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The Parable about Parables

It is no secret that Jesus heavily taught in parables, but have you ever wondered why that is? His twelve disciples were curious as to why He preferred to teach using parables. In fact, on one occasion, after sharing a parable by a lake, His disciples asked Jesus why He favored teaching in parables. 

Jesus questioned His disciples:

Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 

Mark 4:13

So, what then was the parable Jesus taught by the lake that day? 

The Parable of the Sower

The Gospels of Matthew (13:3-23), Mark (4:3-20), and Luke (8:5-15) provide corresponding accounts of the Parable of the Sower. 

In this parable, Jesus unfolds a story about a farmer who went to sow his seed. As the farmer sprinkled the seed along the soil, some of the seed fell on soil on the path, soil in rocky areas, soil in thorny areas, and on good soil. 

Consequently, hungry birds flew in and ate up the seed that fell on the path. The seeds that fell in rocky areas sprouted quickly, but the soil was shallow and the rocks prevented the plants from taking a deep root; ultimately blocking sufficient nutrients and water. Because of this, the plants died because the heat of the sun was too much to bear. The seed that fell among thorns was obstructed by the piercing bristles. This rendered the plant incapable of bearing grain. Fortunately, the seed that fell among the good soil had all of the right conditions to amply grow and prosper. The bountiful crop multiplied a hundred, or sixty, or thirty times what was sown. 

Jesus ended the parable with:

“Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Matthew 13:9

Symbolism

+The Farmer depicts God

+The Seed depicts the Word of God

+The Soil on the Path depicts people who have heard the Word of God, but as soon as they have, Satan sneaks in and turns them away. 

+The Soil on Rock depicts people who have heard the Word of God. They believe and accept His Word. However, they are not able to take root in His Word. So in times of persecution and testing, they fall away. 

The Soil among Thorns depicts people who have heard the Word of God, but as life progresses, they become enamored by worldly pleasures, worries, and gains. They took root, but the thorns got in the way and inhibited them from maturing. 

+The Good Soil depicts people who have heard the Word of God and understand it. They continue to live by His Word and produce a prolific crop. 

How Can The Parable of the Sower Be Considered The Parable About Parables?

This is the point where His disciples ask Jesus why He speaks in parables.

This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”                               

Matthew 13:13

Here, Jesus is reiterating Isaiah. 

“Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes,  hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Isaiah 6:9-10

All three accounts of the Parable of the Sower indicate that those who have the Word of God rooted within them are privy to understanding God’s messages. We see this in the scriptures below:

“Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

Matthew 13:11-12

+

“But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Matthew 13:16-17

+

He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables”

Mark 4:11

+

He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others, I speak in parables”

Luke 8:10

God has extended His Word and Grace to everyone- those planted on the path, among the rocks, intertwined with thorns, and in the good soil. However, only those who have cultivated their hearts with good soil are receptive to the messages and meaning of His Word. They are the ones who will truly understand. All others are on the outside. All they hear is a parable- a little story about a farmer. The Parable of the Sower reflects Jesus’ purpose of teaching with parables. 

Summing It All Up

The Parable of the Sower illustrates the inner workings of the parables Christ used throughout His ministry. Those who are close to Him, who haven’t hardened their hearts to His messages, are privileged to receive the powerful and transformative proclamations of the Word of God. 

Now, the only question that remains is what soil are you?

His Last Days of Mortal Life & His Eternal Glory

The last few days leading up to Christ’s mortal death are paramount to His resurrection. Through scripture, we’ve chronologically outlined His last days of mortal life and His amazing gift of His Salvation. 

Last Days of Jesus’ Mortal Life

Jesus Brings Lazarus Back From the Dead

Christ’s friends, Mary and Martha asked Him to heal their sick brother, Lazarus. Jesus stayed for a couple of days but had to go to Judea. The sickness had overcome him, and Lazarus died. After being in a tomb for 4 days, Jesus came and raised Lazarus from the dead. 

The Plot to Kill Jesus

Fearing their status jeopardized the chief priests and Pharisees met:

Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

John 11:45-53

Knowing He was wanted, Jesus stayed in the town of Ephraim. The chief priests and Pharisees were beginning to worry that they wouldn’t be able to find Him. They ordered that anyone who knows His whereabouts should report it to them so they could arrest Him. 

Anointing in Bethany

Passover was 6 days away. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus held a dinner in honor of Jesus at their home in Bethany. 

Mary presented a jar of expensive perfume. She broke open the jar and poured the contents on Jesus’s head and feet. She continued to swab His feet with her hair. 

Those who witnessed this began to mock her in disbelief, declaring the act as a waste of a resource; asserting that she would have been better off selling the perfume and donating the money to the poor. 

Jesus stood up for her, saying:

“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 

Mark 14:6-8

A large crowd gathered in Bethany. People from all over came to see Jesus and Lazarus, whom Jesus had recently brought back from death. 

The chief priests were angered:

So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.

John 12:10-11

Jesus Travels to Jerusalem: A Prophecy Fulfilled

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

John 12:12-13

Jesus came along, seated on a young donkey. This fulfilled the prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

By this time, word of Lazarus being brought back to life had rapidly spread. Displeased, the Pharisees remarked:

So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”

John 12:19

The Plot to Kill Jesus Thickens

Two days before the Passover celebrations, Jesus said to His disciples:

“As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

Matthew 26:2 

Threatened by Jesus, the chief priests and officers of the temple gathered to discuss how to handle their “dilemma.” By chance an opportunity revealed itself. Judas, one of Christ’s appointed 12, came to them and proposed they pay him to deliver Jesus. They settled on a reward of 30 pieces of silver. The only condition was:

“But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

Mark 14:2

From there on out, Judas kept watch for a suitable moment. 

Jesus Predicts His Death

Jesus spoke to a crowd. He told them:

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 

John 12:23

He continued to tell the crowd that anyone who follows Him will inherit eternal life. 

Then something amazing happened:

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.

John 12:27-33

Another Prophecy Fulfilled

Despite all of the miracles, there were still so many who doubted Jesus. 

This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.”

John 12:38-40

Curiously:

Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God.

John 12:42-43

Preparations for Passover Dinner

It was the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The disciples asked Jesus about the plans for Passover Dinner. He instructed them to:

He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’

Matthew 26:18

‘He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.’

Mark 14:15

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

While the Passover dinner was being prepared Jesus acknowledged:

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

John 13:1

Because He loved them so much, Jesus wanted to leave His disciples with a parting gift. 

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.  After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

John 13:3-5

Simon Peter insisted that Jesus would not wash his feet. But Jesus countered:

 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean.

John 13:8-11

Jesus asked His disciples if they understood what He had done for them. Jesus explained:

Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

John 13:16-17

The Last Supper

That evening, the room had been prepared and the meal assembled. While sitting around the table:

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”

Luke 22:14-16

The First Communion

While dinner convened, Jesus directed His disciples:

After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

Luke 22:17-20

Predictions of Betrayal

Jesus knew one of His disciples was going to betray Him:

 “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’ “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me, and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.”

John 13:18-27

Who is the Greatest?

The meal was full of chatter. A conversation arose. The disciples wanted to know who was the greatest among them. 

Jesus said:

For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials.

Luke 22:27-28

Jesus loves and appreciates His disciples. Even though death is near, He continues to teach them. 

Jesus Predicts that Peter will Deny Him at the Mount of Olives

After singing a hymn, Jesus and His disciples departed to the Mount of Olives. There shared regrettable information:

“My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”

John 13:33-36

Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:

‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

Matthew 26:31

Peter dismissed this, insisting that he would never fall away. 

Jesus declared:

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

Luke 22:31-34

Echoing Peter, the other disciples agreed that they would not fall away.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

Next, Jesus and His disciples went to Gethsemane. When they arrived, Jesus instructed His disciples to keep watch and pray for strength from temptation. Before walking off, Jesus said:

Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

Matthew 26:38

Knowing His mortal life was nearing the end Jesus prayed:

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

Jesus wandered back to His disciples and found them sleeping. He scolded them and warned:

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Matthew 26:41

Jesus went back and prayed:

An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Luke 22:43-44

He went back to His disciples and found them sleeping once more. Their eyes were heavy with sleep and embarrassment. Once more, Jesus went back and prayed.

Jesus prayed to be glorified:

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 

John 17:1-2

Jesus prayed for His disciples:

While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

John 17:12

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

John 17:15-19

Jesus prayed for all of the believers:

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

John 17:22-23

Jesus returned to His disciples a last time:

Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Mark 14:41-42

The Manifestation of Judas’s Betrayal

Just then, Judas showed up with a band of soldiers. 

Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. The men seized Jesus and arrested him. Then one of those standing near drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.

Mark 14:44-47

Jesus reprimanded His disciples:

“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

Matthew 26:52-56

Jesus was taken to the high priest, Caiaphas. Peter followed behind. In Caiaphas’s courtyard, Peter sat down by the fire alongside the guards. Peter watched as:

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.

Mark 14:55-56

Jesus stayed silent until:

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered.

Matthew 26:62-66

Peter’s Three Denials 

While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him. “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said. But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway. When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” Again he denied it. After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

Mark 14:66-72

Death

Judas’s Remorse

When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”

So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Matthew 27:3-5

Pilate

Jesus was taken to the governor, Pilate. 

Meanwhile, Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

Matthew 27:11

In spite of the charges, Jesus never faltered to stand true. This impressed Pilate. 

An angry mob had congregated. But, Pilate found no evidence of wrongdoing. He questioned the validity of the allegations and sought to touch the irate crowd:

So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

“If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”

John 18:29-39

The crowd did not want Jesus released:

Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.

Mark 15:6-11

To appease the crowd, Pilate had Jesus flogged. Soldiers dressed Jesus in a purple robe and placed a crown of thorns upon His head. They spat on Him, slapped Him, and insulted Him with a slur of insults. 

Still, Pilate did not feel right about the situation:

Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”

The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”

When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.

“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.

But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”

“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

John 19:4-16

Crucifixion

Jesus was made to carry a cross up to the hill of Golgotha. Once there, the cross was erected, and Jesus was nailed to it by His hands and feet. He was placed in the middle of two other men. 

Pilate had made a sign that was to be fastened to the cross:

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, The King Of The Jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

John 19:19-22

Again, Another Procephy Fulfilled

Four soldiers who crucified Jesus took His clothes and divided the clothing among them. Only Jesus’s undergarment remained. 

They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.

Psalm 22:18

Death

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” 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 to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 

Matthew 27:45-55

Yet, Two More Prophecies Fulfilled

Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 

John 19:31-35

It must be eaten inside the house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones.

Exodus 12:46

They must not leave any of it till morning or break any of its bones. When they celebrate the Passover, they must follow all the regulations.

Numbers 9:12

he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.

Psalm 34:20

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

Zechariah 12:10

Burial 

Joseph, a man from Arimathea, asked Pilate for Jesus’ body. Together, he and Nicodemus prepared Jesus’ body:

Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment. 

Luke 23:53-56

Resurrection

Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary arose early on Sunday and went to the tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid. To their surprise, the tomb was open and empty. Hesitantly, they peered in and saw two angels in white:

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”

Mark 16:6-7

Frightened, the women immediately ran off to fetch Simon Peter. When the women found Peter, he and another disciple were together. When the women explained that Jesus’ body was gone, both men swiftly headed toward the tomb. 

Worried sick, Mary Magdalene was crying outside of the tomb:

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

John 20:11-18

The Deception of the Guards

While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

Matthew 28:11-15

Two Disciples

That same day, two disciples were walking to the town of Emmaus. Jesus strolled up alongside them, but they were prevented from recognizing Him. They continued to talk throughout their journey. Jesus asked the men what they were discussing. Although confused, one of the men told Jesus that recently, a lot had happened. He explained that their Messiah had been crucified. As they neared their destination, the men invited Jesus to stay for dinner. 

While eating:

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

Luke 24:30-32

Apostles

While the disciples were discussing what had happened with the men from Emmaus:

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Luke 24:36-49

Ascension

Jesus blessed His disciples. They watched as He ascended into Heaven:

While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

Luke 24:51-53

Conclusion

Throughout His last few days of His mortal existence, Jesus continued to teach, show love, and practice mercy. Multiple prophecies were fulfilled, giving even more confirmation that He is the Savior. 

His resurrection gives meaning and purpose to our lives. Through His resurrection, God's promises are able to be fulfilled. He overcame death, and through repentance and obedience, we can too. 

Bible Verses for all that the Spring Season Encompasses

As the warmth sets out to defrost the earth, the birds begin to grace us with their merry songs, the fauna brings about new life, and the vegetation begins to sprout. Restlessness dissolves into a newfound sense of energy as humankind starts to venture outside to delight in the rebirth that springtime initiates. Cheerful laughter fills the air as families gather at parks, and the sidewalks begin to fill with brightly colored masterpieces; chalky residue smear tiny fingertips. Bees buzz diligently about, and soft breezes whirl and carry off fallen seeds of trees; gently transporting them to their new homes where they will settle and flourish. Brilliant colors paint the hillside as fragrant flowers bud and blossom, while the nooks and crevices at home are spritzed and wiped down; the dust bunnies cleared away. Old clothes get sorted and donated to those who have more use for them, and winter attire is neatly packed away. The serene murmur of rivers is heard as they reawaken from their icy confinement. Twigs and grass are collected as hopeful avians build their nests for their eggs. Spring marks the end of hibernation, the beasts wake from their restful slumber, and the heat of the sun fills life with zeal and excitement. Soft giggles echo through the atmosphere while toddlers run and splash through puddles, triumphant applause roars as colorful kites soar across the sky, and iridescent bubbles float freely away as they depart the loop of a plastic wand. Butterflies flitter garden to garden alongside the cherry red ladybugs that casually stroll among the greenery. Rosy cheeks balloon before the exhale of breath is vigorously released, prompting the tiny white seeds of dandelions to dance around the man-made zephyr, while the culprit gleefully makes a wish. Red checkered blankets are laid across freshly trimmed grass as couples leisurely slow down and bask in one another’s company; holding hands and sharing their aspirations with one another, as wispy clouds lazily saunter above. 

As Christians, we know spring represents more than the pleasant sound of leaves rustling in the breeze, a feeling far more prominent than the welcomed touch of the sun kissing our skin. Spring signifies a deeper and greater appreciation for new life, transformation, rebirth, renewal, growth, new beginnings, hope, restorations, promises, progress, and cleansing. Spring symbolizes God’s promise of eternal life. It is a reminder of Christ's love and sacrifice. It is the time to rejuvenate our spiritual health. It’s the time to start anew. 

That is why we have collected scriptures from the Bible that capture the remarkable beauty and transformation of the season. The verses will encourage the spiritual meaning that embodies springtime. 

Bible Verses for Springtime

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;  it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44

See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me. Songs of Songs 2:11-13

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams. Isaiah 44:3-4

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5

When a king’s face brightens, it means life; his favor is like a rain cloud in spring. Proverbs 16:15

Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. Deuteronomy 32:2

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isaiah 35:1-10

Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. John 3:6

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old. Lamentations 5:21

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Colossians 3:9-10

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign,  that will endure forever. Isaiah 55:10-13

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:25-26

Praise the Lord, my soul,  and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:2-5

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:22

Do not be afraid, you wild animals, for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches. Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. Joel 2:22-24

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Romans 6:4-7

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. James 5:7

Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth. Hosea 6:3

Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death— they are like the new grass of the morning. Psalm 90:5

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:10-12

A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” Isaiah 40:6-8

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” John 3:3

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. Psalm 19:7

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:23

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Psalm 1:3

Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone. Zechariah 10:1

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, or his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. Isaiah 61:11

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16

When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. Psalm 104:30

So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul—then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. Deuteronomy 11:13-14

All Things Considered

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5

Christ assures us that He will make everything new. This includes those eager and willing to listen and live by His teachings. It is through Him that we will be restored!

-Torrance Church of Christ