A Spectacle of Hope for the World

I am getting close finishing up journaling the Gospel according to Luke from the Illuminated Scripture Journal from Crossway, and something smacked in the face today. There’s this one word in particular I want to talk with you about, Then, I’ll share with you a couple of devotionals you can consider for the Easter Season.

The word is spectacle. It doesn’t appear in every translation of Luke, but it does appear in the ESV version that Crossway chose for these Journals. Let’s get into why it’s sticking with me…

I’ve written and studied and prayed my way through the book of Luke one word at a time sometimes in large chunks, sometimes in small chunks. It’s taking quite a long time; I don’t really care to admit how long. In fact, it has taken me a week to actually write this simple post. It has been a beautiful journey and has been a great way to embed the word of God into my heart. (I get a little side tracked. I’m that person with 5 books started, 4 playlists, 17 podcast subscriptions…etc…having a little trouble focusing the last few years…Can you tell by the inconsistency of my posts? We are working on that, and still may be scattered for the next few months That is ok We’ll get there. 🤣)

Reading the particular word spectacle on the page as I write today is stopping me in my tracks Luke Chapter 23, verse 48 says the crowds had assembled for the spectacle; As I read this word, I paused my pencil and went back…because events over the last few years have brought new meaning to that word for me. I won’t name those events, because it would be a little bit of obvious and unrelated attempted SEO optimization. If you have breath in your body, you know what I’m talking about – maybe different ones come to your mind than mind, either way…there are, sadly, enough to go around.

⁴⁸ And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.

LUKE 23:45, ESV

Let’s take that word and talk about it. What is God trying to tell us about that word spectacle? Some words that we use just have a stronger impact than others and we don’t use them quite as often – spectacle is one of those. Other times, they become trendy and we over use them. Spectacle is one of those that we don’t hear often – unless maybe our elders are giving us a what-for….even the sound of the word gets your attention. Say it out loud… spectacle…

The word spectacle, according to Merriam-Webster, means

1 a: something exhibited to view as unusual, notable, or entertaining especially : an eye-catching or dramatic public display

b: an object of curiosity or contempt

• It is easy to follow the crowd. It is not always easy to follow God. The crowd witnessing the crucifixion of Christ found themselves in surprising situation. Not in the least what they were anticipating.

• We don’t always understand what is happening until it is over. Sometimes, in fact, seeing things play out these days feels like watching a train wreck and there is just nothing we can do to stop it. There are so many things out of our control. So very many things and it can be overwhelming, shocking, confusing, heartbreaking…so many things. Sometimes we can take action in response, and sometimes we cannot. As we have learned all too well in the last few years, sometimes our hearts simply ache to do something…and yet, we are simply locked down. At other times, it is simply unsafe or unproductive for us to get involved in a situation. We have to let others handle the situation and/or wait until the right time or place to help, if that time even comes. At the very least, as cliché as it sounds, at the very least we can pray. What we can always know and what we can rest in is that God is always with us and will walk with us and carry us through, if we only ask. There are so many verses and assurances of that in the Bible, and so many can witness to this. I won’t go into that today- it will send me off in too many directions!
• Trust Him in is Holiness. His plans are greater than ours (See Isaiah 55: 8-9)dr
• Just because something is available to you, doesn’t mean you have to take part in it.
• Fight for the good. Stand up for the broken, even if the broken is yourself.

⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

ISaiah 55:8-9

Watching this gentle and loving traveling preacher hang on a cross while he was mocked and tortured. While he offered forgiveness not only to the men next him, but to the whole of humanity (yes, to you as well)…was a spectacle. This was a spectacle.

We think that things like the Running Man or the Hunger Games are far future fiction stories…and but dig into what actually happened here, and in other points in history.

Because yes, Miraculous as the story of Christ is, as far fetched as it sounds to many… it is also a point in history. Below are a couple of devotionals you can check out on the Bible App during the Lent or Easter Season. There are, of course, hundreds more available if these don’t meet your current needs.

_{A couple of resources utilized for this post beyond my own often wayward, circling, and random thoughts…}

_{“spectacle,” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spectacle. Accessed 3/1/2024.}

_{Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Spectacle. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved March 1, 2024, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spectacle}

_{The Gospel According to Luke, Crossway Illuminated Scripture Journal, English Standard Version}