"Jesus saith unto him, Thou has said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?" Matthew 26: 64, 65
Jesus was the defendant in a crooked trial. Everyone knew He would be condemned. Yet, He stood there in complete peace. Caiaphas on the other hand was the judge. The law gave him power and protection. Yet, he lost all composure. What a contrast,; Jesus standing before Caiaphas; the Calm before the storm.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
The Dichotomy
"Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled." Matthew 26:56
This is the point where contemplating the great sacrifice becomes difficult. The mental picture of Jesus, the pure and Holy son of God, the one who always comforted, who never condemned standing alone in the middle of that angry mob churns my stomach. In that moment He was meek, yet strong; defenseless, but conquerer. A dichotomy.
This is the point where contemplating the great sacrifice becomes difficult. The mental picture of Jesus, the pure and Holy son of God, the one who always comforted, who never condemned standing alone in the middle of that angry mob churns my stomach. In that moment He was meek, yet strong; defenseless, but conquerer. A dichotomy.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The Question
"And Jesus said unto him, Friend wherefore art thou come?" Matthew 26:50
To all intents and purposes Judas had sealed his fate. Christ was betrayed and the priests were arresting HIm. With full knowledge of what was going on Jesus questioned Judas like a mother asking her son, "Johnny, what do you have in your hand; even though she knows his hands are stuffed with stolen candy.
The question was unnecessary everyone knew what was going on. But Jesus ever hopeful, ever longing to lead others away from condemnation once again gave Judas the opportunity to choose a different destiny. Jesus was true to His commission. "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through HIm might be saved." John 3:17
To all intents and purposes Judas had sealed his fate. Christ was betrayed and the priests were arresting HIm. With full knowledge of what was going on Jesus questioned Judas like a mother asking her son, "Johnny, what do you have in your hand; even though she knows his hands are stuffed with stolen candy.
The question was unnecessary everyone knew what was going on. But Jesus ever hopeful, ever longing to lead others away from condemnation once again gave Judas the opportunity to choose a different destiny. Jesus was true to His commission. "For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through HIm might be saved." John 3:17
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The Excuse
"Watch and pray, that Ye enter not into temptation. (Matthew 26:41)
"The weakness of HIs disciples awakened the sympathy of Jesus. He feared that they would not be able to endure the test which would come upon them in His betrayal and death. He did not reprove them, but said, Watch Ye... Even in His great agony He was seeking to excuse their weakness." White, E. G. DOA p689
He is always looking for a way to relieve us of our guilt. The entire plan of salvation was conceived to free us from it. He had just asked the disciples to watch with Him because as He said, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." (Matthew 26:38) In the crisis His anxiety was for the disciples, those friends who would soon betray and abandon HIm. If during those dark moments His concern was wrapped up in those He loved, how much more are His thoughts and hopes focused on us today? If He was seeking to excuse their weakness is He not also seeking to excuse mine? Am I willing to let Him?
"The weakness of HIs disciples awakened the sympathy of Jesus. He feared that they would not be able to endure the test which would come upon them in His betrayal and death. He did not reprove them, but said, Watch Ye... Even in His great agony He was seeking to excuse their weakness." White, E. G. DOA p689
He is always looking for a way to relieve us of our guilt. The entire plan of salvation was conceived to free us from it. He had just asked the disciples to watch with Him because as He said, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." (Matthew 26:38) In the crisis His anxiety was for the disciples, those friends who would soon betray and abandon HIm. If during those dark moments His concern was wrapped up in those He loved, how much more are His thoughts and hopes focused on us today? If He was seeking to excuse their weakness is He not also seeking to excuse mine? Am I willing to let Him?
Sunday, July 3, 2011
The Conversation Stopper
"And as they did eat, He said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me." Matthew 26:21
What a topic to bring up in the middle of a meal! It is easy to imagine the food getting stuck in some of the disciples throats or their jaws dropping when Jesus said that. Why did He do that in such a dramatic way? That is not how He typically did things. He was the one that repeatedly asked people not to publish the miracles He had performed for them That being the case this conversation stopper was more than uncharacteristic it was strange.
But Jesus was working under a handicap, He was trying to reach a heart of stone. Christ would do anything to save Judas from committing the worlds vilest crime. Shock and awe, that was His first strategy. He shocked Judas by revealing the treachery, all the time hoping to awe him to repentance. When that did not work He tried the fear factor, He said, "The son of man goeth as it is written of Him, but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had beed good for that man if he had not been born." Matthew 26:24
For three years Jesus had been trying to win Judas' heart by love, but now in these last few moments left to them both He did not remonstrate with Judas for his betrayal. Instead Jesus pulled out all the stops in His last ditch attempt at saving the traitor. That is beyond understanding. That is an amazing love!
What a topic to bring up in the middle of a meal! It is easy to imagine the food getting stuck in some of the disciples throats or their jaws dropping when Jesus said that. Why did He do that in such a dramatic way? That is not how He typically did things. He was the one that repeatedly asked people not to publish the miracles He had performed for them That being the case this conversation stopper was more than uncharacteristic it was strange.
But Jesus was working under a handicap, He was trying to reach a heart of stone. Christ would do anything to save Judas from committing the worlds vilest crime. Shock and awe, that was His first strategy. He shocked Judas by revealing the treachery, all the time hoping to awe him to repentance. When that did not work He tried the fear factor, He said, "The son of man goeth as it is written of Him, but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It had beed good for that man if he had not been born." Matthew 26:24
For three years Jesus had been trying to win Judas' heart by love, but now in these last few moments left to them both He did not remonstrate with Judas for his betrayal. Instead Jesus pulled out all the stops in His last ditch attempt at saving the traitor. That is beyond understanding. That is an amazing love!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The Memorial
"Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her." Matthew 26:10
What kind of person expects criticism for a loving and innocent act? Someone who has been verbally abused. Luke 10 gives evidence to the kind of treatment Mary was accustomed to. Martha, Mary's sister, publicly proclaims Mary's faults by complaining to Jesus in the presence of a crowd. Even Jesus' disciples felt comfortable in publicly reproaching Mary when she anointed Him with the perfume. And after Christ's resurrection she tells the disciples that she has seen the risen Lord, but no one believes her.
Mary was the social pariah. Free game for ridicule and disrespect. It may be that something about her enlisted such behavior from others. It could have been her past or her reputation. Maybe she was difficult to get along with, argumentative, loud or obnoxious. But Jesus defended her. Not only did He defend her, He elevated her to an amazing status. He made an eternal memorial to her devotion.
What kind of person expects criticism for a loving and innocent act? Someone who has been verbally abused. Luke 10 gives evidence to the kind of treatment Mary was accustomed to. Martha, Mary's sister, publicly proclaims Mary's faults by complaining to Jesus in the presence of a crowd. Even Jesus' disciples felt comfortable in publicly reproaching Mary when she anointed Him with the perfume. And after Christ's resurrection she tells the disciples that she has seen the risen Lord, but no one believes her.
Mary was the social pariah. Free game for ridicule and disrespect. It may be that something about her enlisted such behavior from others. It could have been her past or her reputation. Maybe she was difficult to get along with, argumentative, loud or obnoxious. But Jesus defended her. Not only did He defend her, He elevated her to an amazing status. He made an eternal memorial to her devotion.
Friday, July 1, 2011
The Guaranty
"And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, He said unto His disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the son of man is betrayed to be crucified. Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Ciaphas, and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety and kill him. But they said, not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people." (Matthew 26:1-5) Every year, like scenes at a living history museum, the Passover represented Christ's death and He understood the prophesies that were hidden in the Biblical ordinances. Not only did He live His own life based on them, but taught His disciples to live by them too. The chief priests, scribes and elders comprised the government. They were a numerous, powerful and august group. They pit themselves against Christ and the Bible prophesies and believed they could prevent Christ's death on the Passover. They forgot one thing. God's word is 100 percent guaranteed.
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