Mark 15:37-47

"[When Joseph of Arimathea asked for Jesus' body,] Pilate couldn't believe that Jesus was already dead, so he called for the Roman officer and asked if..."

"[Jesus' crucifixion] happened on Friday, the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath. As evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea took a risk..."

"Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom."

"Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph), and Salome. They had...."

A hardened elite soldier in Rome's army comes face-to-face with the Son of God. Phil Ware looks at the Centurions in the New Testament and reminds us that they often believed in Jesus, and one in particular, can lead us to Jesus, the cross, and our salvation.

"[Jesus' crucifixion] happened on* the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath. * The NLT translators added "Friday" to the text here...."

"Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth. Then he took Jesus' body down from the cross, wrapped it in the cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been...."

"Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last."

"When the Roman officer who stood facing [Jesus] saw how he had died, he exclaimed, "This man truly was the Son of God!""

"Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus' body was laid."

We can approach God without fear! Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, those of us with faithful, sincere hearts, who have been washed in the blood of Jesus, may confidently enter the presence of God.

Jesus had many opportunities to walk away from the shame and pain of the cross, but he chose the Father's will and our need over his comfort. James Nored and Phil Ware remind us of the dark night that began the long, painful, and lonely journey of Jesus through his Passion to bring us to God.

Jesus had many opportunities to walk away from the shame and pain of the cross, but he chose the Father's will and our need over his comfort. James Nored and Phil Ware remind us of the dark night that began the long, painful, and lonely journey of Jesus through his Passion to bring us to God and helped define the way of Jesus through the cross to the empty tomb.

This seemingly innocuous transitional passage in the gospel of Luke is one of those hidden gems we often overlook! Phil Ware continues his reflections on his daily reading in the gospels, this time focused on Luke 8:1-3 and how this forgotten gem opens our eyes to the importance that women played in Jesus' ministry.