<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>John 20; 1<div><br></div><div><b>1. &nbsp;Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.</b><br><br>The first day of the week is Sunday. &nbsp;The Jews considered each ‘new day’ as beginning&nbsp;at sundown of the previous day. &nbsp;Therefore, Jesus was in&nbsp;the tomb three Jewish days. &nbsp;He was crucified and buried before sundown Good Friday. &nbsp;His body rested in the tomb all day Saturday (Sabbath). &nbsp;He arose from the tomb early before sunrise Easter Sunday, all together his body was in the tomb part of Friday, all of Saturday, and part of Sunday, three days as he prophesied.</div><div><br></div><div>Finding the stone removed and the tomb empty she trusted her human reasoning and concluded that some others had taken Jesus’&nbsp;body away. &nbsp;She may not have known that Joseph of Arimathea was the rightful owner and had lawfully placed Jesus’ body there. &nbsp;She may have though the body was removed because it was wrongly place there.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>She ignored the words of Jesus which repeatedly told the disciples that <i>“The Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” &nbsp;</i></div><div>(Matthew 17;22&amp;23)</div><div><br></div><div>Other gospel accounts like Matthew record an earth quake and an angel descending and rolling back the stone, sitting on it and speaking to Mary and other women saying, <i>“He is not here, for he has risen, </i><u>as he said,”</u>. (Matthew 28;6a). She ignored the Word of the messenger of God, the angel.</div><div><br></div><div>Human brains get in the way of faith. &nbsp;We trust our reasoning powers more that the power of the Word.</div><div><br></div><div>What Word of God makes no sense to you so your brain tells you to simply ignore it? &nbsp;How about this verse, “<i>I have been crucified with Christ; &nbsp;it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” </i>&nbsp;(Galatians 2;20) ?</div><div><br></div><div>Do you think of yourself as no longer yourself but as a cleansed vessel with a brand new life in it?&nbsp; Do you think of your old self as dead with Christ and raised with Jesus into a brand new life?&nbsp;Do you think of yourself as living as a different new person, as being truly reborn, born-anew? &nbsp;Or are you still living in intimate fellowship with your old sinful self? &nbsp;Are you a Christian zombi? &nbsp;Still dead and ruled&nbsp;by your old master sin? &nbsp;Most Believers in Christ only believe parts and pieces of God’s Word, but their reasoning powers and their sinful selfish emotions continue to tell them who they are and like Mary they ignore the truth and power of God’s Word. &nbsp;By faith, they&nbsp;could really be believing Galatians 2;20.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, increase our faith to believe&nbsp;all of you true Word and not just parts of it. &nbsp;Bless us to trust in you and not depend on our own reasoning. &nbsp; In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”</div><div><br><a href="https://overview.mail.yahoo.com/?.src=iOS" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></body></html>


John 20; 1
1.  Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

The first day of the week is Sunday.  The Jews considered each ‘new day’ as beginning at sundown of the previous day.  Therefore, Jesus was in the tomb three Jewish days.  He was crucified and buried before sundown Good Friday.  His body rested in the tomb all day Saturday (Sabbath).  He arose from the tomb early before sunrise Easter Sunday, all together his body was in the tomb part of Friday, all of Saturday, and part of Sunday, three days as he prophesied.
Finding the stone removed and the tomb empty she trusted her human reasoning and concluded that some others had taken Jesus’ body away.  She may not have known that Joseph of Arimathea was the rightful owner and had lawfully placed Jesus’ body there.  She may have though the body was removed because it was wrongly place there. 
She ignored the words of Jesus which repeatedly told the disciples that “The Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.”  (Matthew 17;22&23)
Other gospel accounts like Matthew record an earth quake and an angel descending and rolling back the stone, sitting on it and speaking to Mary and other women saying, “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said,”. (Matthew 28;6a). She ignored the Word of the messenger of God, the angel.
Human brains get in the way of faith.  We trust our reasoning powers more that the power of the Word.
What Word of God makes no sense to you so your brain tells you to simply ignore it?  How about this verse, “I have been crucified with Christ;  it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  (Galatians 2;20) ?
Do you think of yourself as no longer yourself but as a cleansed vessel with a brand new life in it?  Do you think of your old self as dead with Christ and raised with Jesus into a brand new life? Do you think of yourself as living as a different new person, as being truly reborn, born-anew?  Or are you still living in intimate fellowship with your old sinful self?  Are you a Christian zombi?  Still dead and ruled by your old master sin?  Most Believers in Christ only believe parts and pieces of God’s Word, but their reasoning powers and their sinful selfish emotions continue to tell them who they are and like Mary they ignore the truth and power of God’s Word.  By faith, they could really be believing Galatians 2;20.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, increase our faith to believe all of you true Word and not just parts of it.  Bless us to trust in you and not depend on our own reasoning.   In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.”
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