Tag: terminal illness

Posted on

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 
Posted on

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
Posted on

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 


Posted on

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! 

Posted on

Prophecy XIII

From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”  (Matthew 16:21-23, NASB)

This account is from Apostle Matthew.  He was an eye witness as Jesus began to prepare the disciples for what was about to take place, His arrest, torture, crucifixion, and resurrection.  Other Gospel accounts speak of the apostles’ grief, or their failure to understand.  But Matthew’s story tells of Simon Peter’s “rebuke,” and Jesus’ declaration that Peter was a “stumbling block.”

Jesus’ prophecy of His own coming demise must have been hard to understand.  He had been telling the disciples that He was the Son of God.  He had performed miracles and healed the sick and the crippled.  How could the authorities arrest this Man and put Him to death?  And what was this about being “raised up on the third day”?  

Peter to the rescue!  He wouldn’t let the prediction of Jesus’ demise come true.  He, along with the Zebedee brothers, was part of Jesus’ inner circle.  He would be Jesus’ bodyguard.  Jesus would have nothing to worry about.  He would talk some sense into Jesus, straighten Him out.  What could go wrong?  Wait, what? 

“Get Behind Me Satan.”  Found at Catholic for Life, https://www.catholicforlife.com/tag/get-behind-me-satan/

Satan?  Jesus rebuked Peter’s rebuke by calling him “Satan.”  “A stumbling block.”  That he was “not setting [his] mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”  Many of Israel’s people were looking for a political Messiah Who would expel the Roman occupiers and rule Israel with justice.  The disciples, despite all the time they spent with Jesus, didn’t comprehend what this was all about.  Jesus didn’t come to the earth He created to free them from Rome, He came to free them from their sins.  To do that, He had to go to Jerusalem, and present Himself as the Lamb of God, a sacrifice acceptable to God the Father. 

Imagine how Peter felt at Jesus’ rebuke.  Not long before this, during a discussion about Who Jesus is, he had confessed that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  (Matthew 16:16)  Jesus praised him, and was ready to hand him the keys to the kingdom of heaven.  Now the Christ was calling him “Satan”!  Did Peter have a demon?  I don’t know.  Perhaps Jesus was giving him a wake-up call.  After all, He had The Plan, The Big Picture, and He wanted Peter on board. 

Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God had a plan of redemption to bring men and women back to peace with Him.  He would eventually send His Son to earth, and He would act as a sacrifice.  He would take the punishment we deserve as a substitute for our salvation.  We deserve to die for our sins.  Jesus paid the price for us.  Our part is to accept His sacrifice, and ask Jesus into our hearts. 

Worship:  “Victor’s Crown,” by Darlene Zschech and Kari Jobe
Posted on

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. 
Posted on

Prophecy XI

And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”  (Luke 2:33-35, NASB)

The text is a portion of Dr. Luke’s account of Simeon’s encounter with the Holy Family just days after Jesus’ arrival on the earth He created.  The second chapter of Luke documents that after eight days (the Law of Moses required eight days for the mother’s purification), Joseph and Mary took their Baby to the Temple to present Jesus to the priests for circumcision and dedication, and to offer a sacrifice.  (vv. 21-24)  
They met Simeon, “righteous and devout,” who was “looking for the consolation of Israel.”  Luke says that the Holy Spirit told Simeon he wouldn’t die before he would meet the Messiah.  (vv. 25-26)  The Holy Spirit told Simeon just Who this Baby was.  Simeon took Him in his arms, and thanked the Lord in what is known as “The Song of Simeon.”  (vv. 27-32)  That’s where we pick up the text above. 

In a story normally told during Advent, Simeon’s prophecy is important for Lent, as he foretold the anguish Mary would experience in the future.  But first, Simeon predicts that Jesus “is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel.”  Jesus Himself would say that He came to save sinners, not the self-righteous, which was a criticism at the Pharisees.  He says that Jesus would be opposed, such that “thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”  Jesus was opposed by the Temple elites, who ironically claimed to be looking for the Messiah–just not this One.  Especially during the critical last week of Jesus’ life on His earth, we see revealed the thoughts from many hearts. 

Screen Shot 2017-02-02 at 2.46.18 PMThe Sword that Pierced Mary’s Soul.  Found at https://taylormarshall.com/2017/02/sword-pierced-marys-soul.html

Simeon tells Mary that “a sword will pierce even your own soul.”  I’m sure Mary didn’t understand.  She had just given birth to the Savior of the world, HER Savior, HER Lord.  What could possibly go wrong?  Yet “the sword” would be seeing her son after being tortured beyond recognition; watching as He tried to haul the cross to His place of execution; watching as they nailed her boy’s hands and feet to the wooden cross; and finally, watching as He hung dying, while the people and the priests mocked and insulted Him. 

The prophecy of the “sword” which would pierce Mary’s heart is part of the Christmas story, and an integral part of the story of Resurrection Sunday.  The encounter with Simeon at the Temple left Joseph and Mary “amazed at the things which were being said about Him.”  It had been quite a week.  Simeon’s prophecy must have left Mary wondering . . . 

Worship:  “Mary Did You Know?” by Mark Lowry
Posted on

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
Posted on

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. 

Posted on

Prophecy VIII

Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted.  But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.  (Isaiah 53:4-5, Berean Study Bible)

This passage from the Prophet Isaiah is more from his prediction of “The Suffering Servant.” Isaiah details more of how Jesus took on our sins, and the manner of His torture and how He died. 

Isaiah says, “He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows.” Jesus bore the weight of all the sins of the world, and all our griefs.  That’s quite a load!  He did so out of love for us all, and He did so willingly.  He acted as a sacrifice so that He would stand in our place and take the punishment we deserve.  Further, “we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted.”  Only days after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus was now considered the among the worst of criminals.  The “we” includes you and me.  We would’ve acted no differently than that hostile crowd in condemning Him.  Surely if Jesus was who He said He was, God would rescue Him.  But God did not. 

“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”  He was pierced and crushed for our sins.  Jesus would later show His piercing wounds to Thomas the Doubter:  “Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.’  Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!'”    (John 20:27-28)  Because of His wounds, we can be free from the chains of sin today.  “By His stripes we are healed.”  Before He was crucified, Jesus was tortured beyond recognition.  He was whipped with a device that had shards of metal embedded in the whip.  The torture ripped His skin apart, hence the “stripes.”  We are “healed” by those stripes from the ravages of sin by putting our trust and hope in the name of Jesus Christ, Who endured the punishment we deserve. 

By His Stripes We Are Healed

“By His Stripes We are Healed.”  Found at http://davidtue.com/biblical-promise-healed-stripes/

A few years ago I attended a Passover Seder with a Messianic congregation (the Last Supper was a Passover meal).  The Rabbi took a piece of matzah and pointed out that Jesus is represented in the unleavened bread.  He noted the holes throughout (“He was pierced for our transgressions . . . “); and there were markings resembling stripes (” . . . and by His stripes we are healed.”).  I don’t know if the unleavened bread of Jesus’ time on earth mirrored the matzah we have today.  It’s possible that the unleavened bread Jesus shared with His disciples portended the torture and crucifixion through which He was about to endure. 

MatzahMatzah, unleavened bread.  “He was pierced for our transgressions . . . by His stripes we are healed.”  Found at https://www.ou.org/holidays/what_is_matzoh_or_matzah/

Jesus Christ came to the earth He created for one reason:  To die as a sacrifice to save us from our sins.  He took the punishment we deserve.  God sent His Son as a substitute for you and for me.  What God requires is for us to acknowledge that sacrifice, and to put our trust and faith in His Son.  Have you asked Jesus to come into your heart and be your Lord and Savior?  There is hope in His name. 

Worship:  
“Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs,” from “Messiah,” by G.F. Handel.  Performed by the Royal Choral Society.
“And With His Stripes We are Healed,” from “Messiah,” by G.F. Handel.  Performed by The Brussels Choral Society.