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Monthly Archives: July 2015

Jesus appears before them.

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That same evening, the disciples were all together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. Jesus suddenly appeared among them saying “Peace to you!” They were terrified, convinced that they were seeing a ghost.

“Why are you upset?” he asked. “Why do you doubt that I’m real? Look at my hands and feet. Touch me and know for sure that I’m real. A ghost doesn’t have a body like I do.” He then held out his hands and feet for them to look at. Even though, they still had a hard time believing that he was really there because they didn’t dare believe it was true. He then asked if they had something to eat, so they gave him some broiled fish and a piece of honeycomb, and he ate it while they watched.

Then he said “Here is what I told you before, about how everything written about me in the Scriptures must come to pass.” He then opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He then said “It was written that the Messiah must suffer and then rise from the grave on the third day, and there would be repentance and forgiveness of sins declared in his name, beginning in Jerusalem and spreading to the whole world. You are all witnesses of these facts. Behold, I will send to you what my Father promised. But for now, stay here in Jerusalem until you receive that heavenly power.”

LK 24:36-49, (MK 16:14, JN 20:19-20)

On the road to Emmaus

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The same day, two of Jesus’ followers were on the way to a village named Emmaus. It is about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were discussing everything that had happened while they were walking. While they were talking and arguing, Jesus began to walk along with them but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. Jesus asked them “What are you two arguing about on your way?” They stopped walking and looked dejected.

Cleopas answered, “Are you the only person visiting in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard the news?”

“What news?” Jesus asked.

They said “All the news about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet that was powerful in word and deed before God and everyone, and the fact that our own Temple priests and leaders handed him over to the civil authorities to be sentenced to death and then crucified. We had hoped that he was the promised Messiah who had come to liberate Israel. In addition to all of this, three days have passed. Also some of the women in our group told us something amazing. They went out early in the morning to the tomb and didn’t find his body there. They told us that they had seen an angel who said he was alive! A couple of people from our group went to the tomb to check and found it as the women had said, but they didn’t see him.”

Then Jesus said to them “How slow you are to believe everything the Prophets said was to happen! Didn’t they clearly say that the Messiah had to endure everything that has happened before entering into his glory?” Then he began telling them everything that the Prophets had said about him, starting with Moses and going through all the Scriptures, explaining what everything meant.

By this time they were almost to Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus gave the impression that he had further to go, but they urged him to stop for the evening because it was so late. So he went in with them to where they were staying.

While he was reclining at the table to eat, he took the bread, gave thanks for it and broke it, and then gave it to them. Suddenly their eyes were opened and they recognized him but then he immediately vanished before their eyes. They began to discuss this, saying “Weren’t our hearts full of fire while he was explaining the Scriptures to us on the road?” They immediately returned to Jerusalem and found the rest of Jesus’ followers who told them “The Lord is risen! He has appeared to Simon!” Then the two who had returned from Emmaus began to share what had happened to them and how he had revealed himself to them while breaking bread.

LK 24:13-35, (MK 16:12-13)

The soldiers are bribed to lie.

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While the women were returning to the disciples, the soldiers who had been guarding the tomb reported what had happened to the chief priests. The priests met with the elders to decide what to do. They gave the soldiers a lot of money and told them “Say ‘His disciples stole his body while we were sleeping.’ If Pilate hears about this we will handle it and cover for you.” The soldiers took the bribe and did as they were told. This story has been repeated among the Jews to this very day.

MT 28:11-15

Peter and John go to the tomb

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Peter and John ran to the tomb. John outran Peter and got there first. He stooped down to look into the tomb and saw the linen cloths, but he stayed outside. Then Peter arrived and went inside the tomb. He saw the linen cloths for the body along with the linen that was used to wrap Jesus’ head folded up and separate from the rest.

John, who had gotten there first, entered the tomb after Peter and when he saw the linen cloths he believed. At this point they still did not understand the Scripture that said he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned home.

(LK 24:12), JN 20:3-10

Mary Magdalene and the other women see Jesus

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Mary saw a man in the garden not far from the tomb. She assumed he was the gardener. He was Jesus, but she did not recognize him. When he said “Mary”, she instantly knew who he was.

“Teacher!” She exclaimed, reaching for him. He cautioned her “Don’t hold on to me, because I haven’t yet gone up to my Father. But go and tell my brothers that I am ascending to our Father – mine and yours. I am leaving for Galilee, have them meet me there.”

The other women saw him as well, and they held his feet and worshipped him.

The women reported to the disciples on all that had happened and relayed the message from the angel and Jesus to travel to Galilee, yet they didn’t believe them. The disciples thought they were making up the story.

(MT 28:9-10, MK 16:9-11, LK 24:9-11, JN 20:14-18)

Resurrection morning

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Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, Joanna, and Salome went to the tomb while it was still dark on the first day of the week, after the Sabbath had ended. They brought the spices and perfumes they had prepared to anoint the body. They were wondering among themselves how they would roll back the stone that was covering the entrance to the tomb.

An angel of the Lord suddenly descended from heaven, causing the earth to shake. He rolled back the stone door and then sat upon it. He shone with a brilliant light and his robe was snow-white. The guards were paralyzed with fear when they saw him. The women bowed down to the ground, amazed and terrified.

The angel said to the women “Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. Why are looking among the dead for the living? He is not here – he has been resurrected! Remember how he told you when he was in Galilee that the Son of Man would be betrayed into the hands of sinners, be crucified, and will rise on the third day?” Then they remembered that Jesus had said this.

The angel continued, “Come and see where they put him. Go quickly and tell his disciples that ‘He has been raised from the dead. He is going ahead to Galilee – you will see him there, just as he said.’ Make sure you tell them this.”

The women, trembling with amazement and alarm, ran from the tomb to tell the other disciples the news.

MT 28:1-8, MK 16:1-8, LK 24:1-8, (JN 20:1)

A wrap and a prayer

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I started something different when I wrap my hair. I set an intention or a prayer every time I do it for a particular purpose. For instance I may wrap for people who are suffering from feeling alienated or people who are struggling with addiction. Then as the day goes on, every person who comments on my head wrap or stares at it is someone I need to pray for, someone who has that particular issue that they are struggling with. I pray silently in my heart for them, never calling attention to them.

This transforms the stares and unexpected comments from something weird into an opportunity to pray for others. This transforms wrapping from something I do for myself into something that I do for others.

The closely guarded tomb

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The next day the chief priests and Pharisees assembled before Pilate and said “Sir, we remember that while that liar was alive he said ‘I will rise again after three days’. Therefore, we request that you give orders for the tomb to be secured until then. If not, his disciples may steal his body and tell everyone that he has been raised from the dead. If they do that it will make a bad situation worse.”

Pilate told them to use some soldiers as a guard saying “Go make it secure in the best way you know.” Then they left and secured the tomb by putting a seal around the stone and posting guards.

MT 27:62-66

The burial

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Joseph, a wealthy man from Arimathea in Judea, came to Golgotha in the evening. He was an important member of the Sanhedrin who had not agreed with what they had decided to do about Jesus. He was also a righteous man and secretly one of Jesus’ followers. He looked forward to the coming of the kingdom of God.

He boldly approached Pilate to claim Jesus’ body. Pilate agreed to his request once he learned from the centurion that Jesus had already died. He was surprised that he had died so quickly.

Joseph removed Jesus’ body from the cross and wrapped it with fine linen he had bought. Nicodemus (the Pharisee who had earlier come at night to secretly talk with Jesus) was also there and he brought a large mixture of myrrh and aloe. They used it along with the linen to prepare Jesus’ body in accordance with Jewish burial customs.

Joseph placed the body in an unused tomb that was cut into the rock in a nearby garden. They did this because they did not have time to take care of the body because the Sabbath was quickly approaching. Joseph rolled a large stone over the entrance and then left.

Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph were seated nearby, watching where the body was placed. They returned to where they were staying and prepared spices and perfumes for the body. Then they rested, because it was the Sabbath.

MT 27:57-61, MK 15:42-47, LK 23:50-56, JN 19:38-42

Jesus’ side pierced

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The Jews didn’t want the bodies to stay on the cross through the next day because not only was it the Sabbath, but it was also the first day of Passover. They asked Pilate to have the men’s legs broken to hasten their death so that their bodies could be removed before the Sabbath began. The soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men who had been crucified alongside Jesus. They saw that Jesus was already dead when they came to him, so they did not break his legs. However, a soldier used a spear to pierce his side and blood and water immediately flowed out.

The one who saw this has told you this so that you might believe. He speaks the truth and is convinced that what he is saying is true.

These things fulfilled the Scriptures that say “None of his bones will be broken” and “They will look upon the One they have pierced.”

JN 19:31-37