Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

Mark, in chapter 16 of his Gospel, tells us that an angel at the empty tomb told the women to go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus had risen from the dead. It looks as if the women had to split up to perform this request, which suggests that the disciples were not all in the same place in Jerusalem. This would not be surprising, given the situation they feared from the authorities. Yet they obviously knew where the disciples were and Mary Magdalene went to tell Peter and John. She may not have had far to travel. It is safe to say that the angel did not decide by himself to add the reference to Peter. The angel mentioned it because he would have been instructed by Jesus to do so. When this instruction was given, Jesus knew that he would see Peter later that day. He did not see Peter first, but he did ensure that Peter received the message about the resurrection. It is also intriguing that he sent exalted messengers (the angels) to inform the women, but he used the w...

We can often decide to go somewhere for a reason and find ourselves diverted from our intention because of events beyond our control. No doubt, Simon felt something like that when he was compelled by the soldiers to help Jesus carry the cross to Calvary. Simon was not from Jerusalem. Instead he was from Cyrene in North Africa. In all probability, the reason he was in Jerusalem was to attend the Passover and maybe he was making his way to the temple to participate in the worship connected to the death of the Passover lamb. If that was the case, he would have prayed often for the Messiah to come. Whether he was going to the temple or not, he found himself involved in helping the real Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ. The weakness of Jesus The apostle Paul reminds us that Jesus was crucified in weakness. Here we have a reminder of the reality of his humanity. He has had no sleep during the night and he has been beaten several times and badly treated in other ways. It would have been obv...