Life of Jesus – What Does This Mean?

Forty Days with Jesus

[Ninety-Fourth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

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After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples several times over forty days. Like the forty days and forty nights of the flood, the forty years of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness, and the forty days of testing before His ministry, these forty days were a time of preparation. Jesus was preparing His apostles for the work He was about to give them.

At first, they did not recognize Him. But one thing or another- His greeting of peace, His calling of their name, the miracle of a great catch of fish, and the breaking of bread- revealed Him immediately to them. Jesus first reassured them that it was really Him. He had truly risen from the dead, not only in spirit, but in His body as well. He ate bread and fish with them. He still had the wounds of the crucifixion, the holes in His hands and the place where the spear had been thrust into His side. The very same Jesus stood before them in His flesh, only now transformed into a body that would never again die.

During these forty days, Jesus was not merely proving that He was alive. He was preparing the apostles for the work ahead. He spent much of that time conducting what must have been the greatest Bible study in history. He showed them every place in the Old Testament that pointed to His life, suffering, death, and resurrection. He taught them how the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms all spoke about Him and why the Messiah had to suffer before entering His glory.

He also gave them a mission: to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins, baptize, teach, and forgive sins in His name. They would carry this message first to Jerusalem and then to the ends of the earth. The apostles would soon begin that work, proclaiming the Gospel throughout the world.

All of this was preparation. The same Lord who opened the Scriptures to His disciples still teaches His Church through His Word today. Through that Word He creates faith, strengthens His people, and equips them for lives of service. The forty days prepared the apostles for their mission, and through their testimony the risen Christ continues to prepare us as well.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

©2019-2026 Robert E. Smith. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share, and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@msn.com.

Stay with Us, Lord, for it is Evening

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Today, our Easter celebration of the resurrection is filled with joy. White paraments, flowers, and banners decorate our churches. Well-practiced organs, choirs, and musical instruments of all kinds add to our song. After all, we know the story and how it ends. Jesus is risen!

The first Easter was quite different. Women close to Jesus reported visions of angels and the Lord Himself. The disciples did not know what to think. The five accounts of that day show the confusion. (Matthew 28:1-15, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-49, John 20:1-23, 1 Corinthians 15:3-5) Different people were running all over the place, and each story is its own. One thing was for sure. The tomb was empty.

On the first Sunday afternoon, two disciples were on the road home, feeling very unsettled. Could it be true? Was the Lord really risen from the dead? Jesus appeared to them but did not reveal Himself. As they walked to Emmaus, Jesus showed them how Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms all pointed to Him and that the Messiah had to suffer, die, and rise again. Their hearts burned within them as He opened the Scriptures.

They invited Him to stay with them for the evening. As they ate dinner, Jesus blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. He immediately vanished from their sight. The Lord first revealed Himself through His Word and then in the breaking of the bread.

These two disciples went back to Jerusalem to report what had happened. There, they learned Jesus had appeared to Peter. As they were talking about this, Jesus removed all doubt. He appeared to them and ate food to show He was not a ghost, but had risen from the dead, body and soul. He then blessed the Apostles and gave them the power to forgive and retain sins.

When life gets confusing, and we do not know what to do, Jesus comes to us in His Word. Even though we do not see Him, He is still present with His people. He continues to teach, forgive, and strengthen us. When we pray, “Stay with us, Lord,” He does. We are never alone, even until the end of time itself.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

The Day of Resurrection

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In the silence of a cold, dark tomb, the world changed forever.

Just as He promised, Jesus rose from His rest in the grave, breaking the seal forever.

And no one noticed.

The Romans were really good at torturing people to death. Crucifixion was a slow death, designed to kill with the maximum amount of pain and humiliation possible. If the Romans killed you, you were dead. Jesus, in fact, was already dead when the soldiers moved to hurry the process to get the bodies into a grave before sunset and the beginning of the Sabbath. There could be no doubt that He had truly died.

Once they laid Jesus in the tomb, no one expected Him to go anywhere. Pilate ordered the tomb sealed by Rome’s authority, setting its seal on the stone that shut it off from the world. Had He not risen from death, the women would have completed His embalming, and they would have mourned Him for seven days. After a year, they would have gathered His bones into a stone box. In fact, this is what Caiaphas’ family did. Archaeologists have found the high priest’s box. Had He not risen, likely no one today would even know the name of Jesus.

But Jesus did rise from the dead. The seal of His tomb was broken, and with it the seal of our graves. Death no longer has the final word. Because He lives, those who trust in Him will live also. When we die now, our spirits live with Him until the Last Day, when Jesus returns. On that day, He will call our bodies from the grave, and a new creation will occur. We will finally be whole. Our bodies, like His resurrected body, will be fit for eternal life.

Death no longer has a sting. The grave will have no victory. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57)

That is why Easter strikes such a chord with Christians. It is why we greet each other with joy:

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Christ’s Sabbath Rest in the Tomb

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Jesus died late in the afternoon on Good Friday, just before the Sabbath began at sunset. Two of his secret disciples asked Pilate for his body — Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. They gave him a hasty but rich man’s burial. Several of the women closest to Jesus followed them to the tomb. Joseph rolled a large stone in front of the entrance, and they left him there. Later, at the priests’ request, Pilate posted a guard and sealed it to prevent theft of the body. As the second day of Jesus’ death began, he was finally at rest.

As God rested on the seventh day of creation, so now Jesus rested on the first Sabbath of the new creation. His work of redemption was complete. The sacrifice had been offered. Sin had been atoned for. The Son of God truly entered death and rested in the tomb. By His sacrifice on the cross, He destroyed sin and the power of the devil. Soon, when the Sabbath ended, He would break the power of death as well.

As Christians prepare for a joyful Easter celebration, we often miss this moment of quiet and peace. Soon, when sunset comes, the third day will begin. Sometime between that sunset and dawn, Jesus rose from the dead. Having conquered sin, death, and the devil, He proclaimed His victory and became the firstfruits of all who will rise on the Last Day. The Church will begin its Vigil of Easter at sunset and sing the songs of Resurrection again.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

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Good Friday is the most somber day in the Church Year. On this day, God Himself pays the price of our sin in full. The ancient plan for our salvation had been unfolding for thousands of years. The descendant of Eve, Noah, Abraham, and David was born to the Virgin Mary. The Son of God, the Author of Life himself, became one of us. At the Jordan River, he made the waters of Baptism holy and took on the sins of the world. On Mt. Zion, ancient Mt. Moriah, where the Angel of the Lord stayed the hand of Abraham, God’s Son, His only Son, whom he loves, was condemned to die as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Sentenced by Pilate, he began his final suffering and was nailed to the cross. Even as he began to die, the forgiving began — first of those who killed him and then of a thief on a nearby cross.

The greatest mystery of all came at the height of his suffering. The Eternal Son of God cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) in the language of his boyhood. We should not be surprised that we cannot understand this profound moment. Yet we know a few things for sure. We know Scripture itself reveals this moment in detail. Jesus’ words quote his father, David, in Psalm 22, written a thousand years earlier. We know Jesus felt abandoned by God. His unanswered prayers and loneliness show that he shares fully in our humanity. He is like us in every way, which is why his sacrifice on our behalf is possible. We know he paid for our sin on the cross, and that price is unimaginably high. We are moved as we extinguish one light after another, remembering the depth of his suffering.

Yet this is not the last word we hear from our Lord’s suffering. As he died, he said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30) Sin was atoned for, the power of the Devil defeated, and the seal of the grave soon to be broken. Jesus knew the Father had not abandoned him. He once again quoted his father, David, in Psalm 31, “Into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46), and entered his three-day rest in the tomb.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

©2018-2026 Robert E. Smith. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share, and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@msn.com

Three Days and Three Nights

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The Church has remembered Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday since ancient times as the days on which our salvation was won through the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord. She accomplishes this with a single service that lasts three days. The Maundy Thursday divine service begins with an invocation but does not conclude with a benediction. Good Friday services have neither an invocation nor a benediction. The Easter Vigil concludes the three-day service with the Benediction.

The name Maundy Thursday comes from the Latin word mandatum — the first word in the Latin translation of Jesus’ command: “a new commandment I give to you: love one another.” (John 13:34) Jesus gave this command at the Last Supper, the night we also remember because he also instituted the Lord’s Supper during that Passover meal. The Maundy Thursday service ends with the stripping of the altar, the lectern, and the pulpit, and the removal of the pastor’s vestments. Often, we read the account of the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus’ arrest during this time. We depart in silence, noting that the disciples abandoned Jesus.

The day that begins at sunset on Maundy Thursday witnessed Jesus’ suffering, trial, crucifixion, and death. We call it Good Friday because it is the day we were redeemed. It is also the first day of Christ’s rest in the tomb. On this second day, Jesus was in the grave, beginning at sunset on Friday. On Holy Saturday after sunset, the third day starts.

In the ancient Jewish way of counting time, any part of a day could be counted as a whole day. Jesus died on Friday, rested in the tomb on Saturday, and rose on Sunday. Thus Christians have always confessed that He rose on the third day, just as He promised. The Church holds a vigil, a service that marks the beginning of Easter. Often, Christians are baptized during the vigil.

On these three days, Christ fulfilled his promise that he would take our sins to the cross, die to pay their due, make holy our graves by resting in death, defeat Satan and death, and rise again to shatter the grave forever. Three days to remember and to thank God for his mercy.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Jesus Faces Off With His Opponents

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From Monday to Wednesday of Holy Week, Jesus taught in the temple. His opponents challenged him several times. He told parables against them and warned people about them. First, the priests asked by what authority he did the things he did. Jesus countered by asking them whether John the Baptist was from God. Because they would not answer, he would not either. (Matthew 21:23-27)

Jesus’ three parables were his last attempt to call his opponents to repentance. They were the Parable of the Two Sons, the Parable of the Wicked Vineyard Tenants, and the Parable of the King’s Wedding Feast. The point of all three was that his opponents pretended to serve God but were really disobedient. (Matthew 21:28-22:14)

His opponents responded with several test questions: Should we pay taxes to Caesar? Who will be the husband of a woman in the resurrection who was married to seven brothers without having a child? His answers were so profound that they did not follow up. (Matthew 22:15-40)

These questions were not meant to learn from Jesus. His opponents hoped to trap Him into saying something that would discredit Him with either the people or the Romans. If He opposed paying taxes to Caesar, they could accuse Him of rebellion. If He denied the resurrection, He would anger many of the people. If He chose one commandment over another, they could accuse Him of false teaching. Instead, every answer showed such wisdom that His opponents could only admire Him or remain silent.

He then asked them, “If Christ is David’s son, why does David call Christ Lord?” They did not answer.

Most of what Jesus taught that week, however, was about His second coming and eternity. While His enemies plotted His death, Jesus prepared His disciples for the future. He taught them to watch, to remain faithful, and to live in hope as they waited for His return in glory. In this way, he prepared them for his approaching death.

One evening that week in Bethany, Jesus’ friend Mary anointed him with expensive perfume for his coming burial. While many still dreamed of a conquering Messiah, Mary seems to have understood that Jesus was preparing to die.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Ride on, Ride on in Majesty

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“It is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish,” prophesied Joseph Caiaphas, the High Priest. (John 11:50) On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus had healed a blind man, performing a sign of the Messiah. A week before the first Palm Sunday, Jesus was at the Bethany home of his friends, Mary and Martha. In this bedroom community, he raised their brother Lazarus, who had been in the grave for four days.

This unmistakable sign of the Messiah happened before their eyes and those of their relatives and friends. People flocked to see him and Lazarus. The priests feared Jesus was going to start a rebellion, proclaiming himself the Messiah. Caiaphas knew what would happen. Pilate would destroy the rebels and level the temple and the city. Rather, one man- this man who called himself the Son of God and the Messiah- would die instead of the people. They did not realize that was God’s will — for an entirely different reason.

The Sunday before Passover did not calm these fears but intensified them. Like David had done one thousand years earlier, he rode a donkey into Jerusalem along the road from Bethlehem. It ran through Bethany, Bethphage, through the Mount of Olives, across the Brook Kidron, into the city through a gate into the Temple. The people spread their coats and palm branches on the road before him, sang praises to God, and shouted, “Save now! Son of David” (Hosanna). Jesus not only did not discourage them but also accepted their praise. The leaders of the people united in their plans to kill Jesus. He was, in their minds, a blasphemer and a threat to them and to the nation.

What they missed was that Jesus the Messiah was not intent on earthly revolution, but on dying for their sins and the sins of the world and rising again to open the tombs of all believers. He agreed with Caiaphas. For weeks, he had been warning his disciples that he “had to” suffer at their hands, be crucified, die, and on the third day rise. Throughout the week, he would remind them of it. With the hindsight of being on the other side of the resurrection, we remember these events and sing: “Ride on, ride on, in majesty! In lowly pomp ride on to die. Bow Thy meek head to mortal pain. Then take, O Christ, Thy power and reign.” (Henry H. Milman, Ride on, Ride on, in Majesty, stanza five)

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

©2018-2025 Robert E. Smith. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share, and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@msn.com

Lazarus, Come Out!

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Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were close friends of Jesus. When Jesus came to Jerusalem, He often stayed with them in their home in Bethany, a little town two miles away. So, when Lazarus fell ill, it was personal, even more so because Jesus knew his friend would die. Jesus had raised some people from the dead. Yet the resurrection of Lazarus would be one of his greatest miracles and would set in motion the events leading to his suffering, death, and resurrection.

So, two weeks before his own resurrection, Jesus went to comfort his friends. He said the words that touch a chord in our hearts even today: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26)

Before Jesus went to the tomb, Martha confessed her faith in Him. When Jesus said these words, she replied, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” Before Lazarus ever walked out of the tomb, Martha already trusted Jesus.

Still, Jesus grieved for his friend. Then He ordered the tomb opened and called Lazarus back from the grave. A common Jewish belief held that after several days there could be no question that a person was truly dead. Whether or not everyone believed that exactly, four days made it impossible to argue that Lazarus had merely fainted or been mistaken for dead.

Previously, Jesus had raised several people from the dead. Lazarus’s resurrection was different because it happened close to the priests’ homes. The Sadducees could dismiss reports about Jesus more easily when they came from distant Galilee. When their neighbors actually witnessed Lazarus coming back from the dead, they could not dismiss it.

The priests’ problem was not that the miracle lacked evidence. The problem was that it had too much evidence. Lazarus lived only a short walk from Jerusalem, and many people had attended his funeral. They could speak with Lazarus himself. If people believed Jesus could raise the dead, many would also believe He was the Messiah.

When Caiaphas, the High Priest, heard about this miracle, he said, “It is better that one man die than the people.” He was right, even though he did not know why. From this moment on, the priests and the Pharisees planned to kill Jesus and Lazarus. A week later, Jesus would ride into Jerusalem amid lambs destined for sacrifice. With his death, he destroyed death, its angel passing over us forever.

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substack

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Jesus the Good Shepherd

[Eightieth in a series of posts on Bible Stories]

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In the Middle East, shepherds often build a common sheep pen for their town. All the shepherds in the village would keep their sheep together in this pen overnight. They would build a wall to keep the sheep from wandering away and to keep wolves and other predators from attacking them. A watchman would guard the gate or door to the pen so that only shepherds could enter. This discouraged thieves.

When a shepherd was ready to feed his sheep, he would go into the pen and call them by name. A shepherd had an intimate relationship with his sheep. Sometimes they would be as close to them as a pet is to us. So the sheep recognized the voice of the man who cared for them. When he called them by name, they would follow. They would not follow a stranger because they did not know his voice. A thief might try to steal the sheep, but the true shepherd cared for them and kept them safe. The shepherd would take them to good, green pastures and nice, quiet waters. He would keep them from wandering off and would treat any wounds, binding them up. He would protect them from wild animals, often battling them, as King David describes what he did as a young shepherd. True shepherds would risk their lives to save their sheep.

Kings often compared themselves to shepherds. They liked to be seen as caring for them and keeping them safe. They expected their subjects to follow them willingly everywhere they wanted to go.

In the Bible, God tells us He is our Shepherd. He will feed them, gather their lambs in his arms, and hold them close to his heart. (Isaiah 40:11) Most of all, in Jesus, God is our Good Shepherd. He leads us with his word, guides us, and protects us from evil. Like a good shepherd, he laid down his life for the sheep. He died so that we might be saved. On the last day of our lives, he will lead us through the valley of the shadow of death safely home to dwell in his house forever. (Psalm 23)

Originally posted at What does this Mean? Blog: https://whatdoesthismean.blog

The posts in the blog What does this Mean? are now available at What does this Mean? | Rev. Robert E. Smith | Substackost Series

Rev. Robert E. Smith
Pastor Emeritus
Fort Wayne, Indiana