Shelly A. Faust

I Can Imagine The Morning After Jesus Was Crucified

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Jesus, help us believe.

(Part 2 of a 3 part series. Click here to read Part 1.)

I can imagine the morning after Jesus was crucified.

His mother, eyes and face swollen from crying all night. His family. His friends. His disciples. All who followed and believed.

The air is heavy and it’s hard to breathe. Even the birds find it difficult to sing.

Is Jesus really gone?

The image of His agony, His bloody body, the things He endured. It’s too much. It’s too hard to grasp. But the nightmare is real and there is no escaping the grim reality of what happened yesterday. Jesus died.

HE DIED! What??

This is certainly not the outcome any of them expected. This is not the way it was supposed to end.

And this morning as grief presses down hard, I can imagine another battle is raging, too. I can imagine the doubt, the fear, the confusion, the questions.

To believe or not believe?

It all seems so impossible. Everything Jesus said feels impossible in this moment. But Jesus is the Son of God! He IS, right? Or is He? Why would God allow this to happen? How could the Son of God be murdered? Nothing makes sense this morning.

As I try to step inside the minds of those who loved Him most and what they were feeling on this day when all seems lost, there’s a strange and familiar parallel. On my darkest days when I feel separated from my Savior, when my own choices and selfishness remove me from His presence, when disappointment and grief grab hold of my heart, doubt and confusion skillfully weave their way into my thoughts and cause me to question everything.

Is Jesus really who He says He is? Can He do what He said He will do? Is God real? Is this possible?

The Pharisees remembered Jesus’ impossible declaration. They remembered He said after three days He would rise from the grave. They mocked and laughed at the craziness but just to be on the safe side they seal the stone to the entrance where He was taken. This way the disciples cannot steal the body and then claim Jesus has risen from the dead.

What will tomorrow hold? Today everything seems unsure and impossible but something happened yesterday. Something beneath the surface of what could be seen with the natural eyes. Those horrific hours of darkness and the earth quaking – what was that? It was as if the earth itself was mourning. And the veil of the temple ripped from top to bottom! Something definitely happened.

Something is still happening. The disciples feel it.

Uneasiness and anticipation sweep over the city and throughout the countryside.

How will anyone sleep tonight?

The third day is soon approaching….

(Luke 23:44-56)

Prayer:

Jesus, help us believe.

I’m sorry, Jesus.

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I'm sorry, Jesus. I close my eyes and I can see the trail left in the dirt. I can hear the shuffling of His feet.

Jesus, making his way to Calvary.

The crowd is angry, unrelenting, murderous even. Shouts of hatred fill the streets.

“Crucify Him!” they say. “Crucify Him!”

Jesus’ innocence had been confirmed by Pilate, the one who held the authority to release Him, as He questioned the crowd earlier that day.

“Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in Him no grounds for the death penalty.…” (Luke 23:22).

But they continued to insist Jesus be crucified and that his fellow cell mate, a murderer, be set free.

“…with loud shouts they insistently demanded that He be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.” (Luke 23:23).

As I meditated on this scene this morning, I began to take a deeper look at the crowd. They are irrational. Out-of-their-minds-crazy. Their demands to kill Jesus are filled with rage and fury. They’re mad. They’re emotional. They’re not thinking clearly. Their words and actions are intense and fueled by passion, anger and hatred.

What has really  brought them to this place?

What has made them so angry to not only push Jesus away but to want to kill Him?

What has happened to make them so hard and rigid and bitter?

What is the root of their anger?

It’s easy to condemn those who condemned Jesus that day, isn’t it? It’s easy to read these verses and think how dare they . . . how could they. . . I could never . . . ?

But how often have I rejected Jesus? How often have I been so angry and so mad that I pushed Him away? How often have I been so mad and so hurt and so emotional and so confused and so disappointed that I would’ve spit in His face or screamed at the top of my lungs or . . .

Wait, what?

I wonder if some of those in this crowd were disappointed and angry because they felt like Jesus didn’t do what He said He was going to do? There was much expectation that Jesus would set up an earthly kingdom when in fact His plans were for a spiritual kingdom.

I wonder if some of those in this crowd were insulted and offended at Jesus’ message of repentance? Blinded by self-righteousness and pride? Or perhaps they felt judged and misunderstood the reasoning behind His message? Maybe in their own selfishness they were confused and missed His extraordinary sacrifice of love and mercy and grace?

Or I wonder if life had been cruel to some of them? If maybe they had been abused or hurt or devastated by tragedy? Abandoned by family or mistreated by friends or maybe some had even been falsely accused themselves?

Because life can be cruel sometimes, can’t it?

And when faced with the harsh realities we sometimes face here in this imperfect world, we are also faced with a choice. A choice to harden our hearts and turn away from Jesus or a choice to open our hearts and surrender to Jesus.

Hurt and disappointment and even the invitation to deny our sinful, selfish habits can cause us to accept the love and mercy and grace of Jesus or to miss Jesus.

I don’t want to miss Jesus. Even in and especially in the midst of whatever in life might cause me pain and disappointment.

Because when I miss Jesus, I miss mercy. When I miss Jesus, I miss love in its purest form. I miss grace for the hard things. I miss forgiveness of my sins. I miss joy in the midst of sorry. I miss peace when my heart is anxious and in turmoil. I miss redemption. I miss healing. I miss provision. I miss eternity.

The crowd missed Jesus that day.

Jesus was falsely accused. Despised and rejected. Hung on a cross.

And the crazy thing?  He willingly died.

For the crowd.
For me.
For you.

He was mocked, ridiculed, abused, broken, wounded, pierced…

Crucified.

And yet He loved.

“It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit. When He had said this, He breathed His last.” (Luke 23:44-46).

Friends, the good news is the story doesn’t end here. Tomorrow is another day.

And Sunday? Yeah, Sunday’s coming.

Let’s not miss Jesus.

Prayer:

Jesus, I don’t want to miss you, even in – especially in – painful, hurtful, disappointing circumstances. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the times I was angry and bitter and pushed you away. I’m sorry for misunderstanding the purpose behind the things You’ve asked me to do or asked me to give up or asked me to walk away from. I’m sorry for misunderstanding You and the reason You died on the cross. I don’t want to be blinded by my own selfish desires, by anger, by emotion. I surrender my life to You. I choose to accept Your love, Your forgiveness, and Your grace today. I choose You, Jesus. Help me to understand and to trust You even when I don’t. Thank you for dying on the cross for ME. Thank you for loving me even when I didn’t love You. Amen.

The Power of Staying

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the-power-of

 

The room was cold and the contractions were strong. I was 19 and just minutes away from becoming a mother for the first time. In the middle of my pain and overwhelming anxiety, I remember saying, “I changed my mind. I don’t want to do this. I can’t do this.”

Because that’s what I sometimes do when things get uncomfortable.

And I was certainly uncomfortable.

It felt too hard and too scary so I was ready to walk away from it. Except there are some things you can’t walk away from, right? Ready or not, like it or not, I was on the brink of giving birth to a 9 lb 1 oz baby girl. There was no walking away and no turning back. I had to stay.

And through the staying, a miracle was born.

If only we could be forced into staying every time we were minutes away from our miracle. But most of the time, we don’t know how close we are. We feel the pain and discomfort and we walk away before our breakthrough.

But I’ve learned there is power in staying.

Staying makes room for miracles. It grows roots, confirms covenants, and changes generations.

David stayed in the battle even when Goliath advanced. God took what was in David’s hands and used it to defeat the great enemy that stood before him (1 Samuel 17). David’s staying secured complete victory for the Israelite army.

Paul and Silas stayed in prison even when the doors were opened. Their staying created opportunity for the jailer and his whole household to be saved (Acts 16:25-34).

Esther stayed in the palace, even when faced with the possibility of death. Her staying saved her people.

Nehemiah stayed on task and continued rebuilding the wall, even in the midst of opposition and intimidation. His staying restored the hope of a nation.

Sometimes God commands us to go.

But other times He asks us to stay.

No matter what He’s requiring of you today, He promises to be with you.

We don’t have to be moved by our emotions; we can be made stable by the Word.

We don’t have to follow our feelings; we can stand firm in our faith.

Is there some place God is asking you to dig in and stay?

Dear God, Thank you for promising to never leave us. We know we can trust that no matter what you ask or require of us, you will be right there with us. Open our ears so we can hear Your voice clearly. Soften our hearts and give us desire to obey. May we have the courage to stay when You say stay and go when You say go. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

“At the command of the Lord they remain encamped, and at the command of the Lord they journeyed . . ” Numbers 9:23

 

Swing Like No One is Watching

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“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)

Week after week I watch my boy strap on his helmet, grab his bat and walk trembling to the batter’s box. Each time the ball comes, he stands paralyzed, unable to move. Starting Little League baseball as a rookie 10-year-old can be quite intimidating, especially in a small Texas town where most of your teammates have been playing since birth.

But something about this night feels different . . .
(Please join me over at Proverbs 31 Ministries where I’m sharing part of my story today)

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