So what does forgiveness really mean?

How can you tell if you’ve really forgiven someone?

What crept in to show your forgiveness was not as complete as you thought?

How does your heart change when you forgive?

What does forgiveness really mean–and why ask?

Forgiveness is at the heart of Christianity–anyone who claims to be a Christian knows that.

Jesus died to forgive our sins.

Period.

I’ve always enjoyed the image that when we are Christians–claiming Jesus’ death to forgive our sins–God looks at us through “Jesus-colored” glasses.

That means God sees Jesus, not us.

My sin–whatever I did–is forgiven.

Scriptures in abundance describe forgiveness and its benefits. Here are several from the New King James Version:

• Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. Psalm 32:1
• To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. Daniel 9:9
• If you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. Mark 11:25
• God has exalted Him [Jesus] . . . to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Acts 5:31
• In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Ephesians 1:7

The crux of the matter is HOW can we tell if we have–or have not–forgiven someone?

As in, how do our words and actions demonstrate we have given forgiveness, once and for all?

What does forgiveness mean to me?

It often means I have to work harder than saying, “You’re forgiven.”

Sure, I may have said those words, but what is my heart doing?

I’ve written before about Jim Wilson’s booklet How to be Free from Bitterness. (See blog post here. Clicking on the title link takes you to a free PDF version of the booklet.)

When I heard him speak 30 years ago, I bought the booklet, and it changed how I examined my heart. If I carried bitterness, or its attitude (particularly in words)–had I truly forgiven someone?

What I particularly appreciated was:

• If I kept talking about my indignation over something, I was bitter–and thus hadn’t forgiven whomever.
• If I kept reviewing what I said or didn’t say, I was not forgiving. Indeed, I was planting and nourishing a seed root of bitterness. (BibleHub explains the contrast well, here.)
• Forgiveness means recognition, but a deliberate choice to let it go in my words and expressed attitudes.
• If I keep complaining, I haven’t forgiven.

Frankly, it’s hard to keep hearing someone insist they’ve forgiven, but then keep bringing up the hurt.

I’m too often guilty of such an attitude myself. When I recognize it (usually when complaining), I confess my sin to God and ask for forgiveness.

God always forgives.

But isn’t forgiveness once and done?

Yes, of course.

Except when it isn’t.

What?

My favorite passage on this subject comes from 1 John 1:8-9:

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Confessing aloud makes you feel awful in the moment, especially if you’ve already confessed the sin.

James 5:16 tells us to “confess our sins to one another” that we might be healed.

Sometimes we need a friend to help us process what happened. We need a Christian to join us in our request for help and forgiveness.

But sometimes we simply need to hear the words aloud by another believer: “I have heard your confession. You’re forgiven.”

My prayer partner served that purpose for 18 years.

I’m grateful.

And I miss her.

Fortunately, I have other people in my life who love me well enough to say those words. But they also challenge me. “Are you sure you’ve forgiven that person?”

(I hate it when that happens).

But then I pray, confess, and resolve to turn away from that sin.

How to express and feel like you’ve granted forgiveness?

Psalm 139: 23-24 gives us the words:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

Thanks be to God.

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What does repentance mean in everyday life?

The Greek word used in most translations is  metanoia, which, many learned in Sunday School, means “to turn around.”

But Jesus spoke Aramaic.

According to the Meaningful Spirits website, the Aramaic word is Tube.

If we look for the original Aramaic meaning of repent, we find the word Tube (root: tab). In Aramaic, this doesn’t mean feeling sorry for your sins. It literally means “to return” or “to come back to your original source.”

Jesus wasn’t demanding you grovel before an angry deity. He was issuing an invitation to come home. He was saying, “Return to your true nature.” It is a call to restoration, not punishment.

Meaningful Spirits: “The Homecoming of ‘repent.'”

It doesn’t sound so daunting in Aramaic, does it?

So what does repentance really mean?

Changing your way of life.

Coming home, like the Prodigal Son, to the God who loves you and died so you can be forgiven.

That means leaving behind actions, attitudes, and behaviors that are not part of “home.”

It means choosing not to sin anymore.

But when you do sin and want to repent:

• Confess whatever you did to God,
• Ask forgiveness of those whom you have wronged.
• Accept God’s forgiveness.

What is our eternal home?

Life with Christ, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father.

For those who believe, home is where the Godhead welcomes us.

It’s peace with God, ourselves, and others.

The best way to get home is:

• To admit and confess our wrongdoing to God.
• To ask those we’ve hurt or wronged to forgive us.
• To give our own pain and disappointment to God–and believe He forgives us.
• Recognizing Jesus loved us so much that He died for our sake, to forgive our sins and invite us home.

Yes, you’ve seen the same answer twice.

Repentance and the people we’ve wronged

People often get “hung up” on forgiveness, repentance, and what they mean — both to themselves and to others.

Maybe you’ve had a five-year-old who knows he has to ask a sibling for forgiveness?

The child will toss off a “sorry,” and expect the sibling to say, “You’re forgiven.”

A child I knew once responded, “No. I won’t forgive you. I don’t think you mean it.”

The first child then started crying because the sibling wouldn’t forgive.

What would you do?

Repentance, of course, means to genuinely regret what you did. You want to make it as if it never happened.

People can tell if you regret what you did. If they’re Christians, they know they are called to forgive.

“And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Too often, there’s nothing we can do about the past, about what we did.

It’s hard to apologize for something we cannot make right.

And yet, if we don’t apologize, the person we’ve wronged lives with a hurt that’s hard to forget.

How to “make it right” for the person you’ve harmed?

Swallow your pride and fear.

Go to the person you have wronged.

Tell them you’re sorry.

If possible, do something to reverse the pain.

For example, if you stole money, return it.

If you lied to others about them, go to those others and tell the truth. (Then apologize to the person you slandered.)

Too many people walk through life carrying a hurt that never stops aching.

Someone did something to them and never apologized to them.

You may be absolved of your guilt–Jesus forgives you.

But, if when you pray, the person you hurt keeps coming to mind–go to them and ask for forgiveness.

You’ll feel a lot better–but more importantly, so will they.

And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding

will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.

(Philippians 4:7)

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I took a spring walk in England recently.

Staying in the town of Stevenage, north of London, gave me a chance to stroll its avenues.

Birds sang, the green fields of England stood on each side, and vivid flowers popped up to say hello.

It was lovely!

I hadn’t heard birds singing with such abandon in a long time.

I felt charmed and paused just to take in the music!

How different, though, from my spring walk in northern California?

It felt more like a stroll than a hike.

Especially when I reached an ancient church!

St. Nicholas Church on a spring walk in England

St. Nicholas was Stevenage’s ancient parish church.

As the website explains:

The Saxon church on this site was replaced by a Norman one in about 1100 AD. The only remaining part of this is the great, thick-walled flint tower which houses a ring of eight bells. The church structure has been partially rebuilt so many times that it is a patchwork of nine centuries.

It feels that way inside, but also surprisingly modern against the ancient stones.

Coming out of The Avenue and seeing it made me feel outside of time.

I visited the church a few days after Easter Sunday, and a kind churchwoman invited me to come in.

It was beautiful inside, but also cleverly updated to meet today’s media needs.

I laughed at the contrasts!

Reflecting on the old

I sat before the altar and prayed for a few minutes.

It felt so rich to sit in a spot where people have prayed for at least 900 years.

The week after Easter, on a beautiful spring walk in England, gave me a chance to breathe deeply and relax.

Here, my fellow Christians had worshiped our God for a long time.

Eventually, I got a small tour.

And marveled at how the church community has flourished for many years.

A grave marker on the floor, the ancient pew stalls, and the baptismal font.

Then there was the belfry

I thought of Dorothy Sayers’ The Nine Tailors when I saw the belfry!

While I have read novels about bell ringers, I have never imagined what the ropes looked like.

They were hung high on that day, but obvious.

My tour guide happily described how they worked.

My attention, however, turned to the steps leading up!

They were very old.

I put my foot on the worn bottom step, but skipped the rest to simply admire their age.

Happy, many ringers had climbed them over the last 900 or so years?

Plenty.

Oh, and bats live up there, too.

The church visit included a stop to look at the graffiti.

Who knows how long ago someone scratched pictures into the ancient stones?

Finishing the spring walk in England?

I left that ancient church feeling contented.

It’s a busy, alive congregation — and they even have a book table!

(If only I’d brought a book with me!)

I ambled back down to The Avenue, and heard more bird song, spied squirrels, and colorful flowers.

I’d hoped to see a bunny or two, but they weren’t out at 10 in the morning that day!

The spring walk ended, as many do in rural England, at a memorial WWI cenotaph.

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We took a spring walk in California the other day.

My husband and I looked out the window at the sunny sky and thought, “Why not?”

We set off to hike a tall hill–a small mountain by some counts–near our home.

We hadn’t been up there in several years. Trails were overgrown, illegal new ones appeared, and it felt like a new hike.

We walked after a long stint of rain, and the creek was busy and wild.

The trails were soggy, and we either left our footprints or our shoes!

To our surprise, we also got lost.

But here’s what we saw!

Annadel State Park

We hiked up a rough trail to Lake Ilsanjo in Annadel State Park.

I brought a walking stick this year after remembering the challenges of the rocky path.

I only needed one pole, but with the stick mud, uneven path, and the incline, I needed it.

My husband, of course, also stopped to hold out his hand as needed!

The water was high, but it’s since dropped, and now we’re threatened with drought (again).

The lichen-covered trees are waiting for leaves.

The sound of a merry creek, at least in California, heralds spring!

A spring walk in California always includes flowers

And, if you’re near a lake, you get to hear calling birds! YouTube Video here.

On the way to see the above birds in Spring Lake, we passed more flowers!

Traveling to parks involves vineyards coming to life and other signs of spring!

The next week, we headed to Lake Sonoma, passing by awakening vineyards to take another spring walk in California’s beauty.

Other signs of spring stepped out that day, though not with their mother!

We hadn’t been to this part of Sonoma County in a long time. The park seemed empty, which surprised us on that sunny day.

After hiking in the hills, we wandered below the dam to the fish hatchery.

There, we learned about humans’ intervention to ensure there were fish in the Russian River!

The involved setup surprised me. Once the fish cleared the fish ladder, a hose sucked them into metal tanks.

There, workers hand-milked the fish for eggs, then fertilized (not the old-fashioned way!), and raised them in a jar.

We examined the new fish growing in their tanks!

1. Fish swim up the fish ladder. 2. Eggs fertilized in a jar 3. A few weeks later, baby fish!

Once the fish grow enough — usually in a year or two — workers release them into the Russian River.

From there, they swim to the Pacific Ocean.

Five years or so later, they return upstream, and the cycle begins again.

Sonoma County is beautiful any time of the year, but especially on a spring walk.

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Jesus’ brother James appears to be the man who led the Jerusalem church after Jesus’ death.

People have long argued about whether Jesus had siblings.

Jesus’ brothers are mentioned four times in the Gospels and Acts:

Matthew 12:46; Mark 3:31; Luke 8:19; and Acts 1:14.

(In Mark 10:29, Jesus refers to the difficulties in leaving behind parents and siblings for the sake of the Gospel. He, obviously, knew from personal experience.)

Jesus only had half-siblings, the children of Mary and Joseph.

(Half-siblings because Joseph was their father, not the Holy Spirit).

They would have been younger than Jesus.

(Unless, as in some traditions, Joseph was a widower with children before he married Mary. But Scripture doesn’t indicate that anywhere.)

Besides Jesus’ brother James, who else was in the family?

The only references Jesus makes in the Bible are to his mother and his brothers.

Many assume that for that reason, Jesus’ father, Joseph, was no longer living. The fact that Jesus was the eldest son may be why the family needed to talk to him!

Someone needed to run the family business, and it was usually the oldest son in Hebrew families at the time.

According to Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55, Jesus’ brothers were James, Joseph, Jude, and Simon.

The Mark passage also indicates Jesus had sisters, but they are not named.

The family, of course, grew up in Nazareth, where their father Joseph worked as a stone mason.

Wikipedia has a series of complicated family trees for possible relationships, here.

After Jesus’ Resurrection

Jesus’ brother James, his mother Mary, and probably the others waited in the upper room after Jesus’ resurrection.

They went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴ These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

Acts 1:46-48 (NKJV)

One assumes James was on hand when Jesus went up into the clouds.

And then Jesus’ brother James became the head of the Jerusalem church.

Jesus’ brother James in Jerusalem

James did not return home to Nazareth and lived the rest of his life in Jerusalem.

The Apostle Peter refers to him as the leader of the Jerusalem Church in Acts 12:17.

(The Lutheran Study Bible, in discussing Jesus’ brothers, recognized several New Testament men named James. Jesus’ brother James should not be confused with John’s brother in Acts 12:2. Alphaeus’ son, James, is mentioned in Matthew 10:3 and Acts 1:13.)

The Apostle Paul presented himself to James in Jerusalem after his conversion.

James took his role in Jerusalem seriously. He led the Jerusalem Council in accepting Peter’s report about the Gentiles coming to faith.

Jesus’ brother James rejoiced as Jesus’ message went out to the Gentiles and into all the world.

James the Just? Or not?

Wikipedia states that James became known as “James the Just.”

Historians later claimed Jesus had “knees like the knees of a camel.” James apparently spent a lot of time in prayer!

Does it matter?

Yes and no.

We’ll just have to find out when we get to heaven and can ask him!

Christian History Magazine published an edition last year about What Happened to the Apostles?”

You can read it, for free, here.

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How high was Jesus’ crucifixion cross?

Traditional paintings, throughout the generations, have depicted him as lifted onto a high cross.

(There’s even an excellent hymn called “Lift High the Cross of Christ.”)

But was he really high up?

Conventional Thought

When we think of representations of Jesus’ death, the cross is usually depicted as very high off the ground.

Here’s one assessment:

The Christian Bible does not specify the actual dimensions of Jesus’ cross. The scriptures do give clues that allow an educated guess at the size and weight of the cross.

In Mark 15:36, the scripture reads that Jesus was offered a sponge with vinegar stuck to a hyssop reed. The average height of a male in that time period was approximately 5 feet. The reed of a hyssop averages 1 to 2 feet long.

These figures suggest the cross was approximately 7 to 9 feet tall. The “patibulum” [crosspiece] that Jesus’ arms were outstretched and nailed to was likely 5 to 6 feet long. The entire cross is estimated to have weighed well over 300 pounds.

Reference.com

Other questions have arisen about the above facts. During the first century AD, there was little excess wood in Judea.

As the first-century Jewish historian Josephus noted, wood was so scarce in Jerusalem during the first century A.D. that the Romans were forced to travel ten miles from Jerusalem to secure timber for their siege machinery.

Biblical Archaeology Daily

The article explained that while artists depict Jesus carrying a full cross, the condemned usually carried only the crossbar.

The math and Jesus’ crucifixion cross.

Let’s start with simple logic.

How much did Jesus weigh at the time of his death?

No idea.

Joan E. Taylor, in her book, What Did Jesus Look Like?, estimates Jesus probably stood about 5 feet, 5 inches.

That was the average height of a Jewish man in the first century.

As for Jesus’s body, I’ve consulted experts on ancient skeletons in Israel. What I have learned is that Judaeans of this time were closest biologically to Iraqi Jews of the contemporary world. In terms of a color palette then, think dark-brown to black hair, deep brown eyes, olive-brown skin. Jesus would have been a man of Middle Eastern appearance. In terms of height, an average man of this time stood 166 cm (5 ft 5 in) tall.

What did Jesus Look Like?

This chart suggests a healthy 5′ tall man would weigh between 97 and 123 pounds. Let’s take the average, 110 pounds.

So, we have a 110-pound man nailed to a 300-pound cross that’s eight feet tall. There’s a cross piece about 5 feet wide. (I’m averaging the numbers for computation purposes.)

What type of wood?

 In the Roman Empire of the 1st century, wood was the most common material used for crucifixion due to its availability and practicality (Samuelsson, 2013). The specific type of wood is not mentioned in the Gospels, and we should be cautious about speculating beyond what is known.

Olive wood or pine were commonly used in Palestine at the time; oak or cedar were also possibilities. The Romans often used whatever wood was locally available. The cross may have been roughly hewn, not the smooth, polished cross we often see in artistic depictions.

Jesus and the Cross

How hard would it be to set the cross into a hole in the ground?

I turned to my in-house engineer for this estimate.

Does this make sense to you?

We have a 110-pound man nailed to a 300-pound cross that’s eight feet tall. It includes a cross piece about 5 feet wide. (I’m averaging the numbers for computation purposes.)

A squad of Roman centurions is about ten strong men. Even six or eight could leverage the cross into place.

As they started lifting, half the weight was in the ground.

This is easier depending on the height of the cross.

How high was Jesus’ crucifixion cross?

Many sites estimate it at 7 to 9 feet high. That does not answer the question, though, of how deep the hole was.

The Romans tended to crucify criminals beside or near the main roads into town. This meant people walking by could look into the face of the crucified person without having to look very high.

For a modern fence, the recommendation is 1/4 to 1/3 of the pole length.

Thus, a 9-foot-tall pole would need to be buried in a hole a little over two feet deep.

Making it about 6.5-7 feet tall from the ground.

Remember, crucifixion was a warning to everyone else.

²⁹ And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, ³⁰ save Yourself, and come down from the cross!”

Mark 15:29-30 NKJV

This implies that those passing by were near enough to shout at Jesus and look him in the eye.

Wouldn’t the guards, who killed people this way all the time, like it to be simple and easy?

Rome designed crucifixion to humiliate the individual. Enabling him to hear people passing by suggests that Jesus’ cross may have been only six or seven feet high.

People walking by who could look him in the eye would be far less inclined to revolt against Rome.

His mother, waiting nearby, could have whispered words of encouragement and love as she prayed.

Remember, Jesus spoke to John, asking him to care for Mary.

Two older men, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, took Jesus off the cross that night.

Together, they carried Jesus’ body to a new tomb.

To have done that alone, the cross probably was no more than seven feet off the ground.

Does it matter?

No.

Jesus died.

He rose three days later.

That’s the real significance.

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“Woe to You, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” Jesus said three times in the book of Matthew. (Matthew 23:13)

But what does it mean?

And why did he say it three times?

He meant it.

Let’s see why.

Who were the Scribes?

The scribes were Jews who helped the Pharisees. They were literate secretaries who were not necessarily priests. (All Jewish boys learned to read and write in their synagogue school. The Jewish Queen Salome Alexandra made it compulsory 100 years before Jesus’ birth!)

According to Jeanne Constantinou, the scribes were experts on the Law of Moses,

especially in the oral law–the thousands of rules developed by the Pharisees that had not been written down yet. Because of that, the scribes were sometimes called “lawyers” in the Gospels.

Scribes were highly respected, and because of their depth and knowledge and extraordinary education, they had enormous authority and status.”

The Crucifixion of the King of Glory, p. 88

She also noted you did not have to come from a wealthy family to be a scribe. It was the only opportunity for significant social advancement for any Jewish man.

They liked to parade around in their special robes that had very long fringes. People stood aside out of respect and called them Rabbi, Father, or Master.

Who were the Pharisees?

I’ve written about them often:

• Am I a Pharisee? What About You?
• Jesus and the Pharisees: Another Look
• What Did it Take to Raise Lazarus Back to Life?
• Jesus’ Ministry During Holy Week
• What Did it Take to Kill Jesus?

Basically, they were the priests in charge of the Temple. They interpreted the Law, many as members of the Sanhedrin.

They were wealthy, they knew it, and they liked to throw around opinions while they appeared in Jerusalem.

Constantinou also details how corrupt they were: loving the gold in the Temple rather than God himself. (Matthew 23:16-22)

The problem with the scribes and Pharisees was they were so busy worrying about tiny errors, they missed the point.

Jesus came to break the power of the law to hurt people.

They kept making up auxiliary laws and trying to control.

The scribes and Pharisees were more interested in power than in people knowing their Creator.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The scribes and the Pharisees were hypocrites, according to Jesus.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. (Mathew 23:15).

And, of course, they objected to anything or anyone who might inhibit their ability to gather wealth.

The Scribes and the Pharisees in Jerusalem, AD 33, give or take a year

The scribes and Pharisees during Jesus’ years were so busy being “holier than thou” that people were losing faith.

And some priests were starving to death as the scribes and Pharisees gained more power and control.

They were self-indulgent hypocrites, and they didn’t obey their own laws.

Constantinou’s The Crucifixion in all Jesus’ Glory is a magnificent overview of Jerusalem during Holy Week, and a fascinating read. You’ll never look at Holy Week the same again.

When a scribe approached Jesus to test him, he asked, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

Jesus spoke the heart of God toward his people.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”

Matthew 22:34-36.

The woes came to the scribes and the Pharisees because they were disingenuous.

They lived a different life from that of the other followers of God.

God doesn’t like that.

We’re all one before God, and equal–sinners saved by the cross of Jesus.

Are you a scribe or a Pharisee?

What’s a hypocrite?

1. a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2. a person whose behavior contradicts their stated beliefs or feelings

What do you think is the Church’s purpose?

Do you financially benefit at the expense of others because of your role in the Church?

Do you make decisions that require others to make sacrifices, but not you?

Easter is an excellent time to examine our hearts, minds, souls, and spirits.

Are we scribes–watching for the jots and tittles to catch others in a mistake?

Are we Pharisees–more interested in controlling others than bowing in humility before Jesus?

These are interesting questions we can examine anytime.

Lent and Holy Week leading up to Easter are excellent times to examine our hearts.

He is risen for you and me.

Risen, indeed!

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Jesus in Gethsemane–that’s where he spent the final night before his crucifixion.

But what does Gethsemane mean, and where was that garden?

In Hebrew, the word Gethsemane means “oil press.”

Some scholars believe it is an apt name for the agony Jesus endured while praying.

Mark told the story in 14:32-34:

³² Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane. He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³ And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. ³⁴ Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”

The disciples, of course, fell asleep despite Jesus’ plea for them to pray with Him.

The men were rudely awakened when soldiers came to arrest Jesus later that night.

2023 in Gethsemane

We visited in 2023 after walking down the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane.

Jerusalem’s Eastern Gate overlooks Gethsemane across the now-shallow Kidron Valley. (The Eastern gate is closed and sealed with concrete. A cemetery lies before it outside the Temple Mount.)

(Why? Because prophecy says Jesus will re-enter Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate when he returns. See Matthew 21:1-11 and Psalm 24:7-10. It’s also explained here.)

Visiting Gethsemane allowed us to see how close Jesus prayed to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

After the Last Supper, located west of the Temple Mount, Jesus needed to get away. He knew the crucifixion was coming and wanted to pray in a familiar place with his disciples.

That place was an olive garden.

Some believe it’s the place where the disciples gathered during their trips to Jerusalem.

Vineyards like Gethsemane often kept the wine presses inside caves. Certainly, the Mount of Olives is riddled with caves.

(We visited one further up the Mount of Olives before we arrived at Gethsemane.)

What’s Gethsemane like now?

It’s an ancient olive garden beside the Church of All Nations.

Three magnificent old olive trees grow in the garden beside the church.

They’re hollowed out inside their trunks, but obviously ancient and twisted.

Italian researchers conducted carbon dating tests in 2012 and found that the trees dated to 1092, 1166, and 1192 AD.

They’re among the oldest living trees known to science. Many assume they are descendants of the trees under which Jesus prayed in AD 33.

The church next door, today

The Church of All Nations was built in the 1920s on the foundation of two other churches.

In his book,Is Atheism Dead? Eric Metaxas pointed out that the people alive at that time might have known where things occurred.

After Constantine became emperor of Rome and a Christian, he sent his mother on a tour of the Holy Land.

Helena took this tour to Syria, Palestine, and Jerusalem from 326 to 328 AD.

She sought all the religious sites in the area — particularly anything to do with Jesus.

Shortly after Helena visited, the Byzantines built a basilica (a historic church) there.

About the time of Helena’s visit, the Garden of Gethsemane became a site for Christian pilgrims. The “Pilgrim of Bordeaux” visited in 333 AD and left a description of the garden.

People began to travel to Gethsemane to remember Jesus’ night of agony there.

The Church of All Nations focuses on the garden next door.

They believe the stone before the altar is “the bedrock where Jesus prayed.”

What’s it like to visit the Garden and the Church?

Surprisingly moving.

As we slowly moved past the olive grove, it was easy to imagine Jesus praying beneath the trees.

Only later did we learn they were too “young!”

But to think that garden was where he prayed made Jesus’ life feel so close.

Especially since he suffered there.

Entering the church and kneeling before that altar also left an impression.

Look closely. The small “fence” around the bedrock looks like a crown of thorns.

I touched the stone.

It was cool and smooth.

I knew it was unlikely that his blood spilled there (the same as in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher).

And yet.

I knew it happened not far.

And then the Temple Mount loomed above–where Jesus was finally arrested.

Was Jesus in that Gethsemane garden?

I don’t know.

But just being there brought Jesus, His death, and then His resurrection, so much closer.

We went away silent and emotionally moved.

But thankful that because of His sacrifice on the cross, we’ll be seeing Jesus soon.

Thanks be to God.

Blessings on your Lent.

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What did it take to raise Lazarus back to life?

Is anything impossible for Jesus?

But why were his friends so surprised?

(See John 11).

Jesus and his disciples were ministering on the eastern side of the Jordan River when their friend Lazarus took ill.

Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, sent Jesus a message.

“He whom you love is sick.”

Jesus got the message. He turned to his disciples and assured them, “This sickness is not unto death.”

So, no one worried about not leaving immediately.

Several days later, Jesus told the men they needed to return to Bethany.

The disciples didn’t like that idea. The Pharisees had threatened to stone Jesus should he return.

“Our friend Lazarus sleeps. I go that I may wake him up.”

Jesus wasn’t making sense

So, what else was new?

Jesus spoke plainly, “Lazarus is dead. I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe.”

They went after him, but they must have been confused.

• How did Jesus know Lazarus was dead?
• If so, what was the point?
• Would they all be stoned to death if they went with him?

Especially given their tardiness.

Which looked even worse when they arrived in Bethany and discovered Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days.

By Jewish custom, his soul would be in heaven or Sheol by now.

Lazarus’ sisters and faith

Someone sent word to Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha.

The practical Martha went to greet him. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Jesus acknowledged her words, “Your brother will rise again.”

He knew what it would take to bring Lazarus back to life, so he reassured Martha.

“I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” This was Martha’s statement of faith.

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. ²⁶ And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

John 11:25-26 NKJV

She stated her faith. She believed Jesus could raise Lazarus back to life again.

Meanwhile, Martha sent a message to her sister Mary, telling her of Jesus’ return.

Mary jumped up and ran to meet him.

Puzzled Pharisees, trying to comfort Mary, followed. They shook their heads when they saw Jesus himself. “Surely this man could have raised Lazarus from the dead if he is who he claims to be?”

Weeping and in travail (“groaning in his spirit”), Jesus stood at the tomb.

He told the people to remove the stone.

Time to raise Lazarus

What did it take to raise Lazarus from the dead?

Travail–a deep anguish–and the confidence that Jesus’ prayers would work.

You know how the story ends:

⁴⁰ Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. ⁴² And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”

 ⁴³ Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”

⁴⁴ And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

John 11:40-44 NKJV

Who would have been most shocked when Lazarus shuffled out, still wrapped in cloth?

Being raised from the dead

We met Ed Loughran from Illinois last year.

His story of being raised from the dead is amazing. (The interview is more than an hour long.)

And since he sat next to us as he described what happened–he was alive!

What did it take to be raised from the dead?

Faith and determination–and the knowledge that God could do all things.

The Pharisees were so shocked, they decided the only thing they could do was kill Lazarus again.

(As if he would stay dead?)

And Jesus, too.

But did they?

Well, you know what happened on Easter Sunday!

The post What Did It Take to Raise Lazarus Back to Life? appeared first on Michelle Ule, Author.

Lettie Cowman visited the Far East in 1939 in her role as The Oriental Missionary Society‘s president.

The world was falling apart in 1939 as Hitler started marching through Europe.

China, which had become the site of OMS headquarters, was falling apart politically.

OMS missionaries needed Lettie to visit the Far East for a meeting with the Board of Directors.

So, off she went.

Whom did she meet while sailing?

At dinner the first night out, Lettie met Dr. Blanche Houseman, an osteopathic physician, on her way to a family wedding. Dr. Houseman’s grandson sent me this story about their travels.

Lettie sailed out of San Francisco on the Asama Maru to Japan on July 10, 1939.

Among their fellow travelers was author Dale Carnegie, “who would very much like to be introduced,” to Lettie.

The two spent an entire evening on the veranda, along with Dr. Houseman.

Imagine the discussion between the author of How to Win Friends and Influence People and Lettie Cowman!

(He also wrote The Art of Public Speaking, and of course, he swapped stories with a professional that night!)

Lettie’s friendliness and confidence in God’s hand at work

Because of shipboard dining arrangements, Lettie dined with Dr. Houseman every night and established a firm friendship.

Ironically, Dr. Houseman practiced medicine in Hollywood, California–which is where Lettie lived at the time.

Lettie went to her berth after dinner each night “because I have many matters requiring my attention.” (An exception, of course, for meeting Dale Carnegie!).

She undoubtedly spent her usual hours in prayer before retiring. At 69 years old, she also suffered pain in her body.

One night, Lettie accepted a “treatment” from the osteopath and received a few more such treatments over the voyage.

During the second week of the voyage, she made a surprising announcement to Dr. Houseman.

“The Lord has very definitely spoken to me. I feel led to take you with me to Korea.”

She then added. “I do not know where the money is coming from, but your expenses will be paid. He hath spoken, and now that (the funds) is his responsibility.”

Lettie’s friendliness and invitations to potential missionaries were infamous. So was her confidence that God always provided the necessary funds.

The Far East in 1939 with OMS

Once they arrived in Japan and Dr. Houseman attended the wedding, Lettie invited her to travel to Korea.

Why?

“Mrs. Cowman said she felt not only would her missionaries benefit . . . but it would be giving me an interesting trip, as well as a spiritual blessing.”

Well, why not?

The two joined the OMS missionaries at Wha Chin Fo Beach for what became a week of storytelling.

The OMS Missionaries needed a week to hear all of Lettie’s stories about the work she’d been doing in Europe.

Dr. Houseman was fascinated to learn about Korea and meet people from all over the world.

She also treated “patients to the limit of my strength.”

Dr. Houseman loved the experience and appreciated learning about missionary life.

Mrs. Cowman made this an interesting and spiritually profitable trip to Korea possible.

True to her word, she took me under her wing from the night I left Tokyo until I returned to Japan.

Dr. Blanche Houseman, letter home.

What do we learn from this letter describing Lettie’s trip?

The 1939 trip was difficult. Lettie needed to justify all her time and energies spent in Europe, rather than paying attention to the ministry.

The missionaries were “enthralled” by her stories–which took her five afternoons to recount.

Lettie was her folksy, generous self–thinking of others’ needs.

Dr. Houseman was a convenient, and happy, person to help her missionary friends.

And, of course, Lettie was always happy to talk with people she met on board ships.

It was a sad trip. OMS co-founder Juji Nakada died while she was in Korea.

As the last living founder of the Oriental Missionary Society, Lettie Cowman went home sobered.

She had another ten years of ministry ahead of her and the hardest years–World War II–were still to come.

2026 marks the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Oriental Missionary Society.

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