On the Couch With God - Daily Devotional

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. (Luke 24:1–3) What are your most memorable family traditions on Easter? One of my earliest memories was our family’s Easter egg hunt. We would gather at my grandmother’s house armed with our Easter baskets. But honestly, we didn’t hunt eggs; instead, we pursued one legendary egg—the prized $100.00 egg. This one egg was carefully hidden and contained a lifetime of riches in the mind of a six-year-old boy. You can imagine my disappointment when one year my uncle made the pre-Easter Egg hunt announcement that he didn’t hide the “money egg” that year. He assured us that there was still some delicious candy to be found hidden in the rest of the eggs. Years later, I realized that my uncle had grown a bit stingier with his Easter egg money and decided to end the tradit...

Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. (Luke 23:50–56) Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. He took Jesus' body and wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain. He was a member of the council and a part of the Sanhedrin. The same ruling class orchestrated Jesus' crucifixion. However, Scripture also tells us Joseph of Arimathea was a good and righteous man. The Greek word for righteous here is "dikaios." The same word is used to describe Adam and Eve's son, Abel, Jesus' earthly father Joseph, and John the Baptist. We're told that Joseph of Arimathea did not consent to the council's plan. He didn't vote for it or agree with it. Luke 23:51 clearly states that Joseph was "waiting fo...

Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. (Luke 23:26-46) When you finally finished your shopping, you always smelled like mothballs. No matter how short or long your visit to the old shop was, you’d depart with that smell-proof that you’d been there. And even though it was a journey, people would go there multiple times a year, looking for a costume for that themed party, an iconic garment from a past era, or a treasure that would draw the eye of those they walked by. The vintage clothing business was popular, in part because you got to enjoy the pieces of someone else’s experience, the clothing of someone else’s life. We can draw a similar parallel to an event that happened on that Good Friday. After Jesus had made His way through the city, after He’d stumbled multiple times and the Roman soldiers conscripted an unsuspecting man to carry His cross, and after the executioners stripped ...

  And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 22:14–38) How many times have you been around a table with family or friends, enjoying each other’s company, and unity is broken by a disagreement? I have been around a table on a few occasions when a conversation turns sour by a difference of opinion or because of a harsh comment. I find comfort in Scripture when people do things like I do or have experiences as I’ve had. In the holiest of moments, when Jesus is offering bread and the cup to His disciples, a dispute arises. The disciples are arguing about which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. Jesus responded in a way much like He does throughout Scripture. He speaks in a seemingly “upside-down way” as it related to the culture into which He was speaking (and into ours today). He said, “The greatest among you becomes as the youngest an...