Easter Saturday. What happened on the day between Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection? No one really knows, but from what I understand it was possibly a time of reflection and rest.
So, I have spent much time today in prayer, in God’s glorious word, and reflecting on my life and the life of Jesus Christ. (Hands way up in praise to Him, and with a grateful heart!)
I read, took notes, studied commentary, and pondered questions while reading Matthew 21-28.
I wonder if on that Saturday, that Jesus’ body was in the tomb, was it a time of rest for Him after all He had been through? Had His spirit rejoined Him after leaving in Matthew 27:50? Did He reflect on ALL the sins that were put upon Him and wept, or was He ready to be The Hope that others will come to know when their sins are forgiven?
No matter what happened on that Saturday after the crucifixion, we know that Sunday was coming. Sunday came and Jesus Christ rose from the grave, just as He said He would. Hallelujah!!
I pray that you will be reflective about your own life. Ask the Lord, as in Psalm 139:23-24, to “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” And rest in Him!
I pray that you will be transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ, leaving the world behind you and heaven ahead of you. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2
I pray that you will be rejuvenated to share God’s one and only Son with those around you, so that they will have complete joy and an everlasting life in Christ.
I pray that you will feel and embrace that joy that the Lord has for you to live life in abundance.
Y’all, Jesus IS alive! He did rise from the dead. He is our eternal hope. He loves you!
Blessings to you and yours,
Stephanie
HAPPY EASTER!
Here are just some random thoughts while studying God’s word:
- The same Jews who were proclaiming Jesus as the Son of David and shouting “blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord”, are the same ones who later were shouting “Crucify Him!” What happened during this time period to make them change their tone? Was it political persuasion? Would I be so quick to deny Christ when under persuasion? I sure hope not. We are told that if we deny Christ that he will deny to His Father. (Matthew 10:33 )
- Jesus told and taught parable after parable. The religious leaders, Sadducees, and Pharisees tried to trap Jesus with His words. (The man could talk, and talk with authority!). They couldn’t stump Jesus, and dared not ask Him any more questions. We should never think that we can outsmart God. He knows all!
- We read about greed, pride, lies, making, taunting and bullying in these chapters. God knows. We can’t put anything past Him. He knows our thoughts and our intentions. Be careful not to be a Judas, who was eaten up with so much guilt that he took his own life. Jesus heals! Put your trust in Him.
- The religious leaders accused Jesus of blasphemy. According to the dictionary, blasphemy is the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things. Jesus didn’t commit this crime. He was telling the truth. God does not lie!
- Jesus was flogged, stripped, had a crown of thorns put on His head, was spit on, struck on his head, and more. They did this until they were tired. He was nailed to the cross, clothes were gambled over. How humiliating, yet He remained humble.
- In Matthew 27:50, it took me on a hunt. It says, Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. I questioned if the spirit gave Jesus strength and boldness to endure all that He went through. It was then that the curtain was torn from top to bottom (God did that!). The Roman officer and soldiers knew then that He was the Son of God. BUT…the word spirit isn’t capitalized. So…maybe it was just His spirit leaving His earthly body, like our soul will when we die (unless Jesus comes first). So, after research and deep thoughts, I came to the conclusion that it was NOT the Holy Spirit.
- Wow! I couldn’t even imagine what the townspeople witnessed. In verses 52-53 we are told that the bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem and appeared to many people. Y’all, that is some straight up ghostly stuff!
- Ahhhh, verses 64 and 65…The guards had sealed the tomb and protected it, BUT…they couldn’t keep God from doing His work. God is always at work, in your life and mine. These verses made me focus on the words sealed and protected.
- Sealed (we are secure in Him): In Ephesians 1:13 we are told that when we believed in Christ, we were “sealed” by the Holy Spirit. In 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, we are reminded that God’s seal the Holy Spirit, enables us to stand firm.
- Protected: Psalm 34:7 says The Lord’s angels build a camp around His followers and He protects them. 2 Thessalonians 3:3 says that The Lord is faithful; He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
- Glory! I feel so safe and secure knowing that, as a child of God, I am sealed and protected by Him.
- Chapter 28: Praise! He has risen! (Verse 6). We are to be filled with Joy! (V. 8), and to share the Good News. In verses 18-19, Jesus instructs us to go and make disciples, baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To Teach others to obey. He will be with us always until the end…He is coming back again!
(Thank you to my friend, Ashely, who took this candid shot of me looking towards the sun while trying to capture the sunset myself. I was definitely Soaking up The Son while looking at the sun.)