Easter – Morning Joy

Happy Easter!

Thank you Jesus for the love for us that You displayed many Easters ago.

Let’s dive in to Matthew 26:36-46 this morning. To set the scene here, Jesus and the disciples just ate the “Last Supper” and went to the Mount of Olives. After a brief conversation with Peter, Jesus went with the disciples to a place called Gethsemane.

Verses 37 and 38 say, “He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

He was heartbroken. Why do you think that was? He knew what was coming. He knew resurrection and newness were coming. So, even though these next several hours would be painful, there was a definite reward in store.

We have already established he was heartbroken. Verse 39 says, “Going a little farther…” Stop here. He was hurting, but he still kept going. A little farther. Another step. He kept moving in spite of what he felt. “..he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet, not as I will, but as you will.” He fell to his face on the ground, in complete submission to the will of God and pleaded for the cup to pass. He was entirely vulnerable.

In verse 42, he asked a second time. But, why, the resurrection was coming and he knows it? He prophesied about rebuilding the temple in three days himself (John 2:19). So he knows how this is going to end. Verse 44, he asked again.

But, after he spoke with God and submitted to His will. In verse 46 He said, “Rise, let us go!” He kept going, friends. He didn’t want to, but He did.

This moment Jesus experienced is such a human moment. He lived as we lived. He felt the things we did. He chose to walk within the will of God, just as we can. Knowing he was a lamb being prepared for slaughter, he kept walking. You can think what you like, but I do not believe Jesus experienced the cross because he wanted to. He chose to because he trusted God for the outcome. He trusted God’s word.

Lets think about what he may have feared: pain, leaving his loved ones behind, permanency, and lack of understanding from the people he loved.

Right now, I am heavy at heart about marriage. I am twenty-seven and from an area in the country that would consider me an ‘older bride’ from this point forward. Yes, I am aware that is not true, but many of my loved ones have not realized that. It is not the wedding I look forward to, even though that can be fun. I can’t claim to even be ready for a marriage- I honestly don’t know. However, I am ready to find someone to do life with. Consistently; everyday. I am over dating and the highs and lows. It may sound silly friends, and trust me I am embarrassed to even report it to you, but my best friend believes my words are most powerful when they are personal and from my heart and I really want to you to understand what I am challenging you to in this post.

I know, that I know, that I know that God has someone special in store. I am not talking about “The One” that most believe is out there. I , personally, do not believe there is one person designed for me; but I believe there are God-honoring choices that I get to make in selecting my spouse. I believe that by loving God first, he will deliver on his promise to give me the desire of my heart. How can I believe the God of creation is unable to do such a thing; even if it seems nearly impossible to me. So, friends, even though this lonely season is painful, and I fear change in leaving behind the man I loved before, and permanency of the decision is intimidating, and I fear that those around me don’t understand my patience or what I am praying for- I keep walking. If I am being honest, right now I am asking God daily to take this cup. Just give me someone that I can make life work with so I can experience it. However, because I trust God more than myself and I know he knows the depth of my heart so he is able to place someone in front of me that meets the desire, I keep walking. I trust his Word, his omniscience and his timing, so I keep walking. I will rise up, just as my Jesus did, and keep walking. Wading through the season of development to get to the resurrection- life.

Think about that thing you have been trudging through to get to the promise. The Son of God felt it to friends. But following Jesus means following Him through this part too. Keep walking with resurrection ahead. With death to these things today, comes life in resurrection and promise.

Trust God, our gracious and loving Father and stay heaven minded. Resurrection is coming.

Good morning and happy Holy Week!

Lets dive right in today with Matthew 26:17-30. This passage narrates the “Last Supper” between Jesus and the disciples before the crucifixion process began. You can also read accounts of the supper in Mark 14:12-26, Luke 22:7-38 and John 13 and 14.

Side note– I am throwing a ton of scripture at you today so if you don’t have time this morning to read it all, just just the verses down and dive into them throughout the day.

Something I found so neat in this passage was within the first verse(17), “On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” When I compared the stories in each book, all but John specifically mentioned the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This interested me, so I looked more into this particular Jewish tradition.

Turns out, the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a tradition adapted by the Jewish people to commemorate their deliverance from Egypt. Leaven is yeast. During this festival, bread would be made without yeast and no yeast was to be consumed in any Jewish household. Most households would even purge the home of all yeast containing products. When the Jews abruptly left Egypt, they did not even have time to allow their baking bread to rise. They gathered it, and fled. Yeast is what makes dough rise, so eating bread that has not risen is a symbolic of the deliverance from Egypt.

The most interesting part is what leaven symbolizes throughout scripture. In many passages, leaven, or yeast, is used to describe sin or falsehood. So, purging the household of yeast also symbolized purging of sin and falsehood. If you are wondering where on earth I am getting this information from (as you should be), I went ahead and listed a scripture chain below and a brief description of each:

Exodus 13:3-10: God commands the people to acknowledge their rescue from Egypt

Leviticus 23:4-7: Describes how the Festival of Unleavened Bread began and why.

Deuteronomy 16:3: Reminder of what the unleavened bread represents.

1 Corinthians 5:4-8: Parallels leaven to sin.

Matthew 16:5-12: Jesus compares yeast of the Pharisees to falsehood.

Matthew 26:26 says, “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” The unleavened bread that he broke represented his body, his flesh. “..This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” John 6:51. The timing of the Festival of Unleavened Bread was no coincidence.

The yeast-less bread that He broke for them represented His sinless body that was broken for us.

Oh, how I love Jesus, that he gave his sinless body to be broken for us over 2000 years ago so that we may spend eternity with him and have peace on this earth by his Holy Spirit. The Bible is a love letter from God, a how-to for earthly dwelling, and a beautiful and poetic piece of literature. Isn’t it amazing that God utilized metaphors so that we can attempt to understand His heavenly being with our human minds? What an author; he began shaping the story thousands of years before the climax! That is a true testament to his majesty.