It's Got Me Thinking

  Like most of you I watched the History Channel's series "The Bible" over the past several weeks.  I enjoyed seeing the stories come to life and watching my 9 year old really get excited about seeing what was going to happen next. As I watched the 4th episode, which left off where Jesus had been arrested, lyrics to a song that a friend had written years ago suddenly seem to come to life.
   The line that has been rolling around in my head says "They thought He would come with sword in hand. Instead, it pierced His side".
   Although I grew up in church hearing about Jesus week in and week out, I never really thought about the historical context of what was happening during His life on earth. It took watching a TV show to get me thinking..... The Jewish people were in a revolution. They thought that Jesus was the one who was going to save them from the Roman Government. They thought that Jesus was going to lead them into a victorious battle. They thought their redemption would come about by force.
   I can only imagine their despair while they watched in horror as Jesus was arrested, beaten, and finally crucified. Everything that they had pinned their hope on was hanging on a tree...dead. The 3 days that followed must have been agonizing as they were trying to come to grips with what had happened. Then He got up! What they were looking for as a temporary fix played out to be an eternal redemption. (Smiling because it includes me:)
   God's way of working things out doesn't coincide with the way humans think it should be done, but there is always a purpose..... and that purpose is always for our good!