“Scenes from the passion” Lent devotion for Monday, March 8, 2021. Photo by 🌸🙌 في عین الله on Unsplash.
And they laid hands on [Jesus] and seized him. (Mark 14:46)
So many have been waiting to get their hands on Jesus.
Mary waited nine months to hold her son in her arms. Who knows how long Simeon waited to see the Christ? When Jesus was so busy he didn’t even have time to eat, his own family wanted to seize him and take him home, thinking he was out of his mind (Mark 3:21). A woman who had been bleeding for years crawled through a crowd just to touch the hem of his garment to be healed. Somehow, Joseph and Nicodemus got their hands on Jesus’ corpse after his death, so they could place it in a tomb. Thomas wanted to get his hands on Jesus, so he personally could be sure that Jesus had risen from the dead.
But now there’s this group, a mob with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Led to Gethsemane by Judas the betrayer, they are finally able to lay their hands on Jesus. At last, they have him!
Just think how many people stand in line for hours to shake hands with an author, a celebrity or a favorite sports star. It’s a moment you’ll never forget. You might even get a picture with that person, too. You’ll show it to your friends and post it on social media, too.
Are there still people waiting to get their hands on Jesus? There are those who want his healing. There are others who want some evidence that he is real. A selfie with Jesus would go viral!
How ironic. One of the reasons Jesus became flesh and blood so he could get his hands on us. Jesus’ hands touched a leper and healed him. Jesus touched the eyes of the blind so they could see. Jesus’ hands washed the feet of the disciples to teach them what it meant to love each other. Jesus held children and blessed them. He laid his hand on a dead girl and she came back to life. When Peter sank and cried out for help, Jesus grabbed his hand. When a well-meaning disciple cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant, Jesus reached out his hand and healed him. And Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
I feel pretty good about the fact the Jesus is willing to do so much to get his hands on me. I don’t have to work so hard to get my hands on him!
Heavenly Father, thank you for your son Jesus, who came to get a hold of my life and never let go! Amen.
Waite for it... 