Jump Start # 1484

2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.”

  Thankful Thursday is over. Now it’s black Friday. Thoughts turn quickly to shopping, buying and gifts. That’s just the way our society moves these days. My wife were in a toy store earlier this week. I haven’t been in a toy store in years. Now with grandkids I’m back. It was amazing. My wife was looking at books for children. I left her there and was up and down every isle. I was standing in front of the Legos when the store manager asked if he could help me. I told him, “Yes. I want to be eight years old again.” I may have to go back and buy a few things just for me.

The greatest gift ever was given by God to us. It was His Son upon the cross. The world’s first black Friday had nothing to do with shopping. It had to do with the darkness of the sky around Jerusalem as Jesus surrendered and gave His life on that Friday afternoon a long time ago. His gift, that sacrifice, changed the eternal destiny of millions and millions of those who will bow their knees, surrender their hearts and obey the Gospel of Christ.

Have you ever thought about that Saturday after Jesus died? He died on Friday and was immediately buried before the Sabbath would have begun. That Saturday, the disciples would have gone through their Sabbath routine. It was a time for prayers, reflection and reading of Scriptures. But this Sabbath was different. For the past three years Jesus had always been with them. They had seen Jesus heal on the Sabbath. They had seen the Jewish hierarchy angry with Jesus for what He was doing on the Sabbath. They had heard the words of Jesus. He had been the calm one as they moved through the stormy attitudes that so many held. For three years, they followed Jesus. Village after village. For three years, there had been so many people. There had been so many amazing miracles. These disciples had seen them. Calming the sea. Walking on Water. Feeding the multitudes. Raising the dead. The blind received their sight. Cripples walked. So much in such a short, short time. Also, there was all the amazing teachings. The sermon on the mount. The kingdom parables. The lessons about authority. The encounters with trick questions that were intended to trap Jesus. The warnings about Pharisees. The lessons about the coming judgment. They had learned so much. Jesus took them to Samaria. So many people. So many places. All in three years. It was packed with activity and amazement.

But on that particular Saturday, Jesus was in the tomb. He was dead. How empty and lost they must have felt. Was it over? What do we do now? The Holy Spirit had not descended upon them yet. So their memories may have been fuzzy about some of the details. How they must have just sat around and reflected. Jesus wasn’t with them anymore.

It’s not exactly the same, but some know what it is like to go through that first Thanksgiving after the death of a parent or spouse. That empty chair is a constant reminder of someone who is missing. The dark cloud doesn’t go away very quickly. For those disciples, it was Jesus who was missing.

That long, long Saturday, finally turned into Sunday morning. Several women went to the tomb while it was still dark. They wanted to further purify the body of Jesus. He had been buried so quickly, that more detail needed to be given. But as they reached the tomb, it was opened. They were shocked. Angels spoke to them. Then the Lord was there. “Go tell Peter.” These astonished women run back to the city and tell the disciples. They don’t believe it. Peter and another, run to the tomb to see for themselves. The blackness of Saturday has turned into the bright hope of Sunday. Later, they would see Jesus. More conversations. More hope. The dots are all connected. They finally start getting what this was all about. The faith and the courage of those disciples swelled in time. They became the courageous preachers of the Gospel of Christ.

There is a parallel between what the disciples went through and you and I go through. Our world is that Saturday. We are awaiting the hope that our resurrection and Heaven will bring to us. We long to be with the Savior. But for now, we must live with faith and trust in the Lord. How do we know what to do? We have the words of Jesus. We trust. We believe. We hope.

God’s gift to you is the salvation of your soul. That is the one gift that only God can give. That is the one gift that no one else can give. That is the one gift that will change today and tomorrow.

The joy of salvation gets us through the dark times we journey through. God has not given up on us. God has not turned His back on us. God has not left us to our selves. God sent Jesus. Everything will be fine. Thanks be to God!

Thanks be to God!

Roger