Three Minute Bible

So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

If you wanted to get somewhere fast in Jesus’ day, you had to run. Mary was in a hurry. She had to tell someone what she had seen and she needed to tell them now. She ran. We don’t know how far, but it is a safe assumption that it was a fair distance. She ran as fast as she could because she carried important news.

Perhaps the sun was coming up by now. John again is sketching his narrative quickly. Where did she find Peter and “the one Jesus loved?” (For the sake of our meditations we will assume “the one Jesus loved” is John, himself.) What were Peter and John doing? Were they sleeping? Were they awake and talking?

I suppose it doesn’t matter. Details like that do not add a lot to the story at this point. John gives us the key information when he quotes Mary saying, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb…”

She is wrong, of course. Nobody took Jesus out of the tomb. Jesus walked out under his own power. But she doesn’t know that … yet. All she truly knows is that Jesus is gone. The tomb is empty. The idea that someone took Jesus and put his body somewhere else is the only rational explanation she can think of.

The message she conveys is a truth wrapped in her fears. That the tomb is empty, is true. She fears that the reason for the tomb being empty is someone has taken the body.

Application: I think there is an important point in this scene from the resurrection. It is common for us as people to “fill in the blanks” if we don’t understand something. For example, people generally accept our existence as a truth. Why do we exist? Some believe that thousands of nucleotides that make up our DNA were randomly formed in such a way as to create life. We don’t understand how creation worked so we make something up and call it “evolution.” Adding imagined answers to fill in the gaps in our knowledge does not help our understanding. Instead, it confuses the truth by obscuring it.

Food for Thought: Who do you think Mary imagines would have moved Jesus’ body and why?

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Continue reading “Partial Truth – John 20: 2”

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

For the past few days, we have been looking at the time between the death of Jesus and Sunday morning. Finally, we have arrived! Mary is the first to discover the open tomb. We do not know what she expected to find or do on this amazing morning, but we know what she wasn’t expecting. She did not expect to find the tomb open and empty.

Think about the implications of this event: Jesus’ body was gone. What was she to think?

She must have looked. It was still dark, but she must have looked inside the tomb. In the gloom of the early morning light, she peered into the dark tomb. Perhaps she had an oil lamp with her? Whatever she saw convinced her that the tomb was empty.

Was it the Jewish leaders who had taken Jesus? Did someone else take him? Why couldn’t they just leave him alone?

Application: Jesus had told the disciples what would happen, but they did not understand. Mary herself, who had seen her brother, Lazarus, walk out of his tomb after being dead four days, did not understand. How could the man who raised Lazarus raise himself from the dead? The important thing to remember is that God is God. We are only His children. There is much we do not understand.

Food for Thought: Imagine that you are in the garden that morning. You see Mary approach the tomb. You hear her gasp and then she sobs. She turns to leave, panic written on her face. What do you say to her?

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Continue reading “Panic – John 20: 1a & b”

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb …

Friday has come and gone. Joseph and Nicodemus made sure Jesus was put in a tomb. Saturday, the Sabbath, was quiet. Except for the special activities in the Temple, most everyone would have stayed home. A whole day to sit and think. Think about Jesus. Think about what had happened. Think about his horrible end.

Why did Mary go to the tomb? What did she expect to see? Was she expecting to find a sealed tomb? Did she want to be as close to Jesus as she could? Did she have a plan or was she going to the tomb because she didn’t know where else to go, what else to do?

If it had been some other day and not the Sabbath would she have been sitting by the tomb yesterday? Maybe she was awake all night thinking about Jesus. Maybe she could not believe that all this had happened.

It is Sunday. Technically, the Sabbath is over. It is not daylight yet, but she can wait no longer. She rises and prepares to go outside. It is cool. It is dark. The sky was pale gray suggesting dawn was not far off. She makes her way from the place she is staying to the garden where Jesus’ tomb is. It is so early that even the birds are still quiet.

Application: Mary had a childlike faith. She loved Jesus. She loved being around him, loved listening to his words. Jesus was everything to her. Even in death, she did not want to be away from him. That kind of passion, that devotion, that love is at the heart of every true believer’s relationship with Jesus.

Food for Thought: What does it say that Mary goes to the tomb alone? How do different people react to what has happened?

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Continue reading “Sunday Morning – John 20: 1a”

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Sometimes to fully understand something you have to “read between the lines.” Today our mediation bus stops between two passages; John 19: 42 and John 20: 1. In between these to verses is a whole day, the Sabbath.

This particular Sabbath was special (John 19: 31). Even so, it was a Sabbath. There were rules to be followed as the sun set on Friday. No fires were to be lit and no food was to be cooked. No work was to be done. It was a day of stillness. A day of waiting.

As we wait to begin the next part of the story, let’s take a day and experience a brief Sabbath’s rest. A break between two passages. A day between two days.

What were the disciples thinking? Had they made it to someplace safe for the day? Had they gathered together already? Were some caught outside of the city gates? Where did they spend their Sabbath?

Some, perhaps, were with friends and family. Maybe some of the disciples were alone. All were quiet for the day. I wonder if it seemed to them as if the whole world had come to a stop.

Application: As we contemplate this day between the two most important days in history, think about the aftermath of Good Friday. John does not talk about it but it is reported that there were earthquakes, the sky darkened, and the temple curtain tore in two. It is also reported that the dead were raised to life. Now, on this Sabbath, all is quiet again.

Food for Thought: If you had been there that day that Jesus was crucified, where would your thoughts be the next day, a day when all you could do is to sit and think?

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Continue reading “In Between – John 20: 0”

Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Dr. S. M. Lockridge is famous for his sermon, “It’s Friday. But Sunday’s Coming!” In it, he recounts the trials of this last day of Jesus’ life on earth. He expounds on the darkness of that day. The pain and the hopelessness. At the end of each stanza (his sermon was more poem than prose), he would say, “It’s Friday. But Sunday’s Coming!”

In today’s passage, the clock starts ticking. Jesus has been laid in the tomb. It is Friday. But, as Dr. Lockridge points out, Sunday is coming.

As I write this I am conscious of the intensity of the past forty-eight hours in John’s gospel. They have been filled with a bitter-sweet tension that spills over into horror as Jesus is taken captive. Panic sets in and the mob, goaded on by the chief priests, takes over. Pilate caves to the pressure and Jesus is stripped and hung on a cross.

Now he is dead. Two secret disciples have carried him away from the killing ground and prepared his body for burial. Laying him gently on the stone bench in the tomb, they retreat and roll the stone over the opening to the tomb. Inside it is dark and cool. Outside the heat of the day is just starting to dissipate. The men leave. For a moment all is quiet. Inside the tomb, the quiet and the darkness intermingle into one.

Finally, there is peace. No more trials. No more tests. No more going hungry or feeding thousands. No more being pressed by the crowds. No more arguments with Jewish leaders.

All that is left is peace and quiet.

Finally.

Application: There is a saying that goes, “Things are always darkest before the dawn.” Never was that more true than the day that Jesus died on the cross. Yet we know that he overcame death. We know that he offers to share that life with us. With you and with me. All we have to do is to turn our back to the world and look Jesus full in the face.

Food for Thought: How do you imagine the secret disciples felt after they had rolled the rock in front of the tomb?

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Continue reading “Peace – John 19: 40-42”

With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.

Two men of high standing and wealth. Both know each other. Both serve on the Jewish Council that has condemned Jesus to death. Both are disciples of Jesus.

It is late in the day. A day that has seen our Lord taken prisoner in the night, tried before the governor in the early morning, flogged and then crucified by midday. By late afternoon Jesus is dead. Certified dead. Instead of breaking his legs they ran a spear through his liver and lungs to make sure.

Almost miraculously, Joseph of Arimathea gets permission to remove the body of Jesus before the sun sets. Meanwhile, Nicodemus has to obtain burial materials. A large quantity of myrrh and aloes.

How did these two men come to know each other was a disciple?

How did they come to be comrades in a mission to bury Jesus?

Why is this important?

Both were disciples in secret. Both were afraid of the Jewish leaders. If they could figure out that each other was sympathetic to Jesus’ cause, why did others on the Council not see it?

Application: There is strength in fellowship. These two men overcame their fears and risked everything the world holds dear to honor Jesus with a decent burial. The Bible does not tell us what happens to these men after they choose to associate themselves with our Lord. It is hard to imagine that their lives were not changed for the better, and forever.

Food for Thought: What brought Joseph and Nicodemus together?

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Continue reading “Heroes – John 19: 38c – 39a”

Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders.

Imagine being afraid to admit that you believe in Jesus.

Oh, wait…

A lot of us still are.

Why is that?

Joseph of Arimathea was afraid of the Jewish leaders. They did bad things to people who disagreed with them. Public humiliation was the least of worries for someone who went up against them. They had the power to throw people out of the synagog. People who confessed that Jesus was Lord were quickly tossed out on their ear. In Jesus’ case, they put him to death. The leaders of the Jews were not nice people.

But things are better today. Right?

Non-believers today are just as threatened by Jesus as the Jewish leaders were two thousand years ago. People who believe are mocked and ridiculed. People who believe are sometimes shut out of jobs and work opportunities. People who believe are even thrown in prison if they dare to voice their opinion. The altar where babies are sacrificed to the god of convenience and sexual freedom comes to mind.

Application: It is easy to relate to Joseph of Arimathea because we all face the same reaction from those who are hostile to the gospel of Jesus. Like Joseph, we are constantly confronted with the choice of acknowledging our Lord in public. True freedom is not being a slave to fear.

Food for Thought: What did Jesus teach his disciples to do in hostile situations?

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Continue reading “On Being Afraid – John 19: 38b”

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus…

John does not tell us much about Joseph of Arimathea. For more information on him, we have to go to the other gospels*. Mathew tells us that Joseph was a rich man. Mark mentions that he was a member of high standing in the Council. Luke adds that he was a “good and upright man.’ He also notes that Joseph had not consented to the Council’s decision. John tells us that along with all these other things, Joseph of Arimathea was also a disciple of Jesus.

What does a disciple do when the one you call the Teacher is put to death?

It is hard for me to imagine what that day must have been like. Joseph must have considered Jesus a very important man. Perhaps he even understood that Jesus was the Son of God. Did he also understand that Jesus’ death was necessary?

Regardless of how he felt, when he learned that Jesus was dead he acted. Throwing caution to the wind, he presented himself to Pilate and asked for the body. Pilate may have been sympathetic. He had tried to free Jesus but failed. At least he could see that Jesus got a decent burial. He grants permission for Joseph to claim the body.

Application: Joseph demonstrates both courage and faith. It required both to ask Pilate for the body. It was God’s will that Jesus should be buried and so his request was granted. It is a good example for us. Both to stay in God’s will and to exercise courage and faith.

Food of Thought: Why was what Joseph did important?

*Matthew 27: 57, Mark 15: 4, Luke 23: 50-51

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Continue reading “What To Do – John 19: 38a”

The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

The details of prophecy are important. The meaning is only revealed if you look at it the right way. Prophecies are a lot like a mystery novel.

In a mystery, the facts are presented one at a time. Usually, there are a fair number of “red herrings.” Red herrings are those false clues that lead only to dead ends. Then there are the lies and obfuscations of the guilty. Oh yes, and everyone is guilty of something.

Solving the mystery usually involves sorting out what is not true from what is true. While we, the reader, find ourselves led down one false trail after another, The Sleuth doggedly sticks to the trail of Truth. Finally, in the end, the Truth is revealed, and The Sleuth explains everything.

Some things are only obvious in retrospect. Before the arrival of Jesus, the prophetic clues seemed unclear. With Jesus here on earth, the clues start to fall into place. Today’s clues, that “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, “They will look on the one they have pierced,” take on special significance as we see Jesus hanging from the cross.

Application: Perhaps the most common mistake a human can make is to assume that our perspective is Truth. When we do that, we judge everything we run across by a false standard. Compared to the breadth of the universe and the span of all eternity our perspective is very tiny. So small that we are effectively looking at all mankind’s existence through a keyhole. God proves over and over again that His perspective is one hundred percent reliable.

Food for Thought: What does it tell us about God that He can provide specific details about Jesus’ death hundreds of years before Jesus is born?

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Continue reading “Revealed – John 19: 32-37”

Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.

As we read through this final part of John’s gospel, he shows us glimpses of what Jesus’ last day was like. He also shows us who the people are there and what they are like. We see Peter deny Jesus in the courtyard of the high priest. We listen in as the high priest interrogates Jesus and condemns him. We get to know Pilate as he deals with the unruly Jewish crowd. Today, we gain a glimpse into the relationship between the Jewish leaders and Pilate.

One thing that is very clear from the stories of this day is that the Jews have almost unlimited access to Pilate. The governor is not able to hide behind bureaucrats. Instead, the Jewish leaders seem to be able to walk in on Pilate whenever they want.

In today’s passage, the Jews return to Pilate to ask that he finish killing the men on the crosses before sundown.

This entire situation starts to reek of confusion.

Just before dawn, after Jesus had been up all night praying, Judas and his small army find Jesus and take him prisoner. They walk him to the home of Annas, then to Caiaphas. After that, they lead him over to the palace of Pilate. At some point, the sun rises and Jesus is tried before Pilate. Eventually, he is flogged and then finally handed over to the soldiers. The soldiers force Jesus to carry his cross to Golgotha where he is stripped and hung on the cross to die.

Death on a cross was not intended to be quick. It was more important for the condemned to suffer. Yet after only a few hours, the Jewish leaders are asking Pilate to hasten death by breaking their legs.

Continue reading “Out of Sorts – John 19: 31”