Category: News (Page 29 of 102)

Evil is often louder than good. We see it in the news. We see it in our lives. Criticism lingers even as compliments fade.

The evil around Jesus at the crucifixion was deafening. Mocking and ridicule by the religious leaders, by the executing soldiers, and by guilty criminals next to Jesus rand throughout the hilltop. And Jesus, the innocent One, the recipient of it all. Not only that, His own Father had forsaken Him for a time.

But then there is a voice of hope from a strange place. A voice of confession. A voice of longing. A voice of belief. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And this lone voice from a self-proclaimed sinner elicits a response from the One who had been experiencing only evil before now: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Today! You and Me! In paradise!

When all the world lifts their voice in a cacophony of evil and pain, remember those words for you: through faith in Jesus, His salvation is realy for you today and paradise awaits for eternity!

Let those words of truth and hope echo louder than any evil in your lives; for they are the ones that matter! They are the ones that will last! They are the ones for you; today and tomorrow and forever!

Scriptures

• Luke 23:26-43

The world around us is a complicated place that can be hard to figure out. Life sometimes sends us a fair bit of pain and suffering. It’s not hard to spot cruelty and injustice, pain and confusion, all around us. Much of the time, it’s probably best for us to say two things.

The first is this: “I don’t really understand how this is all fitting together, but I am here with you as we go through it.”

The other thing that we say and that we believe is: Our God is still at work, and he knows how to take the evil and use it for good.

It’s not a blind faith. The proof of it, simply put, is Jesus.

God worked good from evil for us and all people, through Jesus our King, our living, reigning King through His suffering, trial, death, and resurrection.

And God still does that today, for the people of the King.

Praise the Lord that, even though evil still hurts and affects us, it doesn’t overcome us.

It is a conquered enemy for our eternal future in paradise!

~ The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Gibbs, edited by The Rev. Scott Heitshusen

Scriptures

• Luke 23:1-25
• Acts 4:23-28

Jesus now stands before the religious leaders for a “trial.”

Sure it’s really a mockery of one, but even the leaders know they need to go through the paces to get things taken care of. If a mockery of justice will do it, so be it!

In fact, since it is a mockery, mocking this Jesus is given the green light. The guards, even before the trial begins beat and mock. When in the trial, the leaders ask questions with no intention of listening to the answers; so they can ask in mockery. “Are You the Son of God, then?” They weren’t really asking. They weren’t interested in any response Jesus was going to give; so long as they could turn it around and get to the conviction they had already decided to impose.

Jesus knows this and isn’t interested in helping them in this mockery. But He does say something interesting here: “From now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”

This time of evil and darkness will be over soon, true; but is there more to this? Is He giving them the ammunition they need to get it over with; to get the Plan moving forward?

Perhaps.

Or maybe He was also giving them an out: a reminder of who He is and a chance to crawl out of their willful, blind ignorance and into the Light; into Him?

Perhaps some of both.

But we mustn’t fall into the trap of thinking that we would act differently than these soldiers and leaders. We would act godly! We would stand up for righteousness and the Righteous One!

These people likely felt they were fulfilling ‘justice’ – maybe just more efficiently.

This man was guilty; anyone could see it! They were doing their job; their godly job!

They were blind-fully ignorant!

But we are blessed now because the Holy Spirit has given us sight into His Will and cured our ignorance of His Plan! We are called to act, no longer in the blind ignorance of unbelief, but in the gracious way of salvation through Jesus!

The Holy Spirit has removed our blinders and lets us see Jesus, the Son of Man, seated at the right hand of the power of God!

All by His grace. All by His mercy. All by His spirit.

There but for the grace and Spirit of God would we go!

“Thank You, Lord Jesus, for enduring mockery for our sake and for the Holy Spirit who has removed our blind ignorance in Faith!”

Scriptures

• Luke 22:63—23:1