I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

     Today’s passage describes the construction of the Ark of the Covenant and the various furnishings of the Tabernacle. At the end it describes how much gold, silver and bronze was used. The amount of gold used would be worth almost $53 million on today’s market. The silver would be worth almost $3.5 million. In addition a large amount of bronze was used (I was unable to find a price for a given weight of bronze, primarily because bronze is a mixture of copper and tin and the ratio varies). Overall, the Israelites dedicated a large amount of wealth to the Tabernacle and its furnishings. Do we dedicate a similar amount of our wealth to serving the Lord?

     Early on Sunday morning the two Marys went to the tomb where Jesus was buried. As they approached the tomb there was an earthquake caused by an angel coming down from heaven. The angel rolled back the stone and sat on it. The angel’s appearance frightened the guards set by the Jewish religious leaders so much that they fell to the ground unconscious. The angel then spoke to the women, telling them that Jesus was not there because He had risen. Further the angel told them to tell the disciples to go to Galilee where Jesus would meet them. The women were frightened, yet joyful as they hurried to give the message to the disciples. Before they got far Jesus greeted them and told them not to be afraid. He repeated the angel’s instructions for His disciples.
     Meanwhile some of the guards went to report to the chief priests. Upon hearing the news, the chief priests met and devised a plan. They gave the guards a large sum of money to tell people that Jesus’ disciples had come while they slept and stole His body. The chief priests told the guards that they would intervene with the governor to keep them out of trouble. The guards took the money to spread the story.
     The eleven disciples went to Galilee as the angel and Jesus had instructed the women to tell them. Jesus met them there. When Jesus met them He gave them what we call the Great Commission: “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
     One of the things that is interesting in this passage is that when the angel descended, Jesus was already out of the tomb. The angel did not roll aside the stone to allow Jesus to leave the tomb. Rather the angel rolled aside the stone so that people could see that the tomb was empty. Another thing of note is that the first witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection were women. By first appearing to women, Jesus elevated women to a status of equality that was unusual for that day and age. Women were not considered reliable witnesses, their testimony was not even considered in a court of law.
     Here is what I see in the Great Commission. First, Jesus claims the authority of God, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.” This leads to what His disciples (and we as their successors) were to do. They were to go and make disciples of all the nations, of all peoples. They were to teach those new disciples to follow all of the commands that Jesus had taught them. It is not enough for us to believe in God’s grace, we are to become disciples of Jesus, doing our best to imitate Him in all aspects of our lives. We are then to teach others to do the same. The Great Commission ends with words of great comfort, Jesus will be with us always, not just some of the time, not just when times are good, or when times are bad, but always.

     If you want to live a life that is long and prosperous, learn to fear the Lord. The psalmist tells us that the first step in doing right is controlling what we say. From there we should turn from all evil action and rather perform those actions which are good. Being good is active. It is not a matter of not doing evil but of actively doing that which brings benefit to others. God will watch out for and protect those who strive to do His will, while their own evil will strike down those who ignore His commands.

     Those who are wise are receptive to learning more and to advice. The righteous are always open to receiving instruction on how to live in better alignment with God’s will. The first step to acquiring wisdom is to fear God. Until we understand that God is frightening and scary, we will not learn to follow His will. It is only after we learn to follow His will that we truly learn that God is loving and caring. It is our knowledge of His love and care which relieves us of our fear of His might and power. We learn good judgment by learning to obey the will of God.