Lent Devotions

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April 22: The End of the Gospel

Posted: 21 Apr 2014 06:59 AM PDT

Read: Mark 16:1-8

And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them . . . (v. 8 ESV)

The oldest and most accurate copies of Mark end with verse 8, which says that when the women who came to the garden on Easter morning found Jesus’ grave empty, they “went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

It’s an odd way to end a gospel, and people have been offering explanations and alternative conclusions ever since. But the basic facts are clear in Mark’s account. Jesus of Nazareth, the same man who was crucified, died, and was buried, rose again from the dead. His tomb was found to be empty on Easter morning. These facts powerfully declared that Jesus was the Son of God, as the apostle Paul would write in his letter to the Romans (Romans 1:4).

Here’s a thought. Maybe Mark’s ending is really just the beginning. Maybe we are supposed to supply the gospel’s succeeding chapters, as we go out into all the world with the good news that Jesus is alive, that he has conquered sin and the grave.

So what are we waiting for? The story isn’t finished yet. There’s still more to be written! –David Bast

Prayer: Lord Jesus, come and finish your work of salvation!

Words of Hope is an international media ministry, founded and owned by classes of the RCA, dedicated to building the church in the hard places. The Words of Hope devotional encourages readers to grow spiritually through daily Bible readings and prayer. To subscribe, please visit: woh.org/word/devotionals/.

Lent Devotions

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April 21: Freedom

Posted: 20 Apr 2014 07:08 PM PDT

Read: Romans 6:5-11

Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again. (v. 9)

When I was a student a popular folk song called Abraham, Martin and John referred to Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., and John F. Kennedy. It was a sad song, with a haunting refrain:
Has anybody here seen my old friend Martin?
Can you tell me where he’s gone?
He freed a lot of people but
It seems the good, they die young . . .
Abraham, Martin and John.

Why doesn’t Jesus fit this song? He was a good man who died young. So why don’t we sing sad songs about him? After all, we call the day the stock market crashed “Black Monday.” Why do we call the day Jesus died “Good Friday”?

Because we know how it all turned out. New Testament scholar Marcus Borg has observed that if there hadn’t been an Easter Sunday, there would be no Good Friday. He means that if Jesus had not risen from the dead, no one would have bothered to remember the story of his death. Crucifixions weren’t memorable, but a resurrection certainly was! So we know that death was not the end for Jesus. By his resurrection Jesus truly has “freed a lot of people.” United to him in faith, we have died to sin’s penalty and are alive to God, free to live for him. –David Bast

Prayer: Help me die to sin and live to you.

Words of Hope is an international media ministry, founded and owned by classes of the RCA, dedicated to building the church in the hard places. The Words of Hope devotional encourages readers to grow spiritually through daily Bible readings and prayer. To subscribe, please visit: woh.org/word/devotionals/.