I Love You (Not Really...)

Let's consider the human body for a moment:
Does the healthy body fight against itself?
Does the toe try to outdo the finger?
Do the arms try to outdo the legs?
I could ask several more redundant, anatomical questions along this line.
The answer to all of them is "NO".
In a properly-functioning human body, the various parts faithfully carry out their designated roles.
As a matter of fact, they help each other.  Here's an example - -
When the human encounters a situation which requires "flight"  (you know, "fight or flight"),
the adrenal glands, above the kidneys, produce adrenaline, which gives the muscles used in "flight" (the leg muscles primarily) the ability to skeedaddle quickly away.  But, the arms also help.  Have you ever tried to suddenly run very fast?  You can't do it unless your arms start pumping, to help propel you forward.
I think you get my drift.

In Romans 12:9-10, we get a taste of Paul's larger treatise on the topic of love in 1 Cor. 13.

9Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

The word "genuine" in verse 9, is translated from the Greek ἀνυπόκριτος. which means literally "without hypocrisy".  The title of today's post reeks with hypocrisy, doesn't it?

Remember, now, that Paul is speaking to the Christians in the young church of Rome.  He is exhorting us to love each other sincerely, genuinely, without hypocrisy.  He is urging us to function as a healthy Body of Christ, group of Christ-followers.

Those of you who have ever associated yourself with a group of believers know that this is not always the case.  Sometimes, The Body acts as though it has an auto-immune disorder; it eats/tears-down Itself.  The "ME Syndrome" can be quite prevalent.  Examples:

"I'd be a better chairman of the deacons that he."
"I'm glad Pastor preached that sermon today; _______ really needed to hear it!"
"Can you believe he chose her to sing that solo?  Ghastly voice!"
"{Construct your own carnal statement here.  I'm sure you can think of one.}"

Obviously, I've been in some churches....as have many Christians reading this.  If we love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, we will do what verse 10 says, which is to "outdo one another in showing honor".  That doesn't mean we will be immune from carnal, fleshly thoughts, such as the ones mentioned above. Satan is not going to abandon his very successful strategy of causing dissension in the church.  It does mean, however, that we will choose to reject such carnal impulses, put them "under the blood", release them to the Holy Spirit and not act on them in a sinful fashion.

Let's be honest: God's range of variety in His creation is amazing.  Accordingly, there are members of the Body who will just make you roll your eyes or drive you crazy, and that is when they are being totally holy!  They are just so different from you that they might as well be aliens.  Still...

Over and over again, we read in the Bible about the power of choice.  It's inescapable, despite our all-knowing, all-powerful God knows our choices before we make them.

Here's verse 10 in the beautiful Greek:
"With the brotherly love toward one another devoted; in honor, one another esteeming"

Let's be known for the love we have for each other, for our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Unless and until we CHOOSE love and we honor each other well, we will be hampered in our capacity to love an unsaved, bound-for-Hell, spiritually dying world.

Really.  :)

Father, I thank you that You did not create us all the same.  If You had, we would be a grotesque representation, a monster (as I've heard it said).  Instead, we fit together as a Body of Christ, as beautifully as a properly-functioning, healthy human body does.  May we choose daily to honor You by showing humility in our honoring of each other.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Oh Sugar! Pass the Salve!

Warning:  Painfully, blatantly transparent post ahead!

One of the truths God has pounded into my soul along the walk is this:  we Christians all have different pitfalls as well as different spiritual gifts.  I was thinking about this this morning as I threw the rest of a delicious pecan pie into the trash can.  It nearly killed me. One of my peculiarities is that I hate to waste food.  This was woven into the very fabric of my soul by my mother, who was born in the throes of the Great Depression, the daughter of a Depression Mama.  My grandmother, Ma, used to beg to take tomato sandwiches with us in a cooler when she went with our family on vacay.  Such are my roots.

This otherwise altruistic and "good" tendency runs headlong into my sugar addiction, a snare Satan uses to undermine my otherwise (thank you, Jesus!) excellent health.  To some, pecan pie (basically, sugar) is not sin. To me, it can be ... and usually becomes a trap.  Of course, the pecan pie was merely the "trap of the week"...

It's hard to find the glory in temptations, but I submit to you that glory is there.  Look at today's passage with me, Romans 12:3-8 (NET)

3For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith. 4For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function, 5so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another. 6And we have different gifts according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith. 7If it is service, he must serve; if it is teaching, he must teach; 8if it is exhortation, he must exhort; if it is contributing, he must do so with sincerity; if it is leadership, he must do so with diligence; if it is showing mercy, he must do so with cheerfulness.

In those individual, unique traps Satan sets for us lie opportunities to glorify God by resisting temptation.  Another piece of beauty is that these temptations keep us humble.  Let me share with you my own "humble pie" this morning, a glimpse into my own warfare story.  I believe we tend to idolize people or to think more highly of them than we ought to think.  I also believe we tend to idolize ourselves, thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought.

As a child, I accepted Christ and then re-affirmed my commitment to Him as a teen.  From there, I did my best to follow Him.  However, I was proud, very, very proud.  I tended to look on others with a certain amount of disdain, as opposed to compassion.  As I tried to do everything "by the Book", this condition became worse and worse.  And, the very worst part?  I had no idea it was happening.  I was totally blind to my own sin.

The Lord used a series of devastating experiences to open my eyes to my idolatry, my self-exaltation, my pride.  This sin continues to plague me, although due to my history with Him, thankfully I am somewhat more aware of it now.  My sinful pride was and is the flip-side of my spiritual gifts.  That's the way it usually is, which is why Paul began to talk about gifts of the Spirit in the same breath as he spoke about humility.  (Sort of like my sugar addiction/saving food conundrum)

Examples:  if you have the gift of mercy, beware that you don't become an "enabler".  If you have the gift of teaching, make sure you don't neglect the exercise of that knowledge, the service which should flow from increased illumination/revelation.  You get my drift.  If we carefully look at our own "gift bag", we can probably find our corresponding weak spots.  This is what Paul means by "sober discernment".

These should produce in our lives humility, the meekness that can only come from Above. The other night, Easter Sunday, I watched again The Passion of the Christ.  In the context of how He allowed men to do what they did to Him, I marveled that He "opened not His mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).  He did respond to questions from the Sanhedrin and from Pilate, the most honest/earnest seeker of them all on that dastardly day.  But, to Herod, that pompous buffoon, He said nothing.  The King of the Universe! The Creator of all that was made!  He humbly said nothing.

I'm still learning about humility, as those closest to me know.  Humility is the soothing salve that heals the burns inflicted by the fire in my soul.  As painful, horribly painful, as the "burns" I've received over the years have been, I am so, so thankful for them!  They served to shine a laser beam on my dreadfully prideful heart.  They increased my "sober discernment" about myself and changed the way I view others.  As Paul reminds us all, "we belong to each other."

Do we really want to be more like Jesus Christ? It is a fearful thing to open our hearts a crack, to let the Holy Spirit flay your heart open and expose things He wants to root out of there...to allow God's balm of humility to seep in.  Oh, but I exhort you, Christians, to do it, even as I daily exhort myself.

As we close in prayer today, pray along with me a prayer of St. Augustine of Hippo:
"Lord Jesus, let me know myself and know you,
And desire nothing, save only you.
Let me hate myself and love you.
Let me do everything for the sake of you.
Let me humble myself and exalt you."

Amen.

Source:

http://saintaugustineacademy.com/saint-augustine-of-hippo-facts-prayers/

Mirror, Mirror

After my paternal grandmother died in 1981, my mother inherited a beautiful mirrored tray, containing a flat-backed hair brush, a comb and a hand mirror.  A couple of years ago, she gave it to me.  It now sits on my dresser, where I should be able to enjoy it.  

I like to wear jewelry, not the hugely expensive kind, but the type you buy at home jewelry parties. My friends, Kathy and Jennifer, are reps for a wonderful, Christian company that sells it, and over the years I've built quite a collection.  In conjunction with this, I've developed a bad habit.

Although I have a perfectly excellent storage box for my jewelry, it is in the bathroom.  When I return from a foray out into the wild world, I walk into the bedroom, throw off my shoes and take off all my jewelry.  Where do you think it lands?  That's right!  In the mirrored tray.  Pretty soon, the tray overflows with beautiful things, and when I want to find something with which to accessorize my look, I just "shop" from the tray.  smh...

So, yesterday, I decided that this had gone on long enough.  I began to divest my tray of its baubles, taking them to the tall chest in my bathroom.  As I got down toward the bottom, I realized ... there's a mirror down there.  It sort of shocked me, though if you'd asked me, I would have told you it was there.  All those pretty necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings were obscuring it.

It struck me forcibly that this was a metaphor for our relationship with the Word (Greek: Logos). What do I mean by that?  Logos is used as both a name of God's Son, Jesus, and also for His revealed, written word, the Bible.  Look at these verses:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made, that was made."

John 1:1-3

Lots of repetition in that verse, for emphasis, it seems.  John wants us to know as we compare these verses with Genesis 1 that the "God" who spoke the universe and all created things into existence was Jesus, the Logos.

Later in John, the only gospel that records Jesus' high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed in John 17:17 - - "Sanctify them by thy truth, thy word is truth."

In Acts 12:24, 13:49 and 19:20, we see phrases pertaining to how the gospel message (God's word) was spread:
"the word of God increased and multiplied", "the word of God was spreading", "the word of God continued to increase".... In each of these cases, "word of God" is the Greek word, "logos".

God's physical revelation, God-With-Skin-On, our Savior and God's written word to us, the Bible. Same word used for both.  Wow.  Sort of elevates the Bible, doesn't it?

The Word of God is also described as a mirror, which brings me back to my little anecdote.  (You suspected I had hopeless wandered off the trail, didn't you?!)  Look at 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 ---

16but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

and James 1:23-24 ---

23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

It is in this last passage by Jesus' half-brother, James, we see the strongest correlation between the Word of God and a mirror.

You see (pun intended), when my mirror was obscured by all those admittedly beautiful things, I could not even see the mirror.  I was so distracted by them that I even forgot the mirror was there! This can easily happen in our Christian walk as well.  We can allow our attentions to be drawn away by wonderful things that, in the final analysis, are not the best things.  Wonderful things (even people) can cause our priorities to get skewed; they can cloud our vision, even.

Daily, at the very least, we need to push aside wonderful, beautiful distractions, worthwhile distractions, to clearly look into God's Word.  Here's why:

1.  The Word of God is a light that illuminates our path.  Psalm 119:105
2.  The Word of God is like a sharp, double-edged sword that pierces our spirit so that God's truth can seep in.  Hebrews 4:12
3.  In the James passage, The Word of God is a mirror, that reveals what God next wants to do in our lives, transforming us from "forgetful hearers" into "effective doers".  James 1:23-24
4.  The Word of God washes us clean, purifies and consecrates us, as John 17:17 says.
5.  The Word of God is life and health to your body, "nourishment to your bones"! Prov. 3:8 and 4:22  (That one is for you, Dr. Moss!)
6.  Finally, in the 2 Cor. 3 passage, the Word allows us to realize and behold the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  And, if that weren't enough, the Word through His Holy Spirit transforms us "from glory to glory"!  By feasting on the Word of God, we become more like Him.

Let's recommit ourselves to pushing those beautiful baubles aside in order to give God His pre-eminent first place in our day!  I mentioned Dr. Moss, my chiropractor in #5 above.  He was telling us in a seminar last night about the importance of starting our day with good, positive affirmations.  I can think of none better than the powerful, living written revelation, the Word of God.

Lord Jesus, that I may KNOW you!  For You are the very incarnation of God the Father!  May I daily see You, revealed in Your holy Word, seeing The Word in the Word, and be daily transported from glory TO glory, walking resplendent here until my very soul and spirit are transported to that eternal glory, where I will walk resplendent with you forever.  Make it so, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.

Fighting Wisely

Right now, in my state, there is a battle going on for religious freedom.   The majority of the other 50 states have similar state legislation in their law codex.  For some reason, though, as Georgia has taken steps to incorporate such protection for religious freedom into theirs, the very forces of hell have arrayed in battle against the legislators' efforts.  House Bill 757 has passed both the GA House and the GA Senate.  It now sits on the Governor's desk.  I hope that, if you are reading this in "real time", you will call Governor Nathan Deal's office at 404-656-1776, to voice your support for this bill.  I have done so and continue to pray he won't veto it.

Why should we need this piece of legislation in our state anyway?  Don't we have an amendment to the Constitution that specifically protects "freedom of religion"?  Isn't it the very first of all the amendments written, over 200 years ago?  The answer is that although we do have the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution, renegade courts in the land are making unconstitutional rulings which are abridging those very freedoms.

I'm sure that many of you, like me, get very disturbed about the direction you see our society moving. I hope and pray that your concern goes beyond wailing and "hand-wringing", which are of no use whatsoever.  It is important to, as citizens, take actions to "fight" for our freedoms.  Getting involved enough to contact legislators, volunteer in political campaigns are worthwhile efforts.  There are other ways Christians can be used by God to "turn things around", though, and they have nothing to do with political activism...

We find powerful solutions in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Let's break this down:

1.  First of all, the solution is placed squarely on Christians, the people of God.  "If my people"... So often we, as Christians, say something like this, "Oh, if only we could have revival!" "If those ungodly people would just come to the Lord, all our problems would be solved."  Surely, we want people to turn to Jesus. But, that is not the way to get God's attention in healing our land, is it?  As the old hymn says, "Revive US again".  Revival, a turn-around, begins in the house of God with the people of God.  To be more specific, it begins in the heart of each believer.

2.  Second, "humble themselves" ... This is a hard one for some of us, who are prone to treat others unlovingly, look down our noses condescendingly, think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think.  It takes humility to look honestly into one's own heart and confront one's own sin, doesn't it? So much easier to point to the sins of others!

3.  Third, "and pray" ... A few months back, my church, which regularly runs about 800 in worship services on a Sunday, did an initiative to get 500 members to sign up to pray over the church regularly.  I don't think we ever reached our goal of 500 members to participate.  I don't give this example to condemn my particular local church, but merely to point out that American Christians are largely prayer-impoverished people.

4.  Fourth, "and seek My face".   How do we do that?  Well, it's one thing to pray.  We can pray for all sorts of things.  The key is to discern the will of God as revealed in the Word and to pray in line with that.

5.  Fifth, "turn from their wicked ways" ... God makes it clear that when judgment is falling on a nation it is because the people of God are allowing wickedness to permeate their lives.  It is an indication the people of God are not walking in holiness.  If you don't believe me, look at the Scriptures.  God rarely speaks about pagan peoples - - they are expected to live godless lives because, well, they are godless.  More often, He speaks through His prophets to address the waywardness of His own chosen people.  In this Church age, folks, that is we.

As I was writing this post just now, the Governor held a news conference to announce that he will veto the bill I mentioned earlier.  The crux of his reasoning was "it could not happen here, and it has not happened here."  Basically, he caved to "the money", those special interest groups who argued that HB757 would cost Georgia millions and millions of dollars in lost revenue. This is a hard blow to religious freedom in the state of Georgia.

One battle lost, but the war rages on.  As Christians, will you engage?  Will you fight the ever-encroaching tide of godlessness, sweeping across our nation? Will you fight from your knees?  There, we fight in the position of greatest power.

Father, my heart is heavy as I finish today's post.  I trust in Your sovereignty, but I fear that we Christians have, again, dropped the ball in this specific battle.  My prayer is that all of us will search our own hearts and seek You in this fierce spiritual conflict for the soul of America.  Make us to be in greater numbers people of prayer, Lord.  Root out the complacency, the materialism and the more flagrant ungodliness from our souls.  Purify us, Lord, and then empower us to expand Your kingdom. May "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, in Earth, as it is in Heaven".  In Jesus' name, amen.

First Fruits

Easter is my favorite Christian "high day".  Why?  Because if Jesus Christ had not risen from the dead, our entire faith would be groundless and worthless. It would be "in vain", as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:17.  The figureheads of all other world "religions" either lie dead in the grave to this day or they will be there eventually.  But, Jesus Christ was raised from the dead by the power of God the Father (Ephesians 1:20), and it is because of this that we mortals who trust in His finished work have the assurance of eternal life if we trust in Him (1 Cor. 6:14).  Hallelujah!

On this beautiful Resurrection Morning though, I invite you to examine briefly with me (as most of us have a very busy Easter) the parallels between the Resurrection and the Jewish Feast of First Fruits.   To review:

It is recorded in Leviticus 23 that God the Father gave Moses the information about the 7 Holy Feasts. Here are the Spring Feasts, in chronological order:1

Passover (Pesach)   Nisan 14-15
Unleavened Bread (Chag Hamotzi)   Nisan 15-22
First Fruits (Yom Habikkurim)   Nisan 16-17
Pentecost (Shavuot)  Sivan 6-7

And here they are, added to our old friend, the handy-dandy chart!

Thursday sundown to Friday sundown	Nisan  8	Jesus arrives at M,M&L's house in Bethany earlier in the day. "Mary" (most likely Mary of Bethany) anoints Jesus' feet with costly ointment.
Friday sundown to Saturday sundown	Nisan  9	Weekly Sabbath; no work or travel.
Saturday sundown to Sunday sundown	Nisan  10	Palm Sunday; Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem Jesus presents Himself at Temple; Passover Lambs are Selected (Lamb Selection Day)
Sunday sundown to Monday sundown	Nisan  11	Day 2 of lamb with family Jesus curses the fig tree Jesus cleanses the Temple Jesus heals and teaches in the Temple Jesus and the 12 return to Bethany.
Monday sundown to Tuesday sundown	Nisan  12	Day 3 of lamb with family Jesus teaches extensively in the Temple Olivet Discourse (Mount of Olives) to disciples Judas makes contact with Temple priests
Tuesday sundown to Wednesday sundown	Nisan  13	Day 4 of lamb with family  As the day begins after sundown, Jesus and the Twelve dine with Simon the Leper.  An anonymous woman anoints His head with costly oil.  During the daylight hours of Wednesday, the disciples locate a place for the upcoming feast days and make it ready by cleansing it from leaven.   Judas leaves to sell Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver.
Wednesday sundown to Thursday sundown	Nisan  14 The Lord's Seder	"Preparation Day" After sunset, to begin the day, Jesus eats The Last Supper (Jesus' early Passover seder) with the disciples. Garden of Gethsemane in the early hours; Jesus' high priestly prayer (John 17); Jesus's mock trial; sentencing Thursday morning. Day of Jesus' crucifixion (begins mid- morning) and death (mid-late afternoon) Day 5 of lamb with family; sacrificed in late afternoon.  Lamb's blood applied to doorposts . God's Lamb's blood covers all our sins.
Thursday sundown to Friday sundown	Nisan  15 Passover Feast of  Unleavened Bread begins	High Feast of Passover after sundown;  First day of Feast of Unleavened Bread; Jesus' body is dead in the tomb; Disciples are scattered and terrified.
Friday sundown to Saturday sundown	Nisan  16 Feast of First Fruits	Jesus' body remains dead in the tomb.  During the day the wave offering is made (waving of the omer - - barley sheaf).
Saturday sundown to Sunday sundown	Nisan  17 Feast of First Fruits	In the wee hours Jesus is resurrected, as our First Fruits.  Other dead in the area come out of their tombs.  After dawn, the women and later the disciples witness the empty tomb.  He is risen!  He is risen indeed!

Interestingly, though not coincidentally, Jesus referred to the Feast of First Fruits Himself, in John 12.

23Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

27“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name!”

Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

The Feast of First Fruits commemorates (Leviticus 23:9-12) the beginning of the harvest, and signals the start of 49 days until the harvest festival of Shavuot (Pentecost) comes.  The ceremonies surrounding First Fruits are:

• the waving of a sheaf of barley (wave offering) on Nisan 16 (Saturday/Sabbath that year); see Joshua 5:11
• a defect-free male lamb was offered, along with bread and wine, See Leviticus 23:13.
• the very symbols Jesus used to ask us to remember Him ("Last Supper" aka Jesus' Early Seder)  

20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

1 Cor. 15:20-23 (KJV)

Now, I want to quote very liberally from my source below: {emphasis mine, for clarity/translation}

"Yeshua {Jesus} is the first-begotten of the Father (Heb. 1:6); the firstborn of all creation (Col. 1:15-16); the first-begotten of the dead (Rev. 1:5); and is the First Fruits of those who are to be resurrected (1 Cor. 15:20-23).  Baruch HaShem! {Blessed be G-d!}  And just as He is our Firstfruits, so 'He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all He created' (James 1:18)."

How amazing that immediately after Jesus' resurrection, we find recorded only in Matthew's gospel that, in the aftermath of the crucifixion earthquake and Easter morning earthquake the graves were opened and that some of the dead were likewise resurrected, as the incredible resurrection power of God spilled over that area!  (Matt. 27:52-53)

In closing, 1 Peter 1:3-5 (NET) - -

{This from the man who had not only denied His Lord 3 times, but who had 3 days later held the empty grave clothes in his hands...}

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Alleluia!

https://youtu.be/eeZVLgbKTxo

Source:

1  http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Introduction/introduction.html

Preparation Thursday - Saturday Sabbath

Today, our focus is on Thursday (Nisan 14) of Passion Week, which began after sundown on what we would call on the Roman calendar "Wednesday night".  As we saw yesterday, the Last Supper has been concluded; Judas has fled to do his dastardly deed.  The Savior and the Eleven have departed for the Garden of Gethsemane, on the Mount of Olives. The name "Gethsemane" has connotations of severe pressing, such as the pulverization of olives in order to obtain their oil.  The region was replete with olive trees, as well as the mechanisms for pressing them.  For certain, as the Lord travailed in prayer in Gethsemane He was severely "pressed". Here, then, are the incidents of those hours at the pitch of cosmic, spiritual battle: 1.  Jesus says His disciples will be "offended because of" Him and Peter vehemently says he'll never deny Him. Jesus predicts that before the rooster crows to signal the dawn, Peter will have denied Him three times. (Matthew 26:30-35, Mark 14:26-31, Luke 22:31-34, John 13:36-38). 2.  Jesus takes Peter, James and John (the Zebedee bros.) farther into the Garden with Him, to pray with Him as He agonizes in prayer (Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42, Luke 22:39-46, John 18:1). 3.  Jesus is betrayed by Judas, who leads the soldiers to them there in the Garden (Matthew 26:47-56, Mark 14:43-52, Luke 22:47-53, John 18:3-11). 4.  Jesus is taken before the High Priest and the Sanhedrin, where He declares to the High Priest that He is the Messiah - - "I AM" (Matthew 26: 57-68, Mark 14:53-65, John 18:12-14 and 19-24).  During this time, Peter is in the outer court, waiting by a fire ("warming himself"), when he is asked 3 times if he knew or was with Jesus.  He denied this 3x. 5.  After a confab of all the Jewish rabbinical leadership, Jesus was sent to Pilate (Matthew 27:2, Mark 15:1-5, Luke 23:1-5.) 6.  Luke's gospel alone records (23:6-12) that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee, because Jesus was accused of crimes in Galilee. Interestingly enough, although Herod questioned Jesus extensively, He replied not a word.  Herod and his cronies mocked Jesus, put a beautiful kingly robe on Him and sent Him back to Pilate. 7.  During these hours of Jesus' mock trial, Judas began to be remorseful and returned the 30 pieces of silver (blood money) to the ruling priests (Matthew 27:3-10). 8.  Back at Pilate's, (Matthew 27:15-26, Mark 15:6-15, Luke 23:13-25, John 18:39-19:16), his wife warns him to have nothing to do with "that righteous man", Jesus (Matthew 27:19), and the crowds demand that Pilate release Barabbas, a notorious seditionist and murderer.  (Matthew 27:20 tells us that the chief priests and elders had persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas.)  Regardless, Pilate, afraid of an insurrection, pronounces sentence. 9.  Jesus is crucified at about 9:00 a.m. (the "third hour"), where He hangs on the cross in utter agony until He cries "It is finished" and gives up His spirit, at about "the ninth hour" (3:00 p.m.)1  The other Passover lambs were being slaughtered in preparation for the Passover seder (ceremonial feast), and the high priest was sacrificing the ceremonial Passover lamb in the Temple, on behalf of all the people.2  As His blood flowed down the wooden cross, the lamb's blood flowed on the Temple altar. Now, what else was going on in Jerusalem during these hours?  The 14th of Nisan (that year it was what we would call Thursday) is the Preparation Day, the day the Jewish people make ready for the high, holy feast of Passover, which would begin that evening at sundown.  They had actually been preparing for days, but this day bears the title "Preparation Day", because it falls immediately before the high holy day of Nisan 15.  This proper name/title is used only six times in the New Testament: (Matthew 27:62, Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54, John 19:14, 31, 42.)   In EVERY case, it is used to denote the day Christ was crucified, every single time.  This is one of the strongest arguments for a Thursday crucifixion.  In the scriptures above, we are told repeatedly that Jesus' body had to be in Joseph of Arimathaea's (a borrowed) tomb before sundown, as Passover began at sundown. In general, a preparation day (more generic usage) was any day that preceded a Sabbath.  However, what is less commonly known is that any feast day (such as Passover) is also a Sabbath.  So, in the time period of Jesus' Passion, there was the Sabbath spent in Bethany (Nisan 9), the Friday High Holy Sabbath of the Passover (Nisan 15) and the weekly "Saturday" Sabbath the very next day (Nisan 16), two Sabbaths back-to-back. This is why in Matthew 28:1, the word translated into English as "Sabbath" is actually the Greek word "Sabbaton"3, which is a plural, more accurately translated "Sabbaths". In the end of the sabbath [the Sabbath rest—after both the High Holy Day Sabbath and the weekly Sabbath], as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week [Sunday] came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 4 Needless to say, this was the worst Passover meal, that "Thursday night" any of Jesus' loved ones had ever experienced.  Their Master was in the tomb, dead.  They were huddled away, hiding, confused, terrified of the authorities, probably wondering if they would be next.  It appeared to them that the Enemy had won.  (Oh, but Sunday is a-comin'!) As the Feast of Unleavened Bread continued on toward First Fruits, this is where we find them: wallowing in despair.  Meanwhile, Jesus' body was in the tomb, but His spirit was elsewhere (which is a whole 'nuther blog post!) Thursday sundown to Friday sundown Nisan  8 Jesus arrives at M,M&L's house in Bethany earlier in the day. "Mary" (most likely Mary of Bethany) anoints Jesus' feet with costly ointment. Friday sundown to Saturday sundown Nisan  9 Weekly Sabbath; no work or travel. Saturday sundown to Sunday sundown Nisan  10 Palm Sunday; Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem Jesus presents Himself at Temple; Passover Lambs are Selected (Lamb Selection Day) Sunday sundown to Monday sundown Nisan  11 Day 2 of lamb with family Jesus curses the fig tree Jesus cleanses the Temple Jesus heals and teaches in the Temple Jesus and the 12 return to Bethany. Monday sundown to Tuesday sundown Nisan  12 Day 3 of lamb with family Jesus teaches extensively in the Temple Olivet Discourse (Mount of Olives) to disciples Judas makes contact with Temple priests Tuesday sundown to Wednesday sundown Nisan  13 Day 4 of lamb with family  As the day begins after sundown, Jesus and the Twelve dine with Simon the Leper.  An anonymous woman anoints His head with costly oil.  During the daylight hours of Wednesday, the disciples locate a place for the upcoming feast days and make it ready by cleansing it from leaven.  The Feast of Unleavened Bread (The Last Supper) was eaten after sundown (beginning of Nisan 14) by Jesus and the Twelve. Judas leaves to sell Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver. Wednesday sundown to Thursday sundown Nisan  14 "Preparation Day" Day 5 of lamb with family; sacrificed in late afternoon.  Lamb's blood applied to doorposts   Garden of Gethsemane in the early hours; Jesus' high priestly prayer (John 17); Jesus's mock trial; sentencing Thursday morning. Day of Jesus' crucifixion (begins mid- morning) and death (mid-late afternoon) Thursday sundown to Friday sundown Nisan  15 High Feast of Passover after sundown; Jesus' body is dead in the tomb; Disciples are scattered and terrified. Friday sundown to Saturday sundown Nisan  16 Jesus' body remains dead in the tomb.  Saturday sundown to Sunday sundown Nisan  17 Sunday's comin', Y'all!  Let's count to three:  Into the tomb just before sundown on "Thursday late afternoon" (Nisan 14).  Thursday sundown to Friday (Nisan 15) sundown = 1.  Friday sundown to Saturday sundown (Nisan 16 - regular sabbath) = 2.  Saturday sundown into Sunday morning (Nisan 17 - - the feast of First Fruits) = 3.  The words of Jesus:  (Matthew 12:40) For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. And he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." Luke 9:22 Sunday's comin'!  Hallelujah! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn94B3GHcjY Oh how I thank you, my God, for the beautiful, perfect work of my Savior.  In Jesus' name, amen!   Sources: 1   http://www.bibleinsight.com/prepare.html 2   http://www.heraldmag.org/2004/04ma_3.htm 3   http://biblehub.com/text/matthew/28-1.htm 4   http://reasonsforhopejesus.com/thursday-crucifixion-two-reasons-nail/

Not-So-Silent Wednesday

Those who hold to a Friday crucifixion have trouble with Wednesday of Holy Week.  With a Friday crucifixion there are not enough events to populate Wednesday on a timeline.  Therefore, they refer to it as Silent Wednesday.  However, if you subscribe to a Thursday crucifixion, the timeline flows together beautifully.  I submit to you that Wednesday is not so silent.

Think about it.  This is Jesus' last week with His disciples, His last week in Jerusalem before He lays down His life.  What sense would it make to simply "take a day off"?  I acknowledge there are periods in which the Bible is "silent" as to this or that (Jesus' first 29 years, for example, for the most part).  I don't see this day as being one of those.

If you recall from yesterday's post, Tuesday of Holy Week was a very busy day.  We will find that Wednesday was equally busy.

Remember that Jewish "days" begin at sundown on what we would call "the day before".  So, this Wednesday (like all Jewish calendar Wednesdays) began at sundown on what we would call Tuesday, So, Nisan 13's daylight hours were a "Wednesday" the year Jesus died.
Matthew 26:6-13 records that Jesus is anointed by "a woman" after sundown, the sundown which began the day we call Wednesday,   He and the disciples were attending a dinner, held at the home of Simon the Leper, who lived in Bethany, where the entourage was staying with Mary, Martha and Lazarus.  This brings us to some potential confusion.

In my initial post about Easter Week ( read it here: http://resplendentdaughter.blogspot.com/2016/03/10-days-that-changed-world.html) I recorded that Jesus and the Twelve had a meal at the home of the three siblings, M, M&L, and that I believed it took place after the Friday night sundown which began Nisan 9.  In that post I was focused on the timeline, not the actual events of the dinner.  However, there was one very important event at that Sabbath dinner, detailed in John 12:1-4 (KJV).

Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

2 There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. 

Ok, so we have a "Mary" - - most likely the Mary who lived in the house, but the text is not explicit, who took a pound of expensive ointment with which she anointed Jesus' FEET and wiped them with her hair.  Remember, this took place on either Nisan 9 (I think so) or Nisan 10.

The problem comes about because of Luke 7:36-50, Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-9, which also relate a woman doing something similar.  I'm not going to reproduce them here.  But, in the Luke passage we find a "sinful woman" (nameless) at the home of Simon the Pharisee (likely in the village of Nain) doing practically the same thing for Jesus as was recorded in John 12.  It is clear, though, from Luke (who was a physician and a stickler for details) that this incident occurred in the first year of Jesus' ministry.  So, not a huge problem there.

The incident recorded both in Matthew 26 and Mark 14 occurs at the beginning of Nisan 13, after the sunset that began what we would call "Wednesday" of Holy Week, at the home of Simon the LEPER in Bethany.  This woman goes unnamed.  (I would think she would have been named, had it been Mary of Bethany, as He and the three siblings were very close.)  Regardless, she poured a FLASK of expensive OIL on Jesus' HEAD.

So, there are significant differences between the three different accounts.  Warning: the headings in your Bible may mislead you to think that some of these three events were one and the same.  I don't believe they were.

At any rate, during the daylight hours of Wednesday (Nisan 13) the disciples spent a lot of time preparing for where they would eat the Passover meals with Jesus (Matthew 26:17-19 and Mark 14:12).  There was a lot of work to be done because a lot of food had to be prepared for these feasts. All the leaven had to be removed from the home, in preparation for this multi-day feast in which no leaven could be eaten.

After the removal of the leaven during the daylight hours of Wednesday, what is called by some The First Passover or Yeshua's Seder Meal was eaten right after the sundown which began "Thursday" Nisan 14,  Preparation Day. (We'll investigate Preparation Day tomorrow).  But, the disciples had also prepared "the upper room" for the main Passover meal which the disciples had planned to eat with Jesus the following evening (the beginning of Nisan 15).  (This makes sense to resolve what looks to be an inconsistency in Mark 14:12. No Passover lamb was killed on Wednesday, but the disciples were preparing for Thursday when, according to Jewish law, the Passover lambs would be slaughtered the afternoon of Nisan 14.)  They never ate that main Passover Meal, because Jesus was in the tomb only an hour or so before the time for the High Feast of Passover, which began after right sundown on our "Thursday" (actually Nisan 15).

As we see recorded in Matthew 26, it is probable the men ate unleavened bread (which is why He "broke" it - - - it was more like a cracker) and drank wine.  If they had any other foods, they are not mentioned, but I think it's likely they did.  Jesus made it clear at this meal He was instituting a new sacrament, one which commemorated the breaking of His body and the spilling of His blood for us, represented by the unleavened bread and the red wine.  He was showing them what He would be doing in just a few short hours, to redeem not only them, but to purchase redemption for all mankind by His bodily sacrifice on the cross.  Bless those boys!  They had no idea what He was doing!  Not then...

So, this was not The Passover Meal, the main one, which would occur the following night at the beginning of Nisan 15.  It was the one at which Jesus brought both Passover and First Fruits together to form a new sacramental meal, the meal which birthed His Church. It began that night, with those Twelve men, the remainder of whose lives were spent spreading a gospel message that has changed the world! Some Jewish scholars see in this meal many parallels to the Jewish wedding feast.  In the traditional betrothal feast, for example, once the price of the bride is agreed upon, that agreement is sealed with a cup of red wine.  Do you see it?  The Father and the Son agreed on the price for us, and that price was paid in Jesus' blood.  He the Bridegroom and we, His Betrothed, His future Bride.

Let's look at the timeline/chart now.

Thursday sundown to Friday sundown	Nisan  8	Jesus arrives at M,M&L's house in Bethany earlier in the day. "Mary" (most likely Mary of Bethany) anoints Jesus' feet with costly ointment.
Friday sundown to Saturday sundown	Nisan  9	Weekly Sabbath; no work or travel.
Saturday sundown to Sunday sundown	Nisan  10	Palm Sunday; Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem Jesus presents Himself at Temple; Passover Lambs are Selected (Lamb Selection Day)
Sunday sundown to Monday sundown	Nisan  11	Day 2 of lamb with family Jesus curses the fig tree Jesus cleanses the Temple Jesus heals and teaches in the Temple Jesus and the 12 return to Bethany.
Monday sundown to Tuesday sundown	Nisan  12	Day 3 of lamb with family Jesus teaches extensively in the Temple Olivet Discourse (Mount of Olives) to disciples Judas makes contact with Temple priests
Tuesday sundown to Wednesday sundown	Nisan  13	Day 4 of lamb with family  As the day begins after sundown, Jesus and the Twelve dine with Simon the Leper.  An anonymous woman anoints His head with costly oil.  During the daylight hours of Wednesday, the disciples locate a place for the upcoming feast days and make it ready by cleansing it from leaven.
Wednesday sundown to Thursday sundown	Nisan  14	"Preparation Day" The Last Supper, a betrothal meal, was eaten after sundown (beginning of Nisan 14) by Jesus and the Twelve. Judas leaves to sell Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver. Garden of Gethsemane in the early hours; Jesus' high priestly prayer (John 17); Jesus's mock trial; sentencing Thursday morning. Day of Jesus' crucifixion (begins mid- morning) and death (mid-late afternoon) Day 5 of lamb with family; sacrificed in mid-late afternoon.
Thursday sundown to Friday sundown	Nisan  15
Friday sundown to Saturday sundown	Nisan  16
Saturday sundown to Sunday sundown	Nisan  17

Perhaps after Easter I'll do a post on leaven and the significance of the unleavened bread.  There's not enough of your patience to endure that here and now.  We'll continue tomorrow.

Father God, as I've prayed before over these posts, I ask Your forgiveness for any false interpretations given here.  It's not my intent to sin or to cause sin by misstating something.  Seeing the rich symbolism You reveal, the beauty of how Jesus united both the Old and the New Covenants, how He fulfilled the Old Testament.  What glory!  Thank you for Your precious Son, Your most Beloved One, given freely for us.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Sources:

https://suscopts.org/resources/interesting-facts/13/which-woman-anointed-our-lord-jesus-christ-with-oi/

http://images.shulcloud.com/294/uploads/Passover_Flyers/bedikat-chametz-faq-5774.pdf

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Spring_Holidays/Shabbat_HaGadol/shabbat_hagadol.html

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Spring_Holidays/Unleavened_Bread/Anavah/anavah.html