1. What stood out to me from this chapter?
Jesus was betrayed, deserted, denied, arrested, beaten, flogged, mocked, crucified and buried. It was horrible what people did to him. From an earthly perspective, it seemed as though the devil won. I think that from the devil's perspective, he probably thought he won too. Little did anyone know, that God had planned from the beginning that the chosen one, the Messiah/Christ, the Savior of the world would have to die to bring life. It seems ironic, but Jesus died to become the sacrifice that would atone (pay the penalty for) all of our sin. It HAD to be that way. So once again, God was able to work his will through the variety of righteous and evil actions of humans. One of the best movies that I've seen that captures this same redemptive plot line is the Matrix. In the third movie, Matrix Revolutions, Neo (which means New) is battling the ultimate enemy. Feel free to watch the quick clip to see why it corresponds, or watch all three movies for a great sci-fi action adventure.
2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?
The ending of the chapter (which is the ending to the book of Luke) is slightly different wording, but the same events as the beginning of the book of Acts. If you were not previously aware of this, Luke is also the author of the book of Acts. It's like he set out to write a detailed scholarly account of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, but he couldn't stop there. He had to continue with the account of this rag-tag group of misfits who were transformed by Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit into preachers, teachers, healers, apostles, leaders, servants, church-planters, and more. I started this blogging journey in the book of Acts, otherwise I would love to just keep reading that like a continuous story line.
3. What does this mean for my life?
I think about the road to Emmaus story often. These two followers of Jesus were with the 12 disciples. They knew a lot about Jesus and were committed to him. But they still had questions, doubts, and confusion about what was actually going on. Jesus used this opportunity to set them straight. He explained to them from Scripture everything that had been written about himself. This walking Bible study session rekindled their fire and energy about following Jesus and they were transformed into passionate believers in Jesus and the resurrection. God's word has the power to seep into our souls, our minds, and our hearts to transform us and make us new. This is what drives me to keep doing this blog, even though it is almost never convenient. It always means less sleep and/or less free time, but I want so bad for God's word to weave into every fiber of my being so that I can experience the promise of Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.
4. What questions do I have about this passage?
I know in 1 Corinthians 15: 5-8 we read that Christ appeared to over 500 people after his resurrection. But that is still a very small amount. Why didn't Jesus show himself to the chief priests? To all of Jerusalem? To Pontius Pilate? To Herod? To Caesar? Wouldn't more people have believed in him right away? Wouldn't there have been almost universal acceptance and understanding of Jesus as the Messiah? I don't understand God's plan to just reveal himself to a few, but those few were obviously truthful in their account. If Jesus hadn't been resurrected, there's no way they would have been killed for a lie. Their very lives are a testimony. That doesn't mean I understand why God did it that way. It's a mystery to me.
Those are my thoughts for this chapter. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you and KEEP DIGGING IN!
In Christ,
Dan
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