Our Passover Lamb, our Resurrection Life!

We sat on our couch Friday morning contemplating this unique place we live – Jerusalem. We’ve been here eight years now, and things seem “normal” to our eyes. It is normal for our neighbors to be doing their final cleaning for Passover and dropping off their bread and flour and noodles to us for safe-keeping. It is normal to walk out to our park and mingle with Jewish neighbors and Arab neighbors. It is normal to look out from our balcony and know that just north of us, behind a clump of trees that somewhat obscures the view, lies the Old City and the Temple Mount. It all seems normal.

There was a day centuries ago that began as normal, with people busily cleaning and preparing to celebrate Passover while diverse peoples and nationalities mixed together in a city which wasn’t quite as old then with a temple that was not in the least bit obscured from view. But in the very midst of that “normal” something supernaturally profound took place. The Passover Lamb was led to His death. His blood was spilled. The price was paid. The curtain was ripped. Death was finished…and life was coming!

Today is Sunday, and this morning we were again sitting on our couch, reading the resurrection story to our children. We tried to understand why Peter and John didn’t understand that Jesus wasn’t there…hadn’t Jesus told them he would die and three days later rise again? We were puzzled that Mary didn’t recognize Jesus when she first saw Him…until he spoke her name, “Mary!”

As we talked about their reactions, I realized that we are very similar to Peter and John and Mary. Having the testimony of His Word and His Spirit, we can still try to focus on our own version of His story and not understand Him fully, not see Him correctly. But, He is faithful. In the middle of our normal life, when we fail to understand or see the redemptive work of God being accomplished right in front of us, He calls to us and speaks our name. He knows us…so that we can know Him! He calls to us and transforms our normal into something gloriously, redemptively profound.

Praise You, Lord Jesus! Our Passover Lamb, our Resurrection Life!

The Kramers