Traveling

Back in this post, I made mention that for some reason, Jesus was best recognized by his disciples not by the shape of His face, or even by His voice, but rather that he was known by his scars, those on His hands and feet. It was very important to God the Father that the marks of Jesus’ suffering and sacrifice would be the means by which He would be best identified.

However, this little detail was not known to the disciples of Jesus in those first few days after his death on the cross. When Jesus began to make known that He was indeed alive, He did not chose to announce His resurrection from the dead to the world at large. Instead, He focused on those friends of His. And He did not use His credentials of the scars as His calling card each time. On Easter morning, Mary the mother of James and Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, and had an angel tell them that Jesus was risen. Mary Magdalene stayed behind, and did not recognize Him until He spoke her name to her. In a later appearance to Peter, Jesus was recognized in the large catch of fish they had at His command, a reminder of how He had first met them.

And in today’s story, from Luke 24:13-40, it tells how Jesus encountered two of His followers who had to travel to a nearby town. While they were walking there, they talked about what had happened to Jesus, and during the conversation, Jesus came and joined them in their walk, and yet they somehow did not recognize Him. It was not until he broke bread with them that His identity was revealed to them.

Today’s song by Don Francisco, the last in the series of stories of Jesus, tells of that meeting on the road. It is the title song from the 1981 album The Traveler. Be ready yourself for Jesus to appear to you in the meetings that you have each day with people that you come across, and when you do, serve them as you would serve Jesus Himself!

The day dawned in confusion, like a nightmare with no end
Tired and dreary colors, ragged hopes that wouldn’t mend
The grief and fear of death just seemed to hang across the sky
And the pain just kept on burning, though the tears had all been cried

We were talking, as we journeyed toward a quiet country town
When another traveler asked us why we seemed so sad and down
It was like a dam had burst inside as I spoke my grief and woe
Amazed that someone leaving there could somehow still not know

But the Traveler called us foolish men, and dull and slow of heart
Then He showed us from the Scriptures, God had planned it from the start
But it wasn’t till the evening, that our eyes were opened there
And we knew that it was Jesus, but He vanished in the air!

We rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the others there
They said, “Peter’s seen Him too!” There was excitement everywhere
Nearly shouting to each other, as the realization grew
When all at once He spoke to us, “Peace be unto you.”

We started back in terror, for His radiance filled the place
The light was all around him, and was shining from His face
Then He smiled a smile of love that left no cause for doubt
And then because He knew our hearts He spoke our feelings out

“Why are you so troubled? Why are you in fear?
See my hands and see my feet; I myself am here
Reach out now and handle me, until you’ve all been shown
My life is more than spirit, for I’m here in flesh and bone.”

Some lifted hands toward heaven and then knelt without a sound
Some just stood and stared at Him as if rooted to the ground
But I could not contain the joy that flooded heart and soul
It came rushing out in praises I had no wish to control!

Joy! Joy! Joy! Joy!
Joy! Joy! Joy! Joy!

Jesus is the Lord of all!
Jesus is the Lord of all!
Jesus is the Lord of all!
We have been redeemed!

(repeat)

You can purchase this music  from the artist’s web site here.

Tags: Don Francisco, Jesus, Joy

Jesus told his disciples many times why He had come to earth, and what He ultimately had to do. Despite this, it is remarkable how in this most important of His actions, the death of Jesus on the cross seems to have taken them all by surprise. The writers of the Gospel accounts don’t explain or defend the cluelessness of even Jesus’ closest friends; they simply document it. 

For one of these friends, Peter, the magnitude of his own failure was particularly painful. He had been one of Jesus’ most vocal supporters, and one most likely to take a chance (remember the walking-on-the-water miracle?) And just before the arrest of Jesus, Peter loudly proclaimed his refusal to leave Him, even if it meant death. When the time actually arrived and the soldiers came to apprehend Jesus in the garden, Peter even took his sword and attacked a member of the company (a slave, not a soldier). But rather than giving His followers the word to continue to defend Him, and instead of performing one of His many miracles of just avoiding those who were trying to captures, Jesus criticized Peter, healed the servant Peter had injured with his sword, and simply gave Himself up to the guard. The result was that even Peter turned tail and ran off, as did all of the other disciples.

Still not understanding what was going on, Peter didn’t go into hiding. He sneaked into the courtyard near where the trial of Jesus was held, and tried to get some information on what was going on, perhaps planning on how he could bring about a rescue. When he was recognized by others in that area, he tried to maintain his cover by denying any connection to Jesus. But as dawn approached, and after his third refusal to acknowledge an association with Him, a rooster crowed. This caused Peter’s world to cave in on him; he was reminded of Jesus’ prediction that Peter would disown Him three times. And to make it worse, Jesus was being brought through that courtyard at that very moment, and caught Peter’s eye. The enormity of his failure then overwhelmed him completely, and Peter ran off. He was so distraught by these events that he totally disappeared; he is not reported in any of the four Gospels as being in attendance at the crucifixion of Jesus. 

And that brings us to today’s song. This is Easter Sunday, 2009, when we celebrate that fact that the cross was not the end of the story of Jesus. He did not stay dead; on the third day after his execution, Jesus rose from the dead, just like He said He would to! He fulfilled His purpose for coming to earth, defeated the schemes of Satan, and won back rulership of the earth that Adam had lost to Satan. Jesus had achieved the greatest victory of all time!

And yet, in the midst of His victory, Jesus did not immediately take up rulership of the earth. His plans for the world involved much more yet to come before that time would be ready. What He did do was to make His resurrection known to just a few at a time. He started with the women who had helped in His ministry on earth, those who came to take care of His body in the tomb. Later He also appeared to His disciples in several instances that are documented in the Gospels. And although the scene with Peter described in today’s song is not in the Bible directly, it is entirely consistent with the heart of Jesus to seek out those who needed forgiveness. And Peter certainly did need that. Luke 24:34 mentions that Jesus appeared to Peter, and 1 Corinthians 15:4 states that of all the disciples, Peter was the first to see the risen Lord. So, here is Don Francisco’s vision of this encounter, inspired by John 20:1-8. He’s Alive appeared on his 1977 album, Forgiven, and is one of most famous songs of the Jesus movement.

The gates and doors were barred,
And all the windows fastened down
I spent the night in sleeplessness
And rose at every sound
Half in hopeless sorrow
And half in fear the day
Would find the soldiers breaking through
To drag us all away

And just before the sunrise
I heard something at the wall
The gate began to rattle
And a voice began to call
I hurried to the window,
Looked down into the street
Expecting swords and torches
And the sound of soldiers feet

There was no one there but Mary
So I went down to let her in
John stood there beside me
As she told us where she’d been
She said “They’ve moved Him in the night
And none of us knows where.
The stone’s been rolled away
And now His body isn’t there!”

We both ran t’ward the garden
And then John ran on ahead
We found the stone and the empty tomb
Just the way that Mary said
But the winding sheet they wrapped Him in
Was just an empty shell
And how or where they’d taken Him
Was more than I could tell

Well, something strange had happened there –
Just what, I did not know.
John believed a miracle,
But I just turned to go;
Circumstance and speculation
Didn’t lift me very high
‘Cause I’d seen them crucify Him,
And then I saw Him die

Back inside the house again
The guilt and anguish came
Everything I’d promised Him
Just added to my shame
When at last it came to choices,
I denied I knew His name!
And even if He was alive,
It wouldn’t be the same

Suddenly the air was filled
With strange and sweet perfume
A light that came from everywhere
Drove shadows from the room
Jesus stood before me
With His arms held open wide
And I fell down on my knees
And just clung to Him and cried!

He raised me to my feet
And as I looked into His eyes
Love was shining out from them
Like sunlight from the skies
Guilt and my confusion
Disappeared in sweet release
And every fear I’d every had
Just melted into peace!

He’s alive!
He’s alive!
He’s alive and I’m forgiven,
Heaven’s gates are opened wide

He’s alive!
He’s alive!
He’s alive and I’m forgiven
Heaven’s gates are opened wide

He’s alive!
He’s alive!
He’s alive and I’m forgiven
Heaven’s gates are opened wide

He’s alive!
He’s alive!
He’s alive!

Tags: Don Francisco, forgiveness, Jesus

The story of the crucifixion of Christ is central to Christianity. Jesus was much more than a “wise teacher”, or perfect example of a “holy life”. The fall of Adam was huge. It was not just a silly story involving an apple; it was the pivotal event on which hinged the entire future and destiny of our world.

Rewind to the beginning: God created this planet in perfection, populated it with plants and animals, and the pinnacle of His creation was Man. Of all creation on the planet, only Adam and Eve had the ability to resaon and think. And God gave them not only the ability to think for themselves, but also to choose whether or not to obey their Creator. God did not want to have unthinking animals who would cuddle up on His lap and purr like cats, or who would just follow Him everywhere like dogs, but beings with whom He could have fellowship (visit with, talk and interact with, and enjoy life together). He gave them ownership and responsibility to manage His creation. And, as it says in the account of creation documented in Genesis, “it was good”.

With the decision to listen to the fallen angel, Lucifer, Adam chose to disobey God’s command, and ate fruit from that tree, as did his wife, Eve. As I mentioned in this post, the consequences of this disobedience reverberated throughout the whole of creation. Romans 8:21 describes creation as being in “bondage to decay” – it was taken from what it was designed to be (perfect), and was changed to the world as we all know it.

It seems like such a little thing, one simple act of disobedience, and it radically changes the entire world. To fix this required not a simple solution; restoration of perfection required a perfect sacrifice. So God Himself took the form of a man, entered the world as a baby just like any other person, and lived a perfect life. He was then able to become the perfect sacrifice to make it possible to restore my relationship with God.

And that brings us back to the person of Jesus and what He had to do. The huge error of Adam required a huge price to pay to bring things back into order. And like most stories, it has details beyond the actual events. The trial and conviction of Jesus that resulted in a sentence of death by crucifixion was not isolated; there were two other criminals whose sentence was carried out on that fateful Friday. The Don Francisco song that I am featuring today, Too Small A Price, from his 1979 album Got To Tell Somebody, tells the story from the point of view of one of the two condemned men. Listen to the audio Bible reading from Luke 23:33-43, and then the story in song.

[As an aside: The song Too Small A Pricewas the last song on that 1979 album. When Francisco released his next album, The Traveler, two years later, it started with the same guitar solo that concluded Too Small A Price, implying a continuation of the song. I have here combined the two together to play them together. The second song, Joy, continues the story of the repentant thief crucified with Jesus, after his death. The song talks about Abraham, and a chasm; this is taken from the story of the rich man and Lazarus as told in Luke 16:19-31. Before Jesus’ redemption on the cross, the holy ones who died went to “Abraham’s bosom”, where they awaited final judgement; others went to torment in hell, and the chasm separated the two places.]

I awoke to hear the jailer turn the key and push the door
“Get out here!” he shouted, but I stayed there on the floor
Frozen in the terror that rose and filled my brain
For I knew what they intended; I could not face the pain

Then soldiers came into the cell and they dragged me to the yard
They threw me down before a cross and brought the whip down hard
“Carry it!” they shouted as I struggled to my feet
I put my shoulder under it, dragged it to the street

I stumbled through a wall of screams as they drove me through the gate
It seemed that thousands lined the streets, their voices filled with hate
Like a wolf pack in the night that moves in for the kill
They closed the gap and followed us as we started up the hill

And it seemed I’d barely reached the top when they grabbed me from behind
They threw the cross down under me and tied the ropes that bind
The arms close to the beams, as they nailed the feet and hands
Then they raised the cross up in the air and dropped it in it’s stand

Through a blur of pain I saw the cross there next to mine
There were people all around it so I looked to read the sign
It was nailed there up above His head so the world could see the news
That the man who seemed so helpless there was the King of all the Jews

Well, the crowd that stood around His cross made jokes about His name
They shouted, laughed and spat on Him, so I joined in the game.
Then I said, “Hey! if you’re the King, why don’t You get us down from here?
The taunt just sounded hollow, and it echoed in my ears

‘Cause He looked at me with eyes that seemed to reach into my heart
They shone a light on all my lies and tore my life apart
There was more that lay behind His gaze than simply blood and clay
But knowing was too much for me; I had to look away

Then I chanced another look at Him as He was looking down
Where the soldiers who’d just crucified us drank there on the ground
And although He spoke them quietly, somehow His words came through
He said, “Father, please forgive them; they don’t know what they do.”

Then as if they’d heard Him speaking, the crowd began to roar
Whipped to frenzy by the priests who urged them on to more
But the worse the accusations, now, the plainer I could see
The guilt of the accusers — not the One there next to me

Then the man upon the other cross began to curse and swear
And his voice was filled with venom as he hurled it through the air
And all the horror that was in him, and had laid his life to waste
Came out in every syllable he flung in Jesus’ face

And Jesus only looked at him, but something rose inside of me
And in spite of all that watched us there, it couldn’t be denied
Because His righteousness and innocence were shining bright and strong
I just couldn’t keep my silence, and that cursing still went on

And I cried out, “Don’t you fear the wrath of God, even at the end?
You’ll curse us both into the pit — is that what you intend?
We’re only getting what we’re due — we’ve sinned our whole lives long
But don’t you talk to Him that way — He’s done nothing wrong!”

Then with all my courage, in a voice not quite my own
I asked Him, “Lord, remember me when you come into your throne.”
He answered me and even then, His love was undisguised
He said, “Before the sun has set today, you’ll be with Me in Paradise.”

Well the shouts and curses did not stop even when the sunlight ceased
But somehow in the midst of it my soul had been released
And though the agony continued, it was still too small a price
To be allowed to hear those words, and to die
Beside the Christ!

————————-

Then darkness changed to dawning
I heard the sound of voices
The air was warm around me
I stood beside a stream

And Abraham was speaking
To the multitude before him
Of the unfolding of the answer
To our prayers and hopes and dreams

Then far across the chasm,
Came a rumbling like the thunder
And the Prince of Peace came shining
From his mouth the power streamed!

And the walls and towers crumbled
And the gates of hell went under
As thousands sang the victory
“We have been redeemed!”

Jesus is the Lord of all!
Jesus is the Lord of all!
Jesus is the Lord of all!
We have been redeemed!

Jesus is the Lord of all!
Jesus is the Lord of all!
Jesus is the Lord of all!
We have been redeemed!

Joy! Joy! Joy! Joy!

Jesus is the Lord of all!

Jesus is the Lord of all!
Jesus is the Lord of all!
We have been redeemed!

Tags: cross, Don Francisco, Jesus

The latest two episodes of Full Circle, are available. You can search the iTunes Store for “Full Circle”, and subscribe to them.

Episode #110 includes an interview with Bob Bennett, featuring several of his songs, and music from Paul Clark, Mark Heard, Bruce Cockburn, Roby Duke

Episode #111 features music whose themes align with the letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation, by Bob and Joy Cull, Amplified Verson, The Way, Amy Grant, Randy Stonehill, Dion, Petra, Joe English, Phil Keaggy, and David Meece

Both episodes are well worth a listen. If you want to see Jerry continue to do this show, please consider donating at the PayPal link on his web site (which you can click on at the right of this page).