'resurrection' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
John 20:19-20…“Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” vss. 19b-20 The disciples, wracked by fear, had locked themselves away in a hidden upper room within the walled city of Jerusalem. Even though they had heard that Jesus had risen from the dead, they had no idea what to do. They didn’t even know if…
Daily Devotions
Acts 2:1-13…“All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’” vss. 12-13 For sheer dramatic effect there is probably no event more compelling than Luke’s account of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Think of it! There had been a gathering of Jews from around the Diaspora for the annual festival of Shavuot or Feast of Weeks and suddenly Galileans, the followers of…
Daily Devotions
Luke 24:13-27…“Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.” vs. 27 Even though the gospels indicate that Jesus spoke with his disciples about his death and resurrection during his ministry in Galilee, their reaction after his crucifixion indicates that they didn’t have a clue about what had been in store for him. Indeed, his death had devastated them and the resurrection only brought confusion. But as reports continued…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 28:1-10…“But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” vss. 5-6 Each of the four gospels have different accounts of Jesus’ resurrection, but there are two things that they have in common. First, each of them features an empty tomb! The body of Jesus is nowhere to…
Daily Devotions
Romans 6:3-11…“Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” vs. 4 The disciples of Jesus were very familiar with the practice of baptism. The gospel of John hints that, like Jesus, at least a couple of them had been baptized by John the Baptist. That was a particular kind of baptism, a…
Daily Devotions
John 11:33-45…“The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.” vs. 45 John tells us that when Lazarus emerged from the tomb at the command of Jesus, he had new life, but there was a problem. His hands and feet were bound and he could not see. Here in a few words John laid out a metaphor that…
Daily Devotions
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.” vss. 1-2 Acts 2:1-13 It’s not surprising that John and Luke would describe the coming of the Holy Spirit in different ways. If accounts of such a mysterious and wondrous event written down decades apart were identical, we’d likely be suspicious.…
Daily Devotions
But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority.’” vs. 29 Acts 5:27-32 After initial disbelief, Luke reports that Peter and the other disciples, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, began to proclaim the resurrection boldly throughout Jerusalem. Unafraid of anything, they even preached in the temple precincts and incurred the wrath of those who had so recently killed Jesus. It was a difficult choice but they were compelled to obey God…
Daily Devotions
Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest.” vss. 8-9 Luke 24:8-12 Luke reports that when the women arrived at the tomb of Jesus with their spices for anointing his body, they found it empty, and were baffled. Then in a scene reminiscent of the transfiguration, two men in dazzling garments joined them and announced that Jesus had been raised from the dead. After a moment…
Daily Devotions
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.” 4-5a Micah 5:4-5a After Jesus’ death and resurrection his followers searched the scriptures for clues that he was indeed the messiah they’d been waiting for. When they read these verses…
Daily Devotions
Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.’” vs. 39 John 11:38-44 Ever the pragmatist Martha objected when Jesus ordered the stone to be rolled away. She knew how long Lazarus had been dead, and she knew that his body would have begun to decompose. The stench would have been overwhelming. That’s how it was with death and Martha…
Daily Devotions
He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more…” vss. 3b-4 Revelation 21: 3-6a Many people wonder about their loved ones when death occurs, and questions abound. We would love to have concrete answers but the best we can do is speculate. Some are comforted by accounts reported by folks…