1) To the Jewish disciples who sat around Jesus at the Passover meal, the Messiah had come for them. For the Jews. For God’s chosen people. Throughout His time on earth with them, Jesus had taught them it wasn’t about their lineage as Jews that granted them access to God, it was their hearts. Their inner selves required a re-birth and a new beginning available only through the Holy Spirit. But this idea of Christ coming only for Jews still held fast. He had healed Gentiles. He had blessed the faith of Gentiles, but still the disciples held so tightly to the belief of Christ being for them, as God’s special people, it left no room for others. Soon, when Christ would rise again, and when the Holy Spirit would descend upon these men at the day of Pentecost, they would understand the reality that Jesus Christ came to offer salvation to all! It may be easy for us to verbalize this truth, but take time to ask the Lord where you have inadvertently put up fences, deciding that someone is too far gone for the gospel. Maybe there’s someone who you deem too broken or too sinful to welcome the salvation of Christ. Remember, Jesus came for ALL!

2) Even though the disciples were awash in tidal waves of fear and uncertainty as they left the Upper Room following that final Passover meal with Jesus, there were anchoring truths to which they could cling. They had seen Jesus heal the broken. He was healer. They had witnessed Him calm the seas. He held all authority. They had been with Him as He wept over loss. He was human. They had heard Him teach over and over, touch over and over, sit in the middle of mess over and over. They knew He was love, and His love was God’s love, which endured forever. True, the times were dark, but God’s character had never once shifted; His love endured forever. What have been your anchors during difficulty in the past? What new things have you learned about God and His heart in recent times to help carry you through the next season of doubt and darkness? Take a minute to write these down, as many come to mind. Dwell on these. Praise God for His character and heart of love that endures forever!

3) Surely the closing words of the Hallel psalms were confusing for the disciples. How could they proclaim what the Lord had done in the wake of His death and seeming abandonment? Maybe you’ve experienced something similar in your own life. How can you proclaim the Lord’s goodness when death steals a loved one, when divorce breaks marriage, when sickness steals away the vibrancy you or a loved one once experienced. But Death did not have the final word for Jesus! He returned in victory, conquering death and bringing abundant life that would never end. He won for us what we could never accomplish on our own! His life won our victory. His ascension opened the doorway for the Spirit to descend on us with power to proclaim His gospel and His goodness. His coming return reminds us He is faithful and He is sovereign. The whole of the Hallel beckons us to keep trusting His heart even when we don’t understand. He is faithful! Write down your own declarations of truth and repeat them to yourself often this weekend. Face life with the assurance of Life winning over Death!