Hearing with your Heart
And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us on the road?”
Luke 24:32
A Pentecostal pastor boarded a plane after a tiring ministry trip. He sat down next to a well-dressed man, greeted him casually, and began to try to rest. Soon the man leaned over and said, “My name is Jason, and I’m a Baptist pastor. What do you do?”
The preacher responded, “Well, I’m Mark, and I am an Assemblies of God pastor.”
“Really?!” said Jason. “I’ve always wanted to meet one of you. I have a question.”
Knowing the conversation was probably about to get a little weird, Mark asked, “What’s your question?”
“Do you believe God still speaks to people personally? Because I don’t believe we need His voice if we have His Word.”
Mark thought for a moment and said, “You are a Baptist pastor. Who called you to the ministry?”
Jason replied, “God did.”
Mark, without hesitation said, “How?”
Jason immediately realized that the passionate call to ministry he felt deep down in his heart was the personal voice of God. Jason quietly turned and peered out the window of the plane. Mark turned and faced forward, and quietly laid his head back to rest.
Jesus said, “Therefore, be careful how you hear.”
Luke 8:18
Jesus has this way of saying something that seems in the beginning to be simple, and yet it can be applied at multiple levels. How do you hear? If the discussion is really about hearing, there is only one way for a human to receive audio waves. That, of course, is the inner ear. However, He is not simply talking about audio sounds but heavenly sounds, spiritual vibrations that are not for the ear but the heart.
But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear . . .
Deut. 20:17
The Lord is speaking in this passage, and in it, He establishes a connection between the heart and hearing His voice. To reinforce this principle, the hindsight of the two guys on the road to Emmaus was that their hearts burned within them. They did not know it was Jesus, but it was as if they were saying, “We should have seen that it was Him because our hearts burned.”
There are two equal and opposite errors that tend to occur concerning hearing God. One is to think that He does not speak outside of the Bible. That is not true. He still speaks to us outside the Scriptures, but never contradicting the Scriptures. However, He may contradict our interpretation. The second is to become so passionate about hearing Him that we become frozen in analyzing whether or not we heard from Him. Keeping it simple and biblical can help us.
First, ask yourself, what and who am I delighting in? Psalm 37:4 states, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” A life focused and delighting in God positions your heart to burn with His good desires.
Second, as you choose to delight yourself in the Lord, watch over your heart. Pay attention to your desires. The desires that arise may be—and probably will be—of the Lord. The Emmaus Road fellows were delighting in the revelation of scriptures and their hearts burned. When you read the scriptures and pray, pay attention to your heart, because it can go places your head won’t fit.
Intimacy Leads to Revelation
ut they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us” . . . He sat at the table . . . took the bread, blessed it and broke it and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him.
Luke 24:29-31
It was crowded in the house. It seemed that the whole town crowded into Mary and Martha’s home. Those who could not fit into the house stood by the door and outside the windows. Everybody wanted to see Jesus, to hear Him teach, or to watch Him heal. He was always so patient and gentle. Except for that whole “whip in the temple” thing. Man, was He upset that day. But He wasn’t out of control. It was weird. Of course, He is weird. Always doing eccentric things we do not understand.
The smell of flatbread filled the air, as people pressed in to hear Him talk or tell another one of His jokes. His “Here’s your sign” and “You might be a Pharisee if” jokes were hilarious. I’m pretty sure those guys wanted to kill Him for it.
Anyhow, tonight we had front row seats at His feet: Me, Mary, and Bartholomew. Bartholomew, poor guy. He is so quiet, he kind of gets lost in the crowd. Many don’t even know he is one of us, the chosen twelve. Come to think of it, he might not know. I probably should check that out.
All of a sudden, the kitchen door swings open and out comes Martha with a pitcher of wine. We all look away. Martha is kind of moody, kind of mean, kind of stressed, kind of busy.
“Jesus!” Martha demanded, “Would You tell Mary to help me?” We all sat in silence. Martha had an awkward way of bringing things to a halt. But Jesus responded in love. “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing to be concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken from her.”
We all cringed. How was anxious Martha going to take Jesus’ news? Martha looked at Jesus and then at Mary. Man, was I scared. Martha is a pretty good sized lady. She is a grape-pressin’, water-haulin’, sheep-throwin’, matzo-kneading, fig-eatin’ Jewish girl from south Jerusalem. If she wanted to, she could break Mary in half. But she quietly turned, walked back into the kitchen and everyone exhaled but Jesus. He looked sad.
A house in Jewish culture is a pretty personal thing. To enter a Gentile’s house would make a Jew ceremonially unclean. The home is sacred, a symbol of intimacy. These two men walking from Jerusalem invite Jesus, whom they do not recognize, into their house. In the fellowship of that intimate moment, Jesus takes what they had to serve and blessed it, and their eyes were opened. The Bible points out twice that it was the eyes of the men who were blinded from recognizing Him, not the alteration of Jesus’ appearance. Jesus had not changed, but they had.
When we fellowship with Jesus in the private place of our own hearts, it prepares us to know him at a deeper level; and this always changes us. Do not only invite Him in when you are in need. Make room for Him with no other agenda other than being with Him. Do not only look for principles in His teachings; listen for Him to speak to you personally.
It was not on the road that these two men recognized Him. It was in the stillness of intimacy and fellowship that their eyes were opened. Jesus lives; therefore, He lives to come to your house, to sit at your table, to break bread with you, and to reveal Himself to you. In all your choices today, choose fellowship and intimacy with Jesus.
All Scriptures Concerning Himself
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Luke 24:27
Would you not love to have heard that teaching? It is easy to look back on the Scriptures and with arrogance say, “If I could have seen Jesus do this or hear that, I know I would have responded differently than the disciples.” But neither you nor I can really ever know that. We must remember, these guys were ordinary men living ordinary lives. Jesus interrupted all of that. It is one thing to believe the Messiah will come someday or hear the prophecies concerning him; you never expect Him to come into your house, your boat, or call you to follow Him.
These two men, even though they had been disciples of Jesus, still did not understand His significance. The Resurrected Christ took time to teach one eternally significant truth: the supremacy of Christ in all things. He started from the beginning and showed that all the Bible pointed to Him.
In Genesis, He is the seed of the woman. In Exodus, He is the lamb whose blood saved from death those who had smeared it on their doorposts. In Numbers, He is the serpent who was raised up, and all who fixed their gaze on Him were healed. In Deuteronomy, He is the water from the rock that refreshed God’s people in the desert of their disobedience. In Judges, He is the judge who makes things right and liberates His people from the slavery of their own sin. In Ruth, He is Kinsman Redeemer. In 1 Samuel, He is like David, the overlooked shepherd who goes to fight the enemy for his brothers. In Revelation, He is “the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David,” who “has prevailed to open the scroll” (Rev. 5:5). Every book of the Bible points to Jesus.
In the disciples’ experiences with Jesus, both the delight of intimacy and the disappointment of His death, they never really understood the significance of Christ. All of human history was waiting on Him.
Do not let your intimacy with Christ cause you to lose sight of the supremacy of Christ. Know Christ personally, but do not let your familiarity replace your astonishment. He is in every situation working for His glory and your good. All of human history—the Law and the Prophets, the Church—is about Him. Will you invite Him to teach you this wonderful, eternal truth? Ask Him, “Lord teach me how to live for Your preeminence in all things.”
And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness of the Godhead should dwell.”
Colossians 1:18-19
Suffering, Glory, and Joy
Then He (Jesus) said to them . . . “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter His glory?”
Luke 24:25-26
Suffering is not a subject that excites most people, yet glory is something we are all interested in. The Resurrected Christ teaches us that suffering and glory are linked. Jesus did not suffer at the hands of an angry God but from an angry religious system. We often forget that there is a cosmic war raging that affects our present reality. Jesus has won the decisive battle. The enemy knows it and is determined to kill, steal, and destroy as many lives as possible.
The Bible teaches us that Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him (Heb. 12:2). He did not enjoy the cross; He endured it. He had joy because He saw beyond the suffering. “For our light affliction, which is for the moment, is working for us a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17). This scripture teaches that when we, in obedience to Christ, suffer in the present, we are securing for ourselves an eternal reward.
One of the resounding qualities of goodness and courage is the ability to do the right thing at personal cost to oneself. Jesus modeled this through the sacrifice of Himself on our behalf.
Jesus also understood the difference between pain with no eternal purpose and pain with a purpose. Jesus refused to let the religious leaders or the mob do him harm until he knew it was the right time to go to the cross. Jesus said, “No one takes my life, but I give it of my own accord.” He knew when and how to resist evil and when to endure it for the greater good.
The Apostle Paul echoes the testimony of the gospels when he writes, “All things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). The Resurrected Jesus teaches us we can trust God in the middle of suffering and can have joy in the middle of it, for He looks at the “things which are not seen.” We know that regardless of what others say or do, our Heavenly Father will work it out for our good, either here on earth, or in eternity. Whatever the timing, glory awaits. This means we do not have to live in denial of our suffering nor allow it to determine our lives. We can have hope in all circumstances.
Are you receiving persecution for your faith? Have you lived in timidity out of fear of suffering? Would you allow the Resurrected Christ to teach you how to live with joy in all circumstances?
On the other hand, are you delaying ending needless pain because you think it is spiritual? Are you enduring purposeless pain? Is there pain or difficulty that needs to be endured? Would you ask God for wisdom to know the difference?
The Undercover Jesus
But their eyes were restrained so that they could not see Him.
Luke 24:16
Early one cool spring Sunday, a pastor arrives at his office and begins to prepare his heart and mind for the coming day. After a while, there is a knock at the door. “Daddy!” cries his youngest daughter. They hug and he is so glad to see her. Sunday morning rolls on. First, Sunday school and then big church. He does not know why they call it “big” church; it should be called “longer” church. They make it through the service with bovine enthusiasm.
Time to go home and eat! The pastor rounds up his three kids, which is really quite an impressive accomplishment, because he has a son who could possibly be anywhere . . . including another county. He briefly chats with his wife, and off they go toward the car. “Dad will be there shortly,” he encourages the kids as he turns toward the church to lock up.
As they are buckling into the car, the youngest girl runs for the church and says, “I’m riding home with Daddy.” The mother smiles—she sure loves her daddy. The wife and two other kids load up and go home. When they arrive, as is his custom, the son jumps out of the car and says, “I’ll be playing in the front yard.” Mother and the oldest go inside and begin to prepare lunch.
Soon, Dad saunters into the living room, plops into his recliner, takes off his shoes, and rests for a moment before the next religious experience: Sunday lunch!
Mother calls, “Lunch is ready!” Everyone is there except the son and the youngest daughter. This is not unusual, since the boy often needs a pitcher to throw the ball, an enemy sniper to shoot, or someone with whom to practice the karate he “learned” while watching way too many Chuck Norris movies.
The dad peers out front and calls the boy inside. “Where is your little sister?” the dad asks.
“I don’t know,” says the boy as he runs for the rolls on the table.
“You don’t know? You better know. Where is she?”
“I really don’t know,” the boy replies.
The dad hurries outside, calling and yelling, but no response. He calls the neighbors; they have not seen her. The whole family is now worried and frantically begins to load in the car to search for her.
Ring, Ring. “Hello,” answers the mother.
“Hi, this is Shelly Jones. I live at 120 Park Drive. I was walking and noticed a little girl crossing a major street near the church. I went and spoke with her, and she told me your number.”
“Thank God,” the mother sighs. “We will be right there.”
The whole family loads up, and as they are pulling out of the driveway, the dad howls at the son. “You are not allowed to play in the front yard anymore. You let your little sister walk away. Do you realize how dangerous that is?” The little boy sits in silence.
They pick the little daughter up with hugs and kisses. They graciously thank the lady and get back in the car. As they drive home, the dad asks, “Baby, why did you walk all the way over here?”
The little girl replies, “Dad, I went in the church to ride home with you. But you left me locked in the church. I grabbed a chair and opened the door and started to walk home.”
The dad turns to the mother, “I thought she was with you.”
The mother replies, “I thought she was with you.”
And from the back seat the boy interrupts, “Does this mean I can play in the front yard again?”
Have you ever felt like Jesus forgot you? Like He left the church and locked you inside? He promised He would never leave.
The two guys on the road to Emmaus simply could not recognize Him. Maybe Jesus is simply undercover in your life right now. The scriptures say the unrecognized Jesus taught them “beginning with Moses . . . He expounded to them all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:27). When it seemed like Jesus was most absent, the two men actually received some of the greatest teaching from Him. In moments when it feels like He has left you, please know that He hasn’t. But it may be an opportunity for Him to teach you some of the most profound lessons! Have you ever felt as if Jesus were not around? What might He be teaching you during these seasons?
What Things?
And He said to them, “What things?”
Luke 24:19
On a seven-mile stretch of old, rocky, dusty road that joins Jerusalem to Emmaus, two men journeyed and talked. Nothing else was worthy of discussion in light of the last couple of days. From behind them, a man who had recently caught up with their pace asked, “What are you talking about and why does it make you so sad?”
They almost laughed at this man’s ignorance, and would have if they hadn’t been so sad. “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem that does not know the things that have happened in the last three days?” one of them responded in a sarcastic tone.
But the stranger humbly returned the sarcasm with compassion: “What things?”
Have you ever wondered why God gave us a mouth? Can you imagine how much easier things might be for Him if we did not talk? He already knows our thoughts. What honor God gives to us simply by listening!
Jesus does not immediately scold these guys for their arrogance. He does not say, “I’ll show you how much I know. You sit there for a moment and listen to me!” No, not the Resurrected Jesus. He listens. The Resurrected Christ gives us the hope and assurance that our prayers are heard. Jesus is listening. Even though He knows before you ask, He invites you to share what is on your heart.
Say yes to the invitation and share openly and honestly with Jesus, and then be still and let Him respond. Another application of this encounter is to take the time today to listen to those around you, seeking to understand. For listening is an act of love.
Going Where He is
arly in the morning they [Mary and the other women] came to the tomb . . . But Peter arose and ran to the tomb.
Luke 24:1, 12
A pastor walks into his office early Monday morning after an exciting and celebratory Sunday service. As he walks through the entrance, he notices it is unusually quiet. He asks the secretary where everyone is. To his amazement, the associate pastor and most of the staff have gone to start a church just down the road. She tells him that plans were made weeks earlier in secret meetings and that half of the congregation went also. Devastated and hurting, he soon moves into depression. Days turn into weeks and weeks into months, and nothing and no one can console him.
One night, his wife wakes up in the middle of the night, and he is gone. In her worry, she begins to pray and calls others to do the same. Hours later, the middle of the night has turned into mid-morning. The front door opens, and in walks the pastor, smiling, singing, and rejoicing. He grabs his wife, hugs and kisses her, and exclaims, “The Lord is good!”
“What happened to you?” she asks. He sits down with a cup of coffee and recounts his story.
“I woke up late last night in the same emotional, mental, and spiritual state I have been in for months. Then suddenly, I had an idea that so captivated me that I had to do it right then. Honey, do you remember the house we were renting when I was saved and the Lord delivered me from alcoholism? Well, I drove to that town, to that house. I knocked on the door and told the lady I used to live there, and that I needed to go into the backyard. Oddly enough, she gave me permission. So I went to the same spot I had stood 27 years ago when I heard God call me to be a pastor. As I stood there, I looked up to heaven and asked, “Okay, what did You say again?” And He said, “I called you and that has not changed. You are mine.” So honey, I am His. He has called me, and it does matter who stays or leaves. I know He is with me.”
This may be very simple, but when Mary and the others were confused and did not know what to do, they went to the last place they saw Jesus. When Peter heard something he could not believe, he went to the place where he heard others had encountered Jesus. The idea that “if God wants me, He knows where to find me” is an idea birthed out of complacency. The wise men traveled, the woman went, and Peter ran to where they heard Jesus would be. If you do not know what to do, go to the last place you saw Him. Go back and continue to do the last thing Jesus said to do. You might have to go in your imagination, but go. Relive the moment, and honor Jesus in that moment.
If you have never encountered Him, go to a place where you know others are encountering Him, and have an open mind. You never know where the Resurrected Jesus will reveal Himself. We do not have to be passive. Remember, grace is not opposed to effort; it’s opposed to earning. Effort is action. Earning is attitude.
The Way He Says Your Name
She, supposing He was the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
John 20:15-16
Ring, ring. The phone always seems to demand attention, she thinks, as she rushes around trying to dress her three children, letting the call go to voicemail. Being a single mother is hard. She manages to dress them, but now she needs to feed them. She hurries, spilling the milk, because the youngest keeps crying.
“Cereal, again?” the oldest moans.
“Please, not this morning honey,” she responds. “The bus will be here soon.” She puts their homework into their backpacks, helps put the right backpack on the right child, and out they go. While watching for the bus, she realizes her youngest one’s clothes do not even match. But it’s too late now; the bus is coming. She gives out I-love-you’s and kisses as they load up on the bus. All she can think is, I made it through another morning. Hopefully, I can finish the day.
As she walks back to the house, she thinks about him again. She has to continually strive to not let all the emotions run her into depression. It’s only been four weeks since the accident, and she sure does miss him. As she steps onto the porch and into the house, she prays, “Lord, I really need some help.” Her prayer is interrupted by the sight of the house. It always seems to surprise her how fast her house becomes messy. The emptiness of the morning seems to add to it. Every room needs her attention: the kitchen has dirty dishes, the living room has toys and dolls all over the floor, the bathroom smells funny, and their bedroom still has his clothes lying right where he left them. Since the funeral, she has not moved anything of his.
Beep, beep. How did she miss someone leaving her a message this morning? “Mary, it’s Cindy. I was praying for you this morning, and I had a desire overwhelm me. I want to come over this Saturday and help you in any way I can. If you need cleaning or laundry done, someone to watch the girls, or someone to mow the yard, whatever it may be. I want to serve you. I love you, and Jesus loves you too. Give me a call back and let me know. Bye, bye.” Click. Beep.
She deletes the message and sits down on the sofa as she grumbles to herself, “Why won’t people just leave me alone?”
Deep within her, she hears the whisper of the Resurrected Christ: “Mary, you asked me for help . . . and I answered you.”
Sometimes, like Mary, we do not recognize Christ. We pray and present our requests, but oftentimes, He answers us in practical ways we may not expect. He knows where you are and what you’re going through. Listen for Him today. He is calling your name. Ask Him to give you eyes to see and ears to hear. You may be mistaking Him for a gardener or a friend.
Honoring Someone Else’s Experience
He (Jesus) rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.
Mark 16:14
Standing in that upstairs room with the other disciples, I peered out the window. We had been watching since the day He died. Scared, I guess. I could not help but think about Mary’s story, how she was so convinced that she saw Him. But alone in a garden? Why not something bigger, more God-like? Surely, if He was going to rise from the dead, He would come see us. We were His disciples. It was probably just her emotions. We are all a little emotional now and then.
And the guys on the road to Emmaus, they didn’t even recognize Him for most of the trip. How could anyone not recognize His brutally beaten body?
Yet something rings inside when I hear their stories; I just can’t get my head around it. All I know is that I want to believe them, but I’m afraid that if I hope again, I will be disappointed. I do not think I can go through that kind of disappoint again. I do not understand. But then again, even when He was alive, I did not understand much.
As I was pondering these things, everyone suddenly turned to look at something on the wall. There was something happening, something different about this one piece of wall. We did not know what we were waiting for, but we were all drawn to this one place. Then all of a sudden, there He was. He just appeared. No angels. No singing. No light. Just Jesus. We all gasped and fell down, joyously terrified. None of us knew what to do or say.
Out of all the things He said to us that day, I remember the look in His eyes when He confronted our pride and unbelief in Him and the others. I will never forget that day. I should have listened to my heart. I knew Mary was not a liar, and the Emmaus guys have never given me a reason to doubt their integrity. Now I understand.
We live in a culture that communicates a person is wiser for doubting than for believing. However, you can be a fool and say, “I don’t believe” or “That won’t work” or “Why?” Sometimes our skepticism is a safeguard for our insecurities. We can be so fragile in our insecurities that we simply cannot handle disappointment, looking foolish, or being lied to. When fear is the motivation behind skepticism, it becomes a false security.
Theologically, belief is not simply understanding or knowledge, though knowledge is important to belief. Belief is the readiness to act as if what we believe to be true was actually the case. Belief comes about through the witness of the Holy Spirit to one’s spirit when God reveals the truth of Christ Jesus through the preaching of the gospel. The Apostle Paul at the height of his writing on the nature of conversion in Romans 8:16 states, “The Spirit bears witness to our spirits that we are the children of God.” This is a difficult and delicate matter to describe. It is, however, a common Christian experience, and a key part of Christian discipleship is learning to recognize this voice and nurture one’s sensitivity to it. This does not mean the only evidence of faith is a subjective “witness” of one’s spirit. Romans 8:16 arrives on the backdrop of a conversation about walking or yielding to the Spirit and not the flesh. The point being made is that one can believe what is true without having comprehensive knowledge of how it all might work.
Sometimes, the seemingly more rational option can be a lie. Sometimes we refuse to believe because we are afraid. When it comes to believing another’s experiences, we are always to look at the fruit of that experience in their life. Is there something that the Lord may be doing around you that you have been afraid to believe? Is there something that the Bible affirms to be true yet you still struggle to believe? Would you ask the Lord if there is any hardness or unbelief in your heart? Would you invite Jesus into your unbelief?
The Stigma of the Resurrected Christ
And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
Mark 16:11
Have you ever had really good news that you couldn’t wait to share with someone, and when you finally did, their response was disappointing? Maybe they were not as excited, or it was just bad timing? Mary had a wonderful encounter with the Resurrected Christ and couldn’t wait to share this good news with the disciples, only to find resistance in their unbelief. The good news is that their response does not invalidate Mary’s experience! He is still resurrected whether the disciples believe it or not. For a while, Mary might have to carry the stigma of being called “that crazy girl,” the one whose radical testimony is whispered about behind her back. Her experience and integrity may be scrutinized by the others, but nevertheless, He is still alive!
This wonderful verse gives us great hope in the face of criticism or unbelief. It gives us hope that even though our family, friends, coworkers, or employees may not believe us, their skepticism does not negate the experience. Notice that Mary did not return the criticism or retaliate. Forgive those who criticize you or do not believe you. Otherwise, you will end up adjusting your focus from the Jesus of your experience to defending the experience itself.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, possibly carried the stigma of a premarital pregnancy. Hosea lived with the stigma of being a fool for staying in his marriage with his prostituting wife, Gomer. Jesus was called a glutton, drunk, lunatic, and heretic. Nevertheless, these people were faithful to God.
Will you allow your life and thoughts to be shaped by Christ and not how others respond or might respond? Are you willing to live with the stigma, criticism, or even pain of being misunderstood if it means you get to experience Christ? Have you had encounters with God that you are unwilling to share, due to a fear of another person’s response? Are there things to which you believe God is calling you that you have not done because of fear of criticism?
In the end we are not responsible for how others react to our witness of Jesus, but we are responsible to Jesus and to others to witness of the truth.
The Relational Resurrected Jesus
After Jesus rose from death early on Sunday, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had driven our seven demons.
Mark 16:9
If I were Jesus—and let’s all be thankful I’m not—the first thing I would do after rising from the dead is make an early morning trip to Pilate’s house. I would walk through the walls of his bedchamber, sneak to the side of his bed, shake him awake, and say, “Hi! You just thought you could wash your hands of me.” Then, I would visit each Pharisee that contributed to my death. But, I am not Jesus. Jesus visits Mary first. After all that He had been through, witnessed, and accomplished, He visits Mary alone in the garden of her disappointment. That is the Resurrected Jesus.
The Resurrected Jesus gives us hope that even in our gardens of disappointment, He lives to meet with us. He is not too busy managing the universe. He will meet me in my garden, call my name, and comfort me. This is not some form of Christian humanism; it is Christ’s love. It is in this personal encounter with the Resurrected Jesus, hearing Him call our names, that we are set free from the tyranny of the moment and the fear of circumstance.
Wherever you are, whatever room you are sitting in, He is there. Turn your attention to His abiding presence. Because Jesus has resurrected, He lives and is present with you. Over the years, I have had the opportunity of seeing many tired, burned out evangelicals experience personal renewal in their relationship with Jesus, and all of their experiences hinged on receiving the reality that Jesus was present with and to them each moment of the day. The life promised by Christ is only accessible through relationship with Christ. For we are sharing in His life with Him. How will you respond? How have you responded to the present Christ this last week?
The Stone Between You and Jesus
And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone for us?” But when they looked up, they saw the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large.
Mark 16:3-4
Mary and the others went to cover Jesus with spices. They did not have a command from the Lord to do it; they simply wanted to. However, a large and seemingly immovable stone stood between their intentions and desires to honor Him and His physical body. Sound familiar? Have you ever desired to know Jesus more deeply, but there seemed to be a hindrance. Perhaps a personal failure, wound, or disappointment?
There are two equal and opposite errors we make when dealing with our sin, failures, and mistakes. One is to think that grace is God’s willingness to pretend that our sin or failure does not exist. This is not true. He sees everything in us, even that which we do not see. God does not turn a blind eye to our junk. The second error is to think we have to get over it, around it, or move it out of the way ourselves before we can enjoy His presence. This is not true either. We are not big enough to roll away the stone.
The grace of God is God’s willingness to move the stone Himself, by whatever means He chooses. There are some actions we are responsible for. We are responsible to ask others for help. We are responsible to go to others in the body of Christ, who love and care for us, and confess our faults and ask for prayer. We are responsible to come to the garden prepared to honor Jesus. God will take care of the stone!
Come to Jesus with all your sin, mistakes, ignorance, disappointments, and wounds. Come to honor Him, to pour your love on Him, and watch the grace of God move the stone for you! As you go into the garden of encounter, Gabriel might be on his way to roll away your stone.
Mary’s Worship
Mary Magdalene . . . brought spices to go and anoint the body of Jesus.
Mark 16:1
She finally arose from the mat that was supposed to be her bed, but there was no sleep for her this night. She could not stop thinking about Him.
The way He loved people.
How He healed those who were hurting.
She remembered Lazarus, and how happy she was that He raised her brother from the dead. She remembered how He cast seven demons out of her, and yet in His presence, she never felt ashamed.
Suddenly, images of the horrific beatings and the sounds of taunts and screams came rushing in over the pleasant memories. She wept in anger and sorrow as she remembered wanting to yell to the Roman soldiers beating Him, “What has He ever done to you?!” But He was silent. At first she thought maybe He was afraid, but He was never afraid. She realized He was courageous. She didn’t understand it, but somehow in all the mad hysteria going on that day, it was almost like He was in control of it all.
What to do now, she wondered as she lay on her mat with the night almost gone. She remembered the alabaster box that she broke to wash His feet. She still had that box somewhere. That’s what I’ll do, she thought. She arose and began to prepare the spices to anoint Him one more time. When He was alive, she anointed His feet. Now in His death, she would anoint His body. She gathered her things, put out the small fire, and went to meet the others.
Jesus rarely does what you think He will do, and that was the same for Mary. She did not expect Him to die like this. But she knew He was just as worthy of worship when He did the amazing as when He was mysterious.
The only real response any of us have to the presence of Jesus is to worship or not. Mary beautifully anointed His feet when His forgiveness had overwhelmed her. Now she would anoint His body when His actions bewildered her. She went to minister to Him even when she did not understand. Will you?
There are probably situations in your life where the resurrected Jesus is not doing what you thought He was going to do, or at least not in the way you had imagined. Will you still set aside time and worship? Even when He appears to be silent, will you refuse to be silent? When prayers aren’t yet answered, and there are plenty of sleepless nights, will you worship? Like a parent who climbs out of bed at two in the morning to tend to their child, we discover what is of worth to us when we adjust our lives, even when we do not feel like it. Jesus is worthy of worship even when we don’t feel like worshiping. Something happens when lean in and worship regardless of the circumstances of our lives.
I encourage you to find a place of solitude, and begin to thank Him and praise Him. Even if you do not feel it, put language on your love for Him. Something happens in all of us when we worship against the tide, when we worship beyond our understanding, when we call Him good in the face of an unpleasant reality. Prepare the anointing oil of your heart, and go to the garden alone. He is waiting.
In the Tomb
Suddenly there was a mighty earthquake; an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled the stone away, and sat on it."
Matthew 28:2
In a cool, dark room lies a corpse wrapped in linen cloth. His spirit has gone into Hades and brought back the keys of death and hell, freeing many who had trusted God in the Old Covenant. Only Jesus can go through hell victorious. Now it is time to display the greatness and unconquerable spirit of Jesus. In one reality-suspending moment, the lifeless corpse gasps for breath as though He had been underwater, while light burst forth from His body. He lies still for a moment, simply breathing and reflecting on all that He has experienced. He begins to move, but of course they have wrapped the linen cloth tight. He smiles behind the shroud that covers His face. He becomes free, and neatly folds the shroud and places it where His face had been. His mother, Mary, would be proud. He stretches, bending to touch His toes. His body sure is stiff after three days of death. He waits. He hears some rustling and knows who is outside—Gabriel—always Gabriel. The earth shakes. Jesus moves towards the stony entrance, now an exit, as the stone rolls away. The freshness of the morning rushes in, and He closes His eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath.
What did the resurrection mean for Jesus? The Bible says that Jesus did not roll away the stone; an angel from God came and did it. Jesus could have walked through the stone but instead trusted His Father. Jesus trusted the Father not only in life, but also in death, and then for life again. Jesus waited on the Father to roll away His stone.
Have you obeyed the Father as best you know how and still seem to be stuck not knowing what to do? The resurrection of Jesus Christ tells us that God can be trusted, even if our obedience lands us in a tomb. Wait on God. He will roll away the stone in His timing and in His way. In the meantime, share your fears, frustrations, and concerns with God, and take time to listen to Him respond. Trust is the result of committing your situation to the Lord.
Would you take a moment and imagine what it must have been like for Jesus in that tomb before Gabriel opened it?
The Resurrection for Real People
To understand the impact the resurrection of Jesus had and still has, we must try to understand it initially from a first century disciple’s perspective. The disciples had been following Jesus for about three years. They were astounded and perplexed by Him. He was their hope of a life beyond their existence as fishermen and tax collectors. They believed that Jesus was going to restore the kingdom back to Israel. His favorite subject was the kingdom of God. They could envision the Romans being driven from town and the return of the kingdom back to the Jews with Jesus as king. They could see themselves as His right hand men, seated next to Him on His throne. As if to reinforce their vision, Jesus comes to Jerusalem and the people cry, “Hosanna, Hosanna,” which in its literal translation means, “Save us now!” The palm branches thrown before His donkey were not Jewish confetti; the palm branch was the symbol for the nation of Israel before the Star of David. All of this was screaming to the imaginations of the disciples that the time was coming soon.
It was against this backdrop that the disciples experienced the cruel, horrific torture and death of their beloved King Jesus. The scriptures are clear that the disciples did not fully understand. You know there had to be times when Jesus looked up to heaven and asked, “Father, are you sure these are the ones?” Even though Jesus told them this would happen, their hope and expectations would not let them see it.
As He bled, suffered, and died, suspended between heaven and earth, the disciples’ hopes, expectations, and passions, bled, suffered, and died as well. They had left everything to follow Him, and it had come to nothing. Speechless, tired, and weary, they laid His beaten and lifeless body in a borrowed tomb along with their dead hope. Three supernatural years filled with many reality-shattering memories came to an end as a loud, unified grunt rang out and the huge stone was rolled into place, sealing behind it His lifeless body and their deflated lives. But not for long!
“He’s alive! He’s alive!” rang through the crisp desert morning. They had never seen Mary quite like this. They tried to calm her down, but whatever she had seen, she was not going to recover from easily. Finally, she told them more details and they sprinted for the tomb. Even with their doubts and unbelief, this kind of claim demanded their attention.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ has many implications such as life beyond death and first fruits of new creation, but the disciples did not run to the tomb that day wondering about the theological implications of what they might see. They were not concerned about what doctrinal statements some American theologian might milk from a text that recounts their story. They were not thinking about church creeds or Christian apologetics. They wondered if it could be true. Could He really be alive?
To the disciples, the resurrection of Jesus was the resurrection of hope, of life, and of love. It was the resurrection of their beloved King. It meant that there was life beyond their disappointment, failure, disloyalty, doubt, depression, and fear. There was life beyond the grave. There was life beyond death, and not simply Jesus’ death, but the death they were experiencing in His absence. Jesus’ resurrection was not simply for Him; it meant resurrection for the disciples and for all who would follow Him.
The resurrection certainly has great implications about life after death, but it has implications for life this side of death. The resurrection of Jesus means death does not have to be determinative of our lives. How we view the world and the circumstances of our lives does not have to be defined by the fact that there is loss, pain, tragedy, betrayal, and death. The resurrection means that there is life beyond tragedy, suffering, disappointment, shame, failure, emptiness and sin. It means the life that Jesus Christ has come to give to all who would follow Him is a kind of life that is more determinative than death. This life Christ offers us does not shield us from death or any other negative experience but it grants us the power to go through it emerging as more than a conqueror. Therefore, because of the resurrection, all areas of our lives, regardless of the circumstances, can be pervaded with joy and peace.
Is there a place in your life where loss, pain, failure, or sin seems to be the most determining issue? What would your life look like if you lived confident that life, joy, and peace were more determinative than death, failure, or sin?
Lisa loved acting as long as she could remember. During the long summer days, she would assemble her younger brothers and sisters to reenact their favorite TV shows. The Oscars continued to be a highlight for Lisa, even into her young adult years—the dresses, the glamor! She would even image herself winning an Academy Award. Graduating from college with a theater degree, she found it difficult to find a job. Eventually she found a good job as a Children’s Pastor as a small church.
Soon it was time for the annual Christmas play, which was really a small circus. With her passion for theater and for children she told herself, “This is going to be the best Christmas play ever.” They practiced and practiced, and she assigned parts for every one of the children, even the ones that sporadically came on the bus ministry.
The Sunday production comes, and it is a disaster. The shepherds fight with each other, Lisa apparently has cooties, baby Jesus screams, the sheep bark instead of bleat, the angels’ wings fall off, and no one seems to remember the lines or melodies of the songs.
Following the production, there are snacks in the fellowship hall, but she just wants to hide! She knows it must have been the worst Christmas play ever. Tired, frustrated, and feeling like a failure, resentment begins to well up inside as she thinks about her childhood dream of acting. Where had her dreams gone? Had she settled? She begins to cry and says to herself, “I am done with all of this, and I am going to pursue my dreams!”
Suddenly, she feels a pull on the back of her dress. She turns to see Ricky, a young boy who has it rough. His dad is absent and his mother doesn’t really care much about him. Ricky smiles, reaches into the pocket of the old bathrobe that doubles as a shepherd’s coat with a rope around it, and pulls out a tattered plastic rose. “Miss Lisa,” he says, “thank you for letting me be a shepherd. No one has ever made me feel so special.” He leans in and hugs her waist, and then takes off for the cookies and Kool-Aid. From somewhere inside, she hears the voice of the Resurrected Jesus, “This is your Academy Award.” She clutches the rose, takes a slow, deep breath, and peacefully responds, “Thank you, Lord.”