Our Monday Devotion comes to us from Council Member, Lahoma:
"When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’" Mark 16:1-7
The events that took place immediately following the death of Jesus must have been so chaotic to the followers of the Messiah. Jesus died at 3:00 p.m., Nicodemus and Josephus went to Pilate to ask for His body so that they could bury it before sunset and the beginning of the Sabbath and in their haste to give dignity to the broken bloody body, they had not had time to embalm Him with the spices and wrappings that were traditionally used for the deceased in Israel at that time.
"It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where He was laid." Mark 15:42-47
The women must have been completely broken hearted and at the same time frantic, feeling that they had neglected their precious Master. As soon as they were permitted they must have rushed to the markets and purchased the spices and then still were unsure how to actually accomplish their mission. Nonetheless, they went to the Garden Tomb early in the morning hours. Imagine them huddled together in the wind and the cold, tears still streaming down their faces, a sense of hopelessness and uncertainty, but still feeling a sense of purpose in what they knew they must do. They had probably not felt very festive this Passover feast or during Sabbath prayers, probably didn’t say much to anyone. Can you put yourself in their place? "Now what do we do?", they must have pondered… do we just hold on through the night? Do we keep on looking for the Light? We just watched His flame extinguished…. As if there would not be a morning after... only mourning after.
In 1972, a popular song was released as the theme song for the blockbuster theatre hit, “The Poseidon Adventure”. The title of the song was originally going to be “Why Must There Be a Morning After?" but changes by the label resulted in the song's more optimistic title which was “The Morning After”. Here are a few of the words:
There's got to be a morning after
If we can hold on through the night
We have a chance to find the sunshine
Let's keep on looking for the light
You may not see the correlation of this song to our devotion today, but it comes to my mind that “the morning after” the cross, and the next two “mornings after” probably were filled with only mourning and despair for the faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Their Leader, their Teacher, the One that had walked on water, raised the dead, healed the blind, fed the multitudes, spoke with authority, fulfilled prophecy, rebuked their religious leaders and was hailed as a king when He arrived in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday had been brutally beaten, illegally tried, and nailed to a barbaric cross only to die in six short hours and then sealed in a tomb away from them for what must have felt like forever!
But, Oh, how we are blessed with the ability to know the REST of the story and know that YES God did have something planned for the “Morning After”…. That Glorious Magnificent Victorious early Morning after all this pain and confusion when the Mighty Hand and Voice of God would reach through time and eternity and call forth His Son from the grasp of death and the grave, that Morning after when the SON would rise in all His glory. The results of that Morning must bring us to our knees with our arms stretched out in worship as we tremble at the magnitude of this One Single Moment in Time when ALL our sins were erased, our filthy garments of sin were replaced with robes of righteousness, and we were reconciled through the death AND resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I sing loudly before the heavens and the earth with Paul when he wrote: “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Corinthians 15:55-57.
I have stood in that empty tomb on the outskirts of Jerusalem, I have run my hands across the cool stones of the walls, I have seen with my own eyes of flesh that He is not there, He has risen just as He said, HALLELUIAH! Such joy and gratitude must flow continually from my soul every time I consider that morning after all that hate and sin and death…. The morning after came, we have a chance to find the SON shine, we don’t have to keep looking for the Light, His Light shines brightly in our souls for all the world to see~~! That’s what Easter means to me… my heart is broken for the high price my precious Jesus paid for my sins on the cross, but my soul rejoices that He conquered both sin and death and rose from the dead. It is what separates Christianity from all the other religions and belief systems of this world. It is the power of salvation in my life, it is what allows me to continue every moment of the day, and I invite all of you to enter into this “morning after” our recent celebration of Resurrection Sunday and never lose the wonder and joy of what this one day in history did for all mankind and for you and me!
Remember and apply this powerful truth when you face those uncertain times and it may not seem like there will be a “morning after” for you…. in your life, in your family, in your marriage, in your finances, in your health, in your future…. remember that God has already gone into your tomorrows and will meet you there with the same resurrection power and love, and that you can wait on Him, and look to Him, and watch for the Son to rise and SHINE brightly over you and show you that He has conquered sin and death on your behalf.
When all feels lost…. Cling to the fact that when we put our trust in the Finished Work of Jesus Christ, that we can rest in the warmth of the Son’s love… and that glorious morning will last for eternity!
Shalom, sister Lahoma
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Sister Lahoma - thanks for this. It resonated with me as I was reading John's account of the morning after (specifically John 20:11-18), and trying to wrap my mind around the idea of being the first human being to see the Risen Lord, as He calls you by name! What an amazing feeling that must have been! World record goose bumps! Those last 2 chapters in John are wonderful, spiritually enlighening, rich in theological content, but John's description of the first encounter that Mary Magdalene had with Him captured my imagination this morning. Thanks again, Dear Sister!
ReplyDeleteLahoma, I'm always blessed by what you write, and today was no exception! You painted a beautiful picture of where we need to keep our focus when things go wrong or get tough.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that we find it so difficult to "trust" in what Jesus promises and in what He did? We walk through life often acting and responding as if what He did wasn't enough. Has anyone else noticed that? I do it all the time when my circumstances bend or twist in an uncomfortable direction (*hanging head in shame*). My initial reaction is totally self-centered. Gross. Depending on what’s going on, there’s usually a gap between my first response and what I call my “Jesus” response. For instance, I’ve battled insomnia for multiple years now, and do you know what I’m like when the morning does finally come? Never mind, don’t try to speculate because your worst imagined scenarios would probably be right. My “morning after” a sleepless night is rarely met with a “thank you, Father for an amazing day! Show me what you want me to do for You today!” No, I’m usually angry, frustrated, and full of complaining. THAT is my first response. Only AFTER I’ve dipped my toes into the self-pity pool (occasionally I’ve dived in for a full body swim) do I pull it together and give God thanks and praise. Now, why don’t I just omit that first faithless response and start with thanking God!? (I sometimes do, but it’s a work in progress). After all, He certainly knows I need sleep so how dare I doubt Him to meet that need. If I only get two hours a night, I know He will make that two hours sufficient for whatever He calls me to do the following day. But …how awesome will it be when I don’t just have this confidence at 1:30 in the afternoon after I’ve already waded in the pity pool? How awesome will it be when I wake up after sleeping for only one hour and before anything else, say “thank You, Lord, for making the sleep I got sufficient for whatever You need me to do today!” (I’m slowly but surely getting to this point, praise God!) We seem to find it so difficult to put our trust in Him FIRST, but how amazing it is when we do. May God be met in each of my mornings with a grateful heart.
Thank you, Lahoma, for such an illustrious reminder to put our trust in Him. He is so beautifully more than enough and I always know I can just listen (or, in this case, read) to you if I ever forget. You’re such an amazing teacher and inspiration.
P.S. Ray, you beat me to the comments wall – I feel happy and competitive all at the same time!
P.S.S. – to those of you who have been keeping me in your prayers, you ought to know that since last Wednesday night, I’ve experienced a great deal more sleep – thank you!!