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The Lamb of God

SHARON ROCKWELL | CONTRIBUTOR Every year for Easter dessert my mother would use a special mold to create a cake shaped like a lamb lying down. The cake would be frosted with white icing and covered in coconut to resemble the lamb’s soft wool. This cake was eagerly anticipated by all of us kids, especially with hopes that one of us would get the head – it had the most frosting! The tradition that came from my father’s family was that the youngest child would be asked why we had a lamb cake for Easter dessert. One by one, each of us learned the proper answer, because “Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” I admit that early on, I did not make the connection between the lamb cake and Jesus. I knew the story from Exodus. God orchestrated the Jews’ escape from the Egyptians by sending plagues to change Pharaoh’s heart. The last plague was the death of all of the Egyptians’, and only the Egyptians’, first-born. The Jews marked their door posts with lamb’s blood so that Death would “pass over” their homes. The plague convinced Pharoah to free the Israelites. Later I came to understand that God did not let the destroyer kill any of His people who believed (Ex 12:23), foreshadowing a time when Christ would protect His own who believed in Him. Much detail was provided to the Israelites regarding the preparation of the lamb to be sacrificed. Exodus 12:1-6 explains that families were to get a lamb on the tenth day of a certain month, examine it, and sacrifice it on the fourteenth. The lamb was to be without blemish. The Jewish families were to assure their lamb was perfect, a picture of what God demanded of their sacrifice in grateful thanksgiving for their deliverance from Egypt and a foretaste of the sacrifice of His sinless son for believer’s deliverance from sin and death...

The Lamb of God2025-04-03T15:54:01+00:00

The Resurrection of Christ: The Hope of Glory and Hope for the Body

ELIZABETH TURNAGE | CONTRIBUTOR A 2017 study revealed that 25 percent of British people who identify as Christians do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus.[i] And yet, as pastor and theologian Stephen Um explains, even atheist scholars find weighty evidence for the resurrection. Um quotes atheist philosopher Anthony Flew: “The evidence for the resurrection is better than for claimed miracles in any other religion.”[ii] The resurrection is central to the gospel: if the resurrection didn’t happen, Paul tells the doubting Corinthians, our hope in Christ is pitiable (1 Cor. 15:19). On the first Good Friday long ago, Jesus spent his last breath. To confirm his death, a Roman soldier pierced his side with a spear. Joseph of Arimathea, with the permission of Pilate, took Christ’s body from the cross, wrapped it in a linen shroud, and buried it in his tomb (Mark 15:42–46). Christ’s followers were downcast and depressed the next day—the One they had thought would save them had died. How could it be? The disciples had never fully understood what Christ meant when he said, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day” (Matt. 17:22–23). And then he appeared in a new body, a resurrected body. Many saw him: the women who went to the tomb to finish preparing the body for burial (Mark 16:1). Mary Magdalene, who mistook Jesus for the gardener (John 20:15). Thomas, who at Jesus’s command, touched Jesus’s nail-scarred hands (John 20:24–27). the disciples, who trembled together in a locked room when Jesus suddenly stood among them, greeting them, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19)...

The Resurrection of Christ: The Hope of Glory and Hope for the Body2024-04-01T20:51:42+00:00

Ordinary Women, Extravagant Gifts

JAMYE DOERFLER | CONTRIBUTOR A few days before his death, Jesus attended a dinner party with his disciples. A woman arrived with an alabaster jar of pure nard, an extremely expensive perfume, broke the jar and poured the oil on Jesus’ head. Most people in the room disapproved of the gift. Mark says the men were “indignant” and rebuked the woman harshly for not selling the nard and giving the money to the poor instead. Yet Jesus defended her: “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you will always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her” (Mark 14:6-9). When the woman anointed Jesus with her precious oil, it showed that she understood that Jesus was worthy of such extravagance. Clearly, she grasped this better than even Jesus’ loyal disciples who condemned her gift. As James R. Edwards points out in his commentary on Mark, “The disciples’ condemnation of the gift demeans the woman and her gift, and also Jesus, whom they regard as unworthy of such extravagance.” The value of a gift Not everyone is able to give such an expensive gift, of course. A few chapters earlier, Jesus similarly commended another woman, even though her gift was of little monetary value: the widow who could only afford to put two copper coins into the temple treasury.   To his disciples, he said, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on” (Mark 12:43-44). Though the phrasing is different, Jesus recognizes both women for the same motivation: “she has done what she could” and “she has put in everything she had.” As Edwards writes, “For Jesus, the value of a gift is not the amount given, but the cost to the giver.”...

Ordinary Women, Extravagant Gifts2024-03-19T13:46:10+00:00

The Passion of Our Savior

SUE HARRIS|CONTRIBUTOR I hate the sight of blood. I have a weak stomach and often must turn away from the gruesome. News flash: don’t ever call me to administer first aid. I simply can’t handle it. Jesus’ crucifixion is no exception. I remember watching the Passion of the Christ in the theater twenty years ago. This movie follows the last week of Jesus’ life, the Via Dolorosa (the sorrowful way or journey). Passion week. The road to the cross. It was bloody. It was difficult and, if I’m honest, it was exhausting. I had to look away in a few scenes. Jesus was beaten, bloodied, mocked, unclothed, and spit upon. I had been a Christian a number of years and knew the story: Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I even knew many of the details like the crown of thorns, the scourging, and the striking of his face, but I had never actually seen a dramatization like the film depicted. I often work in my yard and when I’m working around thorns, I wear heavy-duty gloves and long sleeves to prevent thorns from tearing up my hands and arms. Thorns don’t just scratch your skin; they imbed themselves into your flesh, going deeper and deeper. And they inflict more pain when you try to pull them out. It’s dreadful imagining thorns in the shape of a crown being forced onto the head of my Savior. Watching the scourging on screen was stomach-turning. Jesus was more than simply whipped, as if that wasn’t enough. In a scourging, the whip has sharp tips attached to the end that are made to dig into human skin. The flesh on Jesus’ back was literally ripped apart. And if that wasn’t enough, men struck him in the face. I have never been punched in the face, but my perfect Redeemer was. Time after time after time. Watching this on the big screen gave me a dramatic view into what happened that day. I can only assume that it was, truthfully, worse. I cried, of course, and I wondered, “Why did Jesus have to die this kind of death?”...

The Passion of Our Savior2023-08-15T13:38:52+00:00

Your Will Be Done

BARBARANNE KELLY|CONTRIBUTOR “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven . . . “ We pray this every Sunday morning, standing among the assembled saints. Heads bowed, holding hands, we pray for the Lord’s will. Some may pray it by rote, invoking the Name and the petitions in the same manner as every week, mind wandering. There may be some for whom the words are new, and they follow along in the bulletin. For many, there may be something particular in mind as they plead for God’s holy will to be done in their lives, praying with urgency, heavy hearts, even fear. Have any saints prayed these words with the urgency felt by our Lord on the night before his crucifixion? “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matt. 26:39). Our Lord knew what was coming. He’d been born for this purpose: to save his people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). From the beginning of his ministry, he marched toward the cross with undaunted resolve. When Satan offered him all the kingdoms of the world without the cross, Jesus rebuked him in the strongest terms (Matt. 4:10). And when Peter tried to dissuade him from his mission, Jesus rounded on him with the same strong rebuke: “Get behind me, Satan! . . . you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Matt. 16:23)...

Your Will Be Done2023-08-15T13:39:27+00:00

Light Palms, Heavy Burden

AIMEE JOSEPH|GUEST Palm Sunday. The expectant people lined the streets, praising Jesus and quoting from Psalm 118 as he approached in peace. The people knew he was the Messiah, the Sent One, the One coming to save them. Thus, they shouted “Hosanna” which means “Save us, now!” (Matt. 21:6–11). They waved light palms as he approached history’s heaviest burden. Their praise presupposed that Jesus would establish God’s people in peace politically and do so immediately. They had visions of the once-flourishing reign of David. Their hopes soared with high expectations that Jesus would usher in a new golden era. However, within a week’s time, it would become clear to these same crowds that Jesus had plans to usher in a very different kingdom. As a result of these missed expectations, their praises faded quickly into shouts of “Crucify him!” in a matter of days. We are not unlike them; our praise quickly turns cold and bitter when our expectations are not met in our way and on our timetable. As we approach Holy Week, we are invited to search for the semblances of our own hearts in the fickle crowds. Jesus rode into Jerusalem through a tunnel of praises that came from the mouths of those who would soon chant “Barabbas!” (Matt. 27:15–23). They cheered his approach with a light and airy joy, but he alone knew he was marching on to his death. His patient restraint and resolve as he approached an unthinkable burden only further shows the purity of his goodness and love. His Burden A King approaching in peace, In humility He rode on, Onlookers cheering him, Expecting a new dawn. The Scriptures foretold it, Yet none of them could see, The dawn would begin with The God-Man hung on a tree. The Messiah was coming, To bring His kingdom to bear; But of the coronation of tears, None but Jesus was aware. “Hosanna! Save us!” they cried, As hopes and palms were raised. “Finally the kingdom’s come, May Jesus’ name be praised!” He heeded not their fanatical cries, For he well knew the heart of men, From “Crown Him” to “Crucify,” The voices would be raised again...

Light Palms, Heavy Burden2022-05-04T23:14:32+00:00

Easter Preparation Begins Now

It’s the Thursday before Easter, and we’re heading home from church, each of us sitting in our own bubbles of silence. The communion service quieted our hearts to ponder Jesus’ last supper with His disciples and the coming crucifixion tomorrow. “Tomorrow!” My thoughts interrupt. “That means it’s only 3 days until Easter. What should go with the ham? Do Tyler’s pants that match his Easter shirt still fit? Oh, and I need shoes. Yikes. I can’t forget to grab peanut butter eggs and another dozen eggs to dye.” By the time Easter dinner dishes are piled in the sink and candy wrappers lay on the dining table, I’m ready to sit down. That’s when I wonder what happened to Easter. How could I have let the celebrations hijack the resurrection? I hate to admit it, but during the Easter service, I tried to conjure gratitude and joy, but I hear the message so often and seem to have grown unresponsive. I wasn’t prepared, at least not in my heart. I practice Advent to prepare for Christmas. Why not prepare for Easter? Is Lent a Biblical practice?

Easter Preparation Begins Now2022-05-07T23:57:35+00:00
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