It
fascinates me to take a look at the events we find in the Bible and to learn
from the players. Easter is one of those
great places in time that gives us a look into the lives that Jesus
touched.
For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who
are lost.
Jesus
met people where they were to help them go where He was going. And Jesus is still doing the same thing, but
now He uses you and me to spread the truth, to share His love and to shout the
good news.
Here
are some of the players from Easter that we might not think about very often:
Malchus arrived on the scene in John 18:10. He was one of the men who came to arrest
Jesus, but Peter in his zealous, passionate expression of commitment to Jesus
picked up his sword and cut off Malchus’ ear.
What wasn’t expected was the fact of Luke 22:51 where Jesus healed and completely
restored Malchus’ ear. We don’t know
what happened to Malchus’ after this, but I believe His life must have been
changed after his encounter with Jesus.
Pilate’s wife sent a message to her husband as he was the judge
when Jesus was being accused. Find this
in Matthew 27:19. This may have been
common for their relationship, but in the culture of their day women were to be
quiet and say almost nothing. This verse
says that she was troubled the night before about Jesus. I wonder what she believed or knew about
Jesus? Her life must have been changed.
The Roman officer overseeing Jesus’
crucifixion made a statement we see in Luke 23:47. He declared that Jesus was innocent and even
the Son of God. This man has been
portrayed in movies and in stories of Easter for years, but what was it that
changed his mind about Jesus? Maybe it
was the things that Jesus did while on the cross. Maybe it was the people standing around the
cross who agonized about the situation.
This man must have influenced many others.
John is Jesus’ half brother, and in John 19:26-27 Jesus points
his brother to his mother to care for each other. We know much about John as he shows up in the
story of our Savior and His life from beginning to end. What we don’t know much about is their family
relationship. Families were tight in
that culture much like they are in south, and what Jesus said spoke
volumes. God intends for us to care for
one another especially in the most difficult of times. John was an important part of Jesus’ family.
Malchus,
Pilate’s wife, the Roman officer and John are only four players in the Easter
story, but each teaches us valuable lessons about Jesus. Jesus was a liar, a lunatic or the Lord. People have to decide for themselves. By looking on the Easter story we are taught
much. Getting involved in the story
might just change our lives.
Who
can I interact with this Easter that might be changed by the grace of God? You are a player in the Easter story
too. No, we were not at the cross or at
the tomb that is empty. But we’ve been
changed by the truth of Easter. By our
conversations with people or our inviting others to church, we might just help
someone else be changed by God and become a player in the Easter story
personally. That is my prayer!
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