Pastor Prince

What does Jesus' resurrection mean for us?  Matthew 28:1-10, along with the other gospel accounts, tell us the story of how Mary Magdalene and others went to Jesus' tomb early on the first day of the week.  Though the accounts have differences with each other, they agree in the most important facts: Jesus rose from the dead and gave convincing proofs to his followers that God had resurrected him. That's a great story, but what does it mean?  First, that we can have eternal bodies and live forever in God's kingdom through faith in Christ.  The scriptures teach that at the end of the world, God will raise the dead and begin his eternal kingdom on earth.  In 1 Corinthians 15:20-24, the apostle Paul wrote that the resurrection of the dead at the end of the world began with Jesus' resurrection.  Jesus was the "first fruit" of a great harvest of life at the end of the world.  Because he was raised, we can be raised through faith in him. Yet Jesus&

The gospel accounts tell us that Jesus suffered in his crucifixion.  But they don't go into the details of that suffering.  The hard to watch Mel Gibson film "The Passion of the Christ" is probably accurate in its depiction of Roman flogging and crucifixion.  It goes into graphic detail about that suffering.  But the gospel accounts don't.  Why? There are at least a couple of possibilities.  One is that the suffering of crucifixion victims were so well known at the time, they didn't have to.  Everyone had seen crucifixions, so they knew how horrible they were.  Another is that the gospel writers want us to know that Jesus suffered, but their higher aim is for us to know the meaning of his suffering. This is particularly evident in Matthew's description of Jesus' crucifixion (27:45-56).  Matthew wants us to focus on who was being crucified, and what his crucifixion meant. The context shows us that who was being crucified was God'

"Which Jesus do you want?"  That's the key question in Matthew's account of Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate (27:11-26).  Pilate quickly figured out that Jesus was no threat to the Roman government.  He had committed no crime worthy of death.  But the governor came under intense pressure to convict Jesus.  If he handed Jesus over to die, he would be responsible for a gross injustice.  If he let Jesus go, he would draw the ire of Jewish leaders, endangering his career. As he wrestled with what to do, he remembered that his government had the custom of releasing a Jewish prisoner during the Passover feast.  He reached down into the depths of the prison and brought out Barabbas.  Matthew says that Barabbas was a notorious prisoner.  Mark (15:7) says that he was an insurrectionist against Rome who committed murder in an uprising.  He was an ancient terrorist, who tried to accomplish political and religious ends by violent means. Pilate presented the two

We perceive the world through our physical senses: sight, smell, sound, and touch.  Science tells us that things exist beyond the range of our senses, and scientists develop means of observing them.  Telescopes enable us to see faraway stars, and microscopes help us see cells.   The scriptures teach that realities exist in the spiritual realm that are beyond our physical senses.  This is where God mostly operates.  Genesis 28:10-22 records an incident in which the Lord drew back the curtain and let Jacob see spiritual realities. Jacob was in a dicey time. He had to leave his home because his brother Esau wanted to kill him.  He was traveling to Haran to live with relatives he had never met.  He was alone and vulnerable. Early in his journey to Haran, while he was still in Canaan, he stopped for the night at a certain spot and slept.  While he slept, God revealed to him what he was doing through a dream.  The King James Version of the Bible says he saw a ladder.  The wo

Genesis 12:1ff says that a man named Abram was minding his own business, when out of the blue the Lord said to him, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you."  Abram was 75 years old at the time.  That may not be as old as we think, because he would live 100 more years!   Knowing it would be bold and risky for Abram to move, God promised that if he went to this land, which turned out to be Canaan, he would bless him with land, descendants, and fame.  On top of these things, he would bless the world through him.   Abram packed up all he had, gathered his family, and moved to Canaan.  There, he lived in tents.  He was semi-nomadic, settling in different places as he pastured his herds and flocks.  Abram prospered in Canaan, but became anxious.  Many years had passed since he left his homeland, and he still had no son.  God hadn't yet fulfilled his most important promise. The Lord knew of Abram's