“Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) We all know it as the shortest verse in the Bible. But it is long on what it tells about the character of Jesus both as the Son of Man and as the Son of God. The setting is in a small town, Bethany, located just two miles east of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, or anywhere near it, was not the safest of places for Jesus to show up. Word about his miracle-working power was spreading through the region like wildfire. The Pharisees were threatened by […]

“After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.” (John 19:38) In spite of his role in the crucifixion story, we don’t know much about Joseph of Arimathea. The Bible has very little to say about him. But what it does record is a story of a miraculous transformation. We do know that he was […]

“See my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.” (Isaiah 52:13) Michelangelo once turned to a fellow artist and said with frustration in his voice, “Why do you keep filling gallery after gallery with endless pictures on the one theme of Christ in weakness, Christ on the cross, and most of all, Christ hanging dead?” he asked. “Why do you concentrate on the passing episode as if it were the last work, as if the curtain dropped down there on disaster […]

“Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews.” (John 19:19) Courts have long acknowledged that there is no greater truth than the last words of a dying man. They are rarely second-guessed by judges or juries. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, it took nearly six hours for him to die. During that time, he made seven statements. I find it interesting that the number seven in the Bible is associated with […]