Tag: hope

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Risen

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen.”  (Luke 24:1-6, NASB)

In the narrative above from Luke the beloved physician, it’s now Sunday morning, the day after the Sabbath.  The disciples are still in shock after witnessing their Teacher brutally tortured and executed.  They’re behind locked doors for fear of the Temple leadership coming after them next.  The two Marys (Jesus’ mother, and Mary Magdalene) have prepared spices for a proper burial, and now that the Sabbath is past, are going to the cave where Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had put Jesus’ body late Friday afternoon. 

According to Luke, they find the stone rolled away from the tomb’s opening, and Jesus’ body is not there!  Two angels appear, and they utter a statement that is arguably the most important of all Christendom:  “He is not here, but He has risen.”  

The fact of the resurrection is crucial to our faith.  Jesus said He would be crucified, and the third day would rise again.  The disciples and the two Marys watched Him die and didn’t remember what He told them.  After all, they weren’t used to seeing people come back from the dead, even though just weeks before they had seen Jesus call Lazarus from out of his tomb.  If Jesus was Who He claimed to be (God), then if He had not come back from the dead our faith would be useless.  There would be no hope of everlasting life.  No hope. 

He Is not Here! He Has Risen!
He is not Here!  He has Risen!  Found at Good Salt, https://www.goodsalt.com/details/lfwas1654.html

The angels also ask the question:  “Why do you seek the living One among the dead?”  They wanted to emphasize that not only had Jesus been risen, but He was alive.  There was hope in their question and statement.  Jesus would seem to emphasize His being alive when He appeared to the disciples several times before His ascension.  What’s important is that to followers of Jesus, Christ’s death and resurrection means that sin and death are defeated.  Because He’s alive, we can also have life everlasting. 

We have seen despair and hopelessness on Friday turn to joy and hope on Sunday morning.  It took awhile for reality to catch up to some of the disciples (Thomas the Doubter, for one), but over time they understood Who Jesus really is, and His words of salvation.  Jesus told His disciples what would take place, and it did.  He came to earth to die as a substitute to take the punishment we all deserve as sinners.  God’s most precious gift that we celebrate at Christmas fulfilled His mission on Good Friday.  He completed the promise of eternal life on Resurrection Sunday.  Because He lives, we have hope for eternal life.  Do you believe in Him?
When Christianity was in its infancy, in the middle east and southern Europe, it was dangerous to be a follower of Jesus.  The Christians used a greeting that only they were familiar with, used to find out if a stranger was a brother or sister in Christ.  The first person would use the greeting, “He is risen!”  The second would reply, “He is risen indeed!”  He is risen! 

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.  (1 Peter 2:21-24, NASB)

Worship:  “Evidence,” by Josh Baldwin 

On Good Friday night, Sue and I watched Mel Gibson’s 2004 movie “The Passion of the Christ.”  We saw it in the movie theater when it first came out.  Powerful.  Gibson captured the last 18 hours or so of Jesus’ life as authentically and true to the Bible as possible.  What also struck me was how quiet it was afterward.  I don’t think anyone said a word filing out of the theater.  I remember a column written by Charles Colson at the time.  He said that Mel Gibson had a cameo appearance of sorts in the movie.  During the film when Jesus is being nailed to the cross, Gibson’s hand is wielding one of the mallets.  We’re quick to judge the people who had a part in Jesus’ crucifixion.  Truth be told, if any of us had been there, we would have done the same.  This was Gibson’s way of acknowledging his guilt and his sins.  Colson explained that years ago one of the masters (I think it was van Gogh) painted himself into the crucifixion as a Roman soldier and an active participant.  Interesting! 

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Crucified

One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”  (Luke 23:39-43, NASB)

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.  (Matthew 27:50-51,  NASB)

As Thursday night turned into Friday, Jesus found Himself bound and beaten by the officers of the temple.  He would be taken to be interrogated by the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, then to Herod (who had jurisdiction over Galilee, where Jesus resided), then back to Pilate.  All the while, He was beaten and mocked by the Roman soldiers.  They placed a crown of thorns on His head.  These thorns were middle eastern thorns, long and sharp.  They didn’t just “place” it on His head, they jammed it down, so the blood ran down His face.  Jesus endured all this willingly, and He did so for you and for me.

Then they scourged Jesus.  The whips they used had jagged pieces of metal embedded in the cords.  When the whip made contact, the metal would tear into the flesh, often exposing the internal organs (” . . . and by His stripes we are healed.”).  Often the criminal going through this torture would die from the organ exposure.  Jesus endured all this willingly, and He did so for you and for me. 

Next, Jesus was forced to lug the cross to the place of His execution.  When they arrived at Golgotha, He was nailed to the cross.  He endured more mocking and scorn from the chief priests and passersby.  And the two thieves on either side of Him, also being crucified, joined in.  Jesus endured all this willingly, and He did so for you and for me. 

In Dr. Luke’s account above, one of the thieves had a change of heart.  I think this was the first-ever recorded “death bed conversion.”  The thief scolded his counterpart, and acknowledged Jesus is God.  Then he asked Jesus to “remember me when You come in Your kingdom.”  Jesus replied that they would be together that day “in Paradise.”

Jesus was crucified at about 9 o’clock in the morning.  At around noon, the sky became as dark as night (God was not pleased at what was going on).  At about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, per Matthew’s account above, “Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.”  At the same time, an earthquake occurred (God continued to show His displeasure), so powerful it split the rocks.  Also, Matthew reported, “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. – Matthew 27:51.  Found at Calvary Chapel Placerville, https://calvarychapelplacerville.com/2020/03/torn-from-top-to-bottom/

The tearing of the veil is significant on two points:  First, Matthew emphasizes that the tear was from top to bottom.  It was impossible for men to do this.  God had to have done this, and He did it using the earthquake.  Second, the veil separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the inner sanctuary.  Only the High Priest was allowed access, once a year, bringing blood from a sacrificed animal to atone for the sins of himself and the people.  God tore the veil to say that Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient for repentance of sins and there was no longer need to separate God from man.  As the author of Hebrews said, “we [now] have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh.”  (Hebrews 10:19-20)

Good Friday was a momentous day.  Our Lord, the Messiah, was brutally tortured and executed by the authorities, who as Jesus said in an act of forgiveness, didn’t know what they were doing.  We see the death bed conversion of a thief who acknowledged Jesus as God, and asked His forgiveness.  We also see an act of God, the tearing of the veil, that told the world that the way to salvation and forgiveness of sins is through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus’ mission coming to earth was to die as an acceptable sacrifice to the Father God.  As we used to say in the Air Force, “mission complete!”  Jesus made the sacrifice, it’s up to us to acknowledge it, confess our sins, and ask Jesus to be the Lord of our life.  Jesus Christ did His part (He endured all this willingly, and He did so for you and for me).  Have you done yours? 

As Friday wound down, as sunset approached and the Sabbath with it, Jesus was taken down from the cross and placed in a tomb.  His disciples were distraught, and went home defeated.  Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus, also eye witnesses to the whole spectacle, noted where Jesus was lain, went home to mix spices to prepare the body for a proper burial, then observed the Sabbath.  Jesus was dead.  All seemed hopeless.  But then there was Sunday . . . 

Worship:  “Above All,” by Michael W. Smith 
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Betrayed

Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.  (Matthew 26:14-16, NASB)

Tomorrow is Spy Wednesday.  It’s one of the days of Holy Week.  I had never heard of it until a Bible study several years ago.  Spy Wednesday is the day that Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, met with the chief priests, and conspired to betray Jesus Christ to them.  The price they were willing to pay Judas?  Thirty pieces of silver.  The same valuation assigned for slaves in the book of Exodus.  The text says that “from then on [Judas] began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.”

He found that opportunity the next (Thursday) night.  After Jesus celebrated the Passover Seder meal (the Last Supper, in which He also instituted the Lord’s Supper) with His disciples, He led them out of Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, as was His custom in the evening, to pray.  Judas, aware of his Master’s habits, led a mob from the chief priests to the Garden, where Jesus was arrested.  Judas told the crowd to arrest the Man that he kissed.  So Jesus was betrayed with a kiss. 

Imagine how Jesus was crushed.  He was fully God, and knew He would be betrayed.  He also knew who the perpetrator would be.  But Jesus was also fully human, with emotions like yours and mine.  He had to have been grief-stricken to have been betrayed by a friend.  But the betrayal by Judas was only one of His trials that night. 

52677.jpg
The arrest of Jesus.  Found at https://www.ldsliving.com/the-surprising-meaning-of-30-pieces-of-silver-in-the-bible/s/90995 

Jesus knew what agony lay ahead of Him.  Before He was betrayed that night, Jesus asked His disciples to stand watch in the Garden while He prayed.  His men fell asleep while He prayed–not once, but three times.  While Jesus prayed, His anxiety over what was going to happen to Him was so great, He sweated drops of blood.  As the mob descended on Him with their swords and clubs, and Judas kissed Him, the other eleven disciples fled, abandoning Jesus to His fate (He told them they would do that, and they all pledged they would die with Him).  But if Thursday night was bad, it was nothing compared with what awaited Jesus on Friday. 

Jesus knew what would happen to Him over the course of these few days.  He told the disciples the exact events that would occur.  But they didn’t understand.  Simon Peter even did his best to hinder Jesus from going to the cross.  But this was all part of God’s plan of redemption to bring us back into fellowship with God.  When Adam & Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, it ruined the harmony man enjoyed with God.  God made a plan then to make things right, which culminated with sending His Son to earth to die as a sacrifice.  By identifying ourselves with Jesus’ sacrifice, we make ourselves whole again with God.  When we die, we’ll enjoy fellowship for eternity with Him.  Have you placed your hope and trust in Jesus? 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)

Worship:  “Why?” by Michael Card 
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Prophecy XV

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.  (Zechariah 9:9, NASB)

When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 

“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to you, Gentle, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”

The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!”

When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”  (Matthew 21:1-11, NASB)

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday.  People in churches across the earth will gather to commemorate Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  This also marks the beginning of Holy Week, during which Jesus was betrayed, arrested, tried, beaten, tortured, crucified, died, laid out in the tomb, and finally raised to new life.  Jesus endured all the humiliation and horrific pain and suffering willingly, and He did so for you and for me, all so we could have freedom over sin and death and spend eternity in fellowship with God the Father. 

Prophet Zechariah predicted a king coming to his people triumphantly and mounted on a donkey.  Our King fulfilled that promise on Palm Sunday in Jerusalem.  Jesus was either mounted on a donkey or a colt.  His instructions to the disciples whom He sent to fetch the animals were to bring back both the donkey and the colt.  Zechariah’s prophecies describing Messiah were accurate as well:  “He is just and endowed with salvation, [and] humble . . . “

“Hosanna! Blessed is He Who Comes in the name of the Lord!”  Found at St. Joseph Church, Rockdale, IL.   https://fsspjoliet.wordpress.com/2020/04/05/hosanna-blessed-is-he-who-comes-in-the-name-of-the-lord-palm-sunday/

In ancient times, there were two reasons kings would ride a donkey into a city.  One is to let the citizens know that his army had just conquered them.  The donkey was a symbol meaning that city was no longer a threat to him.  The second instance a king would ride a donkey into a city was as a gesture of peace.  As a non-threat (as opposed to a horse, a weapon of war), the people would see that this king meant no harm.  In Jesus’ case, I like to think His entry into Jerusalem embodied a little of both cases.  The conquering King whose weapons were peace and love.  And He came in peace.  Jesus conquered Jerusalem that Palm Sunday, only to give up control to become a sacrifice so we could live free from sin. 

Apostle Matthew’s account of the triumphal entry foreshadows another prophecy yet to take place.  During Holy Week, Jesus said that people would not see Him again until they say “Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord.”  The crowds proclaimed this during His triumphal entry.  Could there be a second triumphal entry in the future when Jesus comes back for His people? 

Worship:  “In the Name of the Lord,” by Sandi Patty
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Love

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  (John 13:34-35, NASB)

This is another excerpt from the Apostle John’s report on the dissertations of Jesus Christ during the Passover Seder/Last Supper.  “The Apostle who Jesus loved” was an eye witness to the whole event, and was likely aided by the Holy Spirit (the Helper) at some later time in documenting this event and John’s entire Gospel. 

Earlier in Chapter 13, John tells the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet.  It’s a lesson in humility and service to one another.  Imagine a god stooping down to wash his subjects’ feet.  But that’s exactly what happened:  God in the flesh, by Whom and for Whom the universe was created, was performing this act as an example to His disciples.  Jesus told them that in the future, they should wash each other’s feet as an act of service and humility.
Now in the text above, Jesus continues this theme by giving the disciples a new commandment, “that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”  Why?  Jesus says, “By this all men will know you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”   

new-commandJohn 13:34 image.  Found at https://sermonquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/new-command.png

Jesus is all about love.  He had previously told people that the Greatest Commandment is to love God with all one’s being; and second, to love one’s neighbor as himself/herself.  He wants His disciples (including us!) to reflect that love.  Jesus’ disciples were soon going to go out in the world to spread the Gospel.  It wouldn’t do to have them bickering and fighting.  Nobody is attracted to that.  It’s the same with our churches today.  People will leave the instant they see conflict. 

Jesus thought this theme so important, He repeated the message later that evening:  “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friend.”  And later, “This I command you, that you love one another.”  (John 15:12-13, 17)

Disciples of Jesus are commanded to love God and love other people.  Jesus especially commands His people to love each other.  “By this all men will know that you are My disciples.”  Even with ALS, I can still love God and love other people.  People come to me in my bedroom, and I go to doctor’s appointments.  I contact people via email or text messaging.  I still have the opportunity to spread the love and hope of Jesus Christ!

Worship:  “Love One Another,” by Newsboys 


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Helper

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you . . . But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”  (John 14:16-17, 26, NASB)

The Apostle John continues recounting Jesus’ discourse to the disciples at the Passover Seder also known as the Last Supper.  The topic is the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus says that after He has been arrested, condemned, tortured, crucified, died, laid in the tomb, arisen from the dead, and ascended into heaven, that He would ask the Father to send His Holy Spirit to them.  Jesus calls Him “another Helper,” and promises that He “may be with you forever.”

Further, Jesus calls Him “the Spirit of truth.”  He says “the world cannot receive” the Spirit “because it does not see Him or know Him.”  When Jesus speaks of “the world,” He’s talking about unbelievers.  But, He tells the disciples, “you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”  The presence of the Helper is conditional:  The world (those who don’t know Jesus) cannot know Him, while He dwells within those who know Christ. 

John 14:16 image.  Found at https://hive.blog/hive-108514/@evegrace/holy-spirit-our-comforter

Jesus goes on to explain the duties of the Spirit:  “He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”  So the Holy Spirit is a Teacher as well as a Helper.  And He will help the apostles to remember all that Jesus said.  This was important because as a result, we have the Gospels that record the life and teachings of Jesus Christ! 

Yesterday morning I received the daily devotion from Ann Graham Lotz talking about the Holy Spirit: 

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13, NKJV

“I was once sitting in an audience when the speaker asked, ‘What do you think God expects of you?’ I mentally ticked off a list of things I thought God expected of me: obedience, faithfulness, holiness, love, service. To my astonishment, the speaker went on to say, ‘All God ever expects of you is failure!’ I wanted to raise my hand and say, ‘I can do that! I can live up to the expectations of God! I know I can fail!’ But then the speaker added, ‘However, He has given you the Holy Spirit so that you need never fail.’ Right! Without Christ I can do nothing, but in Him I can do all things!

“The difference between strength and weakness, righteousness and wickedness, success and failure, is Jesus – the Holy Spirit – in me.”  (Lotz, Anne Graham.  “Joy of My Heart” Daily Devotion, via email from AnGeL Ministries, 2 April 2022.)

I often forget the wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit, Christ in me.  When I remember, He reminds me that I’m a work in progress, that God’s not done with me yet.  I try to incorporate the Helper throughout my day:  In my prayers, in my Bible study, and in writing this piece.  He is my Helper and my Teacher.  My part is to make sure I don’t get in His way.  The Bible says my body is a Tabernacle, and He is enthroned within.  I have to ensure He is comfortable there, that I don’t defile my Temple. 

Do you have the Helper in you?  If you’re a follower of Jesus, Christ indwells you.  Won’t you invite Jesus to be the King of your heart?  Then you’ll have the Holy Spirit, the Helper, in you.  Don’t leave home without Him! 

I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.  (Galatians 2:20)

Worship:  “Holy Spirit,” by Jesus Culture ft. Kim Walker-Smith

Well, Mustache March is over.  Here’s my input: 

I’m reminded that Mustache March comes but once each year, and it’s usually around this time.  I hardly feel like I put much effort into it, so God willing, if I’m here next year, I’ll try again.  Oh, and I AM smiling! 

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Prophecy XIV

“. . . Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”  (Luke 13:33-35, NASB)

Dr. Luke writes here of Jesus’ lament over the city of Jerusalem.  Some Pharisees had warned Jesus that Herod the king wanted to kill Him.  Jesus replied that they should tell Herod, “Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.”  (Luke 13:32)  That’s where we pick up the text above.  Jesus makes three interesting prophecies in this passage. 

Jesus’ first prediction is the place He is to die, Jerusalem.  He is on His way there to fulfill His mission, to present Himself as the perfect sacrifice, the only acceptable sacrifice to God, to atone for the sins of the world.  Why Jerusalem?  Jesus says, “It cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.”  Jerusalem is where the chief priests were, and He has been warning the disciples for some time that He would go there, be arrested, then killed, and on the third day be raised again. 

The next section of the text is Jesus’ lamentation over the city.  He says it’s “the city that kills the prophets.”  Jerusalem had a history of doing just that.  During the era of the kings, the prophets told the people if they didn’t repent, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah would be taken away and its people sent into exile.  Nobody wanted to hear that, especially the kings.  So many of the prophets were executed.  Jesus further laments that He “wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!”   He was rejected and despised. 

As a consequence of the city’s rejection of Jesus, He makes the second prediction:  “Behold, your house is left to you desolate.”  Jesus is predicting Jerusalem’s destruction, which took place in 70 AD.  The reason?  The rejection of the Messiah, God’s own Son.  The Temple was completely destroyed, as Jesus says in other places, “not one stone left upon another.”

Luke 13:35 poster.  Found at Bible Hub, https://biblepic.com/45/luke_13-35.htm

The third instance of Jesus’ prophecy will happen sometime in the future from now:  “You will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”  At some point in the future, Jesus will return.  He will come back for His elect.  And people will say “Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Jewish tradition says that when Messiah comes, He will enter Jerusalem through the East Gate, opposite the Mount of Olives.  In medieval times, the ruling Muslims, knowing this, sealed the gate.  Just to make sure the Jewish Messiah wouldn’t come through that way, they established a Muslim cemetery right outside the gate.  They understood that a Jewish Rabbi would never defile Himself by passing through a cemetery.  I don’t know how Jesus plans to return with respect to Jerusalem.  But I do know that if He wishes to go through the East Gate, He won’t allow a cemetery or some bricks deter Him! 
Eastern Gate and Cemetery in Israel Jerusalem, Israel - October 25, 2013: The Eastern or Golden Gate and cemetery as seen from the Mount of Olives in Israel. Also known as the Gate of Mercy and Shushan gate. Ancient Stock PhotoJerusalem East Gate and cemetery.  Found at iStock,  https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/eastern-gate-and-cemetery-in-israel-gm683468586-126964459

Jesus offers prophecy in Luke’s narrative.  He is on His way to Jerusalem, and He says He’s going to die there.  He also predicts the destruction of the city, including the Temple, which occurred in 70 AD.  And yet to come, His return to His earth.  Jesus was determined to get to Jerusalem to fulfill His purpose on earth.  He died as a sacrifice so we could be freed from sin and death.  He is coming back again to unite His followers with His Father.  Jerusalem paid the penalty for rejecting Him.  My prayer is that you accept Him as your Savior. 

Worship:  “Baruch Haba B’shem Adonai (Blessed is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord),” by Paul Wilbur 

Here’s a Mustache March update on the 27th day: 

Joe Namath.  Found at https://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2007/05/30/mustache-wednesday-joe-namath-extravaganza

Just kidding.  That’s Joe Namath, Pro Football Hall of Famer, and MVP of Super Bowl III, when he grew a Fu Manchu mustache.  Namath was signed by the New York Jets for an astounding (at the time) sum of $400,000.  That, and the fact that he was a swinging bachelor earned him the nickname “Broadway Joe.”  Coming from the University of Alabama, he was called “Joe Willie.”  Joe was always pushing the boundaries of acceptability.  He was the first big-name player to wear white football cleats (“Joe Willie White Shoes.”  The guy had a lot of nicknames.).  Within a few years, almost everyone was.  He grew the mustache at a time when facial hair was frowned upon in pro football.  When Namath was threatened with a fine unless he shaved, a razor company helped by paying him to shave on a commercial.  

https://youtube.com/watch?v=WM57okPKXJg
“Joe Namath Shaves Off His Fu Manchu Mustache in Schick Electric Razor Commercial.”

Growing up on Long Island, I was a big Jets fan.  When I was old enough, my Dad took me to a couple of Jets games at Shea Stadium (“The Big Shea,” as Merle Harmon, the radio voice of the Jets used to call it.) before we moved away.  At one of those games I got to witness what my Dad called “The greatest play I ever saw.”  Namath was instrumental in that play.  The Jets were tied with the Houston Oilers, 28-28.  This was before overtime in regular season games, so ties in games were not unusual.  The Jets had the ball deep in their own end, with time for one more play.  Namath dropped back to try a Hail Mary pass to win the game.  The pass went down field, and . . . was intercepted.  The Oiler who intercepted the pass ran a few yards, was about to get tackled, then lateraled the ball to a teammate.  This happened about three or four times.  Finally an Oiler player had the ball in the clear, and the only Jet player to stop him was Broadway Joe Willie White Shoes Namath (See what I did there?).  Oh, and the Oiler player had a blocker in front of him.  Namath was known to have really bad knees, so his chances of making a game-saving tackle were slim.  But Broadway Joe fought off the blocker and made the tackle, preserving the tie.  I agree with my Dad, best play I’ve ever seen! 

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Prophecy XII

Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick. And I looked for sympathy, but there was none, And for comforters, but I found none. They also gave me gall for my food And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.  (Psalm 69:20-21, NASB)

Psalm 69 is another written by King David, a portion of which is recognized as a prophecy of the suffering that Jesus Christ would endure at the end of His life on this earth.  Its title is “A Cry of Distress and Imprecation on Adversaries.”  There were many times that David felt anguish as his enemies pursued him, and many times he asked God for help in defeating and punishing them.  The parallels with what Jesus felt at the end of His life are interesting. 

First, there’s the reproach that “has broken my heart and I am so sick.”  Jesus was abandoned by His friends, the disciples.  Worse, His Father turned His back on His Son during the hours of torture and crucifixion.  Jesus also suffered humiliation and mocking from people as He hung on the cross.  Physically, He became so sick in the Garden of Gethsemane in anticipation of what was about to happen, He began to sweat drops of blood. 

Jesus, too, would look for sympathy and comforters, and find none.  He took several of the disciples along to the Garden.  He asked them to stand watch while He prayed.  They fell asleep.  Not once, but three times.  When the crowd came with swords and clubs to arrest Jesus, His friends scattered.  Simon Peter later denied knowing Him three times. 

Psalm 69:20 image.  Found at Bible Hub, https://biblepic.com/41/psalms_69-20.htm

Part of Matthew’s account of the crucifixion includes the fulfillment of the prediction “they gave me gall for my food.”  Gall is a kind of poison.  From Matthew:  “And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.”  (Matthew 27:33-34)  

Matthew also tells of the completion of the prophecy “and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”  Again, from Matthew’s narrative, as Jesus was about to die:  “And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, ‘This man is calling for Elijah.’ Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. But the rest of them said, ‘Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.’  And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.”  (Matthew 27:47-50)

I wonder if what Jesus went through and experienced is a picture of hell?  Hell is described in the Bible as a place of agony.  It’s a place where if one is sent, he will be separated from God for eternity.  King David uses the term “reproach.”  He says there would be no sympathy, no comforters.  Those sound like good descriptions of hell.  Jesus went through all that, and He was separated from the Father while He endured it.  Jesus went through hell, which is what we deserve.  He took the punishment we deserve so we don’t have to.  To escape God’s wrath, we need to accept Jesus’ sacrifice, and make Him the Lord of our lives.  Accept God’s most precious gift of Jesus.  That’s what Lent and Resurrection Sunday are all about. 

“Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart,” from “Messiah,” by G.F. Handel.  Performed by the Bethany Oratorio Society of Lindsborg, Kansas. 
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Prophecy X

 . . .  I am a worm and not a man, A reproach of men and despised by the people. All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, “Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”  (Psalm 22:6-8, NASB)

Psalm 22, written by King David, is “A Cry of Anguish and a Song of Praise.”  It’s prophetic as it foretells the agony that Jesus would feel upon being abandoned by His Father and  His companions, the disciples;  and rejected by the people of Jerusalem.  Indeed, Jesus quoted the psalm’s first line as He hung on the cross, shortly before He died:  “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (v. 1)

It was true that Jesus had become “a reproach of men and despised by the people.”  The Sunday prior, He had made His triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem.  The people shouted “Hosanna!” and covered His path with their cloaks and palm branches.  It was triumphant indeed.  And here, days later, the people wanted Him crucified, the punishment of the most heinous of criminals.  They “sneer[ed] at” Him; “separate[ed] with the lip”; and “wag[ged] the head.”  These were, and are, common insults in the Middle East, and our Lord endured them to accomplish His mission.  In His humanity, His heart was broken. 

Psalm 22:6-8 image.  Found at https://slideplayer.com/slide/14376399/

As predicted in the psalm, people wondered why God didn’t save Him.  At the foot of the cross, the chief priests and the Temple scribes mocked Him, saying, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”  (Matthew 27:42-43)  Even “the robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.”  (v. 44)

The Christ came to His earth fully God and fully man.  In His humanity, He suffered from the abandonment of His Father and the disciples, and rejection by the people.  He was brokenhearted.  He endured not only the physical pain of torture and crucifixion, but the mental anguish of the rejections.  He endured all this punishment and pain willingly, and He did so for me and for you.  It was all part of His Father’s plan to save us from our sins.  Would you acknowledge Jesus’ sacrifice today? 

Worship:  “Above All,” by Lenny LeBlanc
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Prophecy IX

All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?  (Isaiah 53:6-8, NASB)

This passage is another from Isaiah’s prophecy of “The Suffering Servant,” one of many describing the advent, life, and death of Messiah, manifested by our Lord Jesus Christ.  Isaiah’s narrative here goes into the “why” of Jesus’ sacrificial suffering and death. 

We “like sheep have been led astray.”  How?  Every human being “has turned to his own way.”  The Bible says there is not one of us who is good.  There has to be a way for us to be made right with God.  The solution?  The “Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.”  Jesus took the punishment we all deserve.  When He was being tortured and crucified, God placed all the sins of the world squarely on His shoulders.  This added immensely to the pain He suffered.  My sins would’ve been enough to endure, but Jesus had everybody else’s, too. 

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6How is your walk with God? Are you walking far away from Him?Some of us believe that we have...
Isaiah 53:6 image.  Found at The Word for the Day, https://thewordfortheday.tumblr.com/post/183292025562/all-we-like-sheep-have-gone-astray-we-have

While He was going through this horrific torture, Jesus “did not open His mouth.”  He at one point told His disciples that He could’ve called legions of angels to come rescue Him, but He did not.  A Bible study I did last Lenten Season ended the devotional with these words every day:  “He did so willingly, and He did so for you [me].”  Isaiah compares the future Messiah’s attitude when subjecting Himself to this brutality to a “lamb that is led to slaughter.”  “He did not open His mouth.”

Jesus would be taken away “by oppression and judgment.”  Isaiah asks if any of the people would bother to consider if Jesus was to take all this punishment in their place, to take the punishment they deserve (“to whom the stroke was due”).  My guess is this is a rhetorical question as the people, who welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem only days before by spreading their cloaks and palm fronds in the road in front of Him, now wanted Him crucified. 

Every one of us has a sin problem.  Jesus paid the penalty we all deserve by going to the cross.  He came to earth for that reason, so we could all have fellowship for eternity with His Father in heaven.  Would you call on Jesus’ name today if you haven’t already?  “He did so willingly, and He did so for you.”

Worship:  “All We Like Sheep Have Gone Astray,” from “Messiah,” by G.F. Handel.  Performed by the Brussels Choral Society.
“He Was Cut Off Out of the Land of the Living,” from “Messiah,” by G.F. Handel.  Artist unknown. 

Mustache Update:  Here’s my progress on the 12th day of Mustache March: 

Rollie Fingers - San Diego Padres - 1978.jpg
Rollie Fingers, found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollie_Fingers#/media/File:Rollie_Fingers_-_San_Diego_Padres_-_1978.jpg

Just kidding, this is Rollie Fingers, former Major League pitcher, and Hall of Famer.  As impressive as that ‘stache is in the picture, it’s even more so in person.  When we were stationed at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson in the early ’80s, I used to get to at least one spring training game for my Cleveland Indians.  One day I was walking past the visitors bench, and there was Rollie, mustache and all.  As I said, impressive!  My outstanding Nurse Meghan wants me to grow one like this.  Please check back in five years.