[An important reminder to have faith in the love of your Creator Father and His resurrection power this Easter].
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Creator Father looked out over creation as the morning’s fragrance swirled around Him.
He sighed.
Flowers sang in unison with the sun’s rising. He remembered His children’s delight at the singing flowers.
He remembered their excitement as He taught them His ways. He remembered how their hearts came into alignment with His as they discussed plans together.
He longed deeply for those days again. He longed for the companionship of His sons and daughters. They had rejected the One who wanted their good.
“They don’t come by to talk. They do not know me anymore. . . ,
I will go where they are.
Then they can see me and touch me and accept my love–It is finally time.”
~ ~ ~
On earth, the clear night was alive with activity from heaven in fields outside Bethlehem.
The stars were more brilliant tonight, and one star in particular.
Townspeople had rumbled about town looking for a place to settle for the night, and now finally, all was quiet.
This night the line between the natural and supernatural faded.
Myriad angels in glorious array appeared to shepherds in the fields, while the divine image slept peacefully swaddled in a manger.
~ ~ ~
(Around 33 Years Later)
John and the other disciples wove their way through the jumpy night shadows to a grove of trees in the garden of Gethsemane.
“Stay here and watch and pray,” Jesus told them.
Jesus’ adamant words seemed more and more confusing.
“Keep watch and pray you do not enter into temptation.”
Enter into temptation?
Jesus’ words at supper didn’t make sense either,
“My time is at hand.
One of you will betray me.
Eat. Drink. This is my body given for you.
This is my blood poured out for you.
Remission of sins.
New Covenant.
My blood.
You will be offended by Me.”
None of it made sense.
Such sorrowful words, yet there was such peace by His side.
“Right now we are all exhausted,” John thought. “So exhausted. We just need sleep.”
Just as John closed his eyes, he jumped–startled by the shuffling of sandals in the hardened dirt followed by Jesus’ heart-wrenching cry.
“Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. . . .Yet, not My will, but Yours be done.”
Jesus stumbled and a brilliant light flashed toward Him.
He prayed more fervently so that sweat flowed as drops of blood and splattered to the ground.
From the flickering torchlight in the distance came angry shouts and threats of violence.
John crouched down as the mob moved closer. They cried out and waved swords and staves in the air.
It was the chief priest, Caiaphas!
With the scribes and elders—and Judas—with the money bag!
~ ~ ~
Pilate’s wife twisted and turned throwing the linens off the bed.
She wiped the sweat from her face. She saw a smoking mountain bellow and light up the sky.
Fierce cloud-like creatures stood by ready to fight.
Lightning pierced the dark as loud trumpets blew and the earth quaked.
Oh, the things she saw and heard.
Was that? Yes, it was! Tombstones were cracking and breaking. Oh no. Spirits were walking around!
Oh, the bleating of sheep. Lots of bleating sheep. Where are those sheep?
The noise, all the bleating haunted her soul.
Just when she thought her head would burst, a single perfect lamb came down out of the sky, but it’s back was torn to shreds.
Oh, the blood–the blood was everywhere.
John the Baptist had talked about a lamb, didn’t he?
A lamb that would take away all the sins of the world.
She rolled over and pulled her legs up underneath her. She sobbed and sobbed.
This had to be the Nazarene. This was her husband’s business—but this was an innocent man.
As soon as light arrived, she tied her disheveled hair back and shoved it under her covering.
She quickly wrote a message for her husband, who was sitting at court in this high-profile case.
She picked her way through the crowded street to the court and pushed past people chanting, “Give us Barabbas! Give us Barabbas!”
The custom was to release back to the people one prisoner of their choice during Passover.
This was not right, she thought. Barabbas was a criminal and Jesus was innocent.
The religious leaders were mistaken! And envious!
She handed her message to the attendant and backed off to watch the proceedings.
The governor addressed the crowd, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?”
Those hateful chief priests stirred the crowd to shout, “Barabbas!”
“Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”
The boisterous crowd again shouted, “Crucify Him!”
“Why, what evil has He done?”
But the crowd kept on shouting, “Crucify Him!” “Crucify Him!”
Pilate looked over the crowd.
He was accomplishing nothing, but starting a riot, so he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd.
Then he declared, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.”
Pilot’s wife ran toward Pilot, but the crowd blocked her, “No! No! Nooooo!”
Her husband released Barabbas and turned Jesus over to be beaten and crucified.
~ ~ ~
The soldiers led Jesus down the blood-stained trail to Golgotha—the place of the skull.
Jesus’ blood splattered and smeared on their hands and clothes as they pounded spikes into Jesus hands and feet.
The earth turned dark and shook as lightning slashed across the sky.
The rough-hewn cross-beam stood tall, though the sign nailed on top shook.
Between dirt and blood-smeared fingerprints, it read, “King of the Jews.”
With staggered breaths of air, Jesus cried out,
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
The earth sat still in silence.
After what seemed like an eternity, he breathed, “It is finished!”
The veil in the temple ripped from top to bottom.
The earth shook, rocks split, and tombs opened.
The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead and appeared to many people in the holy city of Jerusalem.
The centurion and those keeping guard were frightened and shouted out,
“Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matt 27:45–54.)
Once again, the people of God had rejected the One who only wanted their good.
In this kingdom, all is backward.
The king is dead yet is just beginning to rule. And those who live must die.
~ ~ ~
With a swift twist and grinding motion, Mary Magdalene crushed spices in the mortar.
She lifted the pestle momentarily to brush a strand of hair out of her eyes.
“The sun will be up soon,” she said to herself.
Mary was anxious for this Sabbath day to be over, and the thunder and lightning to stop.
An excitement kept welling up in her that she could not explain.
Maybe it was from not sleeping.
Maybe it was nothing, or maybe it was something.
Her stool began to shake, and the pestle hit the mortar loudly. The water pots rattled.
She looked down and noticed the foundation was shaking.
Then it stopped as suddenly as it began. The thunder and lightning, it all stopped.
Mary gathered the crushed spices into an alabaster box.
She would join the other women at the garden tomb. At that thought, she sped up her preparations.
As the sun crested the horizon she ran toward the garden, almost tripping over the little lamb in her path.
Oh, her Master, her Master. How would they roll away the stone?
She remembered His limp, bloody body on that beam and the devastating trial. Much had happened to her beloved Lord, and now sorrow gripped her heart.
She thought about His words to her. His words about rising after three days comforted her.
Dare she believe?
~ ~ ~
The Creator Father looked out over His creation and was pleased. He had found faith on earth and was excited for all His new sons and daughters.
~ ~ ~
Dear reader, because Jesus conquered death, hell, and the grave, we can believe for the restoration of all the things the enemy has stolen or destroyed in our own lives!
I declare resurrection power to be loosed into your life–the resurrection of dreams, careers, health, ideas, creativity, music, finances, family relationships, and an abundance of healing love in all areas of your life!
May His resurrection presence surround you with grace, peace, and love this day!
You May Be Interested in
“Be Still and Know God is With You” 4 Steps to Quiet Your Mind to Find Peace or
7 Things to Know About Healing
Photo Credit: Jasper Boer on Unsplash
I love that Mary was the first to meet the resurrected Christ. I long to choose best and sit at his feet; if I did so more often, I might encounter my resurrected Lord on a more regular basis.
Yes! It thrills me to know that Mary got to see Him first! God bless you Candice! You are on your way to more intimacy with your Lord! I’m sending prayers your way.