April 14, 2003
TEXAS BAPTIST FORUM
Three days & three nights
___Foretelling his death, burial and resurrection (Matthew 12:40), Jesus specified he would be in the earth three days and three nights. Scripture records his burial before Sabbath's beginning until he arose early Sunday.
___ Tradition, however, postulates his entombment Friday p.m. to Sunday, less than two days, only two nights, disparate from Jesus' prophecy. Respected scholars have stretched parts of Friday and Sunday into full days, but they cannot account for three nights.
___ This puzzle has only one temporal solution: Since Moses, Jews have observed the first day of Passover, Nisan 15, as a holy Sabbath. The Jewish lunar calendar places Passover Sabbath periodically on Friday, beginning a double Sabbath Thursday evening and continuing until Sunday morning--"three days and three nights"--the very words of our Lord!
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
___ John 19:31 indicates "a special sabbath" that week--that Sabbath was a "high day." Passover Sabbath was Friday.
___ Friday Passover reveals congruence between God's instruction for the sacrificial Passover lamb (Exodus 12) alongside the crucial week of Jesus, Lamb of God, archetype of all sacrifice:
___ Compare Exodus 12:3, procuring the lamb on Nisan 10, alongside Jesus' Jerusalem entry, Nisan 10, five days before Passover, (John 12:1, 12) presenting himself as Paschal Lamb.
___ Compare Exodus 12:6, day of preparation and slaying of the lamb, Nisan 14, alongside events Wednesday evening, beginning of Nisan 14, preparing Jesus for supreme sacrifice--upper room, Gethsemane, arrest, trial, crucifixion Thursday before Passover Sabbath began. Three days and nights in the tomb, as Jesus said, and Sunday, glorious risen Savior!
___ Val F. Borum
___ Fort Worth
Uncomfortable & out of place
___Where have the traditional church services gone? I recently moved to a suburb with 15 Baptist churches within a 10-mile radius of my home. Yet only one church offers a traditional service, which is always completely full.
___I am 30 years old and a lifelong Baptist, searching for a permanent church home where I can raise a family. In my quest, I have attended numerous contemporary or blended services. While upbeat and snappy, they just don't inspire the reverence, awe and respect for the Lord that I experienced growing up in traditional churches.
___Instead, I am left feeling uncomfortable and out of place. This saddens me greatly.
___I have now turned my search toward other mainstream Protestant denominations. To my great surprise, many of these churches primarily offer traditional services, which are packed every week by members--including young families.
___Why have so many Baptist churches, which almost always offer two or three services each week, turned their backs on providing a traditional alternative on Sunday mornings? There certainly seems to be a demand for them.
___I believe very deeply in the core doctrine of the Baptist faith and have mixed feelings about changing denominations because I am uncomfortable with the format of the churches in my area.
___But like many of my friends, family members and other lifetime Baptists, I believe our needs have been forgotten by the restructuring of the churches.
___I sincerely hope church leaders wake up and realize the "contemporary" trend isn't the answer for everyone.
___ Mindy Foti
___ Houston
Signs of the times
___A letter writer praises posting "In God We Trust" signs in post offices around the country. Exactly what does this do for the patrons of the post offices? Is there any evidence it has helped anyone? Does a sign take the place of Christ-like actions when we are dealing with others?
___Think back to the time when Jesus asked for a coin and one was brought to him. Did he say, "That's a nice picture of Caesar, but we should really put the words 'In God We Trust' under/over the picture?" How often do we look at a coin and pledge to honor God with our actions because we have been inspired by the words thereon?
___In America, maybe our motto should be "In Gods We Trust," since we often have our own favorite god, such as money, position or even mottos.
___ Carl L. Hess
___ Ozark, Ala.
Truth in labeling
___It is clear that radicals in our convention have taken the name "conservative" to their benefit. Are they not "pseudo-conservatives"?
___A "pseudo-conservative" is one who uses conservative beliefs and values to advance in terms of power, control, wealth and positions.
___Let's call them what they are, and let's reclaim the title "conservative."
___ Steven Jones
___ Chillicothe, Mo.
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