Israel’s Redeemer

What would it have been like to be a disciple of Christ in ancient Israel?

This Holy Week, to feel more connected to the Savior, I’ve imagined myself as a female disciple of Christ in ancient Jerusalem.

With what delight would I have laid palm fronds before the promised Messiah on Palm Sunday! At last, the blessed Emmanuel, here to save us from the oppression of the Romans and free His people Israel!

What burgeoning hope would I have felt after His cleansing of our sacred temple, believing the priestcraft of the Pharisees and Sadducees would soon be shattered and the truths of the gospel restored!

With what reverent gratitude would I have partaken of the Passover with my family, for once again God had raised up a Deliverer, like unto Moses!

But then, the devastation of my hopes and dreams as I witnessed the suffering of the Savior on Calvary’s hill. Would I have believed that Christ’s own people had destroyed their only chance of deliverance? Would I have believed that Evil had won, that the Adversary had triumphed? Would the quaking of the earth have made it seem the whole world wept with me?

Would confusion have tangled my mind upon hearing of the empty tomb? Or would the faint stirrings of hope in my heart bring comprehension? Would I understand when stories began to circulate about His appearances to His disciples that the Savior’s redemptive mission had been a success?

What incandescent joy would I have felt as the Apostles carried on the task of feeding His sheep, and explained that the Atonement of Jesus Christ meant Good had triumphed, that because of His sacrifice, my soul could be saved and I could dwell with Him again?

I bear you my testimony that Jesus Christ lives, that His Atonement is real, and that He loves and cherishes each of us ~ He is Risen!

And that’s today’s reason to smile! :-)