Carpenter Diem (Because Jesus Was a Carpenter and Is Now Preparing a Home for His People)
The resurrection of God the Son, Jesus Christ, is crucial to the Christian faith. In Luke 24:13-35, we read of the resurrected Savior walking the road to Emmaus. This specific geographical reference reminds us of the absolute accuracy of God’s Word in all areas. In verse 27, Jesus begins to teach from the Old Testament; He not only walked the talk but also talked the walk! This passage does not reveal the exact Scriptures Jesus employed to teach these journeying believers, but we do know that He fulfilled the entire Old Testament (Matthew 5:17,18). Fulfilled prophecy is one of the major reasons that we can be certain that our faith in Jesus is not misplaced. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Zechariah 12:10 is an achingly bittersweet verse. Certainly it contains great good news, for Jesus will return to this earth, and the nation of Israel will finally receive Him as Messiah (Romans 9-11). However, there is mourning, for Jesus says, “They shall look upon Me Whom they have pierced.” We remember that Thomas said that he would not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ unless he touched the five scars found on Jesus (John 20:25). Jesus came to Thomas and presented His wounds as proof (John 20:26-28). For all believers, Revelation 21:4 tells us that “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Only Jesus will bear His earthly scars in heaven. These everlasting piercings are one more evidence of His everlasting love.