4/4/2026
"Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them,
for they do not know what they do.'"
Luke 23:34
Jesus has been crucified, and His body has been carefully and lovingly taken from the cross, wrapped in a shroud, and placed in a borrowed tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea, a secret follower of Christ. The tomb was sealed by the Roman guards at the bidding of the religious leaders for fear, they said, someone would steal His body and say He had been resurrected. Since He died on the eve of Sabbath, the spices for His proper burial could not be prepared. So on this Sabbath day, the disciples waited. The women would make preparation at the end of Sabbath.
When the thief was beside Jesus on the cross, Jesus told him that he would be with Him in Paradise (Luke 23:43). So when Jesus died, He went to where Paradise was located, and He preached to those who had fallen asleep. There are many thoughts as to what Jesus meant by Paradise, but we do know it was not a place of suffering. Scriptures says that when Jesus cried out His final words "It is finished" and yielded up His Spirit that the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. There was an earthquake and rocks split, graves were open, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep before actually came to life and walked around. Scriptures says the risen dead went into the holy city and appeared to many (Matthew 27:51-53). What an amazing testimony!
I often wonder what happened to the dead who walked out of their graves. The scriptures described them as "saints," meaning those who testified of His coming - the prophets - Ezekiel, Daniel, Moses, and others. I also wonder if those who welcomed Him into Jerusalem at the beginning of the week, only to have their hearts turned against Him at the end of the week, what attitude did they have when the skies darkened, the earth quaked? Did they, like the Centurion, acknowledge that Jesus truly was the Son of the Living God? One day we, who belong to Him, will know the answers. But for now, it is enough that He came, and He died - for us! For those who would say "Yes!" to His offer to free us from the burden of sin, from our falls from grace, our idiotic things we do. I don't want to miss Him. I want to glorify His Name, and that makes people uncomfortable.
I've been called selfish, because I choose Christ over everyone or anything else. I am grateful for the person His love has created me to be. For years I blamed myself for things not even of my doing, and the only one who suffered was me. I was reading today about how children imitate their parents. Boys tend to follow the example of their father, and girls, their mother. I think about my mother who was a very kindhearted person, and she was very well liked. My parents were givers, so they were always sharing what they had, even when it hurt. My grandparents were the same. I look at my life, and I remember the things I've done that I wish I could take back, but that has been put into the sea of forgetfulness. Over the years of my life, I learned through hardship and pain. God always kept me going. I don't think I ever used the words "It's not fair," because I don't think that way. I was sick most of my life, but I lived my life. I've always smiled and kept going, even when I was dying inside. I have to laugh when I think about my journey. God can certainly shake things up, but it makes me love Him more. I am so grateful that His plan for my life is being worked out. I wish it could be the same for my children. He said it would, so I must trust Him.
In a few short hours, Mary Magdalene will be taking the spices to the tomb to prepare the body of Christ Jesus for a proper burial. What will she find? I wait in anticipation.
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