“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 what […]

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 […]

“The governor answered and said to them, ‘Which of the two do you want me to release to you?’ They said, ‘Barabbas!’ Pilate said to them, ‘What then’.” This is one of my favorite Easter devotions, so important that I wanted to share it with you weeks before Good Friday so you can think about it and its importance for Easter. The story below is why we can describe that fateful Friday as Good Friday. In Jesus’ time, the Romans had a long-standing tradition at Passover of releasing […]

“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait til the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts.” (I Corinthians 4:5) I heard a testimony from a lady in my church. She confessed to having a nervous breakdown and was so stressed out that she couldn’t remember her own name. Ultimately, it was her faith that brought her through. “I may not have known my name,” she exclaimed, “but Jesus did.” I thought about her story […]