He is not here.
He has risen.
Just as he said.

Légō is the word used for as he said in Matthew 28:6. It originally means “lay down to sleep” and used later as “laying an argument to rest” i.e. bringing a message to closure – moving to a conclusion – “laying it to rest”.

Case. Closed.

It is finished to just as he said.

Wow. Just wow.

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We are taking a break for the summer and we will be back for the next season of Bible Talk this fall!

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The crucifixion is terrible to read. The whole thing actually, from beginning to end. All the events that took place…unsettling. I don’t want Jesus to have suffered. The anger I feel when I think of those priests and teachers and elders. The lies they told. Their blood lust. They were supposed to be the ones you could trust. Goodness and morality were key parts of their job. Yet they were the crowd that shouted to crucify.

If only things had been different. If only Pilate had refused. But here’s the thing. It had to be this way. Jesus came to do one thing. And this was it. It all had to happen. Each piece was crucial. This timing was everything. None of it was by chance. No coincidences. Jesus had to die. Otherwise, we would. This was the only way to defeat death. The only way to bring salvation to sinners.

“When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood’, he said. ‘It is your responsibility!’
All the people answered, ‘Let his blood be on us and on our children!’”
Matthew 27:24-25
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We are familiar with all those stories. We are getting to the part of the Bible that we know. Here is what I notice. So much of this chapter is about us getting completely off track. Religious leaders that have gone completely awry, disciples that miss the beauty of the anointing, the meal, the prayer time, and betrayal.

I got stuck on Caiaphas and Judas.

Caiaphas was the Chief Priest for goodness sake. But he likely had a good relationship with Rome and Herod which would mean he didn’t have a good relationship with the Jews. He enjoyed a long tenure of being chief priest. He gained a lot while in the position. He had a lot to lose by what Jesus was trying to set straight. He took everything Jesus did personally. He was out for Jesus’s blood. He didn’t just want him to be taught a lesson, he wanted him dead. Money, prestige, power. All things that would inspire the anger needed to plot death to a known innocent man.
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Ya’ll this is end times stuff. When you read what Jesus said and the conditions surrounding his return, it’s like check, check, check. Then look out your window to see if you see him. H says no one knows the hour or even the day. But it feels soon, right? It’s going to get worse? Yikes. The Old Testament prophets are all up in this: Daniel, Ezekiel, Joel Isaiah, Zechariah. Jesus quotes them. There are also parallels to Revelation. I have clearly read this passage a lot over the years. I know because I have made lots of notes in the margins. But I must not have paid real close attention to it. Or at least it didn’t stick in my brain. Reading it all together, Matthew twenty-four and twenty-five as one piece…I’m shocked.
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As Jesus’s public ministry/life on earth was drawing to a close there seems to be desperation…or a sense of urgency in Jesus. He had made a dent in meeting people and getting his message out there. But there were so many more souls to reach. Jesus never wavered. He remained steadfast. He never went off brand despite being constantly questioned by the religious leaders who were set on catching him in a lie or at least getting him to answer them in a way that could be misconstrued or taken out of context. Continue reading the show notes on our website Nothin' But Fine.

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Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”

Which ones?” the man inquired. Matthew 19:16-18Why didn’t Jesus say obey all the commandments when the guy asked which ones? Doesn’t that seem like a dumb question with an obvious answer? But Jesus doesn’t list all the commandments. He leaves out: no other gods before me, no idols, do not misuse the name of the Lord, and remember the sabbath and keep it holy. What do these have in common? God. This guy was keeping all the commandments concerning people, man to man (murder, steal, covet, false testimony, respect). He was being a good person. Doing what was right. Jesus sums up these four by saying to him that all he needed to do now was to sell all his stuff and follow Me. Meaning if you love me, prove it. Verse 22 shows us how the young man felt about this. “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” (emphasis mine). This guy had been feeling really good about himself. Oh, I keep all those commandments. He just knew Jesus was going to congratulate him on a job well done. That he had met all the requirements. I mean he was a great guy. But his heart wasn’t right. Read the rest of our show notes on our website Nothin' But Fine.

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I am a product of divorce. I don’t think it created that many issues in my life. I had a fantastic, happy childhood. Sure, the older I get I become aware of emotional scars, but we all have them. I was the only one in my elementary classes whose parents were divorced and a mother that had a career that required travel and long hours. Brentwood, TN in the 80s was pretty conservative. However, the divorce was warranted. The reason was the only one the Bible flat out says is allowed…adultery. Mama put up with so much. Let’s just say I won’t be doing a 23 & Me test. No telling how many siblings I might have out there. (I think I know of four, but Mama and I think it could be 7. Yikes.)

Divorce has always been a touchy subject for me when it comes up in church settings. I always felt so attacked by the “God hates divorce” reference of Malachi 2:16. That was the statement made in a Bible study I was a part of in my early thirties. I was the youngest attendee by about twenty years. Mama was also a member. Half of the women in it were divorced. I was so upset that they referred to mama’s situation as being something God did not approve of. I argued with them. I was in tears. They were unrelenting as I made my case that Mama’s decision was made with God’s permission and that it had been redeemed in all the good and blessings that had come since.
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Someone always has to be the favorite. Right? Why do we do this to ourselves? My children ask me all the time who my favorite is. Like I would tell them. I’m kidding. I really don’t have a favorite because they all take turns being the golden child. I know my brother is the favorite of my parents. It’s fine. It’s not like there is a prize.

You would think that this is a concept that the twelve disciples would have grasped. Yet, they argued about it.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Matthew 18:1

They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “what were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Mark 9:33-34

An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Luke 9:46-47

The thing is, Jesus loved them all the same. He loves us all the same. There is no greatest. There is not favorite. This is so hard to understand. How could God not have favorites? I mean Peter and John were clearly the leaders of the group. I mean Jesus said that Peter would be the rock on which the church would be built. Or Moses? God talked to him face to face. Abraham? He was chosen to be the father of nations. David? A man after God’s own heart. Mary? The angel actually says she is highly favored. I mean she bore and birthed the Messiah. God chose her for that. Or the martyrs? Or Billy Graham? Bill Gaither? How could God love me as much as these folks…to just name a few.

But he does. God loves you. So much so that he sent a part of himself to die on a cross so that you could spend eternity with him. How much more proof do you need? We are all his favorite.

Check out the show notes for this week and past episodes at our website Nothin' But Fine.

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