The Week That Changed The World Devotional April 6

PSALM 72:5 | ⁵ May he live while the sun endures and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.

ISAIAH 53:5 | ⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.

HEBREWS 5:6 | ⁶ as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Another reason, internal to the Bible, for trusting the Resurrection reality, is the way the Resurrection fulfills and connects to so many previous promises, instructions, and details present in the narrative. Jesus’ death and Resurrection takes up all the biblical themes and stories of sacrifice, including temple practices and moments like when Abraham took his son Isaac to the alter on the mountain (Genesis 22). The offices of priests, kings, and prophets connect to the cross and Resurrection in amazing ways. Jesus becomes the perpetual priest after the order of Melchizedek, described in Hebrews, the suffering servant leader of Isaiah, the king whose role never ends, found in the Psalms. This hope of the prophets for intimacy with God becomes real as the Risen One distributes His Spirit. All the diverse promises, images, hopes, institutions, and practices of the Old Testaments’ many centuries are connected to this one event.

The law is fulfilled, and God’s holiness is honored at the same time as His justice is justified. The universal dreams of God extending His care to the wide world begin to take shape.

The event that shocked and surprised the disciples unexpectedly unites the scriptures into one amazing story. God’s activity, disparate and various, gains unity and cosmic purpose.

Have you ever considered how all the major emphases and small details of the Old Testament find connection to Jesus’ death and Resurrection?

Gracious God,

Thank You for the scriptures, for their diversity, and amazing unity in Christ.

Amen.