“Who will roll the stone away ?”

 Three women  who loved Jesus  were waiting for the dawn on the third day after the crucifixion of  Jesus. He was crucified and gave up His life on a Friday afternoon.The next day was sabbath and they should not do anything on that day. Next day, early in the morning they started for the tomb where the dead body of Jesus was placed. They were loving women, very brave and very prudent and careful. On Friday they were careful to see  and fix the place where He was being buried. Next day they did not want to break the law of the Sabbath. Very early on Sunday morning  they were walking towards  the tomb carrying precious spices  to anoint Jesus’ body. They had seen Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus embalming the body of Jesus with a large amount of spices. We read in  John 19, ³⁸ Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. ³⁹ He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.^{[e] 40} Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.  The women  too wished to do their part to the body of  their beloved Jesus.  Mark 16.1,2 ..  When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. ² Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb .
They were not thinking of the Roman soldiers who were on guard of the tomb. Their only concern was
“Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
Their hearts were filled with the love for Jesus and they wanted to do what their hearts urged them to do for Jesus. They were so much worried that their efforts of preparing the spices and walking towards the tomb garden may be wasted because of the great barrier which was the big stone in the mouth of the tomb. Without rolling the stone they would not have access to the body of their love. They did not stay at their homes thinking of this barrier. They did their part. They did not bring any help with them because they knew if they ask for help they would be hindered from doing what they desired to do. They just walked along  trusting in the Lord Who created the heavens and  the earth to send some help.
When they came to the tomb, a miracle had already happened. There was a reply to their question
“Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” .
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled. But their mission was not accomplished.  There was no body to apply their spices.
He had risen! He was not there in the tomb. 
They expected to see the dead body of Jesus to mourn over inside the tomb. Instead they met an angel who proclaimed the wonderful news that He was risen from the dead and outside the tomb Jesus Himself appeared to them in His resurrected body and honored their love for Him.They clasped His feet and worshiped Him. Instead of embalming a dead body they worshiped a living Jesus.
There may arise situations in our lives and we may wonder who will remove this great barrier  from us.
Do not be afraid. Jesus is risen. He is the one who removes the barriers from our lives. The only thing we have to do is just love Him and show our love to Him. If we love Him we shall obey His commandments and loving our Lord God with our whole strength, whole heart and whole mind and whole spirit and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves is showing our love for Jesus. We can obey His commandments only when we know what they are. Read the four gospels from the Bible and make a list of what all Jesus had asked His followers to do. Then diligently try to do what He has asked us to do. Let us forget  everything else. The power of God which raised Jesus from the dead , which rolled away the great stone in the mouth of the tomb will surely roll away the great barriers in front of you.
Mica2.13
One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, the LORD at their head.
Job 42.2
   I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.


Wish you all  very happy Easter...........April  24 Sunday 2011.

The seven sayings of Jesus hanging on the cross.

1. Father forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).
2. Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).
3. Woman, behold your son: behold your mother (John 19:26-27).
4. My God, My God, why have you forsaken me, (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34).
5. I thirst (John 19:28).
6. It is finished (John 19:30).
7. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46).

During every Good Friday service in the churches it is customary to remember the sayings of Jesus  which He uttered while He was hanging on the cross.
We see that, of these seven sayings Luke records three, Mathew and Mark repeat one, and three were recorded by the only disciple who was the eye witness of Jesus on the cross. Luke in his extensive research to write the gospel would have gathered the facts from eye witnesses  and would have left out what others had already recorded.  Mathew and Mark might have collected the facts  from the women and the other people who were standing near the cross. We do not know the reason why John, the beloved disciple, who was the only one of the twelve to stand near the cross did not record all the seven sayings.It may be due to his unique way of recording the events. 

1. Father forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).

 The very essence of the crucifixion of Jesus is forgiveness. He had said that He had authority to forgive sins. But here the sin of crucifying Jesus should be forgiven only by the Father and Jesus pleads for this forgiveness. He pleads not only for the people of His time who were responsible for the crucifixion but also for every human being including you and me since he offered himself as the atoning sacrifice for every one of us.  We are all responsible for His cross. We do not know what we do. We do not know the magnitude or the seriousness of our sinful deeds and the consequences. Whatever Jesus asks of His Father is granted .Thus our forgiveness is also granted by God the Father if only we accept that Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb.


2.    Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).

There were two criminals crucified on either side of Jesus. The same chance was given to both of them to recognize Jesus as king of an eternal kingdom. One person ridicules Him and the other  pleads  to be remembered in His kingdom. He was assured of the blissful rest in paradise.The kingdom  of God is among us even now. May be even in your last minute you can plead for entry into the kingdom and get it. But how will you know your last minute, will you be conscious, will you have the right mind, will you be able to pray when fear and pain engulfs you?
Accept Jesus as your king now itself and lead a life worthy of your king so that you will get the reward of a faithful servant who is true to his master. Truly He says if you pray to Him to be remembered in His kingdom, today you shall be with Him and lead a blissful life with Him. 

3.Woman, behold your son: behold your mother (John 19:26-27).

Jesus was concerned about His mother. His brothers and sisters were not there beside the cross. His father  Joseph was not mentioned. May be he was dead. Jesus was the eldest son and it was his responsibility to care for His mother. He knew that His beloved disciple was the only person who will care for His mother as He would have. The agony of Jesus was great since His mother was seeing His suffering.  A sword was going through Mary,  a mother watching her son  dying a terrible slow death. Can you imagine that? Both His mother and His beloved disciple needed someone to love and to be loved . Jesus took care of this need by offering His mother as the mother of the disciple to be taken care of while she is alive. Jesus knows our needs and He provides.

4.  My God, My God, why have you forsaken me, (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34).


Jesus was 100% human and His suffering, pain and agony were so great that he cries out in agony.He once said that He and The Father are one. But for a tiny second Father had to hide His face seeing the sins of all the people of the world on Jesus. Jesus was abandoned by the Father so that you might not be.
For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.  For us all , He tasted this abandonment from the Father, so that His deep compassion will be available to us all.

5,  I thirst (John 19:28).


His blood and His sweat are tickling out of His body and he had the natural thirst.  He was humble enough to accept the drink provided by one of the very men who crucified Him. He is the river of life  and the creator of all the water sources and he was thirsty  because of you and me.
John notes that Jesus said “I am thirsty,” not only as a statement of physical reality, but also in order to fulfill the Scripture Psalm 69. Jesus calls out,  
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”   John 7.37

6.  It is finished (John 19:30).

The purpose of His coming  is finished.  He has fulfilled the plan of God for the salvation of the mankind.
There is nothing more to be done.It is a cry of victory. Jesus had accomplished his mission. He had announced and inaugurated the kingdom of God. He had revealed the love and grace of God. And he had embodied that love and grace by dying for the sin of the world, thus opening up the way for all to live under the reign of God.

7.   Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46).

 
Jesus surrenders His Spirit into the hands of Father. He was reunited to God the Father.
 What a privilege it will be  when we take our last breath in this life we are conscious enough to say

 Father, into your hands I commit my spirit

 Prayer 
Our dear Heavenly Father, we praise you and give thanks unto you for allowing your only begotten son to die for us on the cross with so much agony and pain and suffering and humility and ridicule so that  the gates of  your  Kingdom  are opened to us.
Father,  forgive us our trespasses and all our sins.
Jesus, remember us in your kingdom
Thank you Jesus for giving us relationships to love and to be loved.
Thank you Father for abandoning your precious Son for a moment so that you can accept us eternally.
Jesus, let us come to you with a thirsty and believing heart so that rivers of living water may flow from our heart. Thank you Lord for this promise of rivers of living water.
Thank you Jesus for finishing the work of our salvation according to the plan of Father.
Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit.
We pray in the name of our loving Jesus........amen