He could have

Today’s Encouragement is John 20:16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

He could have: 

Appeared to rulers and kings when He was resurrected, but appeared to Mary

Been born in a palace instead of a barn

Taught well-educated, erudite scholars the finer points of the study of God. 

Forgone the brutal beating, the crown of thorns, the merciless flogging, the agonizing hours on the cross 

Simply ascended into Heaven in front of a great crowd of witnesses, with a choir of thousands of angels singing 

Chosen to be present on earth at a time when the internet and satellite could broadcast his teachings from His own mouth to the ears of the entire world 

Been raised in a civilized, sophisticated, upper-middle class home in America in 2020

He could have chosen a very different path, one befitting a King, THE KING…

At a time

At a place

In a circumstance 

More… well… comfortable 

Less… common, less earthy, less degrading, less humiliating, less bloody… 

Even the resurrection- the most glorious event of all time…  Selah… the single, most important, most transformative,, grandest, monumental, epic, wonderful, … truly indescribable moment of all time…

The stone rolled away, the King of Kings resurrected from death, and He appears… 

first, to one person, 

Mary, His friend.  

How amazing is our God? 

If one were to create their own story of the “God came to earth to save it” very few of any of the circumstances of the story of Jesus would have been used.  

We’d make it cleaner, more civilized, less graphic…  

But, my friends – man didn’t write the story! 

no creative author comprised the concept! 

God planned it, laid it out, foretold it, then spoke it into existence.  God said it – And it was so, and still IS so.

You are God Alone

Phillips, Craig and Dean