I Am the Resurrection and the Life

Holy Week 2026

 April 4, 2026

Holy Saturday

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead.

John  20:8-9

Read: John 20:1-18 (Part 1of 2 readings)

John is still supplying important details. First, there is Mary Magdalene. She is mentioned four times in John’s Gospel. She is identified as being at the foot of the cross (John 19:25) and in today’s passage she is named three times: she was the first person to discover the empty tomb,  she was the first person to see the risen Lord, and she is the first evangelist as she goes to tell the disciples Jesus is Risen.

In the previous passage, we learned that “Following Jewish burial custom, (Joseph and Nicodemus) wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth” (John 19:40). In today’s passage we learn that Jesus’ tomb was empty except for the “linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings” (John 20:6-7). John follows this with an autobiographical statement, “Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed” (John 20:8). What did John believe, and how did the linen cloths factor in his leap of faith?

First, if someone was going to steal Jesus’ body, I doubt they would have taken the time to unwrap all the linen cloths before moving the body. Secondly, I suspect John immediately thought of the scene recorded in John 11:43-44, “Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!” I suspect John also remembered the words of Jesus, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25a).

My Takeaway: And, I suspect John may have been the first person to say,

He is Risen!

He is Risen indeed!

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

 

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2026 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

This Man Who Was Crucified, Was the Messiah of God

Holy Week 2026 

April 3, 2026

Good Friday

This Man Who Was Crucified,

Was the Messiah of God

Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha).

John 19:17

Read: John 19:17-42 

John doesn’t supply insignificant details about Jesus. John’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial is full of details that point to the fulfillment of scripture that Jesus is God’s Messiah. (John 19:17-42)

Fifteen times in this Gospel, John mentions Passover -- three times in chapter 19. He mentions the soldiers used hyssop to extend a sponge soaked in wine to Jesus. God commanded the Jews to use hyssop branches to brush the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts (Exodus 22), and Hebrews 9 tells us that it was hyssop branches Moses used to confirm the Covenant God made with the Jews. (Exodus 24) John wants us to know that Jesus is the Passover Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. He wants us to know Jesus confirmed the New Covenant by his own blood.

John identifies four people at the foot of the cross. Mary, Jesus’ mother was there. Her sister, Jesus’ aunt was there. Mary Magdalene was there, and John was there. Decades after the crucifixion, groups opposing Jesus’ resurrection claimed that Jesus never died. John provides, by name, six eyewitnesses to Jesus’ death. John tells us that Jesus was pierced in the side and that blood and water flowed from the wound. Jesus was dead. Joseph and Nicodemus, the other two named eyewitnesses, placed Jesus’ dead body in the tomb and used a huge amount of oil and spices, enough for a King’s burial.

When Jesus was crucified, Pilate placed a sign on the cross, proclaiming Jesus as King of the Jews. The sign was in three languages: Hebrew, Latin and Greek. These languages covered a vast part of the known world, fulfilling the prophecy that Israel’s Messiah would be proclaimed to the entire world. The soldiers gambled for Jesus’ clothes as was prophesied in Psalm 22. Jesus prayed from this same Psalm when he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

John wants us to know that this man who was crucified, dead and buried was the Messiah of God, the One the scriptures promised would come to save Israel, save the world.

My Takeaway: Jesus was laid in a tomb so that He could spend the seventh day in a Sabbath rest. But Jesus wasn’t through. The first day of the new week was coming. Sunday would be the first day of God’s New Creation.

HALLELUJAH!

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

 

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2026 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

But It Was Our Sins That Did That to Him

Holy Week 2026 

April 2, 2026

Thursday of Holy Week

But It Was Our Sins That Did That to Him

“. . . it was our pains he carried—

   our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.

Isaiah 53:4 (MSG)

Read: Isaiah 53:1-12 

In the first sixteen verses of John 19, the irony of the conspiracy to murder Jesus increases. Pilate, who has absolute authority over Israel, vacillates. He is indecisive and fearful. At first, he toyed with the priests; if they wanted to crucify Jesus, he would let Jesus go, just to spite them. Then Pilate senses there is more being played out than he understands and wants to distance himself from the proceedings. Enter the ultimate irony. The priests, who were completely under the authority of Pilate, manipulate Pilate to do their bidding. Pilate capitulates, but the cost to the priests and the crowd is expensive beyond measure. They have repudiated their God by claiming they have no king, but Caesar. They have crucified the First Commandment: “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me.” (Exodus 20: 2-3)

Thus, the words of the Prophet Isaiah were fulfilled: (Please read this passage from Isaiah slowly, and out loud.)

“. . . 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.

 He was beaten, he was tortured,

   but he didn’t say a word.

Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered

   and like a sheep being sheared,

   he took it all in silence.

Justice miscarried, and he was led off—

   and did anyone really know what was happening?

He died without a thought for his own welfare,

   beaten bloody for the sins of my people.

They buried him with the wicked,

   threw him in a grave of a rich man,

Even though he’d never hurt a soul

   or said one word that wasn’t true.

(Isaiah 53: 4-9 The Message)

My Takeaway: I’ve got nothing to say. I just need to be still.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

 

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2026 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

To Know God as Our Strength

Holy Week 2026

April 1, 2026

Wednesday of Holy Week

To Know God as Our Strength

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Psalm 22:1

Read: Psalm 22

It is not just this opening line that connects this psalm to the crucifixion of Jesus. Throughout this psalm you can see Jesus on the Cross, and you can see the people gathered around Jesus. See the crowd scorning the psalmist in v. 6-8 and compare with Matthew 27:39-43; the gambling for garments in v.18 and compare with John 19:23-24. Also consider the psalmist’s cry in v. 15 “My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth” and Jesus’ cry, “I thirst” in John 19:28. As you read the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion, you will see even more parallels. Both Matthew and the writer of Hebrews proclaim that Jesus fulfilled this psalm. Why should that be significant to us today? I can suggest three reasons.

First, all the Gospel writers want us to know that Jesus, who was crucified, dead and buried, was the Messiah of God, the One the scriptures promised would come and save Israel, save the world. By connecting the events in the life of Jesus to Old Testament prophesies, we can see God at work fulfilling His plan to redeem the world.

Secondly, the psalm points to the coming again of Jesus in final victory. (Psalm 22:27-28) As followers of Jesus, it is important for us to always be mindful that Jesus isn’t finished with his work. He will complete the restoration of His Kingdom on earth, and we get to be co-laborers with him in that work.

Lastly, I began writing this meditation while there was heavy fighting in the war in Iran called Operation Epic Fury. Soon after this war began, our morning devotion and prayer time has included specific prayers for this conflict and the soldiers, sailors and airmen in harm’s way. In such times, Jesus is our model. As we yield ourselves to him, he will empower us to follow his path that was prophesied in Psalm 22. Like Jesus, we can openly acknowledge to God our sense of despair, to remember God’s past care for our lives, to embrace the reality of our circumstances, and to know God as our strength who comes quickly to our aid.

My Takeaway: Let us proclaim with the psalmist,

“I will praise you in the great assembly.

I will fulfill my vows in the presence

of those who worship you.”

Psalm 22:25

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

 

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2026 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

“I Am He”

Holy Week 2026 

March 31, 2026

Tuesday of Holy Week

“I Am He”

“Who is it you want?”  

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus said.

John 18:4-5

Read: John 18:1-14

The first half of John 18 details the arrest of Jesus and Peter’s three denials of Jesus. Through these details, God’s grand and glorious ‘do-over’ is becoming clearer. Recall that the Gospels present the story of Jesus in a particular setting. There was the first exodus of God’s people led by Moses. Now God’s Messiah is leading the second exodus. There was the Garden of Eden inhabited by Adam. Now we are in a second garden, Gethsemane. In the first Garden, God, in the cool of the evening, came looking for Adam. In the second Garden, in the cool of the evening, sinful man comes looking for Jesus, God’s second Adam. (The Apostle Paul writes much about the ‘first’ and ‘last’ Adam in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15) Another Garden will be the setting for Jesus’ resurrection.

‘Who are you looking for?” Jesus asked. “Jesus of Nazareth” the soldiers replied.

Those gathered in the Garden heard much more than Jesus’ simple reply, “I am he.” They heard; “I AM.”

“I AM The Bread of Life.”

“I AM The Light of The World.”

“I AM The Gate.”

“I AM The Good Shepherd.”

“I AM The Resurrection and The Life.”

“I AM The Way, The Truth and The Life.”

‘I AM The Vine.”

Take a few minutes and ponder these seven I AM statements. Which one captures your attention more than the other six? Stay a while with the one I AM statement that has captured your heart. Listen to the Holy Spirit speaking to you. Is there something God is calling you to do, or to change in your life in response to this statement?

My Takeaway: My heart was captured by, “I AM The Bread of Life.” A few weeks ago, we marked the sixth anniversary of the COVID pandemic. I had a profound experience when, after six months without Holy Communion, I tasted again the bread and cup. That experience at the Lord’s Table was indeed food, bread, for my journey in life. And it still is.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

 

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2026 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

God Loves Us as Much as God Loves Jesus

Holy Week 2026 

March 30, 2026

Monday of Holy Week

God Loves Us as Much as God Loves Jesus

“I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”

John  17:23

The seven concluding verses of Jesus’ prayer (John 17: 20-26) reveal the heart of Jesus for you: “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message” (John 17:20).  You and I, the disciples of Jesus in 2026, are included in Jesus’ prayer to God two thousand years ago!

Jesus asked God to include us in the unity of the Trinity. Just as there is complete harmony and unity in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, Jesus prayed that his disciples would have this very same unity. Through our sacred relationship with the Trinity and with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we offer a compelling witness to the world: “And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me” (John 17:21b).

Jesus then tells us how this is possible: “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one” (John 17:22). By the gift of God’s prevenient, justifying and sanctifying grace, Jesus is in the heart of the disciples. Since God is in Jesus, we experience such perfect unity that the world will know that God sent Jesus, and that God loves us as much as God loves Jesus. (John 17:23)

Whatever is next on your agenda for today can wait. Take as much time as you need and let the truth of this passage completely envelop you. God, the Father Almighty, loves you with the very same love He has for His son, Christ Jesus.

Jesus has given you the same glory God gave to him! The glory of God is the revelation of God’s essence and is revealed through the presence of God. The ultimate expression of God’s glory is the presence of God in the life, death and resurrection of our Lord, Christ Jesus. Jesus has given the presence of God within him to you!

When we open our lives to receive this love from God, and this glory from Jesus, we experience such perfect unity with the Trinity and with our brothers and sisters in Christ that the world will know “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

My Takeaway: Jesus ordained a place where we can experience His presence within us. When, by faith, we share in the sacrament of Holy Communion, we experience anew the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives as we look forward to His coming again in total victory.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

 

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2026 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

 

Wounded Healers

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today 

NOTE: Beginning Monday, March 30, 2026, I will pause these meditations on Staying in the Grace for Today and begin a seven-day series for Holy Week, and Easter Sunday. Meditations on Staying in the Grace for Today will resume on April 6, 2026.

March 27, 2026 

Wounded Healers

“But he was pierced for our transgressions,

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

    and by his wounds we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:5 (NIV) 

The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews tells us that when “Christ came into the world he said to God, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer” (Hebrews 10:5). Thus, Jesus said to his disciples, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me” (Luke 22:19b). I read an article recently that said a person understands themselves in terms of their body image. That is, what a person feels about their body and its worth is what they feel about themselves. Jesus must have had a pretty good self-image since he gave his body as a sacrifice for the entire world.

I suspect most people struggle with their body image. We see ourselves as too heavy, or not heavy enough, not muscular enough, too tall or too short. Some of us have scars that are hard to look upon. The Word of the Lord calls us to look at our bodies in a different light. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak unto God the same words Jesus spoke to God, “You have given me a body to offer.” We are not called to sacrifice our bodies for the sins of the world, but we are called to take our redeemed bodies and feed the hungry, give a drink to the thirsty, invite the stranger into our home, cloth the naked, care for the sick, and visit the prisoners. (Matthew 25:35-36)

Jesus’ body was pierced, crushed and wounded to heal our sin-sickness and bring us into peace with God. Now we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus as our lives are hidden with God in Christ Jesus. All that remains is for us to respond to God with the same words Jesus spoke to his Father, “I have come to do your will, O God” (Hebrews 10:7).

My Takeaway: We are wounded people. As we receive appropriate care for our wounds, and as we allow Jesus to heal our wounds, we can become wounded healers, vessels of grace to be used by Jesus to bring healing to others.

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2026 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.