Tag Archives: Jesus' death

Hmmmn… Musings

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Happy Easter, my friends! I hope that you and yours celebrated the resurrection of the King with joy and laughter! The Mitton crew ate well, laughed much, and worshiped together as a family. It was a busy, but enjoyable, few days. An interesting side note: This is the first weekend in a long time where the holy month of Ramadan, Jewish Passover and Christian Easter all fell on the same weekend. I don’t know why that matters, but it’s an interesting little tidbit of information.

And that’s where my musings have taken me this weekend… little tidbits of information that I noticed. Gleanings, some would say. And so, instead of a full-on post this week, I thought I’d throw out a few of those tidbits for you to ponder. Perhaps you’ve noticed them too. Perhaps you are seeing them for the first time. Perhaps you are celebrating Easter itself for the first time as a follower of Christ and eating up all the fine details. Maybe you need to see a familiar story in a fresh light. Maybe, like me, you just like to imagine. Remember back in the day? The phrase “things that make you go ‘hmmm'”. Was it late-night television? Anyway, doesn’t matter.

Here is my list of ponderings for your week! Enjoy!

  • Why did Peter have a dagger in his pocket? Was this common practice? (see this post for the answer to this one!)
  • Did Jesus’ arrest in the garden cause a fight among all the men? or did He just walk away with them? Wouldn’t you have loved to be up in a tree watching it all?
  • Where were the high priests who secretly believed in Jesus’ teachings during his questioning? Wouldn’t Nicodemus and the like stood up for Him if they could? Perhaps they were not invited to the secret meeting called at night?
  • Isn’t it interesting that Pilate’s wife warned him against getting involved with Jesus’ fate? Listen to your wives, you guys (we know stuff)!!
  • Did Barabbas go on another killing spree when he was released? Or did the piercing stare of Jesus convict him of his wrongdoings once he was released?
  • How brave was Mary to witness the torture and death of her special son…she was one tough cookie! I don’t know that my momma bear heart could handle it …
  • Did you know that Jesus’ body was buried with about 25 pounds of sugar and spice to keep Him smelling sweet? How come they didn’t mention all that stuff strewn on the ground when they discovered the empty tomb? What was it like to pack a body in those days?
  • Wouldn’t it be great to have media accounts of the weather that day? Or the strange after effects? All these dead people walking back home to greet long, lost relatives? Crazy. Facebook and Twitter would have crashed!
  • There is power in a name. “Mary” was all Jesus had to say. Choose wisely, parents.
  • Jesus made the disciples fish for breakfast. I wonder if He ate. I also wonder if He was a good cook.

If you’d like to go back and review this Holy week and wonder and muse about what it would have been really like, may I suggest you read through John 18 through 21 and try and pick out some “new-to-you” details of a familiar story. Discuss it with others and see what you find out anew! Then come back and visit me again next week, where we will muse again!!

How I Find Blogging Inspiration

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Welcome back to another week. I’m both totally unprepared for this post and totally inspired at the same time. Usually, I have some initial thought or inspiration or “word” that comes to me before a blog post — and then I just sit down and write all about how the muse plays out. Lately, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to come up with inspiration… not that there isn’t stuff happening all the time in this crazy house, in this crazy world around me, or in my convoluted brain for that matter… it’s just… is it worth sharing?

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

The family and I had a few days off last week to spend together and just “chill”. No posting last time, so surely I should have something to write about this week! The whole crew was together and we went away with no great plans but eat, sleep and hang out. A “rest” before the start of another school year and life moving into some sort of predictable rhythm again. I thought maybe I’d write about that… rest, being still before God, drawing peace from His presence. And yet, it’s not the direction I feel He wants me to go this week.

So I went looking for some “inspiration”. Maybe a poem on peace; a hymn. I’ve filled up some posts with such things before… did you know the internet has plenty of poems for peace? Mainly to fill the back of funeral bulletins. Again, not exactly the direction I wanted this week to go… I did find an interesting poem written by a fellow blogger. Unfortunately, her thoughts about “spirituality” vary slightly (okay vastly) from mine so I am choosing not to post the actual poem here, for fear of confusion. The world wide web can be a dangerous place to randomly “search”. Superficially, all may look well – wise even – but a little digging often reveals hidden woes. Social media is the same. Don’t believe everything you read, people! Do your homework!

Anyway, despite the shortcomings of said blogger, her poem gave me some food for thought. It was written from Jesus’ perspective in the time just before His death as He prayed and spent time alone with God in the garden of Gethsemane. Do you think Jesus really contemplated His death? Or was His mission so ingrained in His psyche that although He questions “not my will but Yours…” the plan was already set? Too deep to think about? Not worth thinking about? All we need to know is that Jesus died and that He died for us, right? But — What would be the outcome if He didn’t choose to go with the plan?

Richard Drew, the photographer behind “The Falling Man” credit: CBS news

This past weekend marked the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and the twin tower collapse that rocked the USA. I watched a haunting video of images and stories of people who chose to jump from the heights of the buildings to their deaths. A photographer who had his blurred image of “a falling man” cut from the papers. Too graphic. No one would choose a sure death when a chance at survival was possible, would they? Or would you choose a “peaceful” alternative to being trapped in a burning building with no escape? I have no words for the choices those individuals had to make on that day. I have no words for a Saviour who chose to die for none of His own wrongdoings. Who chose to die for the sins of mankind even with the ability to back out and escape. What would the papers print about Jesus of Nazareth on the day of His death? Would the images be too graphic to even think about? Or bring a haunting “peace” to the hearts of mankind?

I often pose questions here on mittonmusings; questions without answers. Often my thoughts (and emotions) fill up a page without ever reaching a sound conclusion. So, if you are looking for answers, you’ve come to the wrong blog. But if you’re willing to open up your thoughts now and again and ride the adventure with us, then we welcome you to our little piece of the internet. Please “like and subscribe” as they say — and share. If I’ve made you think, then make others think too. I welcome your feedback and look forward to sharing the journey with you. Until next week, my friends.