Five Minute Friday: Loud

Today I am participating in Five Minute Friday, where a group of writers get together and free write about a one word prompt for 5 minutes. Today's word is "loud."

"But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last." -Mark 15:37 (Berean Study Bible)

Have you ever read this line by itself before in Scripture? I am sure I have, but just glossed over it.

Today, I searched the word loud in Biblehub.com to find something to write about for this Five Minute Friday word prompt. The verse in Mark 15:37 was the first verse to come up in the search.

The word loud in the Greek is actually the word “megas” and is often translated as “great.” So the passage could say, “But Jesus let out a great cry and breathed His last.”

I wonder what that sounded like. I wonder if it shook the heavens. The Bible says at the moment He died, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth shook, and rocks split apart in Matthew’s Gospel.

I just wonder how loud it was. The events caused the centurion and guards standing by to proclaim he was the Son of God.

After the great cry, He released His spirit. That is the moment His death took place.

How loud could or would he cry right before death?

Did that cry ring in the ears of the people looking on? The Bible says the women were there. Did it stop ringing when they realized He was raised from the dead?

Loud.

Five Minute Friday: Sacrifice

Today I am participating in Five Minute Friday, where a group of writers get together and free write about a one word prompt for 5 minutes. Today's word is "sacrifice."

The Holy Spirit confirms this to us by this Scripture, for the Lord says,

“Afterwards, I will give them this covenant: I will embed my laws into their hearts and fasten my Word to their thoughts.”

And then he says,

“I will not ever again remember their sins and lawless deeds!”

So if our sins have been forgiven and forgotten, why would we ever need to offer another sacrifice for sin?-Hebrews 10:15-18 (TPT)



Jesus did it all. He was the one sacrifice forever.

When I first came back to the Lord in my early twenties, I would repeatedly go forward when they had an altar call. I guess I was still struggling with guilt. Probably because my conscience didn’t feel cleansed. I think I was used to hearing condemning messages, or messages mixed with law and grace.

But the scripture above is nothing but grace. Jesus did it all, because I couldn’t. He gave us the Holy Spirit to confirm that forgiveness, not to continually condemn us.

God is the one who writes his laws on our hearts now, and fastens his word to our thoughts.

God is the one who has perfected us.

God is the one who won’t remember our sins or lawless deeds anymore.

Because of Jesus. He is the one sacrifice of sins forever.

It wasn't my sacrifice.  It was his.

He has done it all.

The Gospel is Good News

The word Gospel is the Greek word for "good news." The Gospel is that Jesus did what we couldn't do. He took our punishment and penalty for sin. You don't have to pay it now. Even though other people may sometimes make you feel like you have to, you don't. You are free. You are forgiven. You are loved. He was crushed and bruised, so I didn't have to pay for the things I did. Perfect love came down and touched humanity and took in His own body the sins of all mankind, past, present, and future. You don't have to pay for it. He became flesh and blood, died for you, and rose for you, so you could become a new creation.

And you didn't do anything to earn it. It's free.

We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.-Acts 10:39-43 (NIV)

Women in the Life of Jesus: Women at the Resurrection/Mary the Evangelist

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.  Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”

Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb.  So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first.  And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in.  Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there,  and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.  Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.  For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.  Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.

But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.  And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.  Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”

Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”

She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary!”

She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.-John 20:1-18 (NKJV)

There was a flurry of activity amongst the disciples on the day of Jesus’ resurrection!  As I was reading, I noticed that each account by all four Gospel writers gives different details.  There was lots of running back and forth it seemed like, with the women and the men.  It was like putting a puzzle together, but way more fun.  If you want to read all four accounts you can go to Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20.  

Apparently there were many women there that day.  Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, Salome who is the mother of James and John, Joanna, and the other women (as told to us by Luke.)  They had all come bringing spices to anoint Jesus’ body. Now, why would they do that?  Because they all still thought He was dead.

Even though Jesus had told His disciples repeatedly He would rise from the dead, apparently nobody believed Him.  After the women see the empty tomb, and hear the angel’s message, they go and tell the men.  But they think they are speaking “nonsense.”  Human frailty was on display that day, but nevertheless Jesus was still bringing comfort, truth, and encouragement to them all.

The first person Jesus appeared to was Mary Magdalene, so I want to spend a little time talking about her.  She actually gets to have a conversation with Him.  And He gives her a message.  

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.-John 20:17 (NKJV)

 Some have said that Mary Magdalene was an evangelist. The Greek word for evangelist means “bearer of good tidings.”  The Bible doesn’t refer to her as an evangelist, but it seems to me on that day she qualifies.  She was the first female to share the good news of the resurrection of Jesus.  She gets to tell the apostles that Jesus is alive and He is ascending to God.  

In Ephesians 4, there is a list of ministry gifts, but there is also a mention of His ascension as well.

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  Therefore He says:

“When He ascended on high,

He led captivity captive,

And gave gifts to men.”

(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?  He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, -Ephesians 4:7-12

According to Strong's Concordance, the Greek word for "men"  in Ephesians 4:8, And gave gifts to men, is the word "anthrōpos."  It means "man, human, mankind."

HELPS-Word Studies says "anthrōpos " relates to both genders (male and female) as both are created in the image of God – each equally vested with individual personhood and destiny.

In Great Truths to Live By, Kenneth Wuest explains, "There are two words in the Greek which mean man, anēr, which refers to a male individual of the human race, and anthrōpos, which is the racial generic term, and which has the general, generic idea of mankind.

The Lord has given these ministry gifts to women as well as men.  There is no distinction in this passage of scripture about whether men or women gets specific gifts.  It just says that the Lord gave “some.”  Just like the Lord privileged Mary Magdalene that day by giving her the opportunity to serve Him with that message, so He gives other women the same opportunity.  The ministry gifts listed in this passage are for serving.  We are all called to service in some way.

 Many blessings to you as you grow in the knowledge of Him,

Beth

To read more posts in this series, go here to Women in the Life of Jesus. 

Women in the Life of Jesus: The Wife of Pontius Pilate

While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”-Matthew 27:19 (NKJV)

She is often referred to in tradition as Procula or Claudia or Claudia Procula.  She was the wife of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor in Judea during the time of Jesus, and was presumably a Roman.  

She has only one sentence in all of scripture that is devoted to her found in Matthew 27:19.  It may be only one sentence, but it actually can tell us quite a lot.

It seems as though she was a brave woman.  She obviously felt confident enough to send Pilate a message, and at a very tense time.  He was sitting on the judgment seat with a lot of people screaming at him, an odd time to receive a message from your wife.

She could have also felt very safe in her marriage to send him the message at such a time.  Pilate has been described as being ruthless.  He made many ruthless decisions during his time as prefect in Judea, but his wife felt confident and/or safe enough to send him a message.

Or she could have also been motivated by panic.  We could determine that because of her state of mind described in the message.

It was very early in the day, and she had probably just recently woken up from sleep, and had been dreaming.  I have had dreams before and woken up and still carried them with me, to the point that they did effect my morning. But she was very shaken up, enough to send her husband a message.

In the message, she says she has "suffered many things today in a dream because of Him."  I used to think, why would God give her a dream to make her suffer?  That seems very out of character for God.  But recently after reading this passage a few times, it occurred to me that she could have quite possibly had a dream about what was actually going to happen to Jesus, both physically and spiritually.

Physically, He would suffer a lot. He would be beaten,  and have a crown of thorns forced into His head.  Jesus would also be flogged at the order of Pilate. (See John 19:1)  Peter tells us later on in the epistles what this flogging was for.  

who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.-1 Peter 2:24

He would also be crucified by being nailed to a cross.  But while He was there, there were things happening spiritually that you couldn’t see with the physical eye.  He would spiritually be taking on sin for all mankind. In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist says about Him,

“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!-John 1:29

His body would be beaten.  His blood would be shed. I believe now that is why Pilate's wife suffered in a dream because of Him.

Because she was Roman, the fact that He was the Son of God was probably outside of her belief system.  I don’t believe she was given the dream to stop the crucifixion of Jesus, because that was part of His purpose.  But in sending the message to Pilate she was another testifying about Jesus, even though she did not know.

She was like the high priest in John 11, who unknowingly prophesied about Jesus’ death.

Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. -John 11:49-52 (NKJV)

One last thought.  She was a Roman.  Surely she had seen beatings and many crucifixions before.  What made Jesus’ so different?  I believe it hinges on one word. When she sends the message, she calls Jesus a "just” man.  Different translations use the words “righteous” or  “innocent.”  That word in the Greek is "dikaios."  It occurs 80 times in the New Testament, and is found in Galatians 3:11 where it says, "The just shall live by faith."  Jesus was innocent.  And His death would make way for those who believe to be just too.  He was the first of many.

To read more posts in this series, go here to Women in the Life of Jesus. 

The First Easter Ever Illustrations by Dennis Jones

"The angel moved the huge stone away from the entrance.  Jesus was gone.  He had risen from the dead. The angel sat and waited.  He knew some of Jesus’ friends were on their way to the tomb.  He wanted to tell them the good news of Jesus’ resurrection."



The First Easter Ever is an abbreviated version of the story of Jesus' life starting with his years of ministry and ending with His ascension into Heaven.  The story is told in language that is engaging and that children can understand.

The illustrations are fantastic and are the primary reason why I chose this particular book.  They tell a story and are full of action. I even enjoy looking at them as an adult. The drawing of the angel sitting on the stone that has been rolled away was great!

This is a beautiful book to read to your children at Easter.  It seemed to be accurate majoring on God's love for humanity, and detailing the account of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.  It even includes the 40 days that Jesus spent with his disciples after God raised Him from the dead.

The only thing I felt was missing was that a large portion of Jesus' ministry, healing and miracles, was not included in the book.  That was a little disappointing for me.  It focused on sharing about Jesus as teacher, raising disciples, and being fishers of men, which is very awesome.  I would just liked to have seen some of the works of Jesus since that is how He demonstrated God's love for many.

One other thing to note is that when Jesus is baptized with the Holy Spirit, the book says "God appeared in the shape of a dove," which is not really accurate. Matthew 3:16 says, "After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him."  The Bible says "like a dove," not "as a dove."  These are two different things.  The phrase "like a dove" is actually a metaphor to describe the gentle way the Spirit of God descended.

I would recommend this book to families, churches, or anybody else who works with small children and would like a new resource for this Easter.  This would be a great book to include in an Easter basked.  My children are enjoying it, and I hope you can too!

God bless you as you celebrate another year of His Resurrection!  Happy Easter!

 

Beth

To read an excerpt, please go here.

 

Disclaimer:  I received this book free from Book Look Bloggers in exchange for a review. I was not required to give a favorable review.  The thoughts and opinions here are entirely my own.

God Gave Us Easter by Lisa Tawn Bergren art by Laura J. Bryant

"...Even death couldn't trap God's Son.  He is life itself.  And God loved us so much, he wanted us to be with him always.  We can see signs of his Easter plan all around us."

                                                                                          -excerpt from God Gave Us Easter

A love of reading began early on in my life.  My mother cultivated it in me from a very early age.  Now, as a mom myself, I hope to do that for my children as well.  In choosing literature for my children, I always want to choose quality literature, words that will add to the life of my children.  I am so thankful for people who write and have a passion to communicate God's truth to children.  God Gave Us Easter is an example of the type of literature I am looking for. 

As part of a God Gave Us series, God Gave Us Easter is a story of how a papa polar bear teaches his young daughter about God and His greatest gift to us, Jesus.  The story goes through teaching in the Bible about how Jesus is the answer of redemption for mankind.  Bergren also uses examples found in nature of how death can produce life.

There are a lot of things I like about this book.  The author doesn't bash the Easter bunny or eggs, symbols often associated with Easter, but explains how they can demonstrate the love of God in His gift of Jesus.  She says, "Just like the shell cracks open and a chick comes out, we remember that Jesus was in a tomb...but he didn't stay dead."  There is also teaching in the book about Jesus being from the root of Jesse.  This is something I was unfamiliar with, and had never seen in a children's book, so I learned something too! (See Isaiah 11 and Romans 15.)  I also really liked the author's explanation of how Jesus speaks to our hearts, and that even a small child can be sensitive to His voice.

I recommend this book to parents of preschool and early elementary age children.  It would be a nice addition to Bible curriculum if you homeschool.  If you as a parent are unsure how to communicate Biblical truths to your children, this book would help as well.

Many blessings to you as you celebrate the resurrection of Jesus this year and remember why God Gave Us Easter!

~Beth

For more information about the author please visit her at www.lisatawnbergren.com. 

If you would like to read my reviews of two other books in the God Gave Us series, please go to God Gave Us Love and God Gave us Two.

Disclosure Statement: I received this book free of charge as part of a free books for bloggers program from Waterbrook Multnomah. I was not required to give a favorable review. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.