Each Wednesday throughout these forty days of Lent, we’ve shared devotional excerpts from new and soon-forthcoming books. Our final reading in this series comes from Anselm Grün’s Jesus, a graceful picture book retelling of the life of Christ with illustrations by Giuliano Ferri.
We hope you will be challenged and uplifted by our Holy Week selection — as you have been by each of our Lenten Midweek Readings.
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Judas, one of the disciples, had betrayed Jesus to the high priests. He had told them they would find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane after the meal. Judas gave Jesus a kiss to show the soldiers which man to arrest.
The next day, the soldiers led Jesus to the Hill of Golgotha, which was outside the city. They crucified him there, between two criminals. As he was hanging on the cross, Jesus prayed for his enemies: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Finally, Jesus said, “Father, I commit my spirit into your hands,” and he died.
On the first day of the week, some women went to Jesus’ tomb to anoint his body with spices. But when they got there, they saw that the stone was rolled away from the tomb. They went inside, but did not find Jesus there. Then an angel came to them and said, “Do not fear! Jesus is no longer in the grave. He has risen!”
Joyfully, the women ran to the disciples to tell them the news. But the disciples did not believe them.
It was only when Jesus appeared to them that evening as they were eating that they realized the women had told the truth: Jesus lives and has triumphed over death!
Click to learn more about Anselm Grün and Giuliano Ferri’s Jesus.
