Journey to Easter with the Women of the Resurrection
by Sharon W. Betters
Today’s Treasure
The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,“Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”
John 12:12-19
We will celebrate Easter in very different ways than in the past. How will God use these stretching times to draw us closer to Him as well as help us appreciate so many things we take for granted. Pastors across the world are using technology to preach God’s Word and keep their congregations connected and cared for. As much as we all are grateful for this platform, how we long to gather with our covenant families, to raise our voices in worship to our Living God. I will never take corporate worship for granted again. Will you?
Today we will join the crowds who followed Jesus, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” Those who saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead excitedly shared with anyone who would listen to what they had observed. The more people heard about this “King of Israel” the more they wanted to be close to Him for they did not want to miss any miracle the rabbi performed. But as we know, all was not well on that fateful day. The Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.” John 12:19
I have no doubt the same women who followed Jesus to the Cross five days later were in this jubilant crowd, shouting Hosanna and laying down palms as a pathway for Jesus. Within a few days their hosannas would turn into wails.
How quickly happy days can explode into fearsome moments. A few weeks ago we all went about our daily lives with no thought of a pandemic. Though life was challenging and for some of us, filled with fear of the unknown on a personal level, most people meandered through life, grabbing a cup of their favorite coffee from their favorite shop, browsing through stores, filling gas tanks with no thought of who touched the pumps before them. We bought groceries without planning meals beyond a few days trusting needed ingredients would be available. We walked through grocery stores whose shelves overflowed with every product we needed – including toilet paper, Lysol, and anti-bacterial hand soap. We met friends, attended special events, rubbed shoulders with strangers. Danger was not on our radar screen. How quickly our whole world changed. Now we are social distancing, stocking up on groceries per our government’s urging, trying to keep from being bored, housebound children engaged, learning how to live 24/7 with a spouse you might not like very much! Domestic abuse is on the rise and women are trapped with husbands who display no genuine love but are using the pandemic to isolate them even more. We are muddling through the shock of turned upside down lives and trying to find the treasures. The women of Easter faced similar turmoil in their personal lives. Some of them were trapped in isolation, filled with fear, unable to change their circumstances. Then Jesus. This is a time where we, too, can experience the touch of Jesus in a new way that equips and enables us to walk by faith on this journey.
Over the next two weeks, we will visit with the woman caught in adultery and then with the women named in the Gospels as standing at the cross and then the tomb. Then we will spend a few days reveling in the resurrection power that we experience at salvation and can experience every day of our lives. I hope each woman’s story moves you to love Jesus more and recognize the same tenderness He offered to them is ours as well.
Treasured by Him,
Sharon
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
As we continue to journey to Easter, take some time to camp out in John 12. Walk with Jesus as He prepares to die on the Cross for each of His children. Keep your journal close by and note passages that jump out at you. If you don’t know where to start, watch for poignant moments where you get a new understanding of Jesus’ love by the way He interacts with His disciples, including the women.
Sharon W. Betters is author of Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness and co-author of Treasures of Faith. She is Director of Resource Development and co-founder of MARKINC.org, a non-profit organization that offers help and hope to hurting people. Sharon enjoys quality time with her husband, children, fourteen grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
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Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.