Do You Love Me?

By Shirley Mitchell

“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?’

‘Yes, Lord,’ he said, ‘you know that I love you.’

Jesus said, ‘Feed my lambs.’

Again Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you truly love me?’

He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’

Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.’

The third time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ He said, ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’

Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep.’ ”

John 21:15-17

Jesus made Peter affirm his devotion and commitment to Him three times. It was three times that Peter had denied him. Peter was commissioned the first time into ministry through the first miraculous draught of fish. Peter forfeited his commission around a fire of coals in a courtyard of the high priest when Jesus was arrested and tried. There he denied Jesus three times. Jesus recommissioned Peter around another campfire after the second miraculous catch of fish. Let’s break down the words of this recommisioning. Below, I have replaced the English words with the Greek words so that you can understand their conversation.

1st Time: Jesus said, “Agape Me more than these?”

Peter responded, “Yes, Lord, you know that I phileo thee.”

Jesus said, “Boskeso My lambs.”

2nd Time: Jesus said, “Agape Me?”

Peter responded, “Yes, Lord, you know that I phileo thee.”

Jesus said, “Poimano My sheep.”

3rd Time: Jesus said, “Phileo Me?”

Peter responded, “Yes, Lord, you know that I phileo thee.”

Jesus said, “Boskeso My sheep.”

Here are the definitions of the Greek words:

Agapao: “to love for the sake of meeting another’s need; is used of love towards our enemies; is love that expresses compassion.”

Phileo: “to be a friend of and consequently, to adopt the same interests and become friends.”

Boskeso: “to feed sheep, to pasture or tend while grazing.”

Poimaino: “shepherd, tend; involves total care. Implies the whole office of the shepherd as guiding, guarding, folding of the flock as well as leading it to nourishment.”

The expression “more than these” referred to either the fish or the love of the other disciples present. Peter had returned to his occupation out of familiarity and security, not out of passion. Peter had boasted that his devotion to Jesus exceeded that of the other disciples, but his denial proved how wrong he had been. Peter merely answers, “Yes, I love You.” Peter elected to be his friend, which was contradictory to his behavior when he denied Him and did not adopt for himself the same interests as the Lord Jesus.

The last question grieved Peter because he understood the deeper meaning. It matched the number of Peter’s denials. Additionally, Jesus changed to the same word for love as Peter had used. Peter failed to rise to the level of love that Jesus used where Peter could meet Jesus’ needs. Peter could not say ”agape love” because he felt like he had not met Jesus’ needs because he deserted Jesus when He needed him the most. Peter felt something like, “Yes, Lord your interests are my interests, but I am not sure that I can meet your needs.” However, Jesus was sure that Peter could feed the lambs and tend the sheep.

Peter was to feed people the Word of God, God’s Story. God’s Word has power that we have not yet begun to fully realize. God’s Word generates life (Genesis 1:3, 24), creates faith (Romans 10:17), guarantees our home in heaven (Luke 23:43), defeats temptation (Matthew 4:4), transforms us (Romans 12:2), brings miracles (Mark 4:39), builds character (Psalm 119), revives the soul and makes the simple wise (Psalm 19:7), and teaches, rebukes, corrects, and trains in righteousness so that people will be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Let’s close today with some creative license that I took to write Peter’s thoughts in these few seconds as he made the most important decision of his life. If there is any part of Peter’s struggle to live completely for Jesus that relates to your life, highlight it.

Peter looked at Jesus and remembered the past 3½ years. He remembered the Samaritan woman who found forgiveness and dignity. He remembered Jesus’ teaching that He did not come to do away with the Law of Moses and the prophets, but to fulfill them. He remembered the sinful woman who valued Jesus’ unfailing love so much that she was not ashamed to lavish love upon Him. He remembered walking on the water to Jesus. He remembered how he declared boldly to Jesus that He was the Christ, the Messiah. He remembered Jesus transfigured with His face shining like the sun and clothes radiant white. He remembered Jesus’ commanding tone at Lazarus’ grave. He remembered the “Hosannas” from the crowd. He remembered the night of Jesus’ arrest.

All Jesus was asking him to do was to love Him, follow Him, and feed His sheep. He knew the road would be long and tough. His enemy satan would be looking for him again. Peter had failed his first battle with his enemy who ripped him to shreds with his lion’s claws. He chewed him up and left his carcass. News of Jesus’ crucifixion had spread quickly throughout the region. People who knew Peter had heard that this boasting disciple had denied even knowing him. Peter was shamed publicly. The enemy would be asking for another opportunity to get to Peter, deeming him as easy prey now.

Why would Peter go back to the battle? The answer lies in Jesus’ question. He asked, “Simon, do you love Me? Search your heart, Simon. Do you really love Me?” By forcing Peter to answer this question three times, Jesus was driving home to Peter, “All you really need to serve Me is to love Me. If your heart belongs to Me, then I will equip you with the Holy Spirit. I will orchestrate your circumstances. I will send you where I want you to go. I will protect you from the evil one until your purpose is fulfilled. You just need to love Me.” The only motivation that could pay so high a cost is love. Only love would make Peter willing to glorify God by giving up his own life. The love of Christ compelled Peter to join the battle and spread the Gospel to the world.

This time, Peter knew more about what he was getting into. He had no idea of this wild ride 3½ years ago. Now he knew to expect the unexpected. He gazed into Jesus’ eyes, the very Son of the Living God. Jesus seemed so confident that Peter could do this. In the presence of Jesus, he felt alive again. He was no longer confident in his own strength, but in Jesus’ strength. The one thing that he knew now was Jesus, not fishing. Fear dissipated. Humiliation disappeared. Dislike for himself faded. He made the decision that he loved Jesus so much that he would do it. He resolved that satan’s schemes would not prevail. Because of this love that compelled him, Peter did it. He accepted his mission and set his face toward wherever Jesus told him to go.

Pray with me: Oh, LORD, my God, I release my fear and my disappointments about past failures to You. I may have been defeated by the enemy previously, but I won’t stop. I know that I truly love You. I agape You. Because of this love that compels me, I accept the mission that You have for my life. I set my face toward wherever You tell me to go. I will live the life of love! It’s in the Name above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, I pray. Amen.

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study

Widely Circulated

By Shirley Mitchell

“While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, ‘You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.’ So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.”

Matthew 28:11-15

In Matthew 27:62-66, the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate to ask that an order be given for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. They said, “We remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ ” Annas, Caiaphas, and the chief priests were concerned that Jesus’ disciples would steal the body and tell people that He had risen from the dead. They believed with the power of Rome behind them that no one would take that deceiver’s body. Isn’t it interesting that they remembered Jesus’ statement more than the disciples did, and even took action on it!

Pilate granted their request. I’m sure he realized that he needed to protect himself from any disturbance caused by a raid on the garden tomb. He told the Jewish leaders to make the tomb as secure as they knew how. He gave them a guard to be posted continuously at the tomb.

Tradition says that the centurion assigned by Pilate to lead the Roman guard was Petronius. He was trusted by the Emperor of Rome to guard the tomb faithfully and carry out his duty. A Roman guard ranged in size from four to sixteen soldiers. If it were sixteen men in overnight duty, then they were four groups of four men each. Each group of four men stood watch for three hours during the night while the other men slept. They were well-trained and well-equipped fighting machines. Each soldier was equipped with a six-foot pike, a sword, and a dagger.

The tomb was sealed with the Imperial Seal of Rome. It was the official stamp of the procurator and would be a crime if anyone broke it. Anyone attempting to vandalize the sepulcher and move the stone from the tomb’s entrance would have to break the seal and be subject to punishment by Roman law. The sealing was performed by stretching a cord across the stone and fastening it to the rock at either end by means of sealing clay.

The precautions and security measures taken by man could not stop the Resurrection. When Jesus rose from the grave, there was a violent earthquake, for the angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled back the stone of the tomb. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. According to Matthew 28:4, the guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The seal was broken. The stone was rolled away. The body was missing. No stone, no seal, and no Roman guard could keep the Son of God in the grave.

Matthew 28:11-15 tells us that the guards went to the Jewish religious leaders first. If they had gone to Pilate, then they would have been executed. Negligence for any reason would be punishable by death so they sought the religious leaders for protection.

The religious leaders knew that the tomb was empty and needed an explanation. They devised a plan and tried to do damage control. The soldiers were instructed to say they were asleep, and the disciples stole the body. If the soldiers had really fallen asleep, then their payment would have been death, not a large sum of money. Falling asleep on watch duty would have cost them their lives.

This fabricated story by the chief priests was widely circulated among the people. However, the empty tomb and the appearances of Jesus transformed the disciples from men who ran away and hid to men who proclaimed the truth of the Resurrection no matter what the cost. Because of the change in the frightened band of disciples to bold, powerful witnesses, the truth about the resurrection was widely circulated, too. Unlike the religious leaders, they had nothing to gain by fabricating a lie. They faced hardship, beatings, prison, and even martyrs’ deaths. They stopped at nothing to tell the world that Jesus was alive.

My friend, does this not impress upon you that we have a story to tell, too? It is not a fabricated story. It may cost us something from this world, too. But gosh, don’t you have the heart for the greatest story ever told to be widely circulated, too? Join me in rejoicing and sharing our Savior’s story and circulate it widely!

Pray with me: Almighty God, man did everything they could to keep Jesus in the grave. They guarded it and sealed it. But not even the most powerful army in the world could keep the beaten and crucified Son of God in the grave. We know who opened the tomb. You demonstrated Your power and Your might. You sent the angel to roll back the stone so the world could know that the tomb was empty. We praise You for Your awesome power and plan.

We ask for the story of Your Son’s resurrection to be widely circulated throughout the world today, into every tribe, tongue, and nation. Flood us with belief and empower us with Your Spirit so that we must share with others the greatest story ever told. All of this we pray in the Name above all names and the Name that one day every knee will bow, including those of the religious leaders and soldiers, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Copyright ©2011 Christ Compels Ministry

The Empty Tomb

By Shirley Mitchell

“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.”

Luke 24:1-3

After the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Early on Sunday morning just after sunrise, they were making their way to the tomb where the men had buried Jesus. They asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" When they arrived, they learned that a strong man was not necessary. To their surprise, the stone was rolled away!

The irreversible was reserved. The unimaginable was reality. God’s beloved Son, His one and only Son, was alive! The angels swooped down from the throne of heaven to roll away the stone…Not to let Him out but to let us in. His tomb is the only tourist attraction in the world where people line up to see nothing. The angels declared to the women the most glorious words of all time, “He is not here. He is risen.” All of creation has longed for these words to ring out. You know what I love the most about my sister Linda’s Orthodox Church? I love the Paschal greeting where they celebrate Christ's resurrection and they greet each other with a holy kiss and these words: One says, “Christ is risen.” The other replies, “Indeed, He is risen.”

The prophecy in the Garden of Eden was fulfilled. The seed of a woman had crushed satan’s head and delivered to him a final blow (Genesis 3:15). The evil one’s power is stripped. Jesus rose from the grave, and the sting of death is gone.

Then, a young man dressed in a white robe who was sitting on the right side frightened them. Luke chapter 24 tells not just of the one angel that spoke, but that there were two angels whose clothes gleamed like lightning (verse 4). I think these ladies had a right to be a bit afraid and cling to each other.

We are told in Mark 16:6-7, the angel said, “ ‘Don't be alarmed,’ he said. ’You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' ’ " While they were still shaking and confused, the women fled from the tomb to find the men. They told the Eleven what they had seen, but the men did not believe them. Their words seemed like nonsense because it was so unbelievable!

By Jewish Law, women could not be official witnesses. Yet, God let them be His Son’s witnesses – esteeming them and counting them as credible. The disciples did not believe them. It sounded like nonsense. They were not anticipating the resurrection. In Matthew 27:62-64, the chief priests and Pharisees remembered when they buried Jesus that He said, “After three days I will rise again.” They were concerned the disciples would steal the body. As a result Pilate ordered the tomb to be made secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. Isn’t it interesting that the religious leaders remembered Jesus’ prophecy, but His followers didn’t?

After hearing the women’s news, Peter and John moved their feet into motion before they could rethink the news. They both had the same thought and took off running. They knew each other so well they didn’t have to say a word. They must see the empty tomb. They ran down a trail they had scarcely noticed just three days ago when they were grieving. When they came to the tomb, Peter walked inside first. Jesus was not there. The body was gone, but the grave clothes remained like an empty cocoon – the cloth was even folded! God left the tomb tidy.

After the supernatural appearance of the angels at the tomb, Jesus made unglamorous appearances to ordinary people. He didn’t appear in the heavens above Jerusalem for all to see. He didn’t return to Pilate. He didn’t appear to the Sanhedrin. He appeared to those who were His…The ones whom He loved. Hallelujah!

Pray with me: Oh, Almighty God, the tomb was empty! You rolled away that stone even though You knew the women could have found someone to roll away that stone. You rolled it away to let the light shine and show the world what You did! JESUS DIED, but then You exerted YOUR resurrection Power and seated Him at Your right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come (Ephesians 1:20-21). It’s in the Name of this King that we pray, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name. Amen.

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study

Tetelestai!

By Shirley Mitchell

“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

John 19:30

Crucifixion was actually a slow death by asphyxiation. They suffocated until they died. A crucified man had to push his feet against a block of wood to raise his body up to draw in breath. Then, he released his weight until he hung by his wrists. This up-and-down movement must have been agonizing torture for Jesus because of the wounds on His back. When a crucified man wanted to speak, he would have to rise up and endure the pain to say his words. It took immense willpower each time Jesus said anything on the cross.

Scripture records Jesus’ seven sayings on the cross. In John 19:30, He said, “It is finished.” The priest said these same words when he slaughtered the Passover Lamb sacrifice. The Greek word for “finished” is tetelestai which means “end, goal, to make an end or to accomplish, to complete something, not merely to end it, but to bring it to perfection or its destined goal to carry it through: to execute fully a rule or law, to pay off or in full, such as taxes, tribute, toll.” It is the perfect indicative passive form of teleo. This tense means a past completed action with a present and continuous result. It happened in the past and continues to be true. It is a legal term used to say that a debt was paid in full. In Jesus’ time, when someone owed someone else money decrees would be written against him on a parchment, an animal’s skin. When it was paid in full, then the loaner would write the word tetelestai across the certificate. The debtor would nail the certificate of debt with tetelestai written across it on the door of his house for all to see. Never more can payment be demanded.

God did the very same thing. He took the parchment of the skin of the Final Passover Lamb, His Own Son, and wrote into His flesh all of your sins and my sins. Then He wrote tetelestai, paid in full, it is finished. All of the prophecies of the Old Testament fulfilled. From the virgin birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem to the one who would save the people from their sins. Every work His Father sent Him to do was finished.

What sin are you still beating yourself up about? It is Tetelestai! Jesus paid it in full! No longer can payment be demanded. It is a lie that we must mentally flog ourselves for our sins. It is truth that we should accept His payment and rejoice that we have been redeemed and forgiven and showered with love.

Pray with me: Oh, Thank YOU, Jesus! You paid it all! Tetelestai! All of my sins are paid, gone. God is satisfied. I am Yours and Yours alone. Show me where I believe any lie and if I still beat myself up about what I have done. Teach me to accept that I don’t need to pay anything. May this truth change my thoughts and actions over my sins. I rejoice because I have been redeemed through Your great love for me that compelled You to pay the price for me! It’s in the Name above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, I pray. Amen.

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study

My God, My God

By Shirley Mitchell
“From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’).”

Matthew 27:45-46

In the Jewish culture, the new day began at 6:00 in the morning. Mark 15:25 says that Jesus was crucified at 9:00 a.m. So the first three hours of Jesus’ crucifixion were in the morning sunlight. However, from noon until three, darkness came over all the land. High noon is when the sun is approaching its zenith in the sky.

This was not an eclipse. Passover was held at full moon when a solar eclipse is not possible. There is no easy explanation for the darkness. It was either a supernatural act of God or an unknown natural act with supernatural timing. Regardless of the reason why the sun’s illuminating rays were blocked from the earth, God was behind the blanket that shrouded it. Nature was testifying to the magnitude and horror of the death of God, the Creator’s, Son. God’s Word is clear that Jesus played a role in creation, too. John 1:3 says about Jesus, “All things were made by Him and without Him nothing was made that has been made.” Perhaps, nature was also covering the suffering of its Creator, too.

Fear and anxiety must have moved through the crowd affecting Jew and Roman, citizen and solder, when it started to go dim. The afternoon sun became as dark as night. I imagine their eyes searched the sky for a reason. Finding none, I imagine some felt terror swell up from their stomachs, and their hearts fainted.

The Roman soldiers might have set up torches in holders on the ground to cast some feeble light so they could see to do their work. However, I don’t think this crucifixion was just another duty to them. I think they knew something was different. The air carried the smell of eeriness. Some may have tried to deny it, but it filled the air.

In the Bible, darkness is associated with sin and God’s judgment. Amos 8:9 says, “ ‘In that day,’ declares the Sovereign LORD, ‘I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.’ ” In those hours of darkness, Jesus became sin. He bore every sin ever committed by every man and woman. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus bore the guilt for our sins and was judged by God. It was so great and so horrifying that it was veiled from man’s eyes.

Jesus felt the full effect of judgment. God could not look upon sin and had to turn His holy face from His Son. Jesus had always known the presence of God. It was everything to Him. Jesus had gone to His Father all night in prayer before He called the chosen disciples. He had sought to do the Father’s will at every moment of His life. He called on His Father to give Him strength in the garden. This suffering was the cup that He asked His Father to take from Him. Jesus loved His Father. In John 17, He said things about Him like, “You are in me, and I am in you…We are one…You sent me…You loved me before the creation of the world…I have made you known to them.” When the Father spoke from heaven about His Son, He said things like, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased…This is My Son whom I love.” Their love and their joy that they had together were like no other.

Jesus did not merely feel forsaken. He was forsaken and really separated from His Father. This moment on the cross is the only time that Jesus called His Father “God.” Their communion as Father and Son was gone at this point, but it was not a permanent break in relationship. His Father was still His God, and He was still His Son. Jesus still called God, “My God, My God."

Jesus was quoting Psalm 22 which is a prayer of expectation for deliverance and not complete abandonment. It says, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?...Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; You are the praise of Israel. In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.” It has other prophecies about Jesus’ crucifixion like being mocked, insulted, and lots cast for His clothing. However, I love the part that God is the praise of Israel. He is enthroned as the Holy One.

Why would Jesus endure the cross and this agony? God’s holiness required the perfect sacrifice so that His people could praise Him and be at His throne. When Passover lambs are killed on the altar, the person making the sacrifice puts his hand upon the lamb and says that he is transferring his sins to it. When Jesus died on the cross for us, our sins were transferred onto Him. This includes every person who has ever lived and breathed on this planet. Jesus’ perfect sinless blood could cover our sins so that we might be with God forever. His Father loved us so much that He gave His one and only Son to die for us so that we might live forever with Him. Jesus suffered the wrath of God so you and I will know the favor of God. Jesus did it because of His love for His Father and for you and me. Amazing Love, isn’t it?

Pray with me: Oh, LORD, I’m amazed that You love me. I’m amazed how You care for us. This was horrible. We don’t understand what was happening exactly in the spiritual realm, but we can know that Jesus’ suffering was great. He suffered Your wrath for all mankind’s sin and provided a way once and for all so that we might be with You forever. You are the Holy One. In You we put our trust. You will deliver us from sin and bondage when we cry out to You because of what Your Son did for us on the cross. Oh, how we love You! It’s in the Name above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, we pray. Amen.

Excerpt from the Jesus Lives Bible study

The Other Criminal

By Shirley Mitchell

“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!’

But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don't you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’

Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’

Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’ ”

Luke 23:39-43

Jesus was crucified with two thieves fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 53:12, “He was numbered with the transgressors.” Jesus died with the criminals and was counted as one of them. He was identified and regarded as a criminal. Scripture does not tell us these criminals’ specific crimes, but Mark 15:27 describes them as robbers. It merely tells us about their last day on earth and leaves us to wonder about their lives before this day.

Just like Jesus, both criminals carried their crosses on their backs from the prison through Jerusalem streets to the hill called Golgotha. Just like Jesus, both men were in a horrible state of torment. Both the condemned men saw how the crowd snarled at Jesus, threw rocks at Him, and spat at Him. Unlike Jesus, they took the wine mingled with myrrh offered by the soldiers to deaden some of the pain of crucifixion.

In only four recorded verses in God’s Holy Word, we see that one of the two thieves was different from the other. Scripture simply calls him “the other criminal.” He saw no fear in Jesus’ face and no accusation. He could feel Jesus’ sorrow.

He saw the soldiers’ cruelty that took the spirit of Jesus’ followers. He saw the religious leaders with their arms folded. He heard the rulers sneering at Jesus, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One” (Luke 23:35). He heard the soldiers mocking Him and saying, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself” (Luke 23:36). He heard the women weeping at a distance in an eerie tone. When he heard the other thief join in hurling insults by saying, “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us,” he could no longer keep silent. Although he, too, was struggling for every breath, he rebuked the insulting criminal. He knew that both of them were getting exactly what they deserved for the crimes they had committed. He knew that Jesus had done nothing wrong. He saw the injustice. Jesus had never spoken one word that was untrue nor had He ever hurt anyone like they had.

Then gasping for more breath to get out the words of faith that saved his life as he was dying, he declared words of faith in Jesus. I find it very interesting that the darkness had not yet come over the land when the thief professes his belief in Jesus. The Roman centurion had not declared yet, “Surely, this was the Son of God.” Jesus had not yet risen from the grave. There were still extraordinary things to behold; yet, from what he had seen, it was enough for the thief to believe in Jesus.

He also believed in Jesus when it appeared to others that Jesus was helpless to save Himself and completely unable to save another. He turned to someone whose hair was matted with blood and beard was ripped out by its roots. His body and face were beaten until unrecognizable. At the apparent worst moment of Jesus’ entire time on this planet, when He was dying and not looking like the promised Messiah, this robber said to Jesus in humility and belief “remember me.”

The thief only gives us one clue in his words as to what was at the root of why he was able to believe in Jesus. Remember his first words to the unrepentant thief. He wondered why he was lashing out to Jesus and rebuked him by saying, “Don’t you fear God.” There it is. There is the difference between the two men. This one feared GOD! He had not faced the final Judge yet. He was afraid to stand before the Holy God.

Because of his faith in Jesus at his dying breath, this “other criminal” is in heaven today with God! He didn’t have to perform a single good deed to inherit eternal life. He simply is there because he believed that Jesus was the King. He would come with Jesus into that kingdom that very day! Oh, precious one, we don’t have to strive to get to heaven on our own power or our own works. We simply have to believe that Jesus is the KING! May His kingdom come on earth! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Pray with me: Oh, God, You are the God of Grace. It doesn’t matter how sinful we have been, if we come to You in faith of who Jesus is and entrust our lives to You, then You accept us into Your kingdom. You throw Your arms open to us and usher us into the kingdom. Praise You!

Thank You for this criminal who knew that Jesus was not like them. Help me to have his courageous faith. Help me to defy those who stand against You. Help me to have a healthy fear of You and remember that You are the final Judge that one day we will all stand before You. It’s in the Name above all names, in Jesus’ Name, Yeshua’s Name, I pray. Amen.

Near the Cross

By Shirley Mitchell

^“Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’  From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”

John 19:25-27

I’m playing the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the Lexington Passion Play this year.  To prepare for the role, I have read every Scripture about her, commentaries, books, and watched movies.  So much about Mary is not recorded in God’s Word and left to our imaginations.  It has been my constant prayer for God to show me how to connect with Mary and to reveal to me her thoughts and feelings.

We know that she was the first to hear the voice of the Son of God, and she was one of the few who heard His last cries from the cross.  She was only a young teenager when the angel Gabriel appeared to her and told her that she had found favor with God, and the Holy Spirit would come upon her and give her a child. 

We can imagine that when Jesus was a child, she probably saw Him meditate on Scripture or spend His time praying in the garden.  She had probably wondered how Jesus would bring redemption to the Jewish people.  How would the angel’s words be fulfilled that “the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32b-33)?

The day finally arrived when the Jewish people welcomed her Son into Jerusalem.  Palm branches were waving, His Name was cried out, and garments were thrown down on the ground for Him to ride the donkey over.  Perhaps after this excited day, she had heard her friends speculate what Jesus would do next.  She might have heard or even seen Jesus’ confrontations with the religious leaders who could not hide their contempt and hatred for her Son.  In the play, I followed the disciples into Jerusalem as the crowd sings Hosanna to their King.  I wonder what Mary thought about that day.  Did she think that the moment was coming when Israel would repent and be delivered from the Roman oppression?

However, she was forced to watch the plan of God unfold in ways that she never imagined.  We are left to wonder when she heard that Jesus was arrested in the garden.  When did she first lay eyes on His battered and beaten face that she had once held in her hands so tenderly?

In the movie The Passion of the Christ, she is there hidden in the mob that demands Pilate to crucify Jesus.  In the passion play, so am I.  I feel the horror of Jesus’ followers when Pilate brings out the beaten Jesus.  I feel the confusion over why Peter, John, or even Jesus doesn’t do something.   The fear of the angry mob with clubs and the Roman soldiers with sharp swords comes over me.  Mary Magdalene and I are bewildered that the same crowd that welcomed and celebrated his arrival to the city the week before is now against Him.  I flinch at His scourging and cannot bear to hear the sound of the whip.

 As hard as that is, it is even harder to be at the foot of the cross as “Jesus” is gasping for His last breaths.  On His head is that nasty crown of thorns, and red “blood” runs down His body.  As I cry openly from deep inside me, I hear moans that are coming from my own voice, and tears fill my eyes to the point where I can’t see.  Then Jesus rises up to take a breath and say, “It is finished.”  And with His last breath He says, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”  Then the ground shakes, and the veil is torn in two.  That is when it happens.  For these few moments through many plays, my heart is connected with Mary.  My heart is pierced with the sword like Mary’s was that day at the cross.  

The disciple John was by Mary’s side at the cross.  Jesus knew what the future held for other possible candidates to take care of His mother.  He knew the other disciples would be martyred, and John would live the longest.  So He made provisions for her while He was dying. 

In the play, John tries to console me at the cross.  When the disciples come, he helps me to my feet as I grieve.  The disciples take Jesus off the cross and pass John the crown of thorns.  Their clothes and hands are covered with the blood.  They carry Jesus’ dead body to the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.  Somehow I stagger to follow them to the tomb.  Through their tears and grief-stricken faces, each one of them hugs me.

I wonder every time whether Mary thought right up until the end that He would come off that cross or that God Himself would come down from heaven to save His Son.  I realized that once again Mary was asked to endure shame.  Word must have spread outside the family about the timing of Joseph taking Mary as a wife and the birth of Jesus.  People most likely found out that He was conceived before the wedding ceremony.  Her reputation was ruined, and she was the source of gossip for years to come.  Now her Son died as the lowest of criminals on a Roman cross.  People would have whispered about how her eldest Son was nothing but a blasphemer who deserved death.  Yet, to Mary, He was her precious Son who had never done anything wrong.  She always knew that He was the promised Messiah.  However, she didn’t know that He came to sacrifice His life until later.  She could not have lived with the knowledge that her sweet baby boy would be nailed to the cross.  Even though she didn’t fully comprehend what was happening that day, she showed her deep love for Him by staying at His side, near the cross.

Pray with me:  Oh, God, when we don’t understand Your plan, give us the fortitude to stay near the cross no matter what.  Lord, how beautiful of You to choose sweet Mary.  She was so brave.  How great that Your plan was not just to establish an earthly throne in Jerusalem in Israel for that was too small a thing, but it was to establish a throne in the hearts of men for Israel and for the world.  Mary’s hopes have come true in so many ways grander than she ever imagined.  Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  It’s in Your Name, Yeshua’s Name, we pray.  Amen.