A Samaritan woman goes to the well in the heat of the day to avoid running into others who will look on her as a tainted woman. Jesus willingly meets with her, and filled with His acceptance, she runs to others to spread the good news. It must have taken boldness and courage for her to stand in her town as an outcast, ashamed and despised, to share the Gospel. But she was a changed woman, Her wounds were healed. This wasn’t about her anymore; what mattered was that people’s souls would be saved. Her scarred past and redeemed future became the catalyst for many others to become believers. We all need to be brave to share how God has forgiven our sins and restored us to right relationship with Him.

A Samaritan woman goes to the well in the heat of the day to avoid running into others who will look on her as a tainted woman. Jesus willingly meets with her, and filled with His acceptance, she runs to others to spread the good news. It must have taken boldness and courage for her to stand in her town as an outcast, ashamed and despised, to share the Gospel. But she was a changed woman, Her wounds were healed. This wasn’t about her anymore; what mattered was that people’s souls would be saved. Her scarred past and redeemed future became the catalyst for many others to become believers. We all need to be brave to share how God has forgiven our sins and restored us to right relationship with Him.

After His resurrection, Jesus showed his scars to His disciples as evidence that it was truly Him. Initially, scars seem like a surprising feature of Jesus’ perfected risen body; scars seem like a defect. But God did not choose to remove the scars from his Son’s eternal glorified flesh—the scars were God’s idea to begin with. For Thomas, the scars were a tangible way of truly knowing who Jesus is—our Savior who gave His life for us. But His scars tell us even more. Jesus’ scars reveal that He knows our pain and they show us His deep love. When we see the scars on His hands, we are reminded of the price He paid for our freedom from sin and death.

After His resurrection, Jesus showed his scars to His disciples as evidence that it was truly Him. Initially, scars seem like a surprising feature of Jesus’ perfected risen body; scars seem like a defect. But God did not choose to remove the scars from his Son’s eternal glorified flesh—the scars were God’s idea to begin with. For Thomas, the scars were a tangible way of truly knowing who Jesus is—our Savior who gave His life for us. But His scars tell us even more. Jesus’ scars reveal that He knows our pain and they show us His deep love. When we see the scars on His hands, we are reminded of the price He paid for our freedom from sin and death.

Peter’s denial and restoration is a vibrant picture of the power of Christ’s death and resurrection in one person’s life. We can see ourselves in Peter’s self-protective denial, his grief over his sin, and the pain and joy of Christ’s redeeming work in his life. Peter’s story is a powerful one, because it shows us something very important about the Resurrection. It shows us that the Resurrection of Jesus by itself is not magic; it doesn’t just wipe out the pain and mistakes and failures of the past. Instead, it does something far better, far more life-giving, it redeems them. And for this redemption to happen, we must let the Risen Christ into the very source of our pain, regret, and failures.

Peter’s denial and restoration is a vibrant picture of the power of Christ’s death and resurrection in one person’s life. We can see ourselves in Peter’s self-protective denial, his grief over his sin, and the pain and joy of Christ’s redeeming work in his life. Peter’s story is a powerful one, because it shows us something very important about the Resurrection. It shows us that the Resurrection of Jesus by itself is not magic; it doesn’t just wipe out the pain and mistakes and failures of the past. Instead, it does something far better, far more life-giving, it redeems them. And for this redemption to happen, we must let the Risen Christ into the very source of our pain, regret, and failures.

As we come closer to the narrative of Jesus’ death, we are introduced to two criminals, one who bears the name Jesus Barabbas, and one we simply know as the criminal on the cross. Both of these men experienced the redemption that comes through Jesus. These two criminals represent all of us. Barabbas is freed because Jesus is punished. The repentance of the thief on the cross believed Jesus’ promise of eternal life with Him. The heart of the Gospel is the message of redemption—We are wretched and sinful people deserving God’s judgment, but we are set free. We are given the opportunity of a new life because Jesus has taken our place.

As we come closer to the narrative of Jesus’ death, we are introduced to two criminals, one who bears the name Jesus Barabbas, and one we simply know as the criminal on the cross. Both of these men experienced the redemption that comes through Jesus. These two criminals represent all of us. Barabbas is freed because Jesus is punished. The repentance of the thief on the cross believed Jesus’ promise of eternal life with Him. The heart of the Gospel is the message of redemption—We are wretched and sinful people deserving God’s judgment, but we are set free. We are given the opportunity of a new life because Jesus has taken our place.

When the religious crowd of Jesus’ day complained that He was spending too much time with the sinners of society, Jesus told a few redemption stories. He started with the story of a lost sheep, then of a lost coin, and ended with the story of a lost son—all of which were redeemed. Jesus’ application to the religious crowd was that when precious things (sinners) are lost, they need to be found. There is rejoicing in heaven over their salvation. Whether it’s a sheep, a coin, or a child, Jesus uses these stories to illustrate truths found in every story of redemption. God tells us that we are valuable, known and loved just as we are. And we are worth celebrating when we return to Him.

When the religious crowd of Jesus’ day complained that He was spending too much time with the sinners of society, Jesus told a few redemption stories. He started with the story of a lost sheep, then of a lost coin, and ended with the story of a lost son—all of which were redeemed. Jesus’ application to the religious crowd was that when precious things (sinners) are lost, they need to be found. There is rejoicing in heaven over their salvation. Whether it’s a sheep, a coin, or a child, Jesus uses these stories to illustrate truths found in every story of redemption. God tells us that we are valuable, known and loved just as we are. And we are worth celebrating when we return to Him.