[EastValleyChoraleMaillist] Easter Reflections--- a Scripture Easter Card

[Bruce Cochran]

A 'Scripture' Easter Card

Happy Easter!


>From Bruce and Kathy

-------------------------------------------------------

Easter Reflections

Early Prophesies relating to a Messiah:

Psalm 22  (written 1000 BC)
 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
       Why are you so far from saving me,
       so far from the words of my groaning?
 16 Dogs have surrounded me;
       a band of evil men has encircled me,
       they have pierced my hands and my feet.
 18 They divide my garments among them
       and cast lots for my clothing.

Isaiah 53 (written 681 BC)
 1 Who has believed our message
       and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
       and like a root out of dry ground.
       He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
       nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
 3 He was despised and rejected by men,
       a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
       Like one from whom men hide their faces
       he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
 4 Surely he took up our infirmities
       and carried our sorrows,
       yet we considered him stricken by God,
       smitten by him, and afflicted.
 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
       he was crushed for our iniquities;
       the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
       and by his wounds we are healed.
 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
       each of us has turned to his own way;
       and the LORD has laid on him
       the iniquity of us all.
 7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
       yet he did not open his mouth;
       he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
       and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
       so he did not open his mouth.


His Life..What Jesus did and said:

After Jesus had brought the widow's dead son back to life (Luke 7).

16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has
appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." 17 This
news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
Jesus and John the Baptist
 18 John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them,
19 he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or
should we expect someone else?"
 20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, "John the Baptist sent us to you
to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?'
"
 21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil
spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the
messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The
blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the
deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

Jesus Teaches Nicodemus (John 3)

 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the
Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know
you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the
miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
 3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the
kingdom of God unless he is born again."

Jesus went on to say to Nicodemus:

 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God
did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the
world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever
does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the
name of God's one and only Son."

Jesus Comforts the Sisters when Lazarus died

John 11:17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the
tomb for four days. 18 Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,
19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of
their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to
meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
 21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would
not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you
ask."
 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
 24 Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the
last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who
believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and
believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
 27 "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son
of God, who was to come into the world."

His Death..How it occurred:

Jesus Before Pilate (Mark 15)
 1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the
teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound
Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
 2 "Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate.
      "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
 3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked
him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you
of."
 5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.
..
 12 "What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?"
Pilate asked them.
 13 "Crucify him!" they shouted.
.
 15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had
Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus
 16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium)
and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe
on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And
they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" 19 Again and again
they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their
knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took
off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to
crucify him.

The Crucifixion
 21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was
passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the
cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The
Place of the Skull). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he
did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they
cast lots to see what each would get.
.
29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and
saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three
days,
30 come down from the cross and save yourself!"


The Death of Jesus
 33 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth
hour.
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, words which meant,
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

The Burial of Jesus
 42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as
evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the
Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to
Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. (fulfilled Is. 53:9.'rich man's tomb')

46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the
linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone
against the entrance of the tomb.

His Resurrection (Mark 16)

 1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and
Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2 Very
early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their
way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away
from the entrance of the tomb?"
 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large,
had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man
dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
 6 "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who
was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid
him.
7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into
Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "
Paul speaking about the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15)
 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried,
that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that
he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to
more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are
still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one
abnormally born.
------
A footnote concerning these witnesses who saw Jesus after his resurrection:
Most of them died for being followers of Christ. 
People occasionally die for a strong conviction, but rarely die for
falsehoods. 

Would you die for something you knew was a lie?

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