Still Trusting
How could this happen? How could God allow our beautiful daughter Melissa to be taken from us in a car accident at age 17? And it's not just us. It's also our friends Steve and Robyn, whose daughter Lindsay, Melissa's friend, died 9 months earlier. And what about Richard and Leah, whose son Jon—another of Melissa's friends—lies in a gravesite within 50 yards of both Lindsay and Melissa?
Three Crosses
In many paintings of the crucifixion of Jesus, the center cross on which He hung is taller or higher on a hill than the other two. We can appreciate an artist's desire to give Christ a place of preeminence, but we have no reason to believe that Jesus was given an elevated or exalted position — higher than that of the two thieves. Those who crucified Jesus considered Him to be a common criminal, so the crosses were most likely on the same level.
Bearing His Cross
In the eyes of most people in the crowd, Jesus was a common criminal going to the place of execution. So to help Him bear His cross was both degrading and humiliating.
Valley Of The Shadow
Darkness upon darkness. Sorrow upon sorrow. Pain upon pain. Anguish upon anguish. That's death.
Two Daughters
I had never thought much about Jairus before. Oh, I had heard the story about this synagogue ruler, and I knew he had begged Jesus to come to his house and heal his dying daughter. But I never understood the depth of his sorrow. I never understood how his heart must have shattered in pain when a messenger came to him and announced, "Your daughter is dead."
