Afterward
he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from
Jerusalem into the country. They rushed back to tell the others, but no one
believed them. Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were
eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they
refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the
dead. Mark 16:12-14
 |
| My first snake of the year! A Bull Snake. Seen while hiking Candy Mountain. Jesus would never appear as a snake! |
He appeared
in a different form. Not that of a
frog, a monkey or even a snake…and just not as a crucified person. To see a crucified person would
have been sort of like seeing a zombie walking around. I envision that although
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus and their servants may have washed Jesus body
and removed some of the blood, He would still have the scars. He just didn’t
look like Himself. Although He still did have the scars in His hands and His
side, maybe the resurrection power renewed His face. Those followers on the
road to Emmaus didn’t recognize Him—as recorded here in the book of Mark and
also in Luke 24:13-35.
Jesus was a
charismatic person—He just drew people to Himself—but it wasn’t about how He
looked…it was about how He treated people. He listened to them. Honestly He
could even hear their thoughts and understand their reasoning. Consider when
the men let their friend down through the roof to be healed by Jesus in Luke
5:17-26. Jesus spoke to the Pharisees there about their reasoning…their
thoughts…when they were judging Him for forgiving the man’s sin. If only they
knew who was standing before them…teaching and healing. We have such an
advantage of seeing the stories of Jesus life written in the Bible and
believing.
O LORD, what great works you do! And how deep are
your thoughts. Psalm 92:5
How are your
thoughts? Are you thinking about Christ and spiritual things? Read these words
written by Paul in his first letter to the church at Corinth. He is teaching us
about spiritual things—for we are spiritual beings.
That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has
prepared for those who love him." (Isaiah 64:4). But it was to us
that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out
everything and shows us God's deep secrets. No one can know a person's thoughts
except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except
God's own Spirit. And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit),
so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you
these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we
speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain
spiritual truths. But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths
from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it,
for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those
who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be
evaluated by others. For, "Who can know the LORD's thoughts? Who knows
enough to teach him? "But we understand these things, for we have the mind
of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:9-16
Jesus said…For God is Spirit, so those who worship him
must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4:24.
Do you
worship God in spirit and in truth? Do you struggle with stubborn unbelief like
those disciples that Jesus rebuked?
Prayer
~ Dear Jesus, just like You taught and spoke with your followers on the Road to
Emmaus, speak to me and open my mind to understand the Scriptures. From Luke
24:45. I want to follow You, listen to You, obey your commands, and tell others
about power and glory . Great are You Lord, and greatly to be praised….Psalm
48:1. May all my thoughts be pleasing to You, for I rejoice in You LORD. Psalm 104:34
Daily
Bible Reading: Hosea 1-7
Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table
Molasses is a
superfood that has some iron in it that should be good for our blood…carrying
oxygen and giving us energy. Good rationalization for a reason to take a couple
of more cookies! Enjoy and be energized. These little piggy cookies have been a
family favorite for years. We’re always wanting to have them with Mexican
suppers. Tacos? Let’s have piggies, too.
Mexican
Piggies - Molasses Cookies
5 cups flour
1½ tsp baking
soda
¼ tsp salt
1½ tsp
cinnamon
2 tsp ground
ginger
1½ tsp vanilla
extract
1 cup brown
sugar
½ cup unsalted
butter, softened
¼ cup milk
¾ cup
blackstrap unsulphured molasses
2 eggs - One
for the dough and one for an egg wash before baking.
Stir together
dry ingredients and set aside. Cream brown sugar and butter. Add in the milk,
molasses, vanilla and an egg. Mix in the dry ingredients. Roll out on a
slightly floured surface to 3/8 inch thickness. Cut with a pig shaped cookie
cutter. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet or parchment lined sheet. Beat the
remaining egg and brush the egg wash onto the cookies before baking.
Bake at 350
degrees, 10-12 minutes—until lightly browned. Do not over bake. Makes 2 to 3
dozen depending on the size of the cookie cutter. Store in a Tupperware
container. Serve with a hot cup of coffee or a tall glass of cold milk.
© 2018 Text and
photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
Follow And Like
"Banquet With The King" on Facebook. đź‘Ť
No comments:
Post a Comment