False claims, that Jesus never said He is God, get repeated in the media every year in the lead up to Easter. Coincidence? I don’t think so. You can be sure the adversary wants you to believe this is all just one big April Fool’s joke. But, if Jesus was just another man, another prophet, you can be sure that no one, let alone the ruling council before whom Jesus appeared, wouldn’t have been worked up about it. And if Jesus was just another wise teacher then there would no reason to celebrate Easter at all this coming weekend. But the great joy that’s ours is that God Himself has come down from heaven, to redeem us from our sins and bring us eternal life.

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It’s an unexpected scene that comes at the end of a movie … the very end. It comes after all of the credits have rolled. All of a sudden, the screen lights up and there’s one more scene. And in that scene is the set up for a future story line, a sequel, an eye-opening glimpse of what’s coming next. With the raising of Lazarus, God gave Martha, and us, a joyous glimpse of what's to come.

In a criminal trial, the jury is charged with determining a defendant's guilt or innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. It’s the kind of trial made famous by such characters as Perry Mason on TV. It’s the type of trial where the judge then asks the foreman of the jury, “Have you reached a verdict?” Here in Romans, a verdict is about to be read. However, in this case, we’re not seated on the jury. We’re the one whose life hangs in the balance. But before we get to that, let’s back up and review the case.

Episode Art: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Having shown Ezekiel a vision of a valley filled with bones, God explained, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’" And then He asked, "Can these bones live?" And when you and are crushed with guilt for things that we’ve said or done our redemption comes down to a matter of will. However, it's not your will or mine that brings it about. It's God who describes for us His gracious and merciful will.

If sin was something that simply overshadows our life, we could fix it. We could revise our plans, pick ourselves up, make adjustments and move on. It's a whole different matter, though, if you find yourself in the cemetery. And that’s Paul’s point. Take another look at the beautiful phrase, a gracious invitation, that the apostle uses to describe the light and life God has given to us in His Son.

It’s always fun sharing this account, of Jesus’ healing the blind man, with small children. Once you get to the part where Jesus made some mud with saliva, they immediately recoil, scrunch their faces and exclaim, “Ewwww!” And, I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that some of you may be thinking the same thing. So, why did Jesus spit onto the dust, make mud and rub it the man’s eyes?

Episode Art: Francesco de Mura, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

If you've ever stood in the delivery room at the moment of childbirth, you'll recall that the one giving birth cried out. And shortly after, the one who is born cries out. Here in Isaiah, God uses this colorful image to describe His promise to restore righteousness and bring salvation to His fallen and sinful people. And with joy, you and I know behold the result.