Recap for week 5 of BF

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Recap for week 5 of BF

I know that not everyone will have the same answers to some very hard, painful and thought provoking homework we had this week.  For me, it was harder still to apply personally because my childhood did not have the abuse described in our reading, however that does not imply that I have not been GREATLY affected by it when I learned of the aftermath that it did have on a member of my family.   So my insights into our homework focused more on 2 of the stories…

The first was on Day 4’s story where Jesus dealt with betrayal.~  Even knowing that Judas was going to betray him, he still gave him his body and his blood, hence communion!  Remember communion equals the confirmation of the new covenant.  Wow, Jesus’ actions spoke so much louder then his words.  He KNEW and he still went to the cross for his BETRAYERS sin.   I too have been betrayed but I didn’t handle it as Jesus would have.  Makes me shake my head in shame with the memories of my behavior at that time, so that story really ministered to me in that area.

The second story was on Day 5 on the raising of Lazarus from the dead.~  So much of this story resembles Jesus’s own resurrection from the tomb doesn’t it?  I just lurve how when I do a in-depth study such as this and stories that I read many times before now mean so much more because when you break it down verse by verse, its like the blinders come off with new wisdom and understanding.   For example, as Jesus approaches Jerusalem, Martha comes out to meet him and does her usual Martha drama!  Then she returns home in verse 28 and it says that Martha pulled her sister aside and gave Mary her message secretly that Jesus was asking for her.  Yet Mary quickly gets up and practically runs out to meet him.   Not exactly discreet is it?  Scripture doesn’t explain why Jesus stopped and met the sisters separately in this way but those descriptions fit perfectly with the women’s character sketches.   In verse 30 Mary and Jesus met apart from the crowd and this scene totally got me into my Nancy Drew kind of thinking. Ha ha  Perhaps, they needed the privacy to talk but remember he’s in danger by returning home so his cover is totally blown when you read in verse 31 that those who were mourning with Mary follow her because she raced out of the house thinking she was going to cry at the tomb but not everyone that was following her was a “loyal friend.”

Then they make their way to the tomb and Jesus tells the people to take the stone away from the tomb.  Having already known the history of Martha, I laughed out loud when she protests of the smell because too much time has passed.  Isn’t that just like her! Ha  After the prayer Jesus loudly calls Lazarus to come out (like he’s shouting to a dead body that wouldn’t normally respond).  Lazarus comes out, probably shuffling along because he’s all wrapped up in his burial cloths including his face. My first mental image was that of a mummy, but then I remembered they didn’t do the tight mummy wrapping thing but the strips of linen would still have been restrictive in the way they wrapped the body. 

Then Jesus tells those standing nearby to release Lazarus from his cloths.  Take about being part of a miracle!  If they weren’t a believer before, they probably were now because they were participating in it because Old Testament teaching clearly forbids touching a dead body. When they touch the body of Lazarus, who used to be dead, what were they thinking?  Their hearts must have been pounding!   I just lurve how the stories have so much more to show me when I’m focused in like that.  I’m telling you that it gets me excited that 60 of us ladies are Breaking Free!  I know this week was especially hard because it focused on childhood abuse but don’t discount it as something you can’t learn from if it didn’t happen to you.   I know it’s a lot of reading and it takes a lot of our time but remember we committed ourselves to finally finish the Enemy off in our bondage and literally tell him off because he’s going to have to scrap the bottom of the barrel in his attacks towards us because they will be so obvious, but they aren’t going to have the same sting as before because its not a secret anymore.  Hey, when the secret is out, it doesn’t have that power anymore does it?  Nope!

Let’s pray… Heavenly Father, we are not defined by our past captivity. We’re defined by who we are in your son Jesus, and no one else. You’ve seen the wrong done to us as you watched us in captivity.  Lord, heal our wounds that have eternal value and give each of us peace to finish this until our own heavenly promotion.  In Jesus name, AMEN