remember and tell

And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

Luke 24:8-9

Women were astounded to arrive there

     an open tomb

     an empty tomb

     echoing into that tomb

There were two voices from men suddenly there

     perplexed they heard

     frightened they bowed

     faces to the ground

They heard the angels say:

“Why are looking for a living Savior among the dead?”

     “Remember what He said?”

     “In Galilee He proclaimed

     The third day He’d be raised.”

The women then remembered and they rejoiced

     running from the tomb

     running to His disciples

     telling all they’d seen

And we too know the story by faith, gazing as well in His empty grave

     will we run?

     will we rejoice?

     will we tell His good news?

The resurrection is not a fraud.

Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.

Matthew 27:64

The scribes and Pharisees made one more post-crucifixion power move to attempt to permanently silence Jesus’ message. The disciples of Christ were still hiding in numb disbelief, but the authorities remembered that Jesus claimed He would be raised from the dead three days after He was buried. They went to Pilate, secured an elite Roman guard, and did everything humanly possible to secure the tomb from any fraudulent claim of resurrection.

In so doing, they made the gospel all the more powerful! Their fear made our faith real…because an entire legion of Rome’s finest could never have kept the angel from rolling that stone away from Jesus’ borrowed tomb! If anything, nobody could ever claim that the disciples outmuscled Rome’s finest to steal the body. When resurrection morning dawned, an angel and an earthquake led those Roman soldiers to faint in fear in front of two women who stayed quite conscious to bear eyewitness to it all! (Matthew 28:1-7)

The leaders were afraid of a fraud. But what they did to attempt to “secure” the tomb backfired. The truth would shake the very earth, would send a fearsome angel warrior to roll away a stone and turn the Roman army’s finest into tunic-soiling cry babies! No power on earth will stop our salvation from being accomplished. No human scheme can change God’s plans. 

Jesus is risen, we are redeemed, our Lord has defeated sin and death! The tomb could not be secured to prevent His resurrection! It was secured to prevent fraud. And so we can be confident in the historical, physical reality of the gospel’s completion as Jesus left behind an empty tomb to claim His authority as King of Kings, Lord of Lords, defeater of death for us! Amen!

His darkest day enlightens our darkest day.

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

Matthew 27:45

As Jesus hung dying on the cross, a supernatural darkness enveloped Jerusalem and Israel. When the Father turned His face away from His Son, forsaking Him as He bore our sin, it is as if the universe itself turned away. The sun refused to light up this atrocity. Jesus, shrouded in darkness that symbolized all the evil done to Him and all the sins He bore on the cross, hung very much alone in His unique suffering. He cried out in His God-forsaken misery: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”

The darkness of that moment was unique to Jesus’ suffering and death. The sorrow on Jesus’ heart was an agony only He could know. The separation from the Father, as God the Father turned away from God the Son who bore all our sin upon Himself, was what Jesus had dreaded most while praying in Gethsemane just hours earlier. He now felt this in His aloneness, dying, bearing guilt, sorrow, and shame we cannot fully imagine, even in our darkest days.

Death always brings some darkness with it, even for believers. And the deeper we love, the more the darkness feels impenetrable. Yet Jesus bore the darkest day so that the death we now know is different. Grief and agony still attend mortality. But our choice to mourn death can be changed dramatically. Because Jesus has borne the darkest day, we have hope. A sunrise comes much sooner because Jesus did not stay shrouded in this darkness. He arose on the third day… a “Son Rise” that illuminates a Christian with hope. Even when dark death steals from us, Jesus gives back with a bright and sure hope. We still grieve, and should grieve. But that confident hope in Christ breaks through the clouds!

I’ve felt that darkest of days. But never without also clinging to hope that when my own personal darkest day arrives, I will be brought into the presence of my bright Savior! Though sadness should attend the emotionally healthy grieving of any death… mourning is finite and comes to a finish. And Christians trust Jesus as a pink glow on the horizon of even our darkest days warms us to the love of the Risen Son, inexplicably strengthened by rays of hope upon our faces by all He has done! We can smile through the tears. Our darkest days are truly undone!

He knew no sin

Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him.

Luke 23:32

Marched up Calvary’s hill

carrying a cross He did not deserve

weighted with sins not His own

the Man of Sorrows, come here to serve

On that dark day, not alone

a criminal on either side

Friend of sinners, by evil surrounded

the Lord of Glory now crucified

Jesus, what did You do

to receive such scorn in Your humility?

Condemned by all for our transgressions

dying to bring peace in eternity

You are perfect, spotless Lamb of God

we are guilty sinners… every one

yet by Your merciful shed blood

our redemption and adoption are now done

God made Him Who knew no sin

to be sin for us… criminals at either hand

so now in Jesus forgiven and free

we can proclaim His grace in every land

He knew no sin, but He knew us

and on the cross we were on His heart

so what was once enmity with God

would become family in Christ… no more apart

Praise to Jesus Who knew no sin!

Praise to the Lamb Who was slain!

Praise to the Lord, risen from the dead!

Seated at the hand of the Father to reign!

Two criminals died with Jesus that day

guilty of their sin with no defense

one mocked a Savior on the cross

the other believed and Jesus covered his offense

Jesus knew no sin, our Savior friend

yet even dying, He forgave a thief

How much more should we trust in Him

to find mercy, and our soul’s relief?

our voices in that moment

And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”

Matthew 27:25

The last words that Matthew records coming from Jesus’ official trial before Pilate, the Roman authority who granted execution, was this interchange between Pilate and the frenzied crowd. Pilate made the dramatic gesture, an emphatic dodge of responsibility, washing his hands and declaring himself innocent in the decision to hand Jesus over to be crucified.

The crowd by this time is in a fury of hatred. They speak viciously without realizing just how prophetic their words would be. They literally said they didn’t care if Jesus bled out all over them and their children. They were perfectly fine being the executioners of Jesus. But what they did not realize is that the crowd spoke for sinners everywhere for all time. Jesus would shed His blood for even their murder of Him. He would die for their children and for every generation after them. He would shed His blood so that sinners everywhere for all time, in any situation, could come to Him to be covered by His bloody sacrifice, find forgiveness, and receive eternal life.

In this horrific prophetic chant: “His blood be on us…” is the power of the gospel and the essence of what we must believe to be saved. Because Jesus’ blood covers sin, forgives our trespasses, and heals our souls, we benefit from what was a hateful cry to kill Him. Our voices in essence were in that very moment.

And as a sinner in need of salvation, at one point of my life, I prayed in trust knowing my sins deserved hell, but that Jesus died to forgive me. And in that moment of belief, my voice joined a chorus, not of hate, but of faith, accepting Jesus’ blood on me for the forgiveness and grace that I needed. Sinners may have cried out for His blood to be shed. Sinners wanted Jesus dead. But now sinners in need find grace, healing, and eternity with God because His blood is upon us. God’s grace turns gloriously full circle. His blood be on us! His blood be on our children! His blood be on me! Amen!

silence in His suffering

But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

Matthew 27:14

Jesus, even in His silence, was compelling. He refused to answer the absurd accusations of His accusers. His only replay was to Pilate’s question: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Four words from Jesus back to Pilate were His only defense: “You have said so.” Jesus let the raging hate of His accusers just flow on past. He was going to carry even their murderous rage upon Himself all the way to the cross, offering to atone even that outrageous sin.

Jesus was standing at that moment before Pilate exactly as the prophet Isaiah foretold:

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep before its shearers is silent,

so he opened not his mouth.”

Isaiah 53:7

Jesus,

In Your silence before Your suffering You amazed Your accusers. You amaze me even now. My sinful flesh would want to attack when attacked. I’d demand justice in the face of such false accusation. I thank You that the cross was unfair, Your trials unjust, and Your silence left it all unanswered. You were driven to obey the Father to bring many sons and daughters to glory by Your saving grace. Thank You for Your silence. Thank You for Your suffering. Thank You for Your salvation!

Amen

the grace of weeping

And he went out and wept bitterly.

Luke 22:62

Peter realized that he had indeed denied Christ three times just as Jesus predicted. It hit him hard. Luke’s account has Peter trying to keep some kind of safe distance as Jesus is on trial at the home of the high priest. Peter hangs back in the courtyard trying to keep a low profile. Twice people connect him to Jesus and he denies it. An hour goes by and another person strongly insists Peter HAS to be one of Jesus’ men. Fear skyrockets in Peter. He strongly denies the observation. As the words are still leaving him, a rooster crows. And then like a cinematic drama, Luke cuts to the face of Jesus turning to deliberately gaze directly into Peter’s eyes. That look cut into Peter’s soul.

That’s when Peter lost it. Bitter tears of regret, grief, pain, bewilderment, and shame filled his eyes as he abruptly left the courtyard and wept sobs of agony over his denials.

There are many kinds of tears. A person can weep shedding multiple streams of them in one good cry. Sorrow can mix with repentance. Shame can mix with anger. Regret can mix with bargaining. Joy can mix with intense loneliness. Memory can mingle with fantasy. Weeping is usually a very mixed-up business. At least that is my experience these days. Peter’s bitter weeping grips my heart as I read it because I feel deep in my chest the depth of those two words right now: wept bitterly.

I can envision how painful it would have been to have Jesus make eye contact with you as you denied Him. Perhaps no more bitter tears could ever fall than Peter’s at that moment. I can relate to the intensity of the emotion. Peter was overcome with feelings… the tough guy fisherman reduced to sobs. But those tears, hard as they were, would be the start of restoration for him. They would cleanse the wounds of His hurt of knowing Jesus was going to die. They would prepare His heart to be strong for Jesus. His perspective on his denials would be changed by a resurrected Savior! Tears can blur us only temporarily. God will use them to clear our vision and show us Jesus in all His glory.

I embrace weeping these days. Tears make a strong man of me, with a softer heart, with more capacity to love, with a humility to put myself squarely in the arms of the Man of Sorrows Who has borne all my grief. I do not have to weep bitterly, but I will welcome a clearer vision in God’s good and gracious time. And if my tears bring that, then they are drops of grace from a loving God.

Denial

And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.”

Matthew 26:72

Which is worse…

betrayal or denial?

Betrayal can have a host of motives

but denial seems driven by fear.

Would I deny Jesus if I felt death

for knowing Him was near?

Which is more cowardly…

hiding or lying?

Most disciples hid in that moment Jesus was seized

and didn’t even try to stand by.

Would I have risked standing on the periphery

to support Jesus about to die?

Which matters most…

truth or deception?

Recognized by all who saw through

Peter’s cover was completely blown.

Discovered as a disciple, yet he

refused to make the Master known.

What really happened then…

Jesus was right.

Disciples fled in fear and panic

and Peter disowned Him on that night.

Yet they would still be His apostles

sent to tell even this pain-filled part of the story, by Jesus set right!

We can hide.

We can deny.

Yet Jesus forgives

His truth lives

in broken hearts

repenting of our mixed motivations

we can still proclaim a worthy Savior!

mockery for which He died

Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”

Matthew 26:67-68

They mocked and ridiculed Jesus at His trial. It made no difference as He still gave Himself up for our sins. The very spitting, physical abuse, and mockery He endured as they hated Him were sins Jesus would carry with His cross and shed His blood to forgive. Mocking and hating Jesus can be forgiven. It will not change the truth. Jesus stands above it, as a loving Savior and victorious Lord.

The vicious enemies of Christ may enjoy their mockery of Him. Notice how these first men to slap the Savior mock His claims and take His name in vain… “you Christ!” The name and title that they should bow to in reverence is an object of their ridicule as they see themselves in power over the fate of Jesus. They are sinfully arrogant and deceived. And reading their hateful mockery in the light of salvation history is sobering. You can think light of Jesus. You can use His name as a curse word. He will still love you and die for you. But you will definitely be on the wrong side of the story if you continue in that dismissal of Him.

Lord Jesus,

Some in this cruel world still mock You. Yet You don’t strike them back. You will stand offering forgiveness for even the cruelest treatment when repentance and faith turn a soul to see You in Your mercy, grace, and power. You died for a culture that spits on You. You willingly gave Yourself to the blows to carry the guilt of those abuses to the cross, there to atone forever every act of hate, mockery, and violence we have ever or will ever do. Such is Your great forgiving love. Thank You Lord for such mercy to us, even at our most hate-filled.

Amen

betrayal in a garden

“But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Matthew 26:56

There in the garden where Jesus prayed, yielding Himself to the Father’s will and ready to die for our sins… in that same beautiful garden he was betrayed into the murderous hands of His enemies. Judas led an armed crowd to arrest Jesus. With a disciple’s greeting and a kiss, Jesus was handed over to the Jewish authorities by force. And Jesus did not resist, although He let scripture have the “last word” even as He walked down the dark night path from the garden that ultimately led to His brutal march up Golgotha to His crucifixion.

Jesus knew that the scriptures would would be fulfilled in that moment. All of the story of our world’s redemption was coming into fruition. What began in a garden with a betraying lie that Adam and Eve believed so that God was disobeyed, would begin to be undone in another garden, by the Second Adam, by another betrayal. And though the worst of it was yet to come, Jesus knew it would end with the salvation of many and His own resurrection and exaltation. All this took place so that what God had revealed for ages might be done for us. Jesus is confident, even in the face of unmeasurable suffering, because the Father is in control as the Son willingly gave Himself up for us all.

And in the face of the courage of Christ, the disciples all fled in fear. They all deserted Jesus, as briefly their hearts could not believe that all the scriptures foretold of this exact moment. Fear lead them all, as Jesus had predicted to them, to forsake Him to face His accusers all alone.

Lord Jesus,

You faced trials, beatings, mockery, and excruciating death on a cross for our salvation. And in confidence, in fulfillment of all that You revealed by Your prophets, You went alone to the cross so that we might never be alone. Thank You for Your love and Your sacrifice! You are victorious, even as our own hearts may easily be tempted, like Your disciples in the garden, to flee!

Amen

Pray with vigilance.

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Matthew 26:41

In the grip of the most personal struggle, Jesus prayed in Gethsemane. His soul He describes as “very sorrowful, even to death” (Matthew 26:38). His prayer - a request wishing there was some other way to avoid drinking the cup of wrath to be poured out on Him at His crucifixion, but yielding fully in obedience nonetheless to the Father’s will. After wrestling with this prayer, Jesus finds His disciples fast asleep.

Disappointed that they could not even keep watch with Him for an hour, Jesus gives them these words about the urgency of prayer. His teaching reminds us that in some ways prayer is always a spiritual battle not to be taken lightly! When we pray, we are to watch. There is a vigilance to prayer as we pray. There are no lazy prayers. And we can’t be haphazard about how we pray either.

The consequences of a lack of vigilance are severe: We can not only struggle in temptation, but we can succumb to it. So we must watch and pray so that we don’t enter into temptation. Mindful prayer protects our souls. It circumvents the devil’s schemes. It helps us mature in holiness. Jesus asks us to watch as we pray. Be alert! This is serious business!

The tendency to be less than vigilant is real. Jesus acknowledged this to His men. “The spirit is willing…” we want to pray well. We know we should be watchful as we prayer. We can believe all the things rightly about prayer. “But the flesh is weak…” we are just dust and easily fall away. We can easily be lulled by our earthly desires, our tired bodies, our physical needs. Those must be put in place for us to pray well, and only a fool thinks that prayer is never a battle between the spiritual realm and our weak bodies.

And so, we watch… with effort, energy, and enthusiasm, as we pray. We know a hundred urges may distract us from prayer at any given time, and so we discipline ourselves, as Christ reminds us, to pray with vigilance.

Why I’m Here

I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

John 17:15

On the night He was betrayed Jesus prayed, and what was there, in that prayer, tells me why I’m here.

Before they nailed Him to a tree, Jesus thought of me. He prayed for all who would believe, His truth receive. It’s perspective I need.

Jesus did not want the Father to take them away, instead He prayed they would stay so that the world could be saved… gospel witness in the world today.

Believers in this world to bless this broken mess! Christ’s sacrifice to confess and then to rest from Evil kept.

I’m here to believe.

I’m here to pray.

I’m here to truly live.

I’ve here to generously give.

I’m here to stay until my dying day.

Left with this gift of living so that in Jesus I’m giving witness to His life even through darkness, grief, or strife. That’s why I’m here… the purpose is clear.

ministry of the Spirit of Truth

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

John 16:13

In this one verse the apostles are promised a four-fold ministry of the Holy Spirit that still impacts Christians today. The work of the Holy Spirit is often downplayed or blown out of unbiblical proportion by some in the church today. We need instead to understand the Spirit’s work in us. These four things blessed the apostles and carry over to us today.

1. Guidance in the truth. The Spirit of God leads in revealing the truth of God. For the apostles it meant that the New Testament scriptures would spring forth by the Holy Spirit’s inspiration from their gospel ministry. The Spirit of God would lead them to understand the scriptures of the Old Testament as well. The book of Acts in particular shows the dynamic truth-guiding ministry of the Spirit as He led the church with both the Old and New Testaments to take the gospel around the world.

2. Speaking with God’s authority. The Holy Spirit would speak with the authority of the Father and under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. What the Spirit would reveal to and through the apostles would be, and very much is, the Word of God.

3. Connection to the Godhead. “What he hears he will speak.” The trinity is in complete unity. What the Holy Spirit would reveal would be in complete agreement with the Father and the Son because He speak only what He hears. We can be confident that the apostles’ doctrine as revealed in the New Testament is God’s Word, not in disagreement with any previous revelation, because it is the same God revealing Himself through the Holy Spirit!

4. Declare things to come. The Holy Spirit would have a prophetic ministry to and through the apostles. In this way we would receive a full picture of God’s purposes in salvation history. It ends with Jesus as Lord of all the universe, dear to His redeemed, Judge of all people with perfect justice, and the object of universal worship and praise forever. We have that hope, that complete picture, because the Holy Spirit was sent to comfort, guide, inspire, reveal, and guide the disciples of Jesus!

you also will live

Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

John 14:19

This is a fitting post-Easter passage to reflect upon. Jesus has left us now, but still lives. And we still see Him… in the gospels, in His people (massively imperfect as we are), and in His work saving the world. Jesus is very much alive.

And because Jesus lives, we live. We have abundant life, full of purposes, full of meaning, and with direction because we have a living Lord Whom we seek to follow. We also have the confidence of eternal life. It isn’t just about now, but also eternity. It isn’t just about present purposes but also future glory. There is a lot we enjoy now, and there is an unimaginable eternity of life in Him. Yes… we will see Jesus, now and forever.

Lord Jesus,

I thank You for this perspective and I trust You for Your care now and forever. In You I am still being made new. Even with my problems. Even with my cares. Even with my need to still be more like You. You are alive, powerful, and arrest my attention with Your words and Your power. For that I am truly thankful because I need it. Help me love and thrive as You live for me, with me, and in me now.

Amen

a tendency to scatter

But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.

Mark 14:21

What’s the old saying? “Actions speak louder than words.” When Jesus told His disciples He would soon be arrested, crucified, and then raised to life again, He warned them that they would all scatter in fear. Peter proudly affirms that even if all the other apostles fell away, he was too strong and would never do so. Jesus tells him with direct detail that denial would roll from Peter’s lips three times that very night. Peter stubbornly refuses to see himself capable of that. And all the disciples bristle at the idea of abandoning Jesus. They speak up in bold belief with Jesus present with them in the upper room. But things would indeed change very dramatically, very quickly, and in a matter of hours they would all be in hiding.

When encountering this text as a Christian on the post-resurrection side of the gospel, it is easy to judge the apostles for their feckless fear, unbelief, and denial. But aren’t we just as irresponsible, if not worse, in our sinful moments? Every time I give in to a selfish desire, to an angry outburst, to a doubting disbelief, I am in essence in the exact same kind of denial and hiding. I am abandoning Jesus for the “safety” of hiding in the world. I am telling a resurrected Savior Who died for me that although I really like being forgiven and heaven as my destination, I’m going to do just as I please, perhaps out of fear, perhaps out of greed, perhaps out of temporary pleasure, perhaps out of desperation or loneliness… you can “fill-in-the-blank” with any wicked motivation on my part… their are unfortunately all too many. I opened my Bible sanctimoniously this morning, thinking I am a disciple who would never deny Him. But honestly, I can… and I do sometimes. Every sin is just that.

Lord,

You knew disciples would scatter and You love them still! And I am no different. Forgive my fleeing, fearful, faithless fits. Draw me close to You. I confess I too can all too easily deny with my actions what my lips proudly proclaim. Keep me humble. Keep me confessional. Keep me loyal day by day, my Lord!

Amen

the example of humility

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you?”

John 13:12

Jesus washed the feet of His disciples to set before them an example of humility. His modeling of humble service to the most basic of needs was meant to teach them to do the same. Following Jesus is not just about learning His teaching. It is about living His example. Will we truly divest our self-interest in the pursuit of care and kindness no matter the cost to ourselves? Will we be proud and selfish or will we be selfless and humble? That is what we must work through in believing Jesus left us an example.

Jesus was the “Lord and Master” of His disciples (John 13:13). And He, the Master, stooped to wash the feet of every disciple, even Judas, who was just hours away from betraying Him (John 13:14). His example compels disciples, who are by relationship required to follow their Teacher, to do the same (John 13:15-16). And furthermore, Jesus emphasizes that real blessing in the life of His followers comes not just from knowing the facts of His teaching, but from doing what He taught by His example (John 13:17).

So today, on this Good Friday, as Christians contemplate the humble sacrifice that Jesus, the supreme Servant and Savior, gave for us, let us also remember His example as He took the basin and the towel. He humbled Himself for us so that we in turn, like Him, would humble ourselves in service to others. People should see the kindness of Christ so they can see their need for the forgiveness of Christ so that in repentance and faith they may be transformed with the life of Christ. Without our humble service to them, how will this happen, especially in a cultural climate that is increasingly as hardened and jaded as ours? We must understand what Jesus has done in His humility. “…he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross…” (Philippians 2:8).

before I suffer

And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”

Luke 22:15

Knowing that in just a matter of hours the events of the mock trials and crucifixion would begin to play out, Jesus sat down for one last Passover celebration with His disciples. And He did not run from even the difficulty of this realization. Jesus knew the price He was asked to pay. He knew what awaited Him that very night. And with anticipation He longed to sit down with His followers one last time to transform Passover into His Passion.

“Before I suffer…” perhaps the most downplayed description of what Jesus would endure and it came from His own lips. Jesus knew what was going to happen. He realized, accepted, endured, and submitted to the plan for our redemption just as meekly as Isaiah 53 predicted. He was the Lamb ready for the trip to be slaughtered. The meal of Passover lamb He ate with His disciples would forever prefigure the greater, perfect, final sacrifice of the Lamb of God Who took away the sin of the world. He would suffer for our sins. And He would not shrink away from obeying the Father’s will for Him to do so.

“Christ, our Passover Lambe, has been sacrificed…” (1 Corinthians 5:7). What Jesus earnestly desired in His last Passover is now our salvation in the present tense. We have new life, abundant life, eternal life… all because Jesus earnestly desired to obey the Father. His suffering gave Him authority over our sufferings. His sinless sacrifice covers our darkest moments and deepest sins.

Lord Jesus,

Rule over our sufferings now, calling us to see in Your sufferings how deeply You identify with us. Forgive our sins, O Lord, as we turn to You acknowledging our broken and sinful hearts. Heal us in Your sacrifice and raise us again to a new life of joyful rebirth in Your resurrection!

Amen

bold worship of a Savior

In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.

Matthew 26:12-13

Jesus received an offering of pure worship from an unnamed woman in this passage. In the home of a man Jesus had healed, as Jesus and His disciples were enjoying a meal together, this woman approached Jesus carrying an expensive alabaster jar of anointing oil, a rare fragrant perfume. This would have been something treasured. Perfume was for the wealthy. Alabaster was for the wealthy. But here she is, pouring it ALL on the head of Jesus, in essence saying to Him, “Jesus, You are worth more to me than anything I have ever treasured. I love You more. You deserve this. Take it all.” Jesus was right to call her actions a “beautiful thing” (Matthew 26:10).

Yet the disciples, who should have known better, call it all a “waste”. They point out in judgmental “holier-than-thou” false piety that the jar and its contents could have been sold for a large sum and the money given to the poor (Matthew 26:8-9)…. A true observation, just not a right one! They judge this woman not joining in mutual worship of Jesus, but instead, perhaps out of jealousy for her extravagant love for Him they deride her. “How dare this woman be so engaged with the Master! What does she think she is doing! Why does Jesus let a woman be so outrageous with Him?”

Jesus rebukes them with a truth they never saw coming. One day soon the disciples WOULD understand how this woman’s worship prefigured Jesus’ sacrifice. Her extravagant pouring out of perfume on Jesus was just the first anointing for His death. And she was the only woman given this privilege. Fast forward to Resurrection morning where again woman are the bold disciples while the apostles are in apparent hiding. Women arrive at the tomb of Jesus hoping to anoint Jesus’ body, and instead find an empty tomb! The disciples were left behind by caring women once again, and the only anointing Jesus ever truly received that prefigured His death was back in the house of Simon. Jesus was alive again before His body could ever be prepared properly for the grave! Thanks to the bold love and worship of a woman willing to give it all, the smell of perfume wafting from Simon’s house still drifts in the air with the gospel even today!

least of these

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Matthew 25:40

Jesus sees

how I treat

the least of these

the call to care

is always there

everywhere

I must love

like my Lord above

ALL who need love

Jesus sees

how I treat

the least of these

Who are the least of these?

Feed the hungry.

Quench the thirsty.

Welcome strangers.

Clothe the shivering.

Visit the sick.

Comfort the imprisoned.

For in their need

I will find

the least of these

In their need

Jesus sees

The least of these

The lonely, the poor ones

The bereaved, the torn ones

The ignored, the outcast ones

The broken, the marginalized ones

All of these

are the least of these

and with the love of Christ

and the gospel message

they can belong!

We can all sing a song:

“We are the least of these, now redeemed!”

investment and reward

For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

Matthew 25:29

Our Lord is gracious and loving. Jesus understands us. He forgives us. But just because He gives such great kindness does not mean He has no expectations from us as we seek to follow Him. He will not reward selfish living. That is the lesson of the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. Jesus expects us to apply ourselves in multiplying by our own efforts and obedience the gifts that He blesses us to use for His glory.

This isn’t meant to stress us, but the fact that we will one day give an account to Jesus for how we invested for His glory His gifts to us should definitely motivate Christians. He longs to speak blessing and applaud us. All it takes is for us to long to be like Jesus with who we are and with what we have. We all have something to invest. Everyone of us can do this. Be generous. Be caring. Be kind. Get your head out of your own interests long enough to truly care about the lives of other people. See hearts, not just bodies. Look past social status and see the gripping need of every person. Hurt is everywhere, masquerading in filtered selfies, hiding behind gated communities and privacy fences as well as out in the open in a homeless camp. Both hurts are equally tragic. Sin destroys from within. Jesus loves all people and longs to fill each hungry heart! He has called Christians to pour His love out into every kind of need everywhere. One person can’t do it alone. But collectively, if we would see how vital it is to care, each of us could make a difference WHERE WE ARE and meet every kind of need.

Kindness, love, and sharing the gospel in word and in our actions is the most rewarding way to live! It is an adventure of the highest joy. I am convinced of it and do not regret that wanting to steward life in this way has meant I have walked a different path not driven by career, income, accumulation, or pleasure alone. The investment in the lives and the powerful stories God writes in each individual I’ve gotten to truly know in my life is a source of overflowing joy, even as it is also at times emotionally and spiritually intense. I’d rather have the intensity than the lulling rust of selfish lethargy! 

I am currently working through a season of reflection and reception. So many people… at this point literally hundreds of people… people I have know for over four decades and many more recent friendships, all have given back to me in my whirlwind of loss and hurt. In many ways God cashed in my investment and I am floored by the wealth of joy friends have brought me. I will keep pouring into people. I will know their stories. I will let them help write my story! The tale is thrilling. How can I not then believe that Jesus will reward my continued investment for His kingdom in this last act of the drama of my life?