April 13th, 2022
As many of you are probably aware, there is a pretty important Christian holiday coming up! I’m writing this on Palm Sunday, the day we celebrate Jesus entering Jerusalem. This coming weekend we will celebrate Good Friday, the day we remember the death and burial of Jesus, and Easter, because our Savior didn’t stay buried! In light of Easter, I have been thinking about the power and significance of the resurrection of Jesus and I want to share some thoughts that have been on my heart this week.
Hebrews 7:16 tells us,
“[Jesus] has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.”
The Greek word translated indestructible here is only used once in the Bible-here in this verse—and it literally means “cannot be broken.” Jesus became our high priest, not because of the family He was born into, which was the way a high priest used to be appointed, but because of the power of His life. By this right, He is now able to save everyone who comes to Him. The writer of Hebrews gives us further insight into the power of that truth:
“The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.” (Hebrews 7:23-26)
Jesus was everything no man could be: Holy, absolutely innocent of all sin, perfect and without blemish. Prior to Jesus, daily sacrifices were made to atone for sin. At that time, only the High Priest could enter the Holiest place, where the Ark of the Covenant, representing the presence of God, dwelt. When Jesus died on the cross, He satisfied every requirement as a sacrifice for sin and the veil in the temple was torn in half, allowing us access to the Most Holy place by the blood of Jesus. He was our sacrifice and is our high priest! He is the only man who has ever been or will ever be absolutely without flaw and therefore He was the only One who could take death in our place.
This is why we celebrate Easter. Jesus took our place on the cross, dying a horrible death, to free us from the bondage of sin and every oppressive thing that came into the world with it: sickness, poverty, depravity, and every kind of darkness. Jesus openly made a show of every enemy of our souls. They are beneath His feet and ours when we accept His salvation!
There is a story recorded in Matthew 9, Mark 5, and Luke 8 that demonstrates this perfectly. There was a woman who had what the Bible calls “an issue of blood” for twelve years. She would have been considered “unclean” and would not have been allowed to associate with society normally. This woman spent everything she had on doctors and suffered many things at their hands, trying to be well. Can you imagine how desperate she must have been? After twelve long years, I would imagine she had given up all hope. There was nothing the doctors or anyone could do to fix her. Then, something happened. This woman found out that Jesus was coming. She must have heard the stories of the miraculous things He had done, because the Bible tells us that faith rose up in her heart and she said to herself, “If I can only touch Him, I will be made well” (Mark 5:28). She pressed through a massive crowd of people (that she wasn’t supposed to be in, by the way) and touched just the hem of His garment. At the very instant she touched Him, the flow of blood stopped, and she was miraculously healed! If that’s where the story ended, it would be incredible, but there is more. Jesus, who was on His way to heal someone’s dying daughter with a massive crowd following Him, stopped everything and said, “Who touched me?” His disciples incredulously told Him that was a ridiculous question because there was a whole crowd of people touching Him! However, He knew that someone had touched Him differently. The woman was terrified. She shouldn’t have even been there. She didn’t want to bother Jesus. She wanted to receive her healing and be unnoticed, but that’s not how God does things! He saw her. The woman fell before Jesus, trembling, and told Him everything. In response to her fearful confession, Jesus gave her something that was equally as powerful as the physical healing she’d received. He said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction” (Mark 5:34). See, Jesus wasn’t content to allow her to draw power for healing, by her faith, and not receive the affirmation of her Father’s heart. She was expecting judgment and He called her daughter.
You may be wondering why I shared this particular story, as I’m talking about Easter. Well, the reason is that this woman could not be fixed. There was absolutely nothing left that could have been done for her, in the natural. She was broken and had been that way for twelve years. How many of you have seemingly hopeless situations in your life, like this woman? It may be sickness you’ve had for many years. It could be financial devastation that you see no way out of. It could be marriages or family relationships that seem broken beyond restoration. It could be fear and anxiety that has crippled you for years. I have known hopeless situations. My life was a hopeless situation, as are all of our lives before we come to Jesus. However, what seems hopeless to us is easy for Jesus! We see from this woman’s life what happens when something that can’t be fixed touches the One who cannot not be broken. The impossible is made possible! There was a crowd of people that bumped into Jesus that day, but she received her miracle because she didn’t touch Him the same way everyone else did. She touched Him with faith!
The enemy did everything he could to destroy Jesus, not realizing that by crucifying Him on the cross, the victory Jesus walked in would be made available to every, single one of us. Jesus’ life was indestructible, and the Bible tells us that when we accept what He did for us on the cross, that same life flows in us. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! The same power that healed the woman with the issue of blood will work for you, too! Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave for your salvation, your healing, and your freedom. This Easter week, I encourage you to reach out and touch Him, in faith. The indestructible One we’re celebrating dwells in you, and there is nothing too hard for Him!
Hebrews 7:16 tells us,
“[Jesus] has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.”
The Greek word translated indestructible here is only used once in the Bible-here in this verse—and it literally means “cannot be broken.” Jesus became our high priest, not because of the family He was born into, which was the way a high priest used to be appointed, but because of the power of His life. By this right, He is now able to save everyone who comes to Him. The writer of Hebrews gives us further insight into the power of that truth:
“The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.” (Hebrews 7:23-26)
Jesus was everything no man could be: Holy, absolutely innocent of all sin, perfect and without blemish. Prior to Jesus, daily sacrifices were made to atone for sin. At that time, only the High Priest could enter the Holiest place, where the Ark of the Covenant, representing the presence of God, dwelt. When Jesus died on the cross, He satisfied every requirement as a sacrifice for sin and the veil in the temple was torn in half, allowing us access to the Most Holy place by the blood of Jesus. He was our sacrifice and is our high priest! He is the only man who has ever been or will ever be absolutely without flaw and therefore He was the only One who could take death in our place.
This is why we celebrate Easter. Jesus took our place on the cross, dying a horrible death, to free us from the bondage of sin and every oppressive thing that came into the world with it: sickness, poverty, depravity, and every kind of darkness. Jesus openly made a show of every enemy of our souls. They are beneath His feet and ours when we accept His salvation!
There is a story recorded in Matthew 9, Mark 5, and Luke 8 that demonstrates this perfectly. There was a woman who had what the Bible calls “an issue of blood” for twelve years. She would have been considered “unclean” and would not have been allowed to associate with society normally. This woman spent everything she had on doctors and suffered many things at their hands, trying to be well. Can you imagine how desperate she must have been? After twelve long years, I would imagine she had given up all hope. There was nothing the doctors or anyone could do to fix her. Then, something happened. This woman found out that Jesus was coming. She must have heard the stories of the miraculous things He had done, because the Bible tells us that faith rose up in her heart and she said to herself, “If I can only touch Him, I will be made well” (Mark 5:28). She pressed through a massive crowd of people (that she wasn’t supposed to be in, by the way) and touched just the hem of His garment. At the very instant she touched Him, the flow of blood stopped, and she was miraculously healed! If that’s where the story ended, it would be incredible, but there is more. Jesus, who was on His way to heal someone’s dying daughter with a massive crowd following Him, stopped everything and said, “Who touched me?” His disciples incredulously told Him that was a ridiculous question because there was a whole crowd of people touching Him! However, He knew that someone had touched Him differently. The woman was terrified. She shouldn’t have even been there. She didn’t want to bother Jesus. She wanted to receive her healing and be unnoticed, but that’s not how God does things! He saw her. The woman fell before Jesus, trembling, and told Him everything. In response to her fearful confession, Jesus gave her something that was equally as powerful as the physical healing she’d received. He said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction” (Mark 5:34). See, Jesus wasn’t content to allow her to draw power for healing, by her faith, and not receive the affirmation of her Father’s heart. She was expecting judgment and He called her daughter.
You may be wondering why I shared this particular story, as I’m talking about Easter. Well, the reason is that this woman could not be fixed. There was absolutely nothing left that could have been done for her, in the natural. She was broken and had been that way for twelve years. How many of you have seemingly hopeless situations in your life, like this woman? It may be sickness you’ve had for many years. It could be financial devastation that you see no way out of. It could be marriages or family relationships that seem broken beyond restoration. It could be fear and anxiety that has crippled you for years. I have known hopeless situations. My life was a hopeless situation, as are all of our lives before we come to Jesus. However, what seems hopeless to us is easy for Jesus! We see from this woman’s life what happens when something that can’t be fixed touches the One who cannot not be broken. The impossible is made possible! There was a crowd of people that bumped into Jesus that day, but she received her miracle because she didn’t touch Him the same way everyone else did. She touched Him with faith!
The enemy did everything he could to destroy Jesus, not realizing that by crucifying Him on the cross, the victory Jesus walked in would be made available to every, single one of us. Jesus’ life was indestructible, and the Bible tells us that when we accept what He did for us on the cross, that same life flows in us. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! The same power that healed the woman with the issue of blood will work for you, too! Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave for your salvation, your healing, and your freedom. This Easter week, I encourage you to reach out and touch Him, in faith. The indestructible One we’re celebrating dwells in you, and there is nothing too hard for Him!
No Comments