Author: Maria Barroso

“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands.”

Psalm 91:11-12 (NIV)

Two professional divers, Rudy and Scott decided to go diving to hunt for lobster off the coast of Oahu. They took 20 minutes worth of air in their tanks, knowing they were planning to simply dive, put lobsters in their bag and then quickly return to the surface.

There were several lobsters in an underwater cave that had a narrow entrance, so they went into the cave and after putting a few lobsters in their bags, Rudy heard a distinct voice saying “Get out!”

He looked around and then looked at his friend, who was busy collecting lobsters, but couldn’t tell where the voice came from. Then the voice resounded again saying the same thing, “Get out!”

While Rudy hesitated, he saw an eight foot eel coming at him. He tried to exit the cave, but lost his sense of direction as the eel latched on to his bag of lobsters. He let go of the bag, trying to swim out of the cave but he still couldn’t find the opening. His air was running out and he started to panic. He breathed in what he thought might be his last breath, thinking he was going to die.  

Suddenly he felt someone carrying him from behind, while seeing no one. He was carried through the exit of the cave and up to the surface of the water. He then swam safely to his raft and quickly switched his air tank in order to dive back in and search for his friend. Before he could do that, his friend Scott suddenly appeared on the surface of the water, gasping for air since his tank also ran out of air. 

After Rudy and Scott both safely rested in their raft, Scott asked Rudy how he managed to rescue him out of the cave. Rudy told him he didn’t rescue him, but that he himself was rescued by someone he never saw. 

It turns out that both men were rescued out of that cave by some invisible being or force that carried them up to surface as their air tanks ran out. 

The immeasurable and limitless mercy of God carried two scuba divers to the surface, when they ran out of air to breathe, saving both of their lives that day. There is really no other explanation except that angels went into action and carried them safely to their raft, and saved them both from drowning. 

Lord, you are so good to us, saving us from our own risk taking mistakes. Thank you for loving us and sending helpers to guide us safely throughout our lives. Amen

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

Acts 4:13 (NIV)

Peter and John are described as ordinary men who did astonishing things with signs, miracles and healings. People are impressed by the extraordinary, but God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Here is a true story and an example of just that. 

In July of 1989 an off duty airline pilot, named Denny, boarded United airlines flight 232 from Denver to Chicago. There were 296 passengers on board. While the plane was at an altitude of 37,000 feet, a loud boom was heard and the plane lost all three of its hydraulic systems. Denny, the off duty pilot passenger, headed to the cockpit to offer his help to the flight crew. He ended up manning the throttles while the crew tried to prepare for an emergency landing.

Without a hydraulic system in place there’s no way to steer a plane. Denny, still managing the throttles, was able to keep the plane aloft while making a series of 360 degree turns to the right as it approached the airport in Sioux City, Iowa. Unable to decrease the speed they had all the passengers brace for a crash landing. First responders were on site and ready for the plane’s landing. 

The plane landed with a crash and burst into flames but 184 people survived, including all of the flight crew, and they exited the plane. As one survivor was exiting, he heard a baby crying and ran back into the smoke filled plane, and found an 11 month old baby girl under a pile of rubble. The crash threw her body from row 11 to row 26, and yet she was not injured. Most people had some injuries, but 13 people walked away with no injuries at all.

Tragically, 112 people died in the crash, which was devastating, but the miraculous outcomes were worth noting. Aeronautic experts said that a plane that loses its hydraulic system in mid flight, should have immediately nose dived straight into the ground, with no survivors.

This brings us back to Denny, the off duty pilot passenger, who was only on that flight because he changed  flights earlier that morning in order to arrive at his destination at a different time. In the end, he was the key player in miraculously landing a plane with no hydraulic system, saving 184 lives, including children and babies. 

Denny had no more flight hours or experience than the flight crew who were in that cockpit. He claimed that he was just an ordinary pilot, who made an extraordinary landing, and as a believer in God, he told reporters that he believes God put him on that plane for a purpose. (Amen to that)

Pilots have since tried to duplicate with flight simulators, what Denny did that day, keeping that plane from nose diving, but no one has been able to do what he did. It has been considered one of the most impressive commercial airline landings ever performed in aviation history. Heaven sent some help to that plane on that day, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. 

Denny, the off duty pilot passenger ended up saving more than half of the lives on board. I write this as we enter the month of May, in honor of Denny, who passed away in May of 2012 from brain cancer. I’m sure heaven welcomed his final landing in heaven that day.

God does extraordinary things through ordinary people, and sometimes He sends extra angels along to help. On that day, He sent a human angel named Denny. 

Lord, thank you for your grace and goodness which comes through our trust in you. Help us all to be instruments in your hands as you miraculously save and transform the souls of people all around us. Amen

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Colossians 3:17 (RSV)

There is an older man named Pat, who is confined to a wheelchair at the Nursing Facility where Jon, my son lives. Over the past seventeen months that I’ve been visiting, I have never seen Pat have a single visitor. One day, after distributing the candy I brought and visiting with some residents, Pat rolled up beside me in his wheel chair, and handed me a bag of Kit Kat candies. 

At first, I thought he was giving them to me personally, so I politely refused. Then he told me that it’s for all the residents, and he asked me to pass them out to everyone in the Day room, one per person. Then, after handing me the bag, he left and returned to his room. 

I passed out the candy to each resident, and as they started to thank me, I informed them that the candy is not from me, but from Pat. 

A surprised look came over each one’s face, as they learned of his generosity. Pat’s gesture was a random act of kindness, by sharing his bag of candy, instead of keeping it to himself.

He wasn’t anywhere in the room as I passed out his candy. Since he didn’t directly put candy into anyone’s hands, I made sure each person knew that the candy was from Pat. In other words, I distributed the candy to everyone in “his name.”

It reminds me of how we represent Jesus in this world. No one can see Jesus physically, but we can do various acts of kindness in His name. Today, scripture reminds us that everything we say or do, is to be said or done in the name of Jesus. Candy may be a small example, but it is rewarding to bless people in the name of someone we represent.

Many people today think that God has forgotten them, but even the  smallest gesture of kindness means a lot to some people. I remember a person who once asked me to pray for something, because they didn’t think God would listen to their own prayers. If only we could help people like that, to understand that God is waiting to hear their prayers. 

Placing candy in each person’s hand was like placing a little gift of dignity to each resident. A small gift, given in his name, sent a message that someone they know, cares about them.

Jesus handed each of us a bag of candy, to pass out to all those we meet. His metaphorical candy is sharing the truth of how much He loves us, hears our prayers and feels our pain. He is calling everyone to find their hope and comfort in Him,  which can happen through the kind words or deeds that we distribute to others. He asks only one thing; 

that we do everything in His name. 

Lord, show us how a small act of kindness, done in your name, can impact the life of someone we meet today. Amen

“Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.”Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Mark 10:50-52 (NIV)

A blind man named Bartimaus, used to sit on the side of the road, until the day he heard Jesus was coming. He kept calling out to Jesus for mercy, ignoring people who tried to silence him for his annoying interruptions. Suddenly, Jesus stopped walking and called him over. Bartimaus threw his cloak aside and jumped to his feet.

Sometimes it feels like God doesn’t hear us calling, but the story of Bartimaus tells us that He is listening to our cries. Jesus was divine, so He definitely heard Bartimaus the first time he cried out. He waited for the right moment, because God has perfect timing for everything and sometimes His answer is “not yet.”

Jesus called and Bartimaus left his cloak behind and jumped to his feet.  He ran with single minded certainty to Jesus. He only needed to know that Jesus heard him, and in receiving His attention, he believed and threw his cloak aside, before he was actually healed. There is real comfort in knowing that Jesus hears us.

If we can have faith that God hears us, before we receive the answer, we can trust in His perfect timing, finding peace while we wait. Jesus told Bartimaus that his faith has healed him, and then he miraculously received his sight. Imagine being blind from birth, and the first face Bartimaus ever saw was the face of Jesus. Mark says in the gospel that he followed Him from that day onward. It all began with asking for mercy, knowing He heard him, leaving his cloak behind, and then running to Jesus.

The cloak is a significant garment, in scriptural tradition. For beggars, it served as an outer garment, as well as a blanket at night. The person’s cloak was also given as a pledge of security for a loan, according to the law of Moses. 

Cloaks also represent an identifying aspect of a person’s life, as it did for Elisha and his mentor, Elijah. Before Elijah was taken up to heaven, Elisha took hold of his cloak and it says that the spirit and anointing of Elijah was passed on to Elisha from that day forward- all through his cloak. 

For the handicapped, crippled and outcasts of society, a cloak was more than something to sit on or to keep them warm at night. There was an identifying feature on a blind man’s cloak, which informed the public that he was blind. Some scholars and historians say it was the color of the cloak or a symbol or a letter on the cloak, that revealed his condition of blindness. The cloak was Bartimaus’ identity, and was essential for him to collect alms and survive. 

When Jesus abruptly stopped and called for Bartimaus, he was about to impart a new dignity to him, and his life would significantly change. Throwing aside his cloak, was a gesture of his faith and commitment to leave behind his old identity, and trust Jesus for a new and better future. His identity was now in Jesus, and his faith, instead of his cloak, became his most valuable asset. Bartimaus never went back to begging. He put on a new cloak, which was the Spirit of Jesus, who gave him a new life. 

When Jesus calls our name, we don’t need to hear it audibly, but we can hear it within our spirit, and just as He asked Bartimaus, “What do you want me to do for you?,” we can trust and believe that He is asking us the same question today. Knowing He hears us, we can have peace while we wait and trust in His perfect timing to answer our prayers. We have all received His Spirit, as believers, which is our new cloak of identity. We are God’s children  who walk in the dignity of resurrected life in Jesus.

Lord, as your children, we toss off the cloak of old identity and run to you, allowing your Spirit to cover us with a cloak of dignity, as we trust you for new mercy, healing and restoration. Amen

“They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.”

Mark 6:52 (NAB)

I spent enough time taking Chicago public transportation during my youth and college years, to learn the lessons about the indifference of hardened hearts in a large, crowded city. 

I used to take the public transit system to the University of Illinois Chicago campus every day. After school, I took another train from the college campus to downtown Chicago, where I worked part time in the Advertising department of a department store. 

The trains were always crowded, but on a good day, I could be lucky enough to get a seat and sit down for the ride. Otherwise, I would have to stand in place and just hold on. 

That particular train ride made some sharp turns while moving fast, and someone could easily lose their balance while standing.

One day, I got on the train and was fortunate enough to get a seat. The next few stops became increasingly crowded, and the train was soon full of people standing. An elderly man who was standing as the train made a sharp turn, suddenly fell down to his hands and knees. I saw him fall, but was not within immediate reach of him, since a crowd of people were between us. I naturally assumed that someone nearer to him would help him back on his feet. 

While on his hands and knees, the man reached for a pole to hold on to, but each time he almost grabbed hold of it, the train turned again, and he fell back down. He was still on his hands and knees, as he tried once more, to grab hold of the nearby pole, but as he reached for it, the train made another sharp turn and he fell down again. Anyone who wasn’t reading or sleeping, was well aware of that poor man’s plight, but they all seemed to watch with indifference. 

I imagine that anyone reading this, by now is wondering if anyone ever helped the man, and the answer is no, and not one word was ever spoken, neither by the man himself nor anyone around him. It was the strangest few minutes of silence that I had ever witnessed, which is why I still remember it so many years later.

After spending a few minutes on his hands and knees, with no help from anyone, the man was finally able to pull himself up to a standing position. It was the most vivid illustration of apathy, that I had ever seen. 

I remember feeling sorry for the man as he struggled, but I resigned myself to being too far away to actually help him. I could and should have probably shouted out, 

“Will someone please help him!” 

But instead, I said and did nothing, hoping that someone else would. Apparently, everyone on the train was thinking the same way. 

An attitude of indifference, numbs and hardens hearts, adopting an attitude of letting someone else take action. Even though I had a voice, I chose to remain silent. 

In reflecting on that Chicago train incident, it reminds me of the Holocaust, and how easy it is to detach oneself from people in a crowd. European citizens watched in silence while a crowd of Jewish men, women and children were put on trains, and sent to death camps. 

Jesus Himself suffered indifference and apathy during His trial and crucifixion. While most of His followers supported Him, He also had enemies who were enraged and wanted Him dead. Then there was the silent majority, who numbed themselves and didn’t care either way. When it comes to God or the suffering of human beings that He created, indifference becomes a poisonous apathy. 

After my wake up call on that downtown train that day, I decided to become involved in an international Christian group that works on behalf of people suffering religious persecution in the world.

Mark wrote in today’s gospel verse that people disregarded the miracle of the multiplied loaves, and as a result, their “hearts were hardened.” In not appreciating the miracle of the loaves, the real problem was an indifference and apathy toward the needs of the crowd. Jesus always had compassion for the crowd, and He wants us to see Him as someone in that crowd.  

I think of the miracles that could happen, if people like me on that train, had stepped into action on behalf of someone in the crowd.  

Lord, help us to awaken to who you want us to see in the crowd around us. Remove indifference and apathy from our hearts and help us to act with compassion towards others. Amen

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:4 (RSV)

It doesn’t take a psychiatrist or an ordained minister to know that the world is full of heartache, sorrow and tears, yet most people don’t know that God knows about it all first hand. He feels our pain and knows everything that has caused us grief. Jesus said in His revelation to John that He will personally wipe every tear away. 

Painful circumstances and sorrows that we suffer are shared by those who care for us. We have friends and loved ones who know about our loss or sorrow, and there is some comfort in that support, but there is a silent aching that remains deep within every one of us. That silent ache is understood by heaven alone. 

Jesus is in tune with every pain and sorrow that we keep hidden from our public self. Our guardian angel also knows the hidden sorrows that we live with. We can still function in all the ways we need to, and live as normally as we can, but a silent ache resides within us. 

The silent ache may be from losing a loved one, suffering a miscarriage, or from the death of a young child, but Jesus is completely in tune with the deepest sorrow that we keep silent. 

It could be a situation that leaves us feeling we are alone as we struggle, such as raising a physically or mentally challenged child, or caring for a terminally ill loved one. It might be some type of depression that can’t be overcome. Some people have sorrow after losing a soul mate, while others have a sorrow of never finding a true soul mate. Some thought they found a soul mate but that relationship is currently strained beyond words.

Widows and widowers see other couples united in the bond of love through to their old age, and know that those couples are especially blessed. Some things are more deeply appreciated when they’ve been lost. The chronically ill see the healthy ones all around them enjoying life to its fullest. Those who struggle with depression see lighthearted people filled with joy. If we are human, we can admit that there are silent aches within all of us, from something that we lack. 

God wants us to know that He sees our silent aches, He knows what we feel we are lacking, and He will wipe away all tears one day, but until that day, He wants to be the One who fills every void of whatever we are lacking today. 

We have an awesome God, who knows every detail of our lives. His wisdom, power and love is beyond words, but is a healing balm for the silent aches that we have deep within. God is interested in every part of us, not just the outward adjusted self that we show to the world. He is a searcher of hearts and a healer of our mind, body, soul and spirit. 

Jesus wants to reveal Himself to us in a new way today, even before He returns to wipe away all our sorrows and tears. There is a place of inner healing that occurs here and now, when we give Him all of our silent aches, because He already knows about everything.

In all God has done, is doing now, and will do in our future, He does it all out of pure wisdom, power and love for us. His healing and comfort is available for today. 

Lord, thank you for knowing and feeling all of our silent pain. We give every moment of grief and sorrow to you and surrender to your divine healing and comfort. Amen 

(This classic worship song, made new, says it all)

Phil Wickham – What An Awesome God (Official Music Video) – YouTube

“I gave my back to the smiters,

and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I hid not my face

from shame and spitting.”

Isaiah 50:6 (RSV)

The words above are sung as part of every Handel’s Messiah concert, but this scripture, minus the music, came to my mind while watching a scene from the “Passion of Christ”, last week. 

After His arrest, Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin and proclaimed that He is the Messiah, who will sit at the right hand of God. (Matthew 26:64) 

Those words provoked the Pharisees and High priest to intense anger, and they charged Jesus with blasphemy. 

It led up to one scene in the movie  that really stuck with me. It was when the Pharisees and High priest spat in His face, one by one. It was humiliating enough to be spat upon, but even worse when a person’s hands are tied. Jesus couldn’t even wipe the spit off of His own face. 

It occurred to me during that heartbreaking scene, that Jesus offered His face first, long before He offered the rest of His body on the cross. It reminded me of the words of Isaiah, “I hid not My face from shame and spitting….”

Jesus resolved Himself to complete humility, as if to empty Himself of the divinity of who He really was. Some people claim that Jesus suffered because He was at the wrong place at the wrong time in history, but that ideology minimizes the greatness of His love, His incarnation, His purpose and the giving of His face and body for us. 

On the contrary, Jesus was at the right place at exactly the right time, just like the ram that God sent and trapped in the thick bushes for Abraham to offer as a sacrifice, instead of his only son, Isaac.

By not hiding His face, Jesus submitted Himself to humiliation, taking our shame upon Himself, so that we never need to feel the shame of sin again. He never hid His face then and He doesn’t hide it from anyone today. The passion of Christ teaches us that whatever difficulties we have, His face should always be the first thing we seek. 

The ancient Jewish temple had a designated place for sacred bread, known as the Bread of the Presence, which literally translates to Bread of the Face, meaning the face of God. (Paniym). 

Jesus is the living Bread of the Presence. He is the face of God to the world, and yet the same face that men once spat upon. He never hid His face then and He will never hide His face from us now, but He earnestly desires to reveal Himself to all who seek Him. It’s hard to believe that God could love us this much, but He did then and He still does today. 

Lord, thank you for first offering your holy face, so that we may always remember to seek your face first, in difficult times, knowing you gave yourself up for us as an act of divine love. Amen

“Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them.  A large number of people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.”

Acts 5:15-16.  (NAB)

People come to Jesus just as they are, filled with gifts and potential buried within them, which the Holy Spirit develops over time. Before Pentecost, Peter had a history of always being on the wrong page of God’s play book. He tried to convince Jesus not to go to the cross, he drew a sword and cut off a man’s ear, he denied knowing Jesus all together, and for a while, he was prejudiced against gentiles joining the church. (Acts 10:28)

The women of the gospel seemed to follow Jesus more easily, being the last ones with Him at the cross and the first ones at His tomb on Sunday morning. They always believed, comforted, and served. Even the wife of Pontius Pilate tried to influence her husband into sparing Jesus’ life. 

Whether we identify with the women  of the gospel or with the raw instability of Peter, every believer experienced a major transformation in the upper room. The Holy Spirit saw the need to fill everyone on Pentecost, whether they were steadfast in their faith or weak and struggling. 

Afterward, they overflowed with renewed joy and courage. God sees the same potential in all of us, that He saw in Peter and those in the upper room.

The astonishing change in Peter can be read about in the book of Acts. The quick tempered and carnal minded disciple became a man of God, who had a crowd waiting for him everywhere he went. People weren’t just waiting for Peter to preach, pray or lay hands and heal them, they were waiting for his shadow.

The Spirit anointed Peter so that when he walked down the street, his shadow was cast over the sick who were lying on mats, and they were “all cured.” Jesus told His disciples that one day they will do greater things than He did, because they will do it in His name.

(John 14:12) 

It must have been incredible to see the healing power of Christ working through the shadow of Peter.

If Peter could be so transformed, so can anyone. There is a renewed Peter waiting inside each one of us. 

We have our own unique shadow to cast, which brings glory to Jesus. It may not be a shadow that physically heals people. Maybe our shadow is one that simply listens, encourages, or inspires the faith of others. Some people reveal the shadow of God’s mercy by seeing a need and starting a new ministry, or by giving financial help to organizations that minister in various ways. So many different gifts of the Spirit are waiting to be expressed through each person’s shadow. 

If we learn anything from Peter’s transformation, it’s that God never gives up on anyone, regardless of how often they mess up. When we stumble in error like Peter, the Lord is patient and forgiving, helping us to rise back up again. He loves us while making us the best version of ourselves, so that we can cast our shadow for Christ, wherever we go.

Lord, show us how we may cast our shadow for your glory as you continue transforming us to become all that you called us to be. Amen

“I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” 

1 Samuel 1:27-28 (NIV)

The words above are the words of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, who was once barren, but became the mother of one of the greatest prophets in ancient Israel. Her words reflect the heart of all mothers, in knowing that a child is a gift from the Lord, and to be dedicated and given back to the Lord, throughout their life. 

I was visiting the Nursing Home on Easter weekend, where there are only two other residents, who are around my son’s age. Andy is one, who is 43, whose parents I’ve already met and bonded with. The other man is also 43, who I will call Adam, to protect his privacy. 

Last weekend I met Adam’s mom for the first time. Adam has a chronic kidney disease and is currently in kidney failure. He receives dialysis regularly, while hoping for a kidney transplant one day. His mom and I introduced ourselves, making small talk on that Saturday before Easter.

We were having a nice visit, when Adam suddenly became angry at another resident. I could see that his mom was uncomfortable with his behavior, and tried to gently tell him to let it go, but he quickly snapped at her as well. Her eyes and mine met, and without saying a single word, I gave her a look from one mother to another, to let her know that I felt her embarrassment and frustration. She seemed to return the glance, as if she received my empathy and understanding. Words were not needed. 

It’s almost mystical how mothers instinctively understand each other, and communicate without words, especially mothers of an adult child with an illness, emotional problem or a mental health issue.

Later that afternoon, when some relatives were visiting Jon, I was telling them about my frustration over his recent behavior, which has regressed for the past few weeks. He’s been agitated, uncooperative, and making the nurses’ jobs very difficult. The doctor is trying to adjust his medications, until he returns to the good progress he started making several weeks earlier. 

Adam’s mom must have been listening to me while I expressed myself to those relatives. When it was time to leave, I was walking to my car in the parking lot and Adam’s mom called me over to her car. I thought she was gone, since she left several minutes before me. She told me she wanted to pray for me and Jon, saying that she understood my frustration, from one mother to another. 

While I was standing at the rolled down window of her car, she took my hand and prayed for me and Jon, and for Adam and herself as well. It was a blessing since I only just met her a few hours ago. Then we parted and wished each other a happy Easter. 

As I drove home, I realized that my whole interaction with Adam’s mom was an Easter gift from God. We just met, yet connected with each other’s inner grief, in a way that is beyond words. When two strangers can share mutual feelings through an unspoken language, it’s nothing other than a blessing from God. We were total strangers, but connected through eye contact, facial expressions, and then concluded it with a prayer. 

Every mother gives their child to the Lord, and trusts Him with their life, which doesn’t end in adulthood. Whatever their age, medical history, behavior or diagnoses, mothers still need to dedicate their children to God for a lifetime. Then the Lord comforts us by bringing others across our path to give moral and emotional support. 

Lord, whether we are mothers or not, help each reader to commit their children, their loved ones or their close friends to you, trusting that you will bring peace and harmony to every life, through the power of Jesus’ name. Amen

“So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.”

Matthew 27:66 (NIV)

The Pharisees feared the rumors of resurrection and asked Pilate to help secure Jesus’ tomb, so he granted their request to seal the tomb and appoint an armed guard at the entrance. After studying to learn what this “seal on the tomb” actually entailed, I learned the following:

They stretched a cord across the large stone which blocked the entrance to the tomb. Then they packed clay over each end of the cord, and pressed a wax seal over the clay, which was the seal of the Roman government authority. Finally, they posted an armed guard each day, in front of the tomb for 24 hours.

All these measures to guard the tomb, appeared to work until the third day, as Jesus predicted. On the third day of that Jerusalem spring morning, the earth quaked, the stone was rolled away, the cord was broken and all the wax seals crumbled. The armed guards fell into a deep sleep, probably anesthetized by angels.

Inside the open tomb lay nothing but the grave clothes of Jesus. That separate cloth that was used to cover His head, (sudarium) to hold the jaw closed, was lying apart from the 14 foot cloth (shroud) that covered both His head and body.  

(John 20:7)

There is no power known to man like the blast of resurrection power that resurrected the body of God’s son that morning. No government seals of authority, armed guard, or a massive stone could prevent a God of love from finishing His plan of salvation for us. 

The analysis of the shroud of Turin by forensic scientists, gives us a hint of that mysterious, powerful surge. Other bodies wrapped in grave clothes never left the type of image on a burial cloth as the shroud of Turin has. 

Scientists all agree that the image was not a painted one, since there is no evidence of pigment on the shroud. The first carbon dating found it to be only 700 years old, but that first sample was taken from a tainted, frequently handled portion, which was patched after surviving two fires. The flax in the linen cloth was from first century Palestine. The coins placed over the eyes to keep them closed according to custom, date back to the time of Pontius Pilate. 

There are blood stains all around the shroud but the image was not made from blood. In one documentary, a scientist said it seemed as if a blast of ultraviolet light, of a single wavelength, projected from the body, outward, and onto the inside of the burial cloth. He describes the mysterious image as similar to an Xray, a photographic negative and a hologram, all merged into one. There is no technology that could recreate such an image today. 

The blood type on the cloth is AB positive, and while the bloodstains match a death by crucifixion and scourging, some questioned why the blood on the shroud remained red in color, since blood turns brown or black over time. 

Dr. Alan Adler, a hematologist, who studied the shroud, answered that question, explaining that a person who is tortured for many hours would release bilirubin from the liver, causing their blood to permanently remain red.

Whether people agree or not on the credibility of the shroud, all believers can agree that the resurrection of Jesus came from the same Source who once said, “Let there be light” and there was light. 

We thank God and celebrate the resurrection that changed the world, and brought forgiveness, hope and new life to every person who believes in His life, death and resurrection. The world has never been the same and lives are still being changed as a result of that empty tomb, 2,000 years ago. 

His resurrection opens doors in our journey of faith, since the source of God’s power that raised Jesus, also dwells in us. Any cord of fear that had a grip on us is now broken. The clay seals of doubt crumble into dust. Powers and principalities of darkness can no longer control us. The healing power of Jesus is for anyone who believes, and there is more power in His blood, than any authorities or words of wisdom in the entire world.

On this Easter Monday, we continue to follow Jesus, who left His tomb, leaving His grave clothes behind, as we also leave our grave clothes behind, to live in His resurrection power, until He returns again. Hallelujah! He is risen. 

Lord, thank you for salvation and for  resurrection power that brings us healing, deliverance and victory. We give you all the praise and glory. Amen