· There was great celebration as Jesus entered into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. The crowd responded with praises and shouts of joy (Luke 19:37).
· Jesus wept over Jerusalem for stubbornly rejecting Him (Luke 19:41).
· At the temple, He was filled with indignant, driving out those money makers (Luke 19:45,46).
· There were feeling of comparison and jealousy among the disciples (Luke 22:24) even as Jesus approached death.
· Jesus was sober and troubled in spirit at the thought of His betrayal (John 13:21).
· At the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was in much anguish and sorrow as the disciples fell into deep sleep (Luke 22:39-45).
· His trial, judgment and crucifixion brought him tremendous pain and agony both physically and spiritually.
· His resurrection brought a mixture of feelings to His followers: bewilderment, confusion, unbelief, doubt, and unspeakable joy.
Ultimately, all emotions would culminate with great joy in the presence of God when we entered into His eternal Kingdom! This is possible only because of the resurrection of Jesus. Good Friday without Resurrection would not be good. It would have been a “Black” Friday. On the other hand, if it is not because of Good Friday, there would be no miracle of the Resurrection. Life would be meaningless and sorrowful.
In a short span of three months, we have conducted four funerals. No pastor enjoys conducting funerals yet it was in time like this where real pastoral ministry takes place. In every funeral there is bound to be the feeling of loss and sorrow. At the same time, the thought of resurrection brought us hope, peace and assurance. The empty tomb points us to heaven and helps to dry our tears and comfort our hearts.
The Cross is both the symbol of death and life, a place where love and justice meets. The Cross brings sorrow and at the same time releases peace. The cross satisfies God’s requirement and meets man’s need. But we must look beyond the cross and look now at the empty tomb. The empty tomb begins where the cross ends. The empty tomb brought confusion and joy at the same time. It challenged the critics and convinced the faithful (John 20:8). Above all, the empty tomb mocked Satan and spelled VICTORY!
At the foot of the cross, the disciples wept and the devil rejoiced.
At the empty tomb, the devil screamed and the disciples rejoiced!
At the foot of the cross, the disciples were devastated, Satan was elated.
At the empty tomb, Satan was devastated, the disciples were elated!
Hallelujah! What a GOOD feeling!! |
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