. He is crafty. He knows exactly how to finish him.  It happens in verse 27. I imagine that Satan, watching Judas take the bread, uses Jesus’ words to provoke the malice and hatred he had been cultivating. Now, rushing in all at once, Judas was fully won.  He went “into the night.”  Death was near.

What do you ponder when you are alone?  What is the thing that has your attention? Is it Holy?  Imagine yourself in possession of the thing that you most want, is it drawing you nearer to Jesus?

Todays reading is John 9

So we all read John 9 today and got the chance first hand to see Jesus working in our world. A man born blind gets his eyes covered with a mixture of Jesus’ spit and dirt and then is told to go wash in the pool of Siloam. After following Jesus instructions he can see. For the first time in his life, he is not in total darkness. He is not forced to feel his way around the world or be lead by another person. His life is changed drastically by the opportunity to earn a living instead of sit at the city gate and beg for coins or food to keep himself alive each day. This turn of events moves him in society from an outcast to a functioning part of a community. It is also possible that he could now be found worthy by some family, worthy enough for them to consider giving their daughter to him in marriage. Everything has changed.

As people around him realize what has happened to him, they start questioning him to find out how this has happened. People do not lose their blindness. Everyone knows that being born blind is a lifelong ailment. So what happened? He tells his story. It doesn’t really add up to people so they take him to their leaders. Surely the people’s leaders are smart enough to be able to make sense of this craziness. When the leaders hear the story they start to argue amongst themselves because they can’t really make heads or tails of what has happened either. As they are trying to come up with a feasible answer, they ask the man to tell his story to them again and then ask him, “What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?” He answers that Jesus must be a prophet.” This doesn’t clear up any of the question that the leaders have so they bring in the blind man’s parents for questioning and go through the entire story again with them. A person born blind, being wiped with spit and mud, and washed in a pool of water does not equal a seeing person. What are they missing here?

The leaders decide to question the man himself a bit more thoroughly. By now, the man is fed up with the questions. Why do you want to hear the story AGAIN? Are you guys wanting to become his disciples, too? This question honked the leaders off royally! They cursed the formerly blind man and basically made fun of him for placing his trust in Jesus. The man replies, “Ever since the world began, no one has been able to open the eyes of someone born blind. If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it.” Simple, pure faith! He didn’t require logic or explanation. (There isn’t any to be had here.) He was changed, healed and he knew that Jesus was responsible for his miracle. He didn’t have to understand how or why, it was enough for him to know that it was from God or it wouldn’t have happened.

In vs 35-39 Jesus meets back up with the man and asks him a few questions to see where the mans heart is after all he has experienced. The man simply and purely professes his belief in Jesus and worships Him.(I can’t stop wondering what that looked like.) So Jesus continues to visit with him and tells him. “I entered this world to render judgment-to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind”. The leaders are standing close enough to hear Jesus comments and are offended…Are you saying we are blind? Jesus responds, “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty. But you remain guilty because you claim you can see”.

I want Jesus to see simple, pure belief in my heart. I don’t want to be lying to myself about the things in my life I am trying to cover and hide from God. I don’t want my motives to be elevating me and my agenda. I want to worship and honor the One who deserves the credit. I want my first thought to be, it was from God or it wouldn’t have happened. Can we be brave enough today to simply believe that faith in our “making the blind see”-God is exactly what we need to meet what we will face today?

Today’s Reading : John 7
In the 7^th Chapter of John, John setups an interesting scene: there is a festival in Judea and Jesus’s brothers and relatives are urging him to go to the festival, but he refuses to go and participate. The Feast of the Tabernacles, is the seventh and final feast of the Jewish tradition, it’s a big deal. This is the feast of the harvest and ends the High Holidays of the Jewish celebration. It is symbolic to the tabernacles or huts that the Israelites used in the desert during their forty-year reflection. Upon researching further into the feast, this is linked to one of Jesus’s earlier miracles in John 5: 1-17. It was at this very feast probably a couple of years earlier, were Jesus finds a man at the pool called Bethesda and have the man pick-up his mat and walk. The Jews are upset at the man for carrying his mat on the Sabbath. So the Jews are looking of him and want to persecute him for performing miracles on the Sabbath and for preaching the Scripture.  The question is “Would you go somewhere knowing that there are people waiting to persecute you?”

Lord thank you for always being able to perform miracles everyday and thank you for ministering to us daily with the Holy Spirit. I praise you for everything and having all authority. Amen