“… by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, through His flesh” … (NASB)
The Cross (And The Mercy Seat)
Standing empty on Calvary’s hill, the cross immediately transposes believing observers from the realm of blatant sin symbolism, cruelty and decimation to keen representation of immeasurable mercy and redemption; an eternal emblem of salvation’s price at divinity’s expense. In this posthumous state, the keen observer no longer detects tormented or weeping souls at its foot or sides, he is rather translated behind the veil into glory to behold great wonders. There lies the mercy seat – that holy sanctum on which the preeminent blood of Jesus is now showcased – evidence eternal of humanity’s irrevocable emancipation from sin and Satan, and of his glorification into God’s quality, quantity and essence of life!
Heaven
So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” (Revelation 5:4-5)
The Father smiled. The Holy Spirit shot streams of kaleidoscope-like sparks across the blazing skies in a manner similar to fireworks on dynamite. The various teams of the Redeemed burst out in spontaneous worship, along with the Angels and the twenty-four elders. In truth, no creature of heaven was left out – all began to move in rhythmic cadence, boisterous voices lifted in unison …
The rhapsody of heaven bursts forth with song
The glory of Jehovah proclaiming
As cherubim and seraphim start singing along
All heaven falls prostrate, knees taming.
***
“Holy” is heaven’s united chorus
“Worthy the Lamb that was slain!
Calvary’s suffering was all for us
Glory to His name!”
***
Blessings and honor resound on the lip
Reverberating through majestic land
Evoking extravagant worship
From heaven’s harmonious band.
***
Triumphant the shout of redeemed singing
Magnificent their Object of praise
Worship and adoration gratefully bringing
Echoed splendor to eternity’s days.
***
Heaven’s poignant diction no poem can near capture
(Can you describe His Majesty with earth’s mediocre verse?!)
Nothing can substitute the wondrous rapture
Of glory’s drum roll – heaven’s applause – on bended knee rehearsed!
***
Join with the heavens! Break forth oh earth!
Resounding worship ringing!
Lift up your voice, declare His worth!
With all creation singing ……
“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible
The only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. AMEN!”
… Let all that has breath praise the Lord. AMEN!!
***
The Temple
The priests tried to go about their business as they performed their tasks around the rubble the earthquake had left in its wake. Masons and other workmen cleaned, cleared debris and made repairs in various sections of the structure. Worshippers and business-mongers continued to stream in at controlled numbers and time allotments, but were unusually subdued, many whispering among themselves in solemn conversation. The noiseless hustle and bustle gave credence to the fact that business as usual was not business as usual.
The Disciples
Cleo & Theo trailed along at a slower-than usual pace. They were on their way home to Emmaus after an unusually long and arduous day. Theo wondered why they had even bothered to go to the temple at all; the Master had just been killed and they were all reeling from the horrific events that surrounded his death and from the deep void of His absence. Life felt meaningless and empty, as though there was no reason for living. Being the older of the two, Theo had a wife of ten years and four rambunctious children to fill his heart and life with purpose and meaning. He loved his family dearly, but the Master had won his ultimate love and allegiance, and now, the bane of his existence had ceased. His legs felt like lead.
Cleo, the younger and spritelier of the two, displayed little to no advantage as he trudged along just dejectedly as Theo. He was unmarried but had much to occupy his time as the only son in a household of eight unmarried females. He felt just as deadbeat, having just lost the center of his universe and going through the last couple of days in a fuzzy haze.
They had decided to head to the temple today to try to find solace and a sense of the Master’s presence within the confines of its magnificent walls. They had not expected to be turned away because the damages of the earthquake were sufficiently extensive to cause the priests to limit the number of visitors that were allowed in at any time. The entry lines were so long they curved around and behind the building for a full mile. They had considered going to the synagogue instead, but concluded that the last thing they needed was the dreary droning of the religious leaders as they read (and sometimes sang) the contents of their stodgy phylacteries. Enduring a long day of monotonous liturgies was as appealing as being sat upon by an elephant! After braving the crowded streets and purchasing a few household items from the Gentile market, they started their long trek back towards Jerusalem.
As they contemplated their failed attempt at reenacting the Master’s presence against the backdrop of the harrowing events of the last couple of days. A striking stranger in silken-white clothing drew alongside of them, seemingly from out of blue.
“Who is this Master you talk about?” He asked as He fell into step with them, His voice strangely comforting and familiar. Cleo eyed the man warily, not sure he wanted to engage a complete stranger on a topic that was so raw and deeply personal to him. “Are You new in Jerusalem? How do You not know all that has transpired in the last two days?”
“What transpired?” the man asked, intelligent gaze fully trained on him, full of compassionate query. Cleo hesitated, but the man’s unblinking stare framed by an open, guileless face gave him a sudden impulsion to talk. Reticent by nature and typically aloof to strangers until he got to know them better, Cleo was surprised that he was so drawn to the inner glow and grace the man seemed to radiate. Cleo had a sudden uncanny and unshakable notion that this man was pivotal to his life in some way, but he could not fathom how, nor could he put his finger on why He seemed so familiar yet deeply unfathomable.
“Have You heard of Jesus of Nazareth?” Without waiting for a response, Cleo launched into a brief history of how his father had been a leprous outcast but experienced a miraculous healing and restoration to society, along with nine others who hadn’t had the good sense to return to thank Jesus like His father had. He relayed how that singular miracle had changed his entire family’s lives and caused them to became His followers, Cleo and his best friend Theo being one of His privileged “middle-circle” of seventy-two disciples. He explained the widespread impact of Jesus’s ministry and how they had believed that He was their long-awaited Messiah. He detailed the events of the last seventy-two hours, ending with the sad news that His body was nowhere to be found when some of their team had gone to his gravesite that morning.
The Women
“The Lord gave the word; Great was the company of women who proclaimed it” (Psalms 66:11)
Mary of Magdala drew a sharp breath as she, Salome and Mary, mother of James hurried along the crowded street. It seemed like every few seconds, someone stepped in front of her or surreptitiously pulled her aside to ask in heavily veiled tones, “Did you really see Him; is He really risen?”
She was still reeling from her encounter with the Master. It felt so real and yet surreal at the same time. She had let out a breathless “Rabboni!” when she realized He was the One they had been addressing all along. Even though the unusual brilliance of the sun had veiled His face when they assumed He was the gardener, her heart had thumped loudly and she had felt a strange breathlessness before realizing it was Him. The immeasurable joy and peace that flooded her in that instant was forever cemented in her heart. He was alive! Everything He had said about Himself was true! She had never doubted Him, for she trusted Him implicitly, but to live it out in this real-time manner and to have seen His nail-scarred hands and feet brought an inexplicable joy and equanimity she lacked the words to express. He had not yet ascended to the Father but He had taken the time to come to reassure them of His love, sovereignty and intact redemption plan. She could not get over the power, glory and beauty that had pulsated from His resurrected presence! The other women who had been with her and witnessed the whole exchange expressed the same awe and wonder.
Her current stupefaction was not derived from that however. Her current state of bemusement arose from her sudden rise to celebrity status. Prior to now, she had been society’s reject, shunned by “respectable” people because of her history as the woman of notoriety and disrepute from whom the Master had cast out seven demons with one authoritative command. Even with the widespread news of her liberty from the demons that had promoted her prior lifestyle of decadence and lasciviousness, society remained unmoved and unforgiving. They had treated her with cold contempt for daring to be a public follower of Jesus in light of her previous lifestyle. Many avoided or ignored her when possible, and most were uncomfortable around her. Every once in a while, a vile person would make a lewd comment or pass at her. Thankfully, she was always in the company of at least one of the other women or of the male disciples, so was always able to move on without incident. A couple of times after her initial conversion, she had made the poor choice of attempting to go out on her own, in one instance using a dark alley as a short-cut in her hurry to get back to the fold. She escaped both incidents only by the mercy of God and from then on learned the wisdom of moving around in the company of new-found family.
The news of her encounter with the Master at His empty tomb this morning seemed to have spread like wild fire across Jerusalem. For the first time in her life, she was the center of positive, scandal-free attention. It was incomprehensible! As she and the other women passed by, she could feel the curious stares of many, even detecting signs of grudging respect in some. Some gazed at her with their usual ill-concealed disdain, clearly doubtful that the Master would deign to have a woman of her kind be the first to herald His resurrection. Others looked at her with open curiosity coupled with with disbelief, probably assuming it was either a rumor or an attention-getting scheme on her part. Mary didn’t care what anyone thought. All that mattered to her was that Her beloved Savior had risen, proving that He was indeed the Messiah and hope of the world! She would shout that from fifty thousand rooftops fifty thousand times daily if she could!
The Priests
Caiaphas chewed his gnarly nails as great beads of sweat trickled down his temples. The terrible sect he had just tried to annihilate by crucifying their so-called King was only growing larger and stronger by the day. His death seemed to have catalyzed a new army of followers – the entire city was swarming with them! He was receiving multiple-daily reports of new individuals and groups who were meeting in secret or in synagogues to proclaim this dead man as their King. Had the world suddenly gone mad?
But now, he had an even greater problem on his hands. The Chief Guard of the gravesite, a man he had specifically requested for the job and who was well known to him had just come with two of his trusted guards to report some extremely disturbing news.
The Guards
A giant of a man glowing with blazing iridescence and wearing shimmering white apparel held a 7-foot golden sword as he stood at the entryway of the tomb. He had appeared out of nowhere, effortlessly rolling the giant boulder away as though sliding a curtain to one side. He proceeded to plop down on it with such grace that he may as well have been sitting on a throne – his countenance was so regal! He was about 12 feet tall, heavily sinewed and bulging with muscles. His eyes appeared to flicker with an iridescent array of colors as he gazed at the guards without expression. Pinned to the ground in terror and an overwhelming sense of awe, the guards quaked like leaves. Just seconds before the man’s appearance, a deafening earthquake had shaken the foundations of the hill for miles round.
The Chief guard noted in his semi-conscious state that several women appeared on the scene crying and asking what had been done to their Lord. The giant of a man looked at them with a gentle smile, a warmth and kindness that belied his brute strength emanating from his person in rustic red beams. His voice resonated like the sound of several bells ringing simultaneously as he told them their Lord was not there but had risen, enjoining them to hurry to tell their male counterparts.
By the time the guards had stopped trembling enough to regain their balance and sense of reality, both the fearsome-looking man and the group of women were gone. The Chief guard, uncharacteristically petrified for a man who had been exposed to the gravest of dangers forced himself to the entrance of the cave to peer inside. Indeed, the tomb was empty, but the grave clothes were all intact and neatly folded to the side. It took all of his military training to steel himself against turning around and running for dear life. He rapidly retreated to where the other guards still stood trembling and wide eyed, staring at him in shock and disbelief. “He’s gone” he stated tersely. They all turned sheet-white, except for the new solider, who was rapidly progressing from various shades of red to poultice blue in sheer terror. This could very well be their last assignment – punishment by death was a very strong possibility with this new development.
The Chief Guard debated what to do. He knew reporting this development to his commander would mean immediate death for all seven of them. On the other hand, withholding such important information could result in even graver consequences once it was found out. Perhaps if he told the Jewish leaders first, their gratitude and creative cunning could provide a means of escape for him and his men. Yes, that’s what he would do. He would report to the High priest first and see what came of it.
The Grave
Hades (Sheol)
All pandemonium had broken loose. Sin’s grip over humanity had been broken, Satan’s chief instrument of subjugation and exploitation utterly destroyed. The souls the kingdom of darkness had held captive for centuries had all been freed. Satan felt like a pile of bricks had just cracked open his skull. He declared a kingdom-wide state of emergency.
The Resurrection
Steven stood in shock as he gazed at his uncle Enoch. The latter didn’t look a day over thirty but had died at the age of sixty-four some fourteen years ago when Steven was just a little lad. Enoch had just walked into his family’s large home, causing a ripple of fainting spells among the women and greyish-white skin pallor among the men. Steven’s father, a Rabbi at the nearby synagogue who prided himself on his level-headed sensibility and stoicism stood open-mouthed and trembling, unable to take his saucer-like gaze off Enoch.
Priscilla tried to pinch herself but couldn’t move a muscle. She sat in a trance-like state as she gazed at her beautiful mother who had died fifteen years ago from a sudden wasting disease. Priscilla had tenderly cared for her and stayed by her side for hours after she drew her last breath. Yet here she was, her body brimming with health and vitality as she smiled at Priscilla with a warmth and radiance that lit up her entire being, looking to be half the sixty years she had been at death.
Apollo could not breath. There stood Leah, his Leah, hand clasped in that of a beautiful young girl who was her splitting image. They stood in front of his work table, loving eyes smiling at him tenderly. Was he dreaming? He shook his head to clear it and ensure he was not – indeed it was broad daylight and he had been working intently in his shop when her soft voice had startled him. Was this the daughter whose birth had cruelly taken her away from him six bitter years ago? Had it all been some cruel joke – were all those torturous years after his loss a twisted figment of his imagination? He grazed his skin lightly with the carving knife he held – he had to be sure he was really awake. The pain and small drop of blood seemed to confirm this, yet he could not shake the feeling that this was a dream – one he did not ever want to awaken from.
All over Jerusalem, saints who had been long dead came alive and appeared to the loved ones they had left behind. It became indisputable; it was irrefutably irrefutable. The Resurrection was not merely an event; He is a person … Who specializes (still) in the very act .
For Your Conquering & Listening Pleasure
Firm Foundation (Chandler Moore/Maverick City and Cody Carns)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=noAVrvmZrUA&feature=share
What A Beautiful Name It Is/Agnus Dei (Travis Cottrell)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=diQPE7lYNsQ&feature=share
Thank You Jesus for the Blood (Charity Gayle)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=dhU-Omwg2rU&feature=share
A Thousand Hallelujahs (Brooke Ligertwood/Passion Worship Band)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=snFD5TkuYJc&feature=share
Graves Into Gardens (Brandon Lake)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=KwX1f2gYKZ4&feature=share
Is He Worthy? (Chris Tomlin)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=-c6pl6CaiD0&feature=share
Living Hope (Phil Whickam)