Two weeks later

Then Jesus came to them (the eleven disciples) and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Homily...
Being a disciple and making disciples. All nations and right here. Obey everything He commanded us. He is with us to the end. Because He said so.
Still thinking about that.

It's been one week.

Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?"
And He said to them, "What things?"
So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."
Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"
And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them. Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"

Homily
Oh, to have been on the road listening in on this conversation as Jesus explained the Old Testament prophecies concerning Himself and His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection! No doubt, much of the New Testament use of the Old Testament is a reflection of this conversation and others that took place between the resurrection and the ascension 40 days later. Significant is that the most important need for those discouraged followers of Jesus was not that they immediately recognize Him as He walked alongside of them. The most important need was that they understand what God has said in His Scriptures about the Man walking alongside of them. Only after hearing what God has said would they be ready to see God in their midst.

Prayer ...

Note
yes, I am aware that chronologically this should have been last week's reading and that last week's reading actually took place closer 8 days later. I was excited about last week's, and I did not realize at the time that I would keep going.

The Day After that Sunday

The book of Job (19:25)
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will stand upon the earth.

The Gospel according to John (20:26-29)
Eight days later, His disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."
Then He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand, and place it in My side. Do not disbelieve, but believe."
Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

The first letter from Paul to the Corinthians (15:1-5)
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

Homily
The knowledge that our Redeemer lives can revolutionize people's minds, hearts, and actions as it moves from their mind to the rest of their life. Thomas, though skeptical, had his doubts removed in dramatic fashion. And in the same moment compliments those whose faith does not require such dramatic interventions by God, but rather believe the dramatic words of God. "According to the Scriptures" is a popular refrain in the New Testament. They were witnesses that God's Word was startlingly true.

Prayer ...

Note
These won't be daily, but weekly at best. Thank you for reading these as they profit me as well.

Saturday

The sixteenth song from the Book of Psalms (v.10)
For You will not leave My soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

The book of the prophet Isaiah (53:9-10)
And they made His grave with the wicked— but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.

The Gospel according to John (19:38-42) and Matthew (27:62-65)
After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.' Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first."
Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how."

The first letter from Paul to the Corinthians (15:14,17,19)
And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

Homily
In the lives of the original followers of Jesus, this is the darkest day they would ever know. They did not remember His words that He would raise from the dead. They record about themselves in the Scripture's record that they grieved the previous day's tragedy without expectation of any hope. His enemies posted guards to prevent any attempt to falsify His resurrection. Only two "secret" disciples risked their reputation to place Jesus in an unused tomb. Little did they know that Jesus would only be borrowing it. He would not be needing it long.

Prayer ...

Postscript
The Revelation of Jesus Christ as given to John (1:17-18)
And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

Tomorrow morning's "Contemplation" will be found in your local church, for the story does not end in the cemetery (nor does ours!).

Friday

The Twenty-second Song from the Book of Psalms (v.1,7-9,14-18)
My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from saving Me, from the words of My groaning?
All who see Me mock Me; they make mouths at Me; they wag their heads;
"He trusts in the LORD; let Him deliver Him; let Him rescue Him, for He delights in Him!"
Yet You are He who took Me from the womb; You made Me trust You at My mother's breasts.
I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; it is melted within My breast; My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue sticks to My jaws; you lay Me in the dust of death.
For dogs encompass Me; a company of evildoers encircles Me; they have pierced My hands and feet-- I can count all My bones-- they stare and gloat over Me; they divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.

The Gospel according to Matthew (27:33-36,41,43,46) and John (19:19,28-30)
And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when He tasted it, He would not drink it. And when they had crucified Him, they divided His garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over Him there.
So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying, "He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He desires Him. For He said, 'I am the Son of God.'"
Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?"
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), "I thirst."
A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to His mouth.
When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished," and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

The Letter of Paul to the Galatians (3:13)
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"--

Homily
The physical agony that Christ endured is important to note and consider, but there seems to be another element involved that goes beyond the fleshly torture that He suffered. He became cursed by God on our behalf. The terror in Gethsemane and the anguished cry of the forsaken while nailed to the tree bear testimony to the burden He bore for us of having been cursed by the beloved Father temporarily for eternity's sake. For us.

Prayer ...

Postscript
The Revelation of Jesus Christ given to John (5:5-7)
And one of the elders said to me, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that He can open the scroll and its seven seals."
And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
And He went and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who was seated on the throne.

Thursday

The Book from Isaiah (53:4-6)
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth.

The Gospel according to John (1:29)
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

The Gospel according to Luke (22:19) and Matthew (26:27-28)
And He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me."
And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

The First Letter from Paul to the Corinthians (15:3)
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

The Second Letter from Paul to the Corinthians (5:21)
For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

Homily
I included more passages of Scripture than necessary to reinforce the importance God's Word gives to the fact that Jesus died as our substitute for our sins. Whether or not we agree with God that we needed a substitute, the sacrifice has already been made. Jesus who was without error or fault took the wrath of God that He did not deserve and we did deserve. It is upon us to decide if we wish to admit our need in order that we might receive from God the forgiveness for our wrongdoing against Him. In the end, all will recognize this fact. The only question then will be if we trusted and professed Christ in this life.

Prayer ...

Postscript
The Revelation of Jesus Christ as given to John (5:9-10)
And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain, and by Your blood You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth."

Wednesday

The book of the Prophet Zechariah (12:10; 13:1)
"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on Me, the One they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
"One that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity."

The Gospel according to John (19:33-37)
But when the soldiers 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 First Letter from John (1:7)
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from every sin.

Homily
Two thoughts stand out most from these passages. One, God uses the most unlikely of servants to fulfill His plan. The Roman soldiers were probably not privileged to know the Hebrew scriptures regarding the Messiah's death as they accomplished that work. Jesus Himself asked His Father to forgive them for they did not know what they were doing. Yet they gambled for His clothes, they proclaimed Him the 'King of the Jews', and here they refrained from breaking His bones while they broke the legs of others, and they stabbed Him with a spear causing a sudden fount of blood and water. God is relentlessly faithful to His promises, and He is matchlessly sovereign of all His creation. Second thought, Jesus' blood is described as cleansing us from our sin. If you do your own laundry, you know that blood is a remarkably difficult stain to remove oftentimes. Yet that persistence is illustrative of how it covers our sinstained soul, making us spiritually clean in the eyes of God.

Prayer ...

Postscript
The Revelation of Jesus Christ as given to John (1:7)
"Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen."

Tuesday

The second song from the Book of Psalms (v1-9)
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
"Let us burst Their bonds apart and cast away Their cords from us."
He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.
Then He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His fury, saying,
"As for me, I have set My King on Zion, My holy hill."
I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to Me, "You are My Son; today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your heritage, and the ends of the earth Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."

The Gospel according to Matthew (26:3-5, 14-16)
Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him.
But they said, "Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people."
Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I deliver Him over to you?" And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.
And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray Him.

The Acts of the Apostles (4:24-28)
And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,
who through the mouth of our father David, Your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, "'Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against His Anointed'--
for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

The Letter to the Romans (10:9-10)
Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Homily
A long collection of Scripture to show the rich tapestry in the Word of God regarding His plan using the rebellion of humanity for His greater glory. While the world, oft described as at enmity against God, plots to destroy His Anointed One (literally the Messiah), God uses their rebellious energies to forward His plan of redemption. They have no need for God nor desire His rule. Instead they will lift man to the place of God. Meanwhile, the proclamation of the people of God is their submission to His Messiah, Jesus, as their Lord and King. While the world claimed Caesar, we claim Christ.

Prayer ...

Postscript
The Revelation of Jesus Christ as given to John (19:15-16)
From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Monday

The Book of Genesis (3:15)
The LORD God said to the serpent, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."

The Gospel according to Matthew (1:20-23)
But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us).

The Gospel according to John (12:28, 30-33)
"Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."
Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not Mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself."
He said this to show by what kind of death He was going to die.

Homily ...

At the beginning of the week, we refer back to the beginning of history when what was created "very good" became marred by rebellion of man. yet in God's justice is this promise of salvation. The tempter would be crushed at the cost of a bruising for the seed of woman. Somehow with further revelation from the eternal God, His plan of salvation would be understood to signify that the seed of only woman (virgin birth) would be Savior, who would cast down Satan (our Adversary) that we might have victory through the faith in the blood of the Lamb. A death Jesus gave Himself to accomplish (John 10:17-18), in order that the devil would be thrown down from his position of power and that Christ may draw people to Himself.

Prayer ...

Postscript
The Revelation of Jesus Christ as given to John (12:9-11)
And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,
"Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"

Palm Sunday (a day late ;-)

The prophet Zechariah (9:9)
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! behold, your King is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

The Gospel according to Luke (19:32-37, 40)
So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?" And they said, "The Lord has need of it." And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. And as He rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. As He was drawing near--already on the way down the Mount of Olives--the whole multitude of His disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, ... He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."

The Gospel accoring to John (12:16)
His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him.

The Letter to the Philippians from Paul (2:5-8)
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

Homily...
The prophet foretold centuries before that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem, accepted as King but hardly resembling one rather He rode upon a humble donkey. Jesus accomplished this in His life, but through the actions of His disciples (who did not realize the significance of what they were doing) and through the actions of the fickle crowds (who within the week would cry for His execution). The followers understood better the relevance of these events (reported by all four of the gospel writers). Paul's comment shows that this was design for our benefit.

Prayer ...

Postscript ...
Another entrance in Jerusalem is foretold.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ given to John (19:10b-13)
"For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The One sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written that no one knows but Himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God.