Easter: "It is Finished" Was Just the Beginningনমুনা

Day Three

Moving Mountains

Over the last few years, Snickers has had a clever campaign that states, “You’re not yourself when you’re hungry.” Needless to say, the commercials have been entertaining. In Matthew 21, Jesus was hungry. He saw the fig tree and went to grab a fruit, but nothing was on it, so He said, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again” (Matthew 21:19 NKJV). And the tree did something amazing: it listened and withered away. But unlike Snickers would have you believe, Jesus was being Himself—even in His hunger—because in that moment, He found the opportunity to teach an extremely valuable lesson.

Amazed, the disciples asked how it could have withered so quickly. And Jesus proceeded to teach them about the power of faith. He taught them that if they prayed in faith, according to His will (1 John 5:14), confident and without doubt, they could move mountains!

In Acts, we see these men living this lesson. The apostles were boldly preaching, performing miracles, and doing amazing things in the name of Jesus. In Acts 4, Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin. As they were being questioned by the chief priests and rulers—the same men who had plotted to have Jesus killed—Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and proceeded to deliver a powerful message that left the elite of Israel stunned. They marveled at the boldness of what they believed were untrained men—of course, we know that they weren’t untrained, because they were taught by the best: Jesus!

How did Peter, the apostles, and the believers in the early church like Stephen have this boldness? From whom did these “ordinary” men receive these profound words? From Jesus, in faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit! You see, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus predicted this very moment in the lives of His disciples. And He instructed them on what to do, saying, "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at the time what you should say” (Luke 12:11–12 NIV).

Their faith allowed the Spirit to do amazing things in and through them, to bring about a revolution and revival in the hearts of Jews and Gentiles around the ancient world, to ignite a fire that spread across the land—a fire that still burns today. And just like the apostles, we too can be used by the Spirit to fulfill God’s work . . . all we need is faith in Jesus!

For the Kids

In the Bible, there’s a story about when Jesus got hungry. He saw a fruit tree and wanted to eat from it, but there was nothing on it, so He told the tree, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” The tree did something amazing: it listened and then dried up. Jesus’ disciples were shocked when they saw this!  

But Jesus wanted to teach them an important lesson about faith, which is when you put your complete trust in someone or something. He told them if they prayed in faith, according to God’s will (1 John 5:14), they could move mountains! You see, God wants to do extraordinary things through your life. He wants to use you to tell others about Him! Sometimes you might not feel like you can, but when you put your faith in Jesus He gives you the courage to do so.

Reflecting on the Promise

In Zechariah 11:12 (NKJV) it says, “So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.” On this day, Judas fulfilled the prophecy of the Messiah’s betrayal (Matthew 26:14–16). Most would agree that Judas likely didn’t think his decision would lead to Jesus’ death when he turned away from Jesus. Often, we don’t think our “small” sins will hurt anyone, but sin has a way of snowballing into a full avalanche.

Today, ask the Lord to search your heart for any hint of rebellion and lead you back to the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23–24 NIV).