Scriptures of Easter ~ Swirling Dust

Wholly God. Wholly Man.
Holy God. Holy Man.

The dust swirled about their feet and spiraled upward as the unseen tempest began to roar. It was a tempest of the heart - a gut-wrenching revelation that would change the world. Ah, but they mocked and cackled and cast their self-righteous stones upon the One who came to open their eyes to see God.

And the dust continued to swirl.

He made His way along the narrow road, this Man for whom the tempest roared. Blood from the savage beating dripped into the swirling dust. A crown of thorns dug deep into His flesh, salty sweat stinging as it riveted into the piercings along His brow. He stumbled beneath the weight of the cross resting on His shoulder, dragging a dusty forever trail toward Calvary.

"Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" Obscenities flew through gritted teeth. A few people cast stones as He passed. Others wept. "Isn't this the man who healed Jairus' daughter?" "I know Him...He made the blind man see." "He made me laugh and understand the things of God." "My boy....He healed my boy. This is Jesus of Nazareth!"

And the dust continued to swirl as the unseen tempest began to roar.

Peter and John slipped through the crowd keeping step with Jesus. Andrew called to them. Matthew and James waved frantically, desperate to join  up with the men who had become their brothers. The crowd shoved and pushed like a tidal wave of scorn while Roman soldiers fought back. Against the stone wall at the top of the hill stood Mary. Her body crumpled, her face wet with tears as her son, bloodied for the sake of mankind, staggered beyond her reach.

"Jesus. Jesus," Mary called. Jesus turned his face toward the familiar voice. Their eyes locked in understanding. Tears escaped in love. "Jesus," she whispered as she cast her eyes on the dust swirling about her. "My precious Jesus."

Wholly God. Wholly Man.
Holy God. Holy Man.
This her son, Jesus.

Mary pondered the ways of God in her heart. 

"Who believes what we’ve heard and seen?
    Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?

  

"The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
    a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
    nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
    a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
    We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
    our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
    that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
    that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
    Through his bruises we get healed.
We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.
    We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,
    on him, on him." ~ Isaiah 53:1-6, The Message

And all the while, the dust swirled about their feet and spiraled upward as the unseen tempest began to roar. It was a tempest of the heart - a gut-wrenching revelation that would change the world.

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