Friends
Jesus’ love for us is unshakable, unstoppable, unchangeable. He came to love us, to heal us, to save us. His love for us never fails. Let these thoughts give you hope today!
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Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
John 20:17-18 – NIV
Have you noticed that Jesus liked to do the unexpected? Throughout His ministry, Jesus defied the status quo. He even went so far as to admonish the religious establishment of the day who were more concerned about their rules than the welfare of their people. He touched the untouchable, healed the sick on the Sabbath, ate with the tax collectors. Jesus liked to stir the pot, to turn things upside down.
The all-powerful Son of God could have come down off that cross. He could have walked right through that angry mob, stopped the soldiers before anyone could pick up a whip or crown of thorns. But He didn’t. Jesus had another agenda.
Jesus allowed himself to be mocked, tortured and humiliated. He took it all without a word of blame, without a flash of anger. It was all part of a greater plan. He allowed Himself to suffer and die, all because He intended to turn the world upside down.
Even on that dark, chilly Sunday morning, Jesus was still intent on shaking things up. He had risen from the dead, rolled the stone away, left the tomb empty. He had achieved victory over death, defying the rules of this earthly life yet again.
But notice if you will, who does Jesus appear to first? It was not Peter or John or James, all His devoted disciples. Yes, John and Peter saw the folded grave cloths, stood in the empty tomb, but they did not see Jesus at that point. Instead, Jesus waited in the garden to speak to Mary. Mary Magdalene, the woman once defiled by evil spirits, healed by His touch, stood alone, weeping for her Teacher, her Friend, her Lord. Jesus was alive before anyone came near that tomb, and yet He waited to reveal Himself to Mary.
In that male dominated world where women were nothing more than property, Jesus chose to reveal the truth of His resurrection to a woman first. She was not a perfect woman. She had known the hardships of living in this fallen and sinful world. Yet, Mary loved her Lord, worshipped Him, stood by Him even when the others hid in terror. So on that Sunday morning, Jesus honored her with His presence.
Why did Jesus choose to shake things up? Why did He do things differently? Because He loves us all. He came for us all. He does not care about status or money or gender. He doesn’t care where we live or how we dress. Jesus cares about our hearts. He knows we are not perfect. After all, that is why He came. He came to save us.
There is one more reason I think Jesus liked to shake up the status quo. He did the impossible so that we would know He is The Lord. His miracles proclaim Him as our Savior. He wanted to make that clear, so that we would believe. Beyond that, perhaps Jesus did the impossible so that we might believe that with God, anything is possible.
Jesus knew what it was like to walk through this earthly life. He knew about the heartache, the sickness, the sorrow. Perhaps Jesus did the impossible to prove to us that God can take our impossible situations and bring forth miracles. Maybe Jesus just wanted to give us hope.
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Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Mark 10:27 – NIV
PRAYER
O King Jesus, thank You for loving us so much that You would lay down Your life to save us. We are humbled and grateful as we contemplate all you endured simply because You could not bear heaven without us. All glory, honor, majesty and praise to You, our Teacher, our Friend and our Lord!
In the Glorious Name of Jesus, we pray,
Amen
Easter Blessings,
Anita
-APS 4/8/2024
Faith Beyond Sight 