Tilling and Planting

Category: Holiday

  • Christmas Characters: Part 3

    Christmas Characters: Part 3

    Intro

    Sorry, I’m not done talking about Christmas yet. Given that I skipped a post in December, I kinda feel obligated to continue to talk about Christmas and make up for missing that one. The last two posts have been a part of a series discussing the major characters in the Christmas story and what we can learn from their lives. So far I’ve talked about Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon, and Anna. For part three of this series, I’m going to bring out two of the primary players in this story: Mary and Joseph, Jesus’ parents.

    Who Were They?

    So beyond the obvious of being the parents of the savior of the world, who were these two people? Honestly, they’d be considered nobodies. Neither of them were wealthy or prominent. We know that because Luke records that they brought either a pair of doves or a pair of pigeons (Luke 2:24) and according to Leviticus 12:8, either of these are acceptable offerings if the mother cannot afford a lamb.

    But if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons

    Leviticus 12:8a (NIV)

    We also know that they lived in Nazareth in Galilee (Luke 1:26). And they were both descendants of King David – Matthew and Luke both record lineages. But what else can we glean – either explicitly or not – from the Bible? Let’s examine each in turn.

    Mary

    Who was Mary? What do we know about her? Here’s the introduction that Luke gives her.

     In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

    Luke 1:26-28 (NIV)

    So from Luke’s introduction, we can see that she lived in Nazareth of Galilee, she was still a virgin, and she was pledged to be married to Joseph, who was a descendant of David. Another thing we can glean from Gabriel’s greeting is that she found favor with God. When the Bible talks about people finding favor with God, that is a strong indicator that they were upright people who held to the law and had a tender heart to God. God saw them as people He could use more effectively because they’d be more willing to listen and were generally more sensitive to hearing His voice speak. We don’t know if Mary ever heard God whisper to her, but she likely had a more sensitive spirit so when He did start speaking to and through her (I’ll get to that later), she listened and obeyed.

    We also know that Mary was a descendant of David based on Luke’s lineage of Mary as well as Gabriel telling her that Jesus would sit on the throne of his father David. Since no man would be involved in Jesus’ conception, it makes sense to conclude that Mary also came from David’s line.

    Something else we know about Mary is that she was very young. In that day, many cultures married off the women as teenagers, as young as 13. So Mary very well could have been only 13 when the angel paid her a visit. Even if she was a bit older, I reckon not any older than 16. That’s still very young.

    Servant of God

    I talked already a bit about her sensitivity to God and willingness to listen and obey. Here’s a statement recorded by Luke straight from Mary’s mouth.

    “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

    Luke 1:38 (NIV)

    We can see from here that Mary was willing to submit herself to God’s plan even though it would cost her greatly. What do I mean by that? In Jewish law, a woman found to be pregnant out of wedlock was to be stoned. And since she was betrothed, all Joseph would have to do was deny that the child was his and Mary’s life was forfeit. Being pregnant and unmarried set Mary up for long period of hardship where people would shun and reject her. And at this time, she had no clue what Joseph would do. Would he believe her story? If not, she knew he could have her stoned or at least reject her and break off their engagement. Mary probably suspected she would live long enough to give birth – since Gabriel promised as much – but beyond that…

    The last little bit I want to touch on with Mary as a servant of God is found in Luke 2. It’s referred to as Mary’s Song. When Mary visited Elizabeth (her relative, I go over their relationship in my post on her and Zechariah), Elizabeth’s unborn baby leaped within her and she greeted Mary with a Spirit-filled greeting. This prompted a Spirit-filled song (like one of the Psalm’s) to burst forth from Mary. This is a great example of Mary being sensitive to God’s Spirit and hearing His voice and responding.

    Mary’s Confusion

    Luke also records a bit of confusion and seeming doubt on Mary’s part.

     “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

    Luke 1:34 (NIV)

    Mary’s question here is valid. As a teenage girl, unmarried and still a virgin, this makes no sense. So she asked for clarification. And the angel explained to her that Holy Spirit would be the agent by which it would happen. Mary accepted this explanation and accepted God’s plan for her. This is distinctly different from when Zechariah questioned Gabriel. When he questioned the angel, he wanted a sign that it would happen. Despite the presence of the angel, he refused to conceive of the idea that now in his and Elizabeth’s old age after decades of praying for a child, God would show up and do it – despite all the times God has done such things in the past.

    That’s why Zechariah was made silent and Mary got a proper answer to her question. She didn’t doubt that God would do what He said – nor demand an additional sign – she just wanted to understand the mechanism by which He would do it since the concept wasn’t computing. In short, Zechariah just refused to believe because he lost hope (and was probably a bit bitter) and Mary just didn’t understand the how.

    Takeaways

    So what are some takeaways from Mary’s life (at least this part)? First and foremost, submission to God. Mary submitted to God’s plan for her life. She chose to be His willing servant and bear the Messiah. She knew it would not be an easy life, but she was willing to go through with it.

    Second, take courage that God is with you. Several things happened that reminded Mary of God’s love for her and that He was with her. The angel indicated as much by telling her about Holy Spirit coming on her, I believe Elizabeth’s Spirit-filled greeting served as an encouragement to her, and not to mention the encounters with Simeon and Anna in the temple also would have served to remind her that God sees her and is with her. No matter the difficult journey (also hinted at by Simeon).

    Third, it’s okay to be confused. God will not be upset if you are confused the first time He tells you something. God says a lot of things that we just can’t comprehend. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. So if God tells you something and you’re confused, seek clarification. If you honestly don’t understand, ask Him. He may not answer immediately, but He will guide you when you need it. When whatever He spoke to you comes to fulfilment, He will let you know. You can also seek out wiser mentors who might be able to bring clarity. They also might affirm that you just need to wait, but at least you can have greater confidence that God will bring the clarity later.

    Joseph

    So, now what about Joseph? Who was he? I already referenced Luke who says he was a descendant of David. And since we know he met Mary and her family and got betrothed to Mary, he also would be living in Nazareth. The other big thing we know about Joseph doesn’t come from his introduction here, but rather when Jesus preached in Nazareth many years later. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” they ask (Matthew 13:55 NIV). Now, the Greek there actually more accurately translated as “craftsman” rather than “carpenter”. So Joseph – and Jesus before starting His ministry – were some sort of builder. They likely worked in multiple materials depending on the job. We traditionally call Joseph a carpenter and while he probably worked in wood, I imagine he also worked with stone – another very common building material.

    Moving on, Matthew’s intro to Joseph has this to say about him.

    Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

    Matthew 1:19 (NIV)

    Some translations say “righteous” instead of “faithful to the law”. And while they essentially mean the same, righteous does have a connotation that extends beyond simply adhering to the letter of the law. And we see that in the next statement that he did not want to expose Mary to public disgrace. That’s a testament to the kind of man Joseph was. He had every right under the law to drag Mary before the religious leaders, reveal her pregnancy, call her adulterous – because the child wasn’t his – and have her stoned to death. But he didn’t. He instead decided he would simply end the relationship quietly. So like Mary, he was a person who was ripe for God to use.

    Spirit-Sensitive

    Joseph also seemed to be sensitive in some way to the voice of God. But like Mary, we don’t know how much experience he had prior to this time, but I like to think that both of them had some history with it. Joseph, at least, I think had dreams or visions in the past that prepared him for an angel appearing to him in a dream – unlike in the middle of the day like Mary – and telling him to take Mary as his wife because the child was from God. And he listened! He didn’t chalk it up to anything else. He immediately recognized it and obeyed.

    And he had several more such dreams after this. An angel directed him to go to Egypt, while in Egypt and angel told him it was safe to return to Judea, and when returning to Judea, an angel told him to settle in Nazareth again. Man, I would love to have those kinds of dreams. Or wide awake visitations from angels.

    Anything Else?

    There’s not a whole lot else we can glean about Joseph from the Christmas story. Or even from Scripture in general. We assume that he passed away at some point since he never appears again. And Jesus likely took over the family business after that until He started His ministry at 30. At which point His brothers probably took over.

    Takeaways

    So what takeaways do we get for Joseph? First, like Mary, submission to God. He too had a choice and when confronted by an angel and commanded to take Mary as his wife, he obeyed. This put him under fire as well. Nobody would believe that a virgin conceived a child and yet Mary – I’m sure – denied committing adultery. Joseph probably denied being the father and also denied Mary’s affair. But most people would believe that somebody’s lying. And because Joseph still took Mary as his wife, many probably assumed he was actually the father of the child and they just got started a bit early.

    Secondly, showing kindness, compassion, and mercy. Even when someone wrongs you – or you perceive that they wronged you. In Joseph’s case, he initially perceived that Mary had betrayed him, but rather than getting full justice, he chose to show compassion and mercy by ending it quietly. That way Mary could be free to raise the child and even marry the man with whom she had the perceived affair.

    Wrapping Up

    The biggest takeaway in common between Mary and Joseph is their submission to God in the face of trials. They both knew the road ahead would be difficult. But they chose to obey in spite of that. I think we all could do better in that. I know I sure could. God help us all to hear your voice and obey more quickly, more readily, and not let the fear of man overcome that. Amen.

    Despite it being January, I’m not done with my Christmas Characters yet! Lol, stay tuned for my next post where I finally tackle the groups of characters that we all know and love. The Shepherds and the Magi. I’m eager to share with you what we can learn from them – as well as learn about them.

    Outro

    If you enjoyed this post, please consider doing one or all of these things. First, subscribe if you haven’t. If you have, thank you! Second, spread the word. Send these to everyone you know and encourage them to read and subscribe. This blog is purely word of mouth right now. I rely on you, my readers, to help me get more readers. And third, please consider donating. It’ll enable me to continue to offer regular posts.

    Feel free to leave a comment with any questions about what I’ve written, any additional comments about the post, or if there’s a topic you’d like me to write about. Before doing that though, be sure to check out all my posts here and see if I’ve covered it already. And if you find I’ve done it already but aren’t satisfied or still have more questions, let me know!

    Thank you for reading this! I greatly appreciate each one of you. Until next time, God bless you all!

  • Christmas Characters: Part 2

    Christmas Characters: Part 2

    Intro

    Thanksgiving is over and December is here, therefore Christmas season is in full swing and officially here! (Though it did seem to be in full swing even before Thanksgiving with all the decor in the stores, but that’s another story.) I’m glad you came back to read part two in my four part series: Christmas Characters. Today’s characters I’m looking at are Simeon and Anna. These two people worshipped in the temple daily for decades. Both were incredibly prophetic and had some amazing (and hard) things to say to Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. So let’s jump right into it.

    Who Were They?

    These two Christmas Characters could actually be considered barely a part of Christmas. After all, they didn’t come to see Jesus and it’s 8 days after His birth before they do see him. But that doesn’t really matter. What matters more is that they recognized Jesus as the Messiah while He was still an infant. This is going to be the common thread for all the Christmas Characters.

    Back to the characters, I already hinted that both Simeon and Anna were incredibly gifted in prophecy. And both were also pretty old. Though the Bible only calls out Anna as old. It doesn’t give any indication on just how old Simeon was. But there’s a couple of specific lines in there that I believe suggest he was getting up there in age. I’ll explain more about that later. But for now, ladies first.

    Anna

    There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

    Luke 2:36-37 (NIV)

    We know a bit more about Anna than we do Simeon. For instance, Anna came from the tribe of Asher and her father’s name was Penuel. We also know that she got married and lived with her husband for seven years until he passed away. Plus, Luke records her as a prophetess. And finally, she lived at the temple and prayed day and night until she was 84. The original text could actually be translated as saying she was a widow for 84 years after her husbands death. That would put her over 100 years old by this point! Either way, Anna spent the majority of her live devoted to God, fasting, praying, and worshipping at the temple without ever leaving. That’s powerful.

    I find it interesting that she didn’t actually leave. Did the priests give her living quarters because they recognized her as a prophetess? In those days, widows were supposed to be taken care of by family if they never got remarried. So the fact that she lived at the temple could also suggest that there was no family nearby who could help her. Perhaps her family lived too far from Jerusalem and the temple that she so longed to be near. Or perhaps most of her family wasn’t living or were unwilling to help. Who knows. In any event, she lived in the temple day and night and devoted herself to God.

    The results of being totally devoted to God were that she was regarded as a prophetess by all and she immediately recognized Jesus as being the Messiah. Verse 38 tells us that when she saw baby Jesus “she gave thanks to God” and then proceeded to talk about Jesus to ” all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).

    Takeaways

    As with my last post, I will point out key takeaways from the lives of each Christmas Character. For Anna, I think it’s pretty obvious. Living a life of devotion to God. Now that doesn’t mean you should go and live at your church and do nothing else but worship and pray (and eat and sleep, presumably). For one, I don’t know about your church but ours doesn’t have showers, so if you don’t go somewhere else to take one periodically….

    But barring that, each one of us can still live a live of worship that is devoted to God. Walking in step with Holy Spirit and doing all that He calls us to. And when we do, we become more and more sensitive to His leading and His speaking and we will recognize and see things in others that we can call out and encourage them with. That is one of the main reasons the gift of prophecy exists. Did you know that? We are to call out the gifts and abilities that God places inside each one of us and encourage each other to use them. I can only imagine how uplifting this experience was to Mary and Joseph.

    The other key takeaway is that Anna told everyone who would listen that the Messiah had arrived. And that’s another thing that we need to do. Tell people about Jesus. Jesus commands it in Matthew 28.

    Then Jesus came to them 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.”

    Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

    Simeon

    Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

    “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
    For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
    a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

    The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

    Luke 2:25-35 (NIV)

    As I hinted earlier, we don’t know a whole lot about Simeon. And yet, he gets more verses than Anna does! But what we do know is powerful. First we know he was a righteous and devout man who was waiting for the consolation of Israel – one among many. Luke also states that Holy Spirit was upon him and moved him to go to the temple that day – the fact that Simeon responded suggests strongly that this was not the first time and probably happened with some regularity. We also know that Holy Spirit told him he would not die until he saw the Messiah. When I take this line with what Simeon says upon taking Jesus in his arms – “you may now dismiss your servant in peace” – I see an elderly man who has lived his life and is ready to go home.

    When we read Simeon’s statements, we can also discern that he is a very prophetic man as well. Which makes sense since Holy Spirit is upon him and Simeon is frequently moved by Him. Like Anna, he immediately recognizes Jesus as the promised Messiah and declares Him to be God’s salvation, a light to the Gentiles, and the Glory of Israel. And then his prophetic message takes an interesting turn. He states that Jesus will cause the falling and rising of many (likely indicating that some will see Jesus as the Messiah and others will not), will experience opposition, and will reveal what’s in the hearts of many others. And we can see this throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry. Lastly, he tells Mary that a sword will pierce her soul. Many, including myself, see this as a direct reference to the pain she will bear watching Jesus be crucified.

    Takeaways

    So what are the takeaways from Simeon’s life? I see a few things. First, even though Luke doesn’t state it, we can surmise that if Simeon is so in tune with Holy Spirit, then he – like Anna – must’ve be devoted to pursuing God. Second, we see that when Holy Spirit moved, Simeon obeyed. We need to move and obey God when He directs us to. Third, we should be willing to be used by God. And lastly, never give up hope for the fulfillment of a promise from God. Simeon had a direct promise from God that he would see the promised Messiah before dying. And he held onto that promise and saw its fulfillment. This one is similar with the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Elizabeth held onto hope while Zechariah lost hope. Despite his age, Simeon did not lose hope in God’s promise.

    Wrapping Up

    Have you noticed some themes cropping up from these first two posts about Christmas characters? A lot of old people!

    In all seriousness, there’s a few common themes I see. First, all these people were righteous, devout people who sought God and waited for promises. And there’s a theme of hope woven throughout their stories. Anna and Simeon held hope in the promised Messiah – and both got to see Him before they passed. Elizabeth held hope that she would bear a child. Zechariah had that same hope at one time, but lost it.

    The last thing I see are a lot of prophetic voices. Holy Spirit moved on all these people. We see Elizabeth recognize that Mary carried the unborn Messiah and declare her the “mother of her Lord”. Zechariah prophesied that his son, John, would become a prophet, prepare the way of the Lord, and teach people salvation and forgiveness of sins. Simeon prophesied that Jesus’ ministry would be opposed, would teach truth, would reveal the hearts of many, and would suffer – bringing pain to Mary. We don’t see Anna – a prophetess – declare any type of prophetic message over Jesus or His parents, but – like Elizabeth and Simeon – she immediately recognizes Him as the Messiah through Holy Spirit and proceeded to tell everyone who would listen about Him.

    As I continue through the next two Christmas posts, I think these same themes are going to continue to come up. And these themes of hope in God’s promises, seeking God as righteous and devout people, and being sensitive to Holy Spirit’s leading and speaking are all things we need to day in our lives. Think on them and pray for them in your own lives.

    Outro

    If you enjoyed this post, please consider doing one or all of these things. First, subscribe if you haven’t. If you have, thank you! Second, spread the word. Send these to everyone you know and encourage them to read and subscribe. This blog is purely word of mouth right now. I rely on you, my readers, to help me get more readers. And third, please consider donating. It’ll enable me to continue to offer regular posts.

    Feel free to leave a comment with any questions about what I’ve written, any additional comments about the post, or if there’s a topic you’d like me to write about. Before doing that though, be sure to check out all my posts here and see if I’ve covered it already. And if you find I’ve done it already but aren’t satisfied or still have more questions, let me know!

    Thank you for reading this! I greatly appreciate each one of you. Until next time, God bless you all!

  • Christmas Characters: Part 1

    Christmas Characters: Part 1

    Intro

    Hold up! It’s not even Thanksgiving, what am I doing talking about Christmas already? Compared to the retail stores, I’m actually behind (and now the Menards Christmas jingle is stuck in my head). And with only doing two posts a month, I’ve got to get started early if I want to cover multiple Christmas posts! This Christmas season, I wish to talk about several characters we find in the Christmas story. Who they were and their significance and contribution to the overall story. For this one, I’m focusing on Zechariah and Elizabeth. Let’s jump right in.

    Who Were They?

    So let’s get the obvious part of the answer out of the way. Zechariah and Elizabeth were the parents of John the Baptist. I think most people know that about them. That’s really all you hear about them in the Christmas season. When you read their part of the Christmas story it’s like, they were old and unable to have children and then an angel appeared to Zechariah and said “You shall have a son”, he doubted and became mute, and they had a son and he could speak again. That’s the cliff notes of the cliff notes version of the story. I’ll get into more detail later.

    Elizabeth

    Elizabeth was a woman from the tribe of Levi (a descendant of Aaron specifically) married to a priest named Zechariah. The Bible refers to her as “righteous” and “blameless” (Luke 1:6). That’s high praise. But that’s also an expectation of a priest and his wife. Sadly, however, Elizabeth was barren. This must’ve been very difficult since infertility was often looked at as a type of judgment from God. And yet, I already mentioned the Bible calling her out as “righteous” and “blameless”. So confusion must’ve set in as well as a degree of disappointment. After all, in those days one of the women’s primary roles was to raise the children of the household.

    However, she did not give up hope. Even in her old age when no one expects to have children, she prayed. She knew the story of Abram (Abraham) and Sarai (Sarah) and probably clung to that. After all, she likely hadn’t reached the age of 90 just yet!

    And when she heard of Zechariah’s encounter with the angel and her subsequent conception, she gave glory to God – testifying to her faith in a miracle-working God. Though she did choose to stay in seclusion for the next several months. Interesting, but given her age, there’s certainly a higher likelihood of losing the child – especially with the way they traveled in those days. So she probably wanted to take precautions. It was Mary’s visit that finally broke that seclusion. And that’s an interesting part of this story.

    Mary’s Visit

    Elizabeth and Mary are said to be related in the Bible. Their exact relationship is not known since the word sometimes translated as “cousin” in this passage (Luke 1) is better translated as “relative” – which you’ll see in some translations, including NIV which I tend to favor in my posts. But this brings up a problem. I already said that Elizabeth comes from the tribe of Levi. And we know Mary descends from King David, so that makes her from the tribe of Judah. So how can they be related? Fortunately, there’s a pretty simple explanation. In the Jewish culture, people came from the tribe from which their father came. So, through their respective fathers, Mary and Elizabeth most certainly would be from the tribes of Judah and Levi. However, their mothers could have been related to each other and been from either Judah or Levi.

    Back to the visit. As soon as Mary greeted Elizabeth, the unborn John the Baptist leapt in the womb. Elizabeth – knowing nothing of Mary’s pregnancy yet – exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!” Filled with Holy Spirit in that moment, Elizabeth was granted special knowledge that Mary was pregnant. And not just with any child, but with the long-awaited Messiah. That’s pretty incredible.

    Birth of John

    When her son was born and she was questioned about his name, Elizabeth said his name was to be John. Family and friends were confused since there was no one in either her or Zechariah’s family by that name. But she insisted on that. And finally brought Zechariah to back her up. And when he did, something miraculous happened. But I’ll go into that when I talk about him.

    Takeaways

    So, what’s the key takeaways from Elizabeth’s story? That God can still use you when you are old. I say that slightly tongue in cheek, but it’s also a powerful truth. Many elderly feel that God can no longer use them because they lack energy, health, etc. Or they feel that they can’t relate to young people anymore, and that’s who needs Jesus the most, right?

    It’s certainly not easy getting old and can make it more difficult in some capacities to serve the Lord like you used to. However, that just means that God can use you in a different capacity. One that you may never have thought about. Keep praying and seeking guidance. Talk to your pastor and see if there’s any needs that you can fill. You might be surprised.

    Secondly, don’t give up hope. If there’s something you are praying for and believing God for, keep praying and keep believing. As long as you have breath in your lungs, no matter your age, God’s not done with you. He can and will still use you and if God laid this desire on your heart, then it will come to fruition.

    Zechariah

    Now on to Zechariah. Zechariah came from the tribe of Levi and was a descendant of Aaron. He had to be both since he was a priest serving in the temple. Furthermore, Luke states he came from the division of Abijah. What’s that, you ask? After King David crowned Solomon as his heir, he chose 24 descendants of Aaron to lead 24 divisions – or clans – of priests to perform priestly duties at the tabernacle and later the temple that Solomon built. Zechariah came from Abijah’s division. The divisions all came together at three major feasts to serve at the temple – Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles – and rotated their duties throughout the rest of the year.

    Twice a year each division would serve for one week on the same rotational schedule. And we actually know that Abijah’s division served sometime between mid-May and mid-June most years (I say most years because the Jewish calendar is lunar and our is solar so there are differences from year to year) and then again between mid-December and mid-January. The May-June timeframe coincides very nicely with a September-October birth for Jesus (which if you read my post from last year, you’ll know I favor). How so? Zechariah serves at the temple, comes home, Elizabeth gets pregnant in June. Six months later Mary visits as newly pregnant – now we’re in December. Count forward nine months and we’re now in September of the following year – which I believe to be 2 BC.

    Gabriel’s Visit

    Luke tells us that while Zechariah was in the temple performing his duties, an angel appeared to him.

    Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 

    Luke 1:11-13 (NIV)

    Zechariah’s first response mirrors the response many people throughout the Bible have when encountering an angel: fear. And like clockwork, the angel’s first words are “Do not be afraid”. But then the angel goes on to tell Zechariah that his prayers have been heard and will be answered. His wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to a son. However, rather than being joyful and praising God, notice how Zechariah responds.

    Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

    Luke 1:18 (NIV)

    Zechariah, in his doubt, asks the angel for a sign (How can I be sure of this?) and then gives his reasoning for needing a sign (my wife and I are old). This reveals something about Zechariah. Despite the fact that he prayed for a son, he didn’t believe it would happen. He lost hope somewhere along the way. It’s hard to blame him after years and years of praying. But at the same time, a literal angel is standing in front of him declaring that he will have a son. What other sign do you need? As a priest he knows the intricacies of the Old Testament and would know all the stories of barren women conceiving – Sarah (even older), Hannah, and Rachel. If anyone should have had the faith, it would be a priest of the Lord.

    As a consequence of his doubt and his questioning, the angel rebukes Zechariah by declaring that he is the sign and that Zechariah would be unable to speak until John was born (ironically becoming a sign to everyone else).

    The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

    Luke 1:19-20 (NIV)

    When he left, he had to use gestures and writing to communicate with Elizabeth to inform her of Gabriel’s message. She received it much better than he.

    The Birth of John

    After John’s birth, when Elizabeth was asked about a name, she said “John” in accordance with Gabriel’s message. Everyone thought that was weird and thus consulted with Zechariah. To his credit, somewhere in those 9 months he regained faith and was determined to play out Gabriel’s message, by naming his son John. After writing this down on a tablet, Zechariah’s mouth was opened and he immediately began praising God and then prophesied over his son. He declared that John would be a prophet of God, prepare the way for the Lord, and bring the knowledge of salvation to people.

    Unsurprisingly, all the neighbors and people in the area marveled at this and correctly suspected that this would be one important child.

    Takeaways

    So what are some takeaways from Zechariah’s story? I could say something similar about old age here like I did with Elizabeth, but that would be redundant. Instead, I want to comment on two things. First, don’t lose hope like Zechariah did. The fact that he kept praying without believing is the reason I think Elizabeth didn’t lose hope. She probably continued to urge him to pray. And to his credit, he did; but he didn’t believe it would do any good. Don’t fall into that. Don’t lose hope, keep believing and things will change.

    Secondly, if an angel appears to you and gives you a message, just accept it. Don’t be struck mute or blind (think of the angels at Sodom who struck people with blindness). But in all seriousness, this was an indicator that Zechariah’s heart was slowly hardening with doubt and despair. Luke declares him a righteous man, but his heart was on the decline. After all, an angel appeared to him to tell him he’s going to have a son – the very thing they’ve been praying about for years – and he immediately doubts and looks to the natural circumstances (we’re too old). Don’t let your heart get to that point. Keep holding on like Elizabeth.

    But don’t worry, if you do get rebuked for your doubt, take encouragement from the fact that Zechariah turned it all around and prophesied over his son. And God can do that with you in your circumstances and He can turn your doubt into faith and joy.

    Wrapping Up

    So this Christmas season as you reflect on the Christmas story, remember Zechariah and Elizabeth. And remember that God can use you in whatever season you’re in. No matter your age and no matter how much doubt or faith you have, He can still use you. And lastly, don’t give up hope for that thing you’re praying and believing for. Keep holding on, keep praying, keep believing and God will answer you. After all, Christmas is a season of hope and answered prayer.

    Merry Christmas!! Oh wait, Thanksgiving still needs to happen. Happy Thanksgiving!

    Outro

    If you enjoyed this post, please consider doing one or all of these things. First, subscribe if you haven’t. If you have, thank you! Second, spread the word. Send these to everyone you know and encourage them to read and subscribe. This blog is purely word of mouth right now. I rely on you, my readers, to help me get more readers. And third, please consider donating. It’ll enable me to continue to offer regular posts.

    Feel free to leave a comment with any questions about what I’ve written, any additional comments about the post, or if there’s a topic you’d like me to write about. Before doing that though, be sure to check out all my posts here and see if I’ve covered it already. And if you find I’ve done it already but aren’t satisfied or still have more questions, let me know!

    Thank you for reading this! I greatly appreciate each one of you. Until next time, God bless you all!

  • Jesus’ Triumph

    Jesus’ Triumph

    Intro

    After my last post I wouldn’t blame you if you felt a little depressed or defeated. The Son of God betrayed, beaten, crucified, died, and buried in a borrowed tomb. That’s rough. The disciples certainly felt depressed and defeated. They scattered while Jesus hung on the cross. Fearful for their lives, they dared not stick around. What they didn’t seem to recognize (despite Jesus’ predictions) was that Jesus was supposed to die, but that His death was not the end. In fact, with Jesus’ death came the greatest triumph in all of human history. Come explore Jesus’ triumph over death with me. (I realize Easter is over, but there’s much more to talk about.)

    Importance of Resurrection

    Thinking about the resurrection, what makes it so important? After all, Jesus’ death accomplished the sacrifice needed to pay for all our sins and satisfy the wrath of God. Furthermore, none of the animals from any sacrifices came back to life, they all stayed dead. So, why should Jesus come back? What makes His resurrection so necessary? While many reasons can be given, I’ll only present four here.

    Proof of Sufficient Sacrifice

    Jesus’ triumph over the grave by coming back to life was proof given by God that He accepted Jesus’ sacrifice as sufficient to cover our sins. God vindicated Jesus by bringing Him back to life because “the wages of sin is death” and Jesus lived a sinless life, therefore He didn’t deserve to die in the first place. And to make this argument stronger, Paul relates that without the resurrection, our faith is useless and in fact, we are still in our sins.

    And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith….And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 1 Corinthians 15:14, 17 (NIV)

    So, Paul saw the connection between the resurrection and the forgiveness of our sins. That’s a pretty big argument for the resurrections importance!

    Proof of Deity

    In addition to proving the sufficiency of His sacrifice, Jesus’ resurrection also proved His deity. Psalm 16:10 claims that God’s Holy One would never see corruption (or decay). By rising again, Jesus’ body never saw that corruption. Thus proving that He is God’s Holy One. Time and again, Jesus declared Himself the “Son of God” and equated Himself with God (don’t believe Jesus ever claimed that? check out my post on who Jesus is). And to take it a step further, Jesus predicted His own death and resurrection. So by rising again, He proved to everyone that He was indeed the Son of God. The long-awaited Messiah and Savior of the world.

    Death Has No Power

    Here’s a fun reason. When Jesus rose from the grave, death lost it’s power and was forever defeated. As Peter proclaimed in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost:

    But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. Acts 2:24 (NIV)

    Notice he said that “it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him”. This actually goes back to the fact that Jesus lived a sinless life and death had no right to hold Jesus.

    To make this even better, Jesus’ triumph over death extends to us as well. As His followers, He defeated death for us too! Hallelujah! If you keep reading Paul’s discourse in 1 Corinthians 15, he says that because Christ was raised, we too shall be raised from the dead. Now all believers who die a physical death will immediately go to be with the Lord in Heaven, but someday God will raise these physical bodies and recreate them into something glorious.

    So hold on, sickness, suffering, and death do not have the final word. Jesus does. And He defeated all those things on the cross and through His resurrection.

    Matter Matters

    This might sound confusing but let me explain. The resurrection means that this physical world (matter) matters to Him. And this is hugely important since just a few decades later, something called Gnosticism would start spreading. This teaching claims what we do in the physical doesn’t matter. Our spirits are perfect so we can live how we want and we’ll still go to Heaven. However, by rising again in a physical body, Jesus refutes this by proclaiming that the physical creation matters. It’s important to Him. This also gives us hope that creation itself which groans under the weight of sin (Romans 8:22) will be redeemed (Revelation 21).

    Resurrection Foretold

    The triumph of Jesus recorded in the New Testament as His resurrection was prophesied a number of times. Most people recognize that Jesus prophesied His own death and resurrection on several occasions (I’ll cover some of those later), but not everyone realizes that the Old Testament records prophesies of Jesus’ resurrection as well. They acknowledge OT prophesies of His death, but don’t always recognize the resurrection ones as well. I wish to open up your eyes to these prophesies and show you yet more evidence that Jesus was who He claimed to be.

    Old Testament Prophecies

    David utters a line in Psalm 16 that really makes no sense at the time he wrote it. I imagine it confused a lot of people. At least until more prophets started prophesying about a coming Messiah, then people might’ve started connecting it to the Messiah.

    because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. Psalm 16:10 (NIV)

    I referenced this verse earlier and noted that the Messiah would not see any physical decay. Nor was His spirit left in the realm of the dead (called Sheol by the Jews). A pretty clear picture of rising from the dead here. And Peter in his Pentecost sermon makes reference to this very Psalm.

    Less specific than this one are simply various prophecies about the Messiah that demand His resurrection. What do I mean by that? Various prophecies place the Messiah as sitting on the throne of David, ruling the world, establishing peace and justice throughout the ages. He can’t do that if He’s still in the grave. Zechariah, for example, offers different images picture of a suffering Messiah who comes in humility and lowliness (think riding on a donkey) who is pierced and a Kingly, Ruling Messiah. These differing images demand a resurrection takes place between piercing and ruling.

    I don’t have time to go into all the prophecies of Zechariah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, or the other prophets, but they are all littered with these contrasting images of suffering Messiah and conquering Messiah that demand a resurrection.

    Jesus’ Prophecies

    As I mentioned already, you may be more familiar with Jesus’ prophecies about His own triumph over the grave by rising again. Real quickly I’m going to list some of them out here.

    From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Matthew 16:21 (NIV)

    When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief. Matthew 17:22-23 (NIV)

    “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.” Mark 10:33-34 (NIV)

    Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. John 16:19-22 (NIV)

    Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

    They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. John 2:19-22 (NIV)

    Wow, that’s quite a few times Jesus states that He’s going to die and rise again! And this isn’t even all of them! Makes me wonder how the disciples missed it. But sometimes when we get certain ideas in our heads, everything else just flies right over our heads. The disciples had the Kingly, conquering Messiah image in mind and thus couldn’t comprehend a suffering, dying Messiah.

    I’m going to go in a different direction for the next section. Get a little more apologetic if you don’t mind. And even if you do mind, I’m still going to do it.

    Contradictory Accounts?

    One of the greatest criticisms from skeptics of the Bible and the resurrection is the stark differences between the resurrection accounts found in the 4 gospels. None of them are identical and they even appear to contradict each other on some of the details. While I noticed the differences, I also inherently understood that the different writers recorded different pieces that they had available. Maybe they talked to different people or at the time of their writing only certain people were available (or alive) to get their account. Or perhaps the gospel writers wanted to focus on specific people or aspects of the resurrection. As you can see, just off the top of my head I listed several possibilities to explain the inconsistencies. And I’m sure there’s more.

    Harmonizing the Accounts

    However, this isn’t good enough for the skeptic. So, I found a harmonization of the 4 accounts. I can’t take credit for this so here’s a link to the original article.

    In Summation

    As you can see, we have a pretty strong example of a consistent, non-contradictory series of events that make up one cohesive resurrection story. And it’s very likely that this isn’t the only one out there. But regardless, what’s important is that despite the inconsistencies between the 4 gospels, it can’t be proven that the accounts contradict.

    Wrapping Up

    From everything I’ve said in these last couple of posts, it’s pretty clear that Jesus’ suffering had to occur in order for His triumph – the greatest in human history – to take place. Let us keep these things in mind with gratitude and rejoicing all year long – not just during this season.

    Outro

    If you enjoyed this post, please consider doing one or all of these things. First, subscribe if you haven’t. If you have, thank you! Second, spread the word. Send these to everyone you know and encourage them to read and subscribe. This blog is purely word of mouth right now. I rely on you, my readers, to help me get more readers. And third, please consider donating. It’ll enable me to continue to offer regular posts.

    Feel free to leave a comment with any questions about what I’ve written, any additional comments about the post, or if there’s a topic you’d like me to write about. Before doing that though, be sure to check out all my posts here and see if I’ve covered it already. And if you find I’ve done it already but aren’t satisfied or still have more questions, let me know!

    Thank you for reading this! I greatly appreciate each one of you. Until next time, God bless you all!

  • Jesus’ Suffering

    Jesus’ Suffering

    Intro

    Easter season is upon us. We all know what that means. Easter candy!!! Lol, in all seriousness, though, we know this as the time Jesus suffered and died a horrible death to pay the penalty for our sins. We’ve heard it said that Jesus’ suffering bought us right standing with Father God. Kind of crazy to think about, right? Just thinking about all that He endured humbles me. I don’t feel like I’m worth it. Do you? But that’s the love of God on full display right there. No matter how much any of us have messed up, He died for us. While we were still sinners (see Romans 5:8); still lost and not caring at all about knowing God.

    I do wonder, however, how many of us fully comprehend Jesus’ suffering. Or how many of us take this time of year for granted (guilty). Here I wish to open all of our eyes to His suffering in two distinct areas: His physical suffering and His spiritual suffering. But before I do, I’m first going to show you how Jesus fulfilled Scripture by going to the cross. (All Scripture here comes from the NIV.)

    Prophetic Suffering

    The Jewish people looked for a Messiah. However, the Messiah they searched for was a kingly Messiah. A conqueror who would free them from Roman oppression. That’s why no one expected Jesus. And when He hung on that cross, most of His followers thought they got it wrong. And it is true that Old Testament prophecies speak to a conquering, kingly Messiah. However, there are also many prophecies that point to a suffering Messiah. But because of all the oppression that the Jews went through, they all clung to the conquering Messiah. In another post I’ll reconcile the two and how Jesus did and will fulfill these.

    But for now, I’ll focus on how Jesus’ suffering fulfilled the suffering servant Messianic prophecies found in the Old Testament. And these prophecies cover both the physical and the spiritual suffering. As well as some other details such as His betrayal.

    Betrayed By Friend

    These prophecies include the prediction and fulfillment of Jesus’ betrayal by a friend and the prophecy of the money the religious leaders paid said friend to betray Him.

    Prophecies

    Psalm 41:9, “Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.”

    Zechariah 11:12-13, “I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.”

    Fulfillment

    Matthew 26:14-15, “Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.”

    Matthew 27:5-7, “So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners.”

    Sham Trial

    These prophecies include the false witnesses that appeared as well as Jesus not responding to any accusations.

    Prophecies

    Psalm 27:12, “Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations.”

    Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”

    Fulfillment

    Matthew 26:59-60, “The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.”

    Mark 15:3-4, “The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.”

    Forsaken

    These cover the prediction of all who forsook Him in some way.

    Prophecies

    Zechariah 13:7, “‘Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!’ declares the Lord Almighty. ‘Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.’”

    Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?”

    Fulfillment

    Mark 14:50, “Then everyone deserted him and fled.”

    Matthew 27:46, “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).”

    Misunderstood

    These prophecies include the mocking Jesus endured and the fact that He was counted as a criminal rather than the Messiah.

    Prophecies

    Psalm 22:7-8, “All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. ‘He trusts in the Lord,” they say, ‘let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.’”

    Isaiah 53:12, “Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

    Fulfillment

    Matthew 27:39, 43 “Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads…’He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, “I am the Son of God.”‘”

    Luke 23:33, “When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.”

    Lots Cast For Clothing

    Even what happened to His clothing was prophesied!

    Prophecy

    Psalm 22:18, “They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.”

    Fulfillment

    John 19:23-24, “When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” So this is what the soldiers did.”

    Family & Friends Witnessed

    Have you ever considered that Jesus’ suffering was witnessed by His own family and closest friends (not just the 12 disciples)? Awful when you think about it.

    Prophecy

    Psalm 38:11, “My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds; my neighbors stay far away.”

    Fulfillment

    Luke 23:49, “But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.”

    Physical Body

    A lot happened to Him physically. Whether it was the injuries or even just being given vinegar to drink. All these forms of Jesus’ suffering were prophesied centuries before.

    Prophecies

    Isaiah 50:6, “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.”

    Isaiah 52:14, “Just as there were many who were appalled at him – his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness.”

    Psalm 22:16, “Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet.”

    Zechariah 12:10, “…They will look on me, the one they have pierced.”

    Psalm 34:20, “he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”

    Psalm 69:21, “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.”

    Fulfillment

    Matthew 27: 26b, 29a, 30, “But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified….and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head….They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.”

    John 20:24-25, “Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’”

    John 19:33-34, “But when they 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.”

    John 19:29, “A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.”

    Suffered for Sins

    Isaiah made clear that sin was the reason for Jesus’ suffering.

    Prophecy

    Isaiah 53:4-6, “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

    Fulfillment

    Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

    1 Peter 2:24, “‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’”

    Spirit Committed & Burial

    Prophecies

    Psalm 31:5, “Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

    Isaiah 53:9, “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death.”

    Fulfillment

    Luke 23:46, “Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.”

    Matthew 27:57-60, “As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.”

    Physical Suffering

    I realize that this post is already getting pretty long. Bear with me a while longer. I now want to turn from the prophesies of Jesus’ suffering to what He actually endured physically. And not just restating what the Bible says He went through. I want to comment on what Roman Crucifixion actually did to the body and what the person went through. I’m using extra-Biblical sources in this research and I’m sure you’ll recognize many of them since the Bible directly references much of what the Romans actually did when crucifying people.

    Flogging

    Romans flogged every person slated for crucifixion – except for Roman senators, soldiers (except for desertion), and women. A typical flog consisted of a short whip with several single or braided leather thongs of variable lengths, in which small iron balls or sharp pieces of bones were tied at intervals. The iron balls and bones dug deep into the skin and underlying tissue and literally tore flesh off bone. People were flogged just short of death. Roman soldiers often taunted the people during and after the flogging took place. Per the law, Roman soldiers whipped a person at a maximum of 39 times, though it’s unknown how often they broke that law simply because they wanted to. Especially when the person was slated for execution anyway.

    The Art of Crucifixion

    Odd heading, I know. But truthfully, the Romans perfected crucifixion. They didn’t invent it, but man did they perfect it to maximize pain and suffering while delivering a slow death. The Romans couldn’t have selected a worse way to bring about Jesus’ suffering and death.

    The physical cross consisted of a vertical post with a horizontal crossbeam. The condemned man carried the crossbeam from the flogging site to the crucifixion site outside the city. (So all the images/movies of Jesus carrying both parts…probably not accurate.) The upright posts outside the city were permanent structures and reused from person to person. The posts often had a crude seat-like thing for the sole purpose of prolonging the person’s death.

    The Romans affixed the victim’s arms to the crossbeam through either nailing or tying the wrists. Nailing seemed to be the preferred method. Once attached, the crossbeam and victim was raised up and attached to the vertical post. At which point the Romans nailed (or tied) the feet to the post. Above the head of the person, a soldier attached a sign with their name and charge(s) written on it. (Any of this sounding familiar?) Interestingly, law dictated that bitter wine mixed with myrrh (gall) be given to the victim as a mild pain reliever. In addition, the soldiers commonly divided the cloths of the victim amongst themselves.

    If the Romans desired to hasten the death of the victims, they would break their legs below the knees. And they used a spear to stab their victims through the heart to check to see if they were dead (and to ensure it if not).

    The Medical Side

    Any medical students, nurses, or doctors reading this? Ever thought about what Jesus’ body went through during the crucifixion process? Here’s a short list of different things I found when researching what Jesus’ body went through.

    • Hematidrosis, aka “sweating drops of blood”. This occurs through great stress, anxiety, and/or fear.
    • Flesh torn from his body as a result of the flogging. Not to mention the extreme pain here.
    • The crown of thorns brought even more bleeding around the scalp. Furthermore, the soldiers hit his head multiple times with a staff – driving the thorns deeper into him. And more pain.
    • The robe that the soldiers put on him likely stuck to clotting blood and when ripped back off opened those wounds back up and caused excruciating pain. (Are you seeing a painful theme here?)
    • Shock. The human body can endure only so much before going into shock. Jesus likely experienced it before the soldiers attached the crossbeam to his back.
    • Once on the cross, the shock lowered His blood pressure and increased His body’s demand for oxygen. Problem is that breathing caused intense stabbing pain throughout His body.
    • The blood and water. Blood and water-like fluid pouring out of Jesus’ side fits with rupturing the sac around the heart.
    • Likely cause of death: cardiac and respiratory arrest, due to shock, due to crucifixion.

    Spiritual Suffering

    Jesus’ suffering wasn’t limited to the physical. It extended to the spiritual as well. I promise to be brief here.

    • Jesus took on all the sins of the world for all time. That means all sin from every person since Adam & Eve. And all the people that have yet to be born.
    • Isaiah 53 says that Jesus paid for our healing. The word imagery here indicates He paid for our spiritual healing, our mental/emotional healing, and our physical healing. That means that Jesus took upon Himself all physical disease, mental disorders, emotional disorders, etc.
    • The wrath of God. God literally poured out His wrath upon Jesus. As painful as that was for Him to do, He had to in order to open the way for us to Him.
    • Lastly, and perhaps the worst thing of them all, separation from the Father. For the first time in His eternal life, Jesus experienced separation from His Father. The pain of such a separation must’ve been awful. Technically, God stayed by Jesus’ side through it all, but there had to be a short term spiritual separation once all sin and God’s wrath was placed on Him. I say that because the Bible says sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2) and it also says Jesus became sin so we could become righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore, a separation between Father and Son must’ve occurred. Gut wrenching, but true.

    Jesus’ suffering encompassed body, soul, and spirit. It happened this way so Jesus could be the perfect sacrifice and could relate to us in every way. This enables Him to be the perfect High Priest for us.

    Wrapping Up

    Just researching for this post and writing it makes me more appreciative of Jesus’ suffering. I’m also once again humbled by it. I hope you are all too. I hope you see with new eyes what Jesus endured physically and spiritually. Let us all go through this season with a gratitude that we’ve never had before.

    Outro

    If you enjoyed this post, please consider doing one or all of these things. First, subscribe if you haven’t. If you have, thank you! Second, spread the word. Send these to everyone you know and encourage them to read and subscribe. This blog is purely word of mouth right now. I rely on you, my readers, to help me get more readers. And third, please consider donating. It’ll enable me to continue to offer regular posts.

    Feel free to leave a comment with any questions about what I’ve written, any additional comments about the post, or if there’s a topic you’d like me to write about. Before doing that though, be sure to check out all my posts here and see if I’ve covered it already. And if you find I’ve done it already but aren’t satisfied or still have more questions, let me know!

    Thank you for reading this! I greatly appreciate each one of you. Until next time, God bless you all!