Resurrection 2.0: The Empty Tomb

They stood there, stunned and perplexed. Very early that Sunday morning, the women made their way to the tomb, carrying the spices they had prepared. Among them were Mary Magdalene; Joanna; and Mary, Jesus’ mother. Arriving at the tomb they discovered that the huge stone covering the entrance had been rolled aside, so they went in to look. But the tomb was empty. The body of Jesus was gone! They stood there, stunned and perplexed. Suddenly two men in dazzling white robes shining like lightning appeared above them. Terrified, the women fell to the ground on their faces. The men in white said to them, “Why would you look for the living One in a tomb? He is not here, for he has risen! Have you forgotten what he said to you while he was still in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man is destined to be handed over to sinful men to be nailed to a cross, and on the third day he will rise again’?” All at once they remembered his words. Leaving the tomb, they went to break the news to the Eleven and to all the others of what they had seen and heard. When the disciples heard the testimony of the women, it made no sense, and they were unable to believe what they heard. But Peter jumped up and ran the entire distance to the tomb to see for himself. Stooping down, he looked inside and discovered it was empty! There was only the linen sheet lying there. Staggered by this, he walked away, wondering what it meant. (Luke 24:1-12 TPT) No mortal was present when the Spirit of the living God reanimated the lifeless body of Jesus of Nazareth and validated him as Christ, the Son of God, and our Lord (Romans 1:3-4). We sometimes wrongly talk about the early disciples seeing Jesus raised from the dead. The reality of the resurrection leaves us all a bit “stunned and perplexed” because no human personally witnessed how this incredible miracle occurred when GOD was accomplishing it. The exact how of the resurrection remains shrouded in divine mystery. The exact who — Jesus of Nazareth — and the truth that God raised Jesus’ lifeless body from death, however, is not so much a mystery. We can be thankful that the truth of Jesus’ resurrection doesn’t depend upon rumors from self-deluded weirdos. While critics may try to raise questions about the resurrection of Jesus or explain it away, the truth of the early believers’ good news depended upon it being true: And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:14). If we label the exact moment of Jesus’ resurrection as Resurrection 1.0, then we can rejoice that those who knew Jesus ensure resurrection 2.0 and 2.1, 2.2, 2.3… 2.500+ (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). The changes in those people, the power behind their message and their fearlessness of faith in Jesus when they had first doubted, all testify that GOD made sure Resurrection 1.0 truly happened in our human history. The empty tomb of Resurrection 1.0 didn’t ensure that Jesus was raised from the dead. Only the physical presence of the resurrected Jesus with people who were devastated and terrified at his execution on the cross ensures Resurrection 2.0. For those of us who believe two-thousand-years later, their testimony becomes our hope and our future. Their energized faith, their bold testimony, and their willing sacrifice of their lives to tell others about what they had seen and heard (Acts 4:19) provides the foundation for our faith. Even their most ardent opponents had to acknowledge that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). These witnesses let everyone know that Jesus was not only their message, but he was also the one who had inaugurated their new movement on Pentecost by pouring out the same powerful Spirit that had given him victory over sin, hell, and death in the resurrection (Acts 2:33-36). Over the next several weeks — as the Lord gives us time — we will look at Resurrection 2.0. We will look at what the earliest believers relied on about the resurrection. My prayer is that this short journey will motivate us to expect in our personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus in ways that he has promised to show himself to us in our day. (The Immanuel Project will be a series of thoughts that will follow our series on Resurrection 2.0.) Today, however, let’s be thankful for the mystery that is the bedrock of our faith. Let’s rejoice that sin, hell, and death could not hold the body of the one who walked as God among us. Let’s be joyful! No grave can hold those whom GOD Almighty loves because it could not keep his beloved Son in death. We choose to find our hope in him! Several decades after Jesus’ resurrection, the impetuous Peter and his beloved churches in Asia minor faced persecution. The faithful apostle shared the following words of hope to forge their commitment to faith for the trials ahead: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even

Cruciformed #7: He Knew

He knew that people were fickle. They could cry out, “Hosanna!” one day, then cry out, “Crucify him!” a week later. He knew. When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” (Mark 11:7-10). He knew. Jesus knew not to place his trust in people because he understood what was inside of people (John 2:24). He knew that people were fickle. They could cry out, “Hosanna!” one day, then cry out, “Crucify him!” a week later. He knew. He knew that as he entered into Jerusalem with cries of adulation by an overjoyed crowd that those shouts of praise were short-lived. He had warned all along his journey to Jerusalem that the religious leaders would reject him, the people who gathered at the cross would ridicule him while he died, and his Father would resurrect him on the third day to the surprise of everyone, even his closest friends who had forsaken him (Mark 8:31-33; 9:30-31; 10:32-34). He knew that his closest disciples would fall asleep on him as he prayed. He knew that his band of apostles would all abandon him and run away when the soldiers arrested him. He knew Judas would betray him. He knew that he would face the torture of his trials alone. He knew that he would endure the humiliation and ridicule of the cross all by himself. He knew. What’s more, he had the power to prevent it. He had the might to stop it. He had the strength to avoid it. He knew, yet he chose the cross. He chose that cross so we would realize that his love could reach us no matter how we had abandoned him. He accepted that cross so we could receive his grace no matter how badly we had fallen. He knew and willed himself to go to that cross to buy our freedom from sin, death, and hell as he served and saved us (Mark 10:45). He knew. And now, so do we. We know that God loved us so much that he would not have eternity without us. We know that Jesus loved us so much he entered the world just as we do, born of a woman so that when our life is over, we could share an immortal body like his and share in his victory. He knew so we could comprehend: Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” Where, O death, is your victory?Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:51-57). He knew, yet Jesus chose the cross for us. Over the last few days and journeying through Resurrection Sunday, we have traveled with Jesus to and through his Passion. We remember his journey from his triumphal entry to his conflicts in the Temple and his private moments of prayer in the garden. We walk with Jesus through his betrayal by Judas, onto his denial by Peter, and then to his abandonment by his apostles. We walk with Jesus through his illegal trials before Jewish and Roman leaders and we ultimately arrived at the cross where Jesus was murdered before a bloodthirsty and mocking mob. As Jesus makes this journey, let’s remember that he knew! Jesus knew, yet chose it all, for you and for me! He knew. Special thanks for the use of the Jesus images in Phil’s posts, “The Jesus Window,” to Free Bible Images and The Lumo Project. About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.

Cruciformed #6: The Gamble

As Jesus journeyed into Jerusalem that last time, he had reached the point where he was going to gamble everything on the cross. And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take (Mark 15:21-24). Officially, the Roman government executed Jesus on a cross. The Jewish religious leaders had requested his execution after having arranged for his betrayal and arrest with Judas, one of Jesus’ apostles. The crowds who gathered before the Roman governor, Pilate, called for Jesus’ crucifixion and the release of a terrorist named Barabbas. The soldiers beat, mocked, and scourged Jesus. A stranger, Simon of Cyrene, was forced to carry Jesus’ cross because the Lord’s friends had all forsaken him. Soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross to let him suffer before a gawking and mocking mob. These soldiers then callously gambled (casting lots) over Jesus’ clothes while his naked and battered body hung before the mob as he gasped for breath and as his body was slowly drained of life by the torturous ordeal. The soldiers at the cross, however, were not the only ones who gambled at Golgotha. Pilate fearfully bet that Jesus was not whom his followers claimed him to be. He hoped to pacify the Jewish leaders and their mob with Jesus’ crucifixion. The religious leaders risked that they were going to get rid of Jesus once-and-for-all by having him crucified. The crowds gambled that their lust for blood had landed on the right scoundrel. Each of these gambles was wrong: dead wrong. Except, Jesus was the one who was, for a time, dead. The biggest gamble, however, was the one made by Jesus. The Lord knew the swirl of events around the cross was a gamble. Yes, I believe that Jesus is God come in human flesh. Yes, I believe that Jesus has the power to know all things. Somehow, however, Jesus willingly gave up some of those privileges, those powers, to be mortal like us (Philippians 2:5-9). He surrendered those, along with his desire for physical life, in obedience to the Father’s will. He had repeatedly made that choice — first, when he chose to be God-in-human-flesh who was born of woman, born under the Law given to Israel in a world broken by sin, death, and hell (Galatians 4:4). As Jesus journeyed into Jerusalem that last time, he had reached the point where he was going to gamble everything on the cross. His closest followers had just finished their third of three times giving an astoundingly insensitive and ignorant response to Jesus’ statements about his impending death. To their three foolish replies, Jesus captured his mission in a short, clear, summary statement: Jesus called them together and said,… “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Somewhere along his way into Jericho (Mark 10:46), Jesus knew that the walls that blocked his disciples understanding were not going to fall. They were not going to “get it” — with the “it” being the purpose of his mission, the necessity of his death, the certainty of his rejection by his people, his humiliation at the hands of Roman soldiers, and his ultimate triumph over sin, death, and hell in his resurrection. On the journey to Jerusalem to his cross, Jesus recognized that he was going to die alone. He was fully aware that he was going to be tortured and murdered with no other human who understood what he had to do and what it would cost him. Now despite what folks say today, Jesus believed that the Father would never abandon him in the ordeal of the cross: “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me” (John 16:31-32). He trusted that the Father would not abandon him to death (Acts 2:25-29) but would lead him in triumphant procession over the powers of demons, death, and hell (Colossians 2:15; Ephesians 4:8-9; 1 Peter 3:18-22). Despite Jesus’ resolute faith going into his Passion, he later felt desperately alone on the cross. He cried out to God using a Psalm of both desperation and confidence (Psalm 22:1-31 — We must remember Rabbinic practice to recite the first verse of a Psalm to stand for the whole Psalm!). Despite feeling desperately alone when he cried out in his overwhelming feelings of abandonment, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34; cf. Psalm 22:1), Jesus’ faith held on to the promise that victory would ultimately be his — that God would deliver him and his work to bring salvation that would be proclaimed to those not yet born: For he has not despised or scornedthe suffering of the afflicted one;he has not hidden his face from himbut has listened to his cry for help. … All the ends of the earthwill remember and turn to the Lord,and all the families of the nationswill bow down before him,for dominion belongs to the Lordand he rules over the nations. … Posterity will serve him;future generations will be told about the Lord.They will proclaim his righteousness,declaring to a people yet unborn:“He has done it!”(Psalm 22:24, 27-28, 30-31) Jesus felt abandoned, but his trust in God triumphed over his feelings. His faith won out over his fear. He believed God would intervene and bring him victory out of apparent abandonment, torture, and impending death. You and I, dear friend, are

Cruciformed #5: The Power of Small

Jesus’ disciples were clueless. Even worse, they were unwilling to accept that the role of exaltation for Jesus and his followers involved the cross of Golgotha! Jesus’ closest disciples should have already known this particular truth. They had held the proof of it in their hands. Their Lord, the one we love and call Jesus, already had shown great power in small things, small ones, and small faith. Do you remember the small boy with the small picnic lunch of five loaves and two small fish? Do you remember how each of the apostles held the miracle of leftovers in their hands? The feeding of the five thousand had demonstrated the power of small when placed in the hands of Jesus (Mark 6:35-44; cf. Matthew 15:34). Do you recall Jesus’ parables of growth and the mysterious power of seeds? Do you remember Jesus’ parable about the mustard seed, that very tiny seed that grows into something substantial? A little faith, a faith as small as a mustard seed, had incredible power when that faith was directed toward Jesus (Mark 4:30-31; cf. Matthew 17:20). Jesus’ followers should have known him best, but they did not understand him. They had refused to see Jesus’ principle hidden in the mustard seed. They couldn’t grasp that a few loaves and fishes, when shared with Jesus, could feed a multitude. They wouldn’t believe that twelve disciples who had surrendered their will to the Lord could do great things if they were willing to follow him on his way to the cross. They could not understand. Maybe… they chose not to understand. When we read the central discipleship section of Mark’s gospel (Mark 8:22-10:52), Jesus’ disciples were clueless. Even worse, they were unwilling to accept that the role of exaltation for Jesus and his followers involved the cross of Golgotha! You can call them idiots, hard-hearted, ignorant, clueless, or whatever adjective you want. Bottom line, these apostles were loose lug nuts.[NOTE] They were not only noisy, but they were also dangerous. Jesus had known that his apostles soon would be painfully extruded through the battering stress of his crucifixion and their faithlessness to him. The Lord had seen that their confusion would tear them apart and that they would have shattered their faith on their deep disappointment — disappointment in his cross, at their failure, and with the seeming senselessness of it all. Jesus had called these men to a dangerous essential mission. To prepare them, he had chosen to endure the heartbreak of their faithlessness and his agony of the cross. He was determined to awaken them to the power of small! In Mark’s central discipleship section, Jesus had warned his disciples three times that he was going to Jerusalem where he would be rejected, ridiculed, and resurrected. Each of these three times Jesus opened his heart to describe his hard journey, his apostles said something stupid. They displayed their ignorance. They acted insensitively. Peter confessed Jesus as Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said he must suffer, be rejected, killed, and then be raised on the third day. Then, Peter rebuked the Lord for saying that he would die! Jesus was not gentle with his response. He called Peter, Satan, and forcefully told Peter that he had his heart set on the things of mortals and not the will and plan of God (Mark 8:27-8:33). Next, Jesus had withdrawn from the crowds to teach his disciples. He told them that he must go to Jerusalem to be betrayed and killed, then God would raise him three days later. As his disciples had followed him, they had argued about which of them was the greatest among them (Mark 9:30-34). Finally, on their way to Jerusalem, Jesus’ apostles had followed their Master. He had told them that soon, he would be betrayed, tortured, killed, and raised from the dead. James and John, then, cluelessly had asked Jesus to grant them any wish they wanted because they wanted to share in his glory (Mark 10:32-44). Jesus told his closest friends that he was going to be rejected, reviled, and then resurrected in Jerusalem. Three times he had told his disciples that he would be humiliated, beaten, and killed. Astonishingly, these closest friends were little more than loose lug nuts all three times. They had been worried about their importance and wanted to share in Jesus’ glory while he is facing the humiliation, rejection, torture, and death of the cross. Jesus had to go to the cross knowing that those he invested three years of his life to equipping were clueless — even worse than clueless; they were still jockeying for power, position, and prestige. They were clueless about the power of small! Tucked into all of these heart-wrenching misunderstandings, the Lord pointed to his small ones to demonstrate his power in them, through them, and for them: Jesus had healed a boy whom they couldn’t heal. He had demonstrated the power of faith and prayer. He had exercised his power to drive out a terrorizing spirit that controlled this boy. Why? Because small ones matter to the Lord of all things, all powers, and all places. Jesus believed in the power of small (Mark 9:17-29). Jesus had taken a child into his arms. Then, he had told everyone listening that anyone who wanted to share in his kingdom, his all-powerful rule, must welcome people of little or no status, like the child he held (Mark 9:33-37). After a rich man with great resources turned away from following Jesus because of the cost of discipleship, the Lord’s disciples were astounded when he turned and walked away from Jesus. If the rich and powerful wouldn’t follow Jesus, who would?… who could? (Mark 10:35-41). What was Jesus trying to do with his disciples? What was he yearning for them to learn? What should we extract from their experience and the Lord’s words? The power of small! Our future as Jesus’ followers doesn’t depend on our worldly power, position, prestige,

Cruciformed #4: Only by Prayer

Unlike the father of the boy with the tormenting spirit, we don’t confess our unbelief and then ask for help in believing more is possible. Have you ever thought about what it was like for Peter, James, and John coming down from the mountain after Jesus’ transfiguration? Do you ever wonder what stirred inside their hearts? Incredible. Unbelievable. Inconceivable. They had experienced Jesus and the shekinah, the very glory of God as it surrounded Jesus. They had also seen their childhood heroes, Moses and Elijah, visiting with Jesus. Three fishermen who followed an itinerant teacher and prophet from Nazareth and they got to see the most significant leader and lawgiver (Moses) and the greatest prophet (Elijah) in Jewish history. Incredible! Unbelievable. Inconceivable. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah had disappeared, and the voice from heaven told them to listen to Jesus, focus on him and not their heroes because Jesus was God’s Son, the one the Father loved. Their lives should be devoted to his life and re-fashioned by his words. Incredible. Unbelievable! Inconceivable. But then they had come down from this mountain top experience with Jesus only to find reality waiting for them: When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked. A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not” (Mark 9:14-18). “But they could not!” Incredible. Unbelievable. Inconceivable! This episode from Jesus’ ministry with his closest followers is all too real. Most of us have lived it. Sometimes we’ve been those folks who had a mountaintop experience and can’t understand the lame and limp discipleship of those who appear to be placed in front of us to wear the shine off our new-found spiritual passion. Other times, people have been off having a great spiritual retreat while we’ve stayed back and tended to the needs of ministry and found ourselves insufficient to meet them. And we wonder why weren’t those “mountaintop navel gazers” with us when we faced such a hard ministry crisis? Spiritual, real-world, true-to-life, ministry and vibrant faith are hard to accomplish in a world where the evil one tears down what we try to build and our limited abilities smack us in the insecure places of our hearts. So, what is the point of this episode? If it rings with the authentic tones of our troubled world and faulty discipleship, then what are we to take from it? We don’t pray enough, and when we do pray, we pray wimpy prayers. You can dress up the point any way you want, but that’s the truth in cornbread English. Notice how Mark made the point in his story of Jesus: “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.” … After Jesus had gone indoors [after healing the boy with the tormenting spirit], his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer” (Mark 9:19, 28-29)> Deep in our hearts, we know it is true: We don’t pray enough, and when we do pray, we pray wimpy prayers. You know it. I know it, and I have thousands of prayers out there in daily devotionals. It’s true of us. We don’t praise and give thanks to God nearly enough for what he is done to bless us. So, we don’t expect much when we do pray because we’ve forgotten all our Father has done for us. Oh sure, most of us have Ephesians 3:20-21 printed on a decorative plaque about God being able to do immeasurably more… yadda yadda yadda. We even want to believe it’s true. The problem is, we fill our hearts with thoughts of our insufficiency for the challenges ahead of us. We hold bitterness in our hearts for our disappointments with our prayers that we feel have gone unanswered. We believe, but unlike the father of the boy with the tormenting spirit, we don’t confess our unbelief and then ask for help in believing more is possible. We believe, but we forget the power of prayer is in its simplicity (Matthew 6:9-13), from hearts filled with expectation (James 1:6-8), and accompanied with our thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2; Philippians 4:6). We forget the thousands of needed things in our lives God has done for us out of his overflowing love and grace. We forget he has chosen to partner with us in HIS kingdom work by HIS power for HIS glory to benefit those HE longs to grace with HIS blessings. So, we say today: Forgive us, Father. We believe, but we need help with our unbelief. You have blessed us with your grace, mercy, and love. You came to us in Jesus and defeated the powers of sin, death, and hell that held us. You have poured your blessings into our lives through your rich mercy and overflowing grace. Forgive us, Father. We pray, but we pray selfish and small prayers. You have repeatedly and graciously answered those prayers. Still, we forget to praise you and thank you. But today, dear Father, please help our unbelief. Trouble us to awaken us to your power available to us in prayer. And, most of all dear Father, thank you for Jesus. We pray by his authority that you defeat the evil one and liberate our loved ones from his tyranny. Break down the walls of our self-doubt and insufficiency. We ask for you to do in our time

Cruciformed #3: Listen to Him!

In a world full of noisy distractions and competing messages, how do we know which voice we should obey and which sign we should follow? I thought to myself, “I will count the signs I see as I exit the freeway and drive the four blocks to the church building.” I was thinking about using the number of signs as an illustration of the many distractions we face in our daily lives. Distractions can derail the most simple of trips, processes, and errands. For someone like me who lives on the ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) side of the street, these distractions easily become a ricochet of focus. We forget our purpose, our mission, and our to-do lists regularly because of the flood of competing messages and tantalizing opportunities. Before I made it half-way through my four blocks, I lost count. I was somewhere over the two-hundred mark. If I hoped to get close to the accurate number, I was going to have to slowly re-walk the short trip. Even going very slowly, there were too many signs to count. Well over four hundred signs were vying for my attention. They bombarded me with all sorts of messages. How do we choose which voice to hear or which sign to follow? In a world full of noisy distractions and competing messages, how do we know which voice we should obey and which sign we should follow? When it comes to the purpose of each of our own lives, who or what are we going to let set our agenda? Whose truth will we believe? Whose message will we heed? As Jesus moved closer to Jerusalem for the final time, God made his answer clear. For the Lord’s closest three disciples, an incredible experience on the mountain became the tuning fork for their future: Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters — one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” (Mark 9:2-7). We could spend a lot of time talking about how Moses and Elijah were God’s greatest teachers, leaders, prophets, and representatives in Jewish history. All that is true. The respect Moses and Elijah rightfully had was warranted. Still, the voice from heaven declared a re-orienting truth with absolute certainty. As important as Moses and Elijah may have been, those heroes of the past didn’t compare to Jesus. Peter, James, and John must not allow anyone or anything to distract them: This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him! In a world of competing voices, whose voice am I going to choose? Which message will I use to orient my life and set my trajectory for the future? With so many messengers and authorities vying for my attention, where will I find my truth? Of the many intriguing teachers, Which one will I choose to set the direction for my life? Jesus is God’s ultimate message to me (John 1:1-18). No matter how or through whom God spoke in the past, in these days, he still speaks through Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-3). God’s message on the mountain to the three closest disciples of Jesus still speaks through the centuries to remind me: This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him! Will I listen? Will I choose to make his example and teaching my source of truth, my guide for the future, and my hope in the storms of life? Will Jesus be more than my religious mascot? Will his truth shape my life or will I try to redefine what he taught by what I want, feel, and believe? With so many competing visions for my life, just saying that I follow Jesus isn’t enough. His story in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John must be the dominant voice I choose to hear. His life must be the example that re-engineers my own. His cross must be the imprint on my heart that re-shapes my character and inspires my compassion. Anything else, or anyone else, is less. We must not settle for less than Jesus. As God said: This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him! Special thanks for the use of the Jesus images in Phil’s blog, “The Jesus Window,” to Free Bible Images and the The Lumo Project. About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.

Cruciformed #2: Beyond Our Blurry Vision

As we journey with Jesus down his way of the cross, something grabs our hearts. That drawing power reaches through the centuries. When our kids were small, they were both avid TV learners. Our daughter loved Mr. Rogers. She would answer him when he asked questions. She would say, “Goodbye, Mistuh Wojuhs!” at the end of the show and tears would roll down her cheeks. Our son was the Sesame Street kid, for sure. One of the segments that he loved when he was very young had a song that would stick in your brain all day — sometimes to the point of wanting to beat your head against the wall because it became the incessant background noise of the day. That segment? “One of these things is not like the others…” (Yes, I bet some of you can hear that song now and will for the rest of the day!) In that “not like the others” segment, kids were supposed to figure out which one of the objects on the screen was not like the other ones — notice the controversial example below, as the comments on YouTube emphasize some of the higher reasoning needed to make this distinction. If you cannot see the above video, check it out online. At the first turning point in the Gospel of Mark, he tells us about a miracle of Jesus that was not like any other. NONE of the other three gospels has an account of it. Mark chose this miracle to emphasize what he was doing in his story of Jesus. See if you can determine what makes this miracle so perplexingly unique: They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village” (Mark 8:22-26). Did you catch the way this miracle is different? This man’s blindness required a double-dose of Jesus’ healing power! What? Why was a double-dose of Jesus’ healing power required? What was going on in this miracle? Mark wasn’t worried that we might think Jesus couldn’t do the miracle. He had stilled storms and calmed raging winds. Jesus had cast out a legion of demons. He had raised the dead, restored sight to the blind, helped the lame to walk, cleansed those in advance stages of leprosy, restored shriveled arms, and fed the multitudes. The issue wasn’t Jesus’ power, but something that Jesus wanted to teach his closest disciples. Mark also saw that this lesson would be indispensable for us, too. Jesus chose to do the miracle in two moves to alert us to our need for deeper healing of our out-of-focus wrong-sighted view of him as our Savior. The previous interactions of Jesus with his apostles and the crowds showed that they were not “getting him”: they had trouble understanding what Jesus did, why he did it, what he was about, and what he wanted them to learn. The episode that follows Mark’s account of the blind man’s healing is Peter’s confession. Peter confessed Jesus’ rightful identity (Mark 8:29), but he did not understand (or would not believe) that Jesus’ role as Messiah and Son of God required him to die on a cross (Mark 8:31-33). Peter only partially saw Jesus! Like the rest of the apostles and the crowd that followed Jesus, Peter desired the all-powerful and liberating Jesus. He yearned for a Messiah who could do anything for him and the people. He wasn’t ready for nor did he want God’s Messiah, the one who would submit himself to death on a Roman cross as a ransom for all people (Mark 10:45). Peter, the other apostles, and the crowds wanted Jesus as the triumphant and all-powerful Savior; they didn’t want him as the Suffering Servant for all people (Isaiah 53:1-12). They sure didn’t want Jesus to be the Lord who called them to follow him in the way of the cross and sacrificial service to others (Mark 8:34-38; 9:33-37; 10:35-45). Like the blind man, Jesus’ followers needed a double-dose of healing to see completely. Mark wanted all of us to recognize that “one of these things is not like the others”! Jesus’ definition of the Messiah, Son of God, is different from every other human definition. Mark wanted us to realize that this blind man and his story of a double-dose of healing is about us — about you and me and our persistently confused ways of seeing. What followed this healing is a series of episodes in Jesus’ ministry where he repeatedly spoke about the necessity of being rejected (betrayals and trials), reviled (crucified and mocked), and resurrected on the third day (Mark 8:31-32; 9:30-32; 10:32-34). All along the way, the disciples of Jesus said and did things that showed they still needed this second dose of healing. They refused to accept the way of the cross and sacrificial service. They argued over who would occupy the places of prominence. So, they had to journey with Jesus. They had to endure watching him being rejected, reviled, and resurrected before they could begin to see clearly. Jesus’ way of coming as Messiah, Son of God, and Savior, meant that he lived as the one who was not like any others. He refused to be defined by the shallow human definitions of titles. Jesus chose to redefine these titles by what he did and what he sacrificed as he journeyed to the cross and through the empty tomb. As we journey with Jesus down his way of the cross, something grabs our hearts.

CRUCIFORMED!

For us to be ‘cruciformed’ means that we offer our hearts to be reshaped to be like Jesus’ heart. It means we offer ourselves to be used by God to bless and serve others. “Do it again, Phil! That is so cool!” my brother, Byron, excitedly yelled. I slapped another sheet of plastic into the frame, then flipped it over the heating element. While the plastic warmed, I put my chosen shape onto the vacuum bed. When the plastic began to sag, I flipped the pliable sheet of plastic on top of the mold, then pumped the vacuum lever like a wild man. The suction drew the soft plastic tightly over the shape on the vacuum bed. I held the plastic in place until it began to cool. I removed the plastic sheet, separated it from the mold, and then trimmed the excess plastic from the newly formed object. I glued this newly formed piece (the top side of a tugboat) to the previously formed piece (the hull). I had made a floating toy boat to get my brother out of my hair. He quickly filled the sink with water and sudsy shampoo to play with his new toy. I then began making some neat stuff for myself! What a blast! Nothing like heat, melting plastic, levers, a vacuum pump, and old caustic plastic cement in the hands of a little boy! Which is probably why I haven’t seen one of those Vac-U-Forms advertised in decades. However, I won’t forget what happens when warmed plastic is pulled over a mold and is sucked tight to it. That plastic is re-formed, or maybe better, transformed into something new. Paul described this process in spiritual terms to the Corinthians. He first spoke of the finished work of a person transformed to be like Jesus: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17). Notice the next phrase Paul wrote, as well: “All this is from God…”! The Corinthians’ transformation was not something that they pulled off for themselves. Only God could do this kind of work. True transformation is something far beyond our human ability to achieve. We can no more “re-form” or transform ourselves into a new creation than the plastic sheet could make itself into a toy. However, we do have a part to play in this process of transformation. Just as the plastic must be heated and give up its shape and become pliable to be re-formed, so must we. We must offer our wills to be re-created by God. Our hearts must be willing to be “de-formed” to be transformed by the Holy Spirit into the likeness of Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18). So, what can make our wills pliable? Why would we offer our hearts to be “de-formed” so we could be transformed? Paul suggests it’s the power in Jesus’ self-sacrifice on the cross: God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). While Jesus’ death on the cross may appear to be a ridiculous way to reach the hearts of a lost world, Paul knew the great power of Jesus’ self-giving death on the cross to draw people to him (1 Corinthians 1:20-25; cf. John 12:27-34). Mark broke his gospel story of Jesus into three parts, centering his message on the importance of the cross.[ONE] Today’s message is a glimpse of this story so that we can see our goal that lies at our stories goal. In Mark’s key central section on discipleship, Jesus repeatedly told his closest followers that he would go to Jerusalem, be killed, and then rise from the dead on the third day (Mark 8:31-32; 9:30-32; 10:32-34). They could not grasp what he was saying. In fact, the first time Jesus told them, Peter rebuked the Lord for saying he was going to die in Jerusalem (Mark 8:32). Because Jesus’ disciples could not — or perhaps, WOULD not — understand his going to the cross, they misunderstood what the Lord was calling them to do with their lives. He emphasized their need to follow his example of self-giving love to serve others (Mark 10:45). For them to follow Jesus as their Lord, however, they would have to be “cruciformed”! They must be reshaped by the cross of Christ so that the Holy Spirit could transform them into Jesus’ likeness. They must be “cruciformed”! And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:34-35). For us to be “cruciformed” means that we offer our hearts to be reshaped to be like Jesus’ heart. It means we offer ourselves to be used by God to bless and serve others, not seek special recognition for ourselves. Each of us must die to our selfish will and walk with Jesus in the way of the cross, choosing that God’s will, not our will, be done in our lives. Being conformed to Jesus through the cross is one of the reasons that baptism was more emphasized in the early church than it is in many groups today.[TWO] More than something they did — remember, baptism is a passive verb, an act of grace that someone else does to the believer — baptism was a time when early disciples shared in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection while declaring their faith in him as their Savior (Romans 6:3-14; Colossians 2:11-12; 3:1-4). They offered themselves to be “re-formed” into the likeness of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. They voluntarily gave themselves to God to be “cruciformed” — to be transformed by Christ and to be clothed with Christ (Galatians 3:26-27).

Key Resources for Resurrection Sunday, Holy Week, Commission and Ascension Sundays

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete (1 John 1:1-4). Over the years, many of us have looked for the visual resources to help our brothers and sisters in Christ better visualize the world of Jesus and the way our Savior lived and touched people. Our faith is rooted in the bedrock truth of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-7). The Renaissance masters who painted Jesus may have created great art, but they did a huge disservice to the historical times and reality of Jesus. Statuary has even gone further in distorting the physical reality of Jesus and his human family. As we approach Resurrection Sunday and journey through Holy Week, many families, teachers, and friends are looking for images to go with the Scriptures they use to share Jesus’ story with their children, families, and loved ones. We wanted to share what we consider three invaluable resources for you to use for graphic images as you tell the story of Jesus. Yes, we know many of you are tuned into The Chosen and grabbing as many of their devotional and Bible study resources as you can. That is a good resource to get a feel for the gritty reality of Jesus and his world. However, the resources we are offering you are easy to share in very personal ways. These are resources you can leave in the hands of those you love to be an ongoing blessing to them. Let’s remember that we pursue Jesus so we can become JESUShaped disciples and share Jesus’ life, teachings, and love with the world (2 Corinthians 3:18). Below, you will find upcoming articles for Holy Week, Ascension, and Pentecost-related topics: Cruciformed! Cruciformed #2: Beyond Our Blurry Vision Cruciformed #3: Listen to Him! Cruciformed #4: Only by Prayer Cruciformed #5: The Power of Small Cruciformed #6: The Gamble Cruciformed #7: He Knew! Resurrection 2.0: The Empty Tomb Cruciformed #8: The Land of In-between Resurrection 2.1: In the Breaking of the Bread Resurrection 2.2: Sometimes I Doubt Resurrection 2.3: Unless…! Resurrection 2.4: We Hear His Voice Resurrection 2.5: Sarcastic Ridicule Resurrection 2.6: The Lord of Fresh Starts ToGather: Thanking God for Our Women of Faith Resurrection 2.7: Let the Clouds Remind You Resurrection 2.8: With Christ The Pentecost Challenge Below, you will find images of Jesus’ journey from the upper room to the resurrection from two online resources: Free Bible Images — We especially love the photos section, but there all sorts of images for Bible stories, both photos and illustrations at FreeBibleImages.org. Video Bible — A friend of VerseoftheDay.com and Heartlight.com works with VideoBible.com has given us a sneak peak of the Passion related images that will be used in their Bible video. The Jesus Film Project offers great word for word Bible text to narrate each of the Gospels while gritty, real-to-life sets and actors present the story of Jesus visually. This is part of the CRU ministry and is a wonderful resource we have used for years based on the Lumo Project. Below are several images that give you a sneak peek of a few of these image resources. Hopefully, they give you ideas of how effective and powerful they can be as well as get you thinking of ways you can use them for the good of the Kingdom. In addition, we hope you will explore what they offer and help them continue their ministries! We pray you are blessed by simply going through these images and Scriptures to help you tell the story of Jesus’ journey through the cross to the resurrection for us! We are blessed to have a resurrected Savior. Let’s close this post on resources by reminding ourselves of the greatest resource for life that has ever been present on our planet! Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:3-9). About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil

Sighing for Home

How do we deal with the longing? Oh… water… well… gate… Bethlehem. Now go back and say those five words with deep longing several times. You see, David longed for more than just a sip of water when he used those five words to say: “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” (2 Samuel 23:15). Most of us have been there — emotionally and physically spent. Things aren’t going like we thought they would. Then we hear a sound, pick up an aroma, hear a song, or are reminded of something comforting we have experienced in the past. Suddenly, we can’t get it out of our head. We think about it incessantly. David has gone through a long struggle and tried to handle it honorably. Yet the bottom line remains the same, he is a hunted man and finds himself living in the most rugged places trying to avoid capture and death (2 Samuel 23:13-15). During the obvious struggles that he faces each day just to survive, there are deeper emotional ones. Will he continue to trust that God will keep his promises? Is he ever going to be universally recognized as King? Will he have to hide, living like a wild animal, all the days of his life? Will he ever get to go home again? Can life return to the simple, idyllic, God-worshipping days he once had as a shepherd boy? No wonder he longs for a simpler time when life’s plans were not so murky and God’s presence felt so much closer. So David’s mind drifts back as remembers a place from his earlier years. A well. It’s by the gate. It’s located in the city of Bethlehem, his own place of birth. Ah, and the water… yes the water… it’s so cool and crisp and clean and comforting. If only I could be a boy again and not pursued by crazy King Saul. Oh my, that water was so good and I miss that time of largely untested faith! And possibly even before he realized it, with a sigh he said something like, “O for some water from the well near the gate in the city of Bethlehem.” It wasn’t really a request that someone risk breaking through the Philistine army garrisoned there. He wasn’t really asking one of his mighty men to risk his life to go behind enemy lines to get David a simple drink of water from the old well of his childhood. It was merely a sigh that betrayed a yearning stirring deep inside him for something simple, familiar, refreshing, comforting, and that reminded him of home. David’s mighty men were so dedicated to him that they risked life and limb to get the water for their leader who had such deep yearning for something so simple and yet so lost to him. So David did something that seems, at best strange, and at worst, down right cruel. He poured out the water onto ground saying he was not worthy of the risk and potential sacrifice of troops so important to Israel’s future, only God was worthy of such a sacrifice (2 Samuel 23:16-17). In the old hymn “Home of the Soul,”* there’s a lines that go somewhat like this: Oft in the storm, lonely are we,Sighing for home, longing for Thee, Yes, there is a restlessness in our soul that sighs and yearns for God’s presence to be real and close, and as experienceable as a cup of cool water from the old familiar well of our childhood. Whether you want to call it a “God-shaped hole,” the restless “itch” of addiction, or simply “going home to a place we’ve never been before,” the yearning and sighing ultimately can be comforted only by a recognizable experience of God’s nearness — the holy, tangible, and real presence of the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. So let’s not dumb down our discipleship to a mere need for religious experience: we need Immanuel, God with us. And Scripture promises us that we can experience God and his nearness in a variety of ways. We’ve looked at four different ways Matthew reminds us that are ways God has given us to experience his presence: Through the story of Jesus (Matthew 1:23). Through living as family in accountability, forgiveness, and concern for our lost ones (Matthew 18:20). Through serving the vulnerable around us who are in need (Matthew 25:40). Through living out the Great Commission across the lost world (Matthew 28:18-20). Mark talks about following the powerful Jesus in living a life sacrifice to serve those who are lost (Mark 10:45). Luke would point us to living as Jesus’ disciples, witnesses to the lost world of Jesus’ powerful presence, by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; Acts 2:36-47; Acts 4:12). John reminds us of Jesus’ promise to not leave us alone as abandoned orphans, but that he would come to us and show himself to us as the Comforter, the Advocate, the Holy Spirit to live in us and lead us into all truth (John 14:14-31; John 15:26-27; John 16:12-15). So what’s the point? Don’t deny the longing, the sighing, the groaning, and the yearning for more of God’s presence. We were designed and made for a real relationship with the present, experienceable, and real presence of God. So open back up your Bible, spend some time in the four gospels and the book of Acts, and begin to ask God to show the real Jesus, who longs to make God’s presence real to you. Don’t settle for less, because your heart yearns for more! * “Home of the Soul” with the music written by Samuel W. Beazley and the lyrics by James Rowe. For Going Deeper: John Eldredge’s book Beautiful Outlaw:Experiencing the Playful, Disruptive, Extravagant Personality of Jesus is a great place to start. Hang on, it will blow the religious fog out of your life! Gary Thomas book Sacred Pathways: