Luke 23:44-49 — Torn.

READ THIS: Luke 23:44-49

44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, 45 for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. 47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” 

48 When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. 49 But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

The moment Jesus died changed everything. Just yesterday, we were reading about how everyone was mocking Jesus. Those same people, the moment He died, switched to mourning and to praising God. The centurion (Roman soldier), saw Jesus' final words and the cosmic signs associated with it, and he couldn't help but see God in it. So, he praised. The crowd who had been standing there making Jesus' final moments awful, turned to go home, beating their breasts. That action/phrase signifies repentance and/or mourning. They saw what the centurion saw and felt terrible. 

When we realize who God is, we can respond in praise or in shame. But what about if we already know who God is and He does something we don't expect? Well, look at the disciples. The ones who knew who Jesus was/is, hesitated. They didn't know what to do because the Messiah wasn't supposed to die, according to what they could understand. Instead of praising despite the uncertainty, they just paused, frozen in confusion and potentially doubt, torn on what to do next. No to mention, I'm sure, sadness at seeing their friend pass away. 

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Do you feel like you know who God/Jesus is? If so, when was a moment where you realized it either for the first time or re-realized it again? How did you respond?
 
2. When was a time that God did something that made you hesitate? That hesitation can look like a full stand-still, it can look like doubt, it can look like _____! What did it look like for you?

TRY THIS:

Research more into what the tearing of the veil/curtain means, here! It's crazy how much significance just these six verses carry, and especially just those ten words hidden in verse 45 about the curtain tearing!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Galatians 2:1-5 — Marathon Training

R EAD THIS:  Galatians 2:1-5 1 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.   WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Yesterday, we learned about how Paul went to Jerusalem and shared the incredible things Jesus did, but today, we are hearing about Paul's second time visiting Jerusalem... 14 years later. Paul talks about a bunch of things that happened ...
Read more

Luke 8:19-21 — Jesus's Fam!

R EAD THIS:  Luke 8:19-21 19 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY? Ummmm, hold up, is Jesus dissing on His family here? I mean, I know He is God's Son and all, but at first glance, this passage makes it seem like He is kind of hating on His family! However, if we really look into this passage, it's actually a lot more about us than it is about the family of Jesus.  In case you forgot, the last few passages have features Jesus telling and explaining different parables to a large crowd as well as His disciples. Clearly, the crowd has gotten so large that Mary and Jesus's brothers (yes... Jesus had brothers!) couldn't even reach Him. When someone told Jesus "hey dude, your fam is here an...
Read more

WELCOME BACK! Hebrews Introduction

WELCOME BACK TO DEEPLY ROOTED!!! Greetings fellow Bible readers and Jesus journey-ers! We're stoked to get back in the swing of things with y'all. For any new readers, this section would usually be where our handful of Bible verses will be. The section below would break down what in the world the verses mean. Then, there are some debrief questions for you to dive deeper and an application point. A new addition this year is the Song of the Week! We'll share a song that ties into the theme of the next few verses...if you gaze ahead and have song suggestions, comment below or text! HEBREWS INTRODUCTION: As with any book of the Bible, different Biblical scholars say different things about this letter, but we'll tell you the most probable take. So here it is: Hebrews is a letter written to a group of Jews who were being persecuted for deciding to follow Jesus. It is a letter to encourage them and to show that Jesus truly is the best person to follow despite how hard it was g...
Read more