Daily Grace
Jesus is Alive
“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay’ ” (Matthew 28:5-6). The two women came to the tomb that Sunday morning...
The Stone has Been Rolled Away
“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it” (Matthew...
Sunday is Coming
“Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away” (Matthew 27:59-60). We focus, and rightly so, on Good Friday and...
The Day Religion Died
“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised...
The Guilty Went Free
“ ‘Which of the two do you want me to release to you?’ asked the governor. ‘Barabbas,’ they answered. ‘What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?’ Pilate asked. They all answered, ‘Crucify him!’ ” (Matthew 27:21-22). Pilate knew that Jesus was...
God’s Will is Best
“Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will’ ” (Matthew 26:39). It’s difficult to comprehend the emotional and mental anguish of this moment...
A New Covenant
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). Jeremiah prophesied that someday there would be a new covenant. This was God’s plan from the beginning. “ ‘This is the covenant I will make with the people of...
The Issue of Seeing
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me’ ”...
The Good News is for Everyone
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). Every believer longs for Jesus to come and end the evil we see around us. We eagerly anticipate the day that will end...