The Hidden Act Of God.

The silence lasted through Saturday, the Jewish day of rest. Citizens of the town woke on Sunday to the belief that nothing had happened. Jesus was dead; he had not saved himself from the execution. He had died in full sight of a jeering mob, disillusioned and disappointed about his claims to deity. God had neither saved his Son nor destroyed the city that killed him.

When God did act, He acted so quietly that the city remained unaware of it. True the soldiers that guarded the now-empty tomb came to the Chief Priest with the story about the grave breaking open, Jesus rising from it, and an angel guarding the tomb. They were given money to keep quiet. The women who had gone to the grave to embalm the body of Jesus were the first to be amazed, so amazed that they hurried away in something like fright and dared to tell no one except the disciples. They were not believed.

You would have expected that when Jesus was re-united with his disciples, there would have been an explosion of wonder joy and vindication. There wasn't. Jesus reproached his disciples because they had been slow to believe that he would rise from the dead. The disciples seemed to need time to grasp what had happened.

The great event that affected everyone born before that time and everyone born afterwards, happened so quietly that only the followers of Jesus knew about it. God did not offer the citizens of Jerusalem a mighty firework show before he opened the tomb. Jesus did not ride through the streets in a victory parade; neither did he display himself to the unbelieving crowds. There was nothing to convince the public of his resurrection except the words of the disciples who had seen him. Pilate was not struck dead by God, neither was he given compelling evidence of his mistake. He continued to live; hoping that Jesus was neither the King of Heaven nor the Son of God, and fearing that perhaps he was.

Jesus, before his death, had taught that death was due to the power of evil which was presently ruling the world. He had taught that he would overcome the evil and break the power of death. Again and again he had said that whoever believed his claims would receive eternal life from the moment of his belief. He said that the reason for his coming was to give people a life that continued after death.

When did the disciples feel that different quality of life-indestructible flowing in their souls? For some, like Peter, it was instantaneous. For others, like Thomas, it took some thinking about, but it happened to all of them. Jesus had said that if anyone believed in him, that person would become a new creation. It happened; they were the same people, but different. From sitting behind locked doors fearing arrest they changed to public speakers explaining Jesus.

There had been no firework display when God gave Jesus life. Only his believers saw him. But there would be evidence. There would be signs. Jesus would live again in Heaven and live again in the lives of everyone who believed in him enough to obey his words. Those people would break the power of evil that kills, they would heal the sicknesses that hounded people to death, they would speak to the grieving and the fearful and joy would erupt in their lives. Wherever people trusted and obeyed they would be stronger than the forces of evil and darkness. Why? Because Jesus had conquered the world. He had not evaded obedience to God because of the pressure of life in this world. He had not been forced into disobedience by fear of people in the world. He had not loved what the world offered more than he had loved obedience to God. He had conquered all those things, and finally he had conquered the world, by dying rather than disobey God.

What about his followers? They would become strong like him, because they had clarity of vision. Jesus said he had seen God and come from God, he told his followers that if they had seen him they had seen God. Jesus said that his victory was their victory and that he would live in them and they too, would conquer the powers and temptations of the world.

There are many people who call themselves Christians but you can sometimes observe what is the most important thing in their lives; the power of the world, or obedience to the will of God. When you can tell this, you can then distinguish between Christians who are allowing Jesus to live in them, and those Christians who are obstructing Jesus within them because they love the world more than God.

So This Is God?

(Matthew chapter 22 verses 45 to 56)

So this is God? This dying man; his hands made helpless, his body distorted, face almost unrecognisable. This is God?Fear and jealousy led the religious leaders to demand his death. Politics and expediency led the representative of the occupying army to agree to his death. Is it not a familiar story? To understand the dying God, look around you. Is not humanity also crucified? The suffering of the hungry, the daily fear of the oppressed, the desperation of the powerless. Every day the beauty and promise of humanity is destroyed by forces that we cannot control. This twisted writhing mass of fear, grief and agony, this is humanity. That dying man on the cross; his name is Emmanuel and it means God With Us. God the Three-In-One left the realms of Godhead and came to earth to identify with the suffering mass of humanity. Now Emmanuel, God-With-Us, is dying. God-the-Father does not intervene. Struggling to breath, Jesus calls out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? He had previously said that if he wished he could call on his Father and his Father would send seven legions of angels to rescue him. He does not call. He does not ask to be rescued. Like humans he asks questions of God, and like many humans the questions do not indicate a lack of faith in God. Like the faithful of all three monotheistic faiths he cries out 'Why?' but still trusts.
There is only one God, The venerable Muhammad knew this. He is not three gods but one God made known to us in three person activity.Jesus came from God-the-Father, divesting himself of the power and authority of heaven and sharing the birth and life of humans. Now God-the-Son is dead, and before the day is over God-the-Son is buried. Roman soldiers guard the tomb to prevent anyone stealing the body. Two women sit by the tomb. The earthquake and darkness have already happened, they happened while Jesus was dying. Now the night looks like any other night. God-the-Father waits.

Jesus condemns himself to death

Matthew chapter 26 verse 57-65
The group of soldiers, led by Judas who had showed them who to arrest, made their way through the dark streets to the house of Caiaphas the High Priest. The High Priest and the other priests believed it was better to execute Jesus than have the Romans come down and kill many of the citizens on some suspected uprising. Jesus had made statements that sounded like blasphemy and that was an offence that was punishable by death.
Apparently there were several people willing to say anything to please the court but they didn't seem to be credible, religious people like to do their sins religiously. At last they found two people who quoted Jesus on something that sounded more crazy than blasphemous.
The High Priest turned to Jesus himself and commanded him in the name of God to say if he was the Messiah, the Son of God.
Because they had been unable to make a good case in their own court, Jesus could have said something placating and escaped the death penalty. Instead he shocks them all by saying. "It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." Jesus has claimed to be the one who was given power and glory and a kingdom by God himself. He had quoted their highly venerated prophet Daniel who talks about the time when God establishes his own rule over the kingdoms on the earth. So horrible was it to suggest that Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth could be the Son of Man that the religious officials tore their clothes as a sign of that they abhorred the blasphemy.
So Jesus condemned himself. Still (and forever) human and divine this young man surely shrunk from the cruelty, ridicule and pain that would happen to him now. But he had done what he came to do, he had made himself known as the revelation of God, God made human, he had forewarned his judges that one day the Kingdom of God would be established, the kingdom that cannot be destroyed.
Today we are nervous about saying that Jesus is God made visible, it is so incredible. All people are willing to believe that Jesus was a good man and a wise teacher, we hesitate to upset them by reminding them of the claims Jesus himself made. Apparently what happens after Jesus dies is that people who believe in him preach to each other and to others the things that Jesus said about himself. Only a few people believe because it is so incredible. Then God, the Holy Spirit moves in the heart of people and suddenly they believe!
It's hard for ardent eager preaches like myself to preach something which is difficult for people to accept. It is hard to wait for God's time when God's spirit moves in their heart. Actually parts of being a Christian are very hard, the rest, well could you believe it? It is glorious now and glorious soon and God's glory forever. Christ has come, Christ has died, Christ will come again. .