Don't Season Your Hopes Yet!
Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 7:00AM MAD21 By Pat
It was over. Jesus was crucified. Dead. It was witnessed by many, so it couldn't be denied. Their lord, their hope, was gone. What a sad day it was for those who loved Jesus. His body was removed from the cross on which it hung, and it was given to Joseph of Arimathea so that it could be put in it's final resting place. The tomb. And in accordance with Jewish custom, Joseph and Nicodemus proceeded to wrap, along with myrrh and aloe, with burial linens. This was a form of preparing the body for burial, a "seasoning" ritual. They then placed the body of their beloved Lord in the tomb, where he would stay forever. Or so they thought...
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus and Salome went to the tomb with more spices and perfume to anoint Jesus' body. It was over and it was final. Or so they thought...
You see, all these faithful friends, followers and loved ones of Jesus figured Pontius Pilate had the last word on the death of Jesus. They didn't realize, couldn't see that the last word did not belong to Pilate; it belonged to God. Jesus wasn't dead at all! He was alive, raised from the dead. A miracle had occurred! Death could not keep our Lord in the tomb, because God had other plans for Him.
We're very much like Mary, Joseph, Nicodemus and the others, aren't we? We rely on what we can see, the facts as WE see them. How quick we are to bury our hopes, dreams, aspirations, because to us, they appear dead. It seems as though what we hope for cannot be attained, so like Jesus' followers, we "season" them, bury them, and forget them.
I can't help but wonder how often we give up on our dreams and bury them before God is done working with us. We forget that our God is a God of the impossible, a God of fulfilled dreams. A God of miracles! So don't lose hope. Don't lose faith. It's sometimes when things appear bleakest, when all hope seems gone, that the most wonderful miracles happen, if we just trust God. Trust Him! Jesus lives!
Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.
Reader Comments (2)
I like how you repeated, "Or so they thought..." That really struck me. We limit God in our own thoughts because circumstances indicate as much, but when the time for resurrection comes our thoughts go out the window. This makes me want to examine where in my thoughts I'm limiting God and allow Him to touch those today.
I'm so glad the resurrection power that brought Jesus back to life is still working in us today!
Amen, Jason! And thank you.