Romans 15:4-6
4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Verses 4 and 5 tell us that it is God who has given us the Scriptures, which were written in the past. They also tell us one of the purposes of the Scriptures: namely, that we will be encouraged as we find reason to hope from what we read in Scripture. It is also through the evidence of our own endurance in the Christian faith that we find another reason to hope. Paul asks in his prayer here (verses 5-6) for the Roman Christians, that God will add to their endurance and encouragement an attitude (spirit) of unity, togetherness, a common purpose - to glorify God as one.
My Father in heaven, You have enabled us to endure together through three years of Theological study for Jeff. And we have not only endured, by Your grace we have thrived. Our faith in You has grown stronger and we have both become a lot closer to You as we have been taught soundly and got to know You better. It is You who gave Jeff the desire to get His Masters, and You also helped me to deal with all of my hesitations and concerns over what that would entail. You helped me to endure the uprooting process as we left Darwin and You went before us here to Perth, helping us find suitable accommodation that we have been able to afford for the entire three years of study. You found friends for me and opened doors for me to meet people whom I would love and be loved by, such that I have learnt not to worry that this will not be the case as we now enter a new phase of our lives.
You have given me encouragement as well. Encouragement in the way You provided for us but also the deeper encouragement which comes from hearing godly counsel from Your word, and being taught the truth of Your nature: Your sovereignty, Your trustworthiness, Your grace and mercy and Your plan for the redemption of Your chosen ones. And You have given me confidence that Your plan includes a role for me, as well as for my husband. You have shown me that I can make a difference in the lives of those around me, teaching them about You and Your Son. You have encouraged me with visible fruit from my labours, and with the reminder from Your word that all of this will bring You glory eternally. Oh LORD, I am so thoroughly grateful for that!
LORD I pray that You will unite Jeff and I in our ministry to Your people. I pray that You will guide me in what ways You want me to support and help Jeff. LORD, I pray that You will give the pastor selection committee wisdom and discernment as they pray and discuss the possibility of Jeff's appointment. I pray that You will give them one heart to fulfil your will in the matter of this appointment, whether it is to be Jeff who is chosen or some other person. LORD, the interview seemed to go well but Jeff and I know that we cannot second-guess You, who Created us for Your purposes, with Your plan in mind, not to make us "happy" in the selfish and short-sighted way we tend to look at things. I pray that whatever the decision, You will make it one which will bring glory to Your name, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is Lord over Jeff and I and over the congregation of Your saints at BCC.
And this is only one part of our lives, LORD. I pray that You will unify Jeff and I together with your church to bring You glory with all that we do, not only those things which we naturally think of as Christian Ministry. LORD, You are God and King over all of our lives, not simply some of the hours, or some of the days. Please make our lives a testimony to Your grace to us, and thus make our lives a source of glory and praise to Your name. May You be forever praised!!!
In the name of Jesus Christ, who died for my sins and who made me into a new creation so that I may serve Him, together with my husband, according to Your eternal purposes for me. Amen.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Romans 12:12
Romans 12:12
12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
One of the things which has really been impressed upon me at BSF is what the word "hope" means in a Christian context. It refers to the hope that all Christians have: hope of a future, an eternal future, in the intimate presence of God, giving Him praise and bringing glory to Him. It refers to the hope believers have of an inheritance: that we, as co-heirs with Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, we are all God's children. It refers to what Paul called his "hope in the resurrection": the fact that Jesus was only the first to enter into eternal life and that we, who place our hope in Him and in His authority over sin as evidenced by His resurrection, will one day also be given new bodies and live in the new heavens and the new earth. That even now, we are a new creation because of what He has done.
The more I ponder these things, the more joy I find in them. How wonderful it will be to spend eternity with God, the Holy, Everlasting, Perfect One.
Paul's letters talk a lot about the purpose of trials and temptations. Jesus warned His followers that they were unavoidable. At the moment, I do not feel "afflicted" - but that could be a warning that trials are just around the corner, so to speak. These things are inevitable and so I need to take advantage of the blessedly peaceful life I have at this present moment to deepen the roots of my faith down through the word of God to the rock of my salvation: Jesus Christ. I must rely on Him now so that I will also remember to rely on Him then.
The more I ponder this, the more I am driven to read my Bible and pray, seeking a stronger, deeper relationship with the One Who is my God, the One True God.
Am I faithful in prayer? Oh, I earnestly desire that this be so. Yet I know that I often ignore the Holy Spirit's prompts to prayer. And I do this as a deliberate, wilful, consciously sinful act. For this I am so ashamed.
As I ponder this, I am driven to repent.
Oh LORD, please help me to be diligent and faithful in prayer. Help me to "pray until I pray", keeping on with our conversation until I finally am open and honest with You. Make me more aware that when I refuse to spend time in prayer, when I roll over and don't get out of bed when You have woken me up, or when I feel the urge to pray and yet ignore it, make me more aware that I am rejecting You and what I am doing is sinful. Please help me to value our time together more than I do at present. Teach me to feel Your presence all day, every day, so that I do not try to comnpartmentalise You out of bits of my life. Remind me that You are always near, always within me by Your Holy Spirit, and so I I have no option but to share my life with You! Teach me to do so willingly, to want to talk to You about important matters and insignificant ones. Make me like Your Son, who took time to pray when He needed Your strength and also when things were seemingly going magnificently well. LORD, remind me that You are my Father and we have a relationship. Help me to remember that relationships only grow when the people involved spend time together. Help me to spend time with You LORD, because I want a better relationship with You more than I want anything.
Amen.
12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
One of the things which has really been impressed upon me at BSF is what the word "hope" means in a Christian context. It refers to the hope that all Christians have: hope of a future, an eternal future, in the intimate presence of God, giving Him praise and bringing glory to Him. It refers to the hope believers have of an inheritance: that we, as co-heirs with Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, we are all God's children. It refers to what Paul called his "hope in the resurrection": the fact that Jesus was only the first to enter into eternal life and that we, who place our hope in Him and in His authority over sin as evidenced by His resurrection, will one day also be given new bodies and live in the new heavens and the new earth. That even now, we are a new creation because of what He has done.
The more I ponder these things, the more joy I find in them. How wonderful it will be to spend eternity with God, the Holy, Everlasting, Perfect One.
Paul's letters talk a lot about the purpose of trials and temptations. Jesus warned His followers that they were unavoidable. At the moment, I do not feel "afflicted" - but that could be a warning that trials are just around the corner, so to speak. These things are inevitable and so I need to take advantage of the blessedly peaceful life I have at this present moment to deepen the roots of my faith down through the word of God to the rock of my salvation: Jesus Christ. I must rely on Him now so that I will also remember to rely on Him then.
The more I ponder this, the more I am driven to read my Bible and pray, seeking a stronger, deeper relationship with the One Who is my God, the One True God.
Am I faithful in prayer? Oh, I earnestly desire that this be so. Yet I know that I often ignore the Holy Spirit's prompts to prayer. And I do this as a deliberate, wilful, consciously sinful act. For this I am so ashamed.
As I ponder this, I am driven to repent.
Oh LORD, please help me to be diligent and faithful in prayer. Help me to "pray until I pray", keeping on with our conversation until I finally am open and honest with You. Make me more aware that when I refuse to spend time in prayer, when I roll over and don't get out of bed when You have woken me up, or when I feel the urge to pray and yet ignore it, make me more aware that I am rejecting You and what I am doing is sinful. Please help me to value our time together more than I do at present. Teach me to feel Your presence all day, every day, so that I do not try to comnpartmentalise You out of bits of my life. Remind me that You are always near, always within me by Your Holy Spirit, and so I I have no option but to share my life with You! Teach me to do so willingly, to want to talk to You about important matters and insignificant ones. Make me like Your Son, who took time to pray when He needed Your strength and also when things were seemingly going magnificently well. LORD, remind me that You are my Father and we have a relationship. Help me to remember that relationships only grow when the people involved spend time together. Help me to spend time with You LORD, because I want a better relationship with You more than I want anything.
Amen.
Romans 10:1
Romans 10:1
1 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.
LORD God, I am sorry that I do not yearn for the lost to be saved. LORD, I know I should feel pity and want them to be saved and yet it hardly ever passes through my mind, except for my children. LORD, I do know many people who are not saved and yet I do not sense the urgency that I should in praying for them or sharing the gospel with them. I am sorry for this and I do ask that, by Your Holy Spirit, You will prompt me to do these things. Please make me feel more keenly the urgency of the situation, that these people will be lost if they do not come to faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen
1 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.
LORD God, I am sorry that I do not yearn for the lost to be saved. LORD, I know I should feel pity and want them to be saved and yet it hardly ever passes through my mind, except for my children. LORD, I do know many people who are not saved and yet I do not sense the urgency that I should in praying for them or sharing the gospel with them. I am sorry for this and I do ask that, by Your Holy Spirit, You will prompt me to do these things. Please make me feel more keenly the urgency of the situation, that these people will be lost if they do not come to faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Romans 1:8-10
Romans 1:8-10
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
I thank You, my Lord and God, for the faith of my son Joshua. I thank You that he has placed his trust in Your Son, Jesus Christ, and that Joshua knows Jesus as his Saviour and also as his King. I thank You for the words that he has started to pray in recently, the way he talks to you and confidently declares, "You are my King... You are King over the whole world." I know this is true because I have read Matthew 28:18, where Jesus' words are recorded, "All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to me." Yes, in resurrecting Jesus from the dead and in raising Him to heaven to the right hand of your throne, You have placed Him in authority over the earth as my King, Joshua's King, and indeed the King of the whole world, whether we recognise it or not. Please LORD, make Your name great and glorify Yourself in the heavens and on earth through the life and testimony of my son Joshua as well as through my life, Jeff's and our other children.
You know I was explaining again to the children today about what each of their names mean and I thank You for the reminder this gave me that Joshua's name means, "The LORD is salvation". I know this is true and I marvel at your Sovereign hand in guiding Jeff to choose that name for our firstborn son. HIs faith, at once so steadfast and yet also so naive, is a witness to me and to others of the salvation that comes only through Your One and Only Son, Jesus Christ. I am so glad that You are using his faith to bring glory and renown to Yourself, LORD. Use all of us, please!
Thank You for the grace which You have extended to Joshua, so that he might already be able to talk clearly and confidently about what he knows and faithfully believes to be true about Yourself. Please help Jeff and I to continue to teach him about You, to bring him up to know and love and serve You. And I ask this for each of our other children as well, LORD, even though my heart is focused on Joshua this evening.
LORD, please help me to remember to pray for those in my family and for my close friends. Help me to remember them "constantly", as Paul said of himself, so that I may pray "at all times" in accordance with your will for our lives. Dearest Father, I pray especially that you will keep S safe from harm and that you will be with EK and his daughters A, O and T. Help him to wake up easily from the coma and please guide the hands of the surgeons as they operate upon his heart. LORD I pray that you will keep his brain as well as his heart now safe from harm from the heart attack. LORD God I pray for healing in the body of this special man. You know what a wonderful heart he has to do Your will and how much he has given up and been willing to forgo to prioritise Your work in his life. You know how kind he and EK have been to our family and how godly their counsel to us has been. You know the ways in which he has cared for our family and gently guided Jeff as he looked for a church to work at and now as we have prayed together over this current opportunity. It sounds almost to me like as I type this I am trying to convince You that S is a man worthy of Your healing and yet that is not what I mean. I am just trying to express my sincere thankfulness to You for the grace You have poured out into the life of S such that he has earnestly desired to live a life which is pleasing to You. And LORD, because of this life he has lived, I and I am sure many others have come to respect him and to be thankful for his ministry and so I pray that you will restore him to health so that their ministry may continue and may keep on bringing You glory.
O LORD it seems so sudden (of course it is!) and yet I know that You have been preparing the circumstances so that, in some ways, what has happened has been much easier than it could have been already. In particular I thank you that O and A have finished their exams for the year and that EK was able to finish her tasks as TL for the year before this happened. It has been a dreadful thing in their lives and I pray that You will give them strength and courage, and faith in You, to bear up under the weight of what has happened. And I want to than You so much for giving us that precious time with their family last Sunday after church so that we were able to benefit from S's godly wisdom and insight as well as EK's joyful enthusiasm for Your work in all the places where Your name is proclaimed. LORD God I thank You for enabling that meeting to happen before S's heart attack so that we could benefit and even as I write this I am again reminded of my own selfishness in thinking this. I am sorry but I still want to thank You for that opportunity, which, without Your Sovereign guiding hand, would not have been able to take place.
I pray that "now at last by God's will the way will be opened" for Jeff to work in a congregation which is firmly founded in a high view of Scripture and a faithful understanding of Who You are and what You have done for our salvation through the person and work of Your Son, Jesus Christ. LORD I place my trust in You in this matter. You know that Jeff was not sure whether he should work for the UC and he gave it a good shot (notice, LORD, I don't say his best shot, but then I must be honest before You and I know that you chose to use his misunderstandings at that interview to close the door for service with them. LORD we have submitted to Your will in this with gratefulness that we shall not have to follow that hard route. And now, there is this new opportunity which, as You know, may also take us out of our comfort zone, but this time I think in a good way. LORD God, it is hard to look forward to something which is as yet so uncertain and so I thank You that things are moving forward steadily and so much quicker than they ever did with Jeff's UC application. LORD God I thank You for the positive response Jeff has had so far, and I give Your name praise above all the heavens when I think about how Joshua answered the phone the other night and how completely gracious M was when I apologised for Joshua's assumption that the phone call would be from Daddy. O LORD I thank You for the protection which You provided then but also I thank You for the reminder that we will have to be "real" in every dealing with our future congregation. If Jeff is to teach them then they must see that he is both a real person who struggles with sin and also, at the same time, a faithful Christian who is being sanctified by the mighty work of Your Holy Spirit in his life. And LORD please help me to remember this for myself as well! Help me to be honest (although not in a way which might lead others into temptation) and humble. Yes, LORD, especially humble! Wasn't that one of the biggest reasons You have blessed me with four children, that I might learn humility? And patience, and endurance, and loving kindness, and good works, and faith and faith and faith IN YOU! O LORD I do ask that You will help things to move smoothly as Jeff and I head into the interview on Sunday. Help us to speak clearly and without pride. Help us to know what to ask, and when not to ask. Help us to be honest and in all things to remain faithful to Your will for our lives. Please open the door for us to serve in ways which will bring You glory and give us further opportunity to grow more like Your Son Jesus so that even in our everyday lives we may bring You glory also.
Amen!
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
I thank You, my Lord and God, for the faith of my son Joshua. I thank You that he has placed his trust in Your Son, Jesus Christ, and that Joshua knows Jesus as his Saviour and also as his King. I thank You for the words that he has started to pray in recently, the way he talks to you and confidently declares, "You are my King... You are King over the whole world." I know this is true because I have read Matthew 28:18, where Jesus' words are recorded, "All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to me." Yes, in resurrecting Jesus from the dead and in raising Him to heaven to the right hand of your throne, You have placed Him in authority over the earth as my King, Joshua's King, and indeed the King of the whole world, whether we recognise it or not. Please LORD, make Your name great and glorify Yourself in the heavens and on earth through the life and testimony of my son Joshua as well as through my life, Jeff's and our other children.
You know I was explaining again to the children today about what each of their names mean and I thank You for the reminder this gave me that Joshua's name means, "The LORD is salvation". I know this is true and I marvel at your Sovereign hand in guiding Jeff to choose that name for our firstborn son. HIs faith, at once so steadfast and yet also so naive, is a witness to me and to others of the salvation that comes only through Your One and Only Son, Jesus Christ. I am so glad that You are using his faith to bring glory and renown to Yourself, LORD. Use all of us, please!
Thank You for the grace which You have extended to Joshua, so that he might already be able to talk clearly and confidently about what he knows and faithfully believes to be true about Yourself. Please help Jeff and I to continue to teach him about You, to bring him up to know and love and serve You. And I ask this for each of our other children as well, LORD, even though my heart is focused on Joshua this evening.
LORD, please help me to remember to pray for those in my family and for my close friends. Help me to remember them "constantly", as Paul said of himself, so that I may pray "at all times" in accordance with your will for our lives. Dearest Father, I pray especially that you will keep S safe from harm and that you will be with EK and his daughters A, O and T. Help him to wake up easily from the coma and please guide the hands of the surgeons as they operate upon his heart. LORD I pray that you will keep his brain as well as his heart now safe from harm from the heart attack. LORD God I pray for healing in the body of this special man. You know what a wonderful heart he has to do Your will and how much he has given up and been willing to forgo to prioritise Your work in his life. You know how kind he and EK have been to our family and how godly their counsel to us has been. You know the ways in which he has cared for our family and gently guided Jeff as he looked for a church to work at and now as we have prayed together over this current opportunity. It sounds almost to me like as I type this I am trying to convince You that S is a man worthy of Your healing and yet that is not what I mean. I am just trying to express my sincere thankfulness to You for the grace You have poured out into the life of S such that he has earnestly desired to live a life which is pleasing to You. And LORD, because of this life he has lived, I and I am sure many others have come to respect him and to be thankful for his ministry and so I pray that you will restore him to health so that their ministry may continue and may keep on bringing You glory.
O LORD it seems so sudden (of course it is!) and yet I know that You have been preparing the circumstances so that, in some ways, what has happened has been much easier than it could have been already. In particular I thank you that O and A have finished their exams for the year and that EK was able to finish her tasks as TL for the year before this happened. It has been a dreadful thing in their lives and I pray that You will give them strength and courage, and faith in You, to bear up under the weight of what has happened. And I want to than You so much for giving us that precious time with their family last Sunday after church so that we were able to benefit from S's godly wisdom and insight as well as EK's joyful enthusiasm for Your work in all the places where Your name is proclaimed. LORD God I thank You for enabling that meeting to happen before S's heart attack so that we could benefit and even as I write this I am again reminded of my own selfishness in thinking this. I am sorry but I still want to thank You for that opportunity, which, without Your Sovereign guiding hand, would not have been able to take place.
I pray that "now at last by God's will the way will be opened" for Jeff to work in a congregation which is firmly founded in a high view of Scripture and a faithful understanding of Who You are and what You have done for our salvation through the person and work of Your Son, Jesus Christ. LORD I place my trust in You in this matter. You know that Jeff was not sure whether he should work for the UC and he gave it a good shot (notice, LORD, I don't say his best shot, but then I must be honest before You and I know that you chose to use his misunderstandings at that interview to close the door for service with them. LORD we have submitted to Your will in this with gratefulness that we shall not have to follow that hard route. And now, there is this new opportunity which, as You know, may also take us out of our comfort zone, but this time I think in a good way. LORD God, it is hard to look forward to something which is as yet so uncertain and so I thank You that things are moving forward steadily and so much quicker than they ever did with Jeff's UC application. LORD God I thank You for the positive response Jeff has had so far, and I give Your name praise above all the heavens when I think about how Joshua answered the phone the other night and how completely gracious M was when I apologised for Joshua's assumption that the phone call would be from Daddy. O LORD I thank You for the protection which You provided then but also I thank You for the reminder that we will have to be "real" in every dealing with our future congregation. If Jeff is to teach them then they must see that he is both a real person who struggles with sin and also, at the same time, a faithful Christian who is being sanctified by the mighty work of Your Holy Spirit in his life. And LORD please help me to remember this for myself as well! Help me to be honest (although not in a way which might lead others into temptation) and humble. Yes, LORD, especially humble! Wasn't that one of the biggest reasons You have blessed me with four children, that I might learn humility? And patience, and endurance, and loving kindness, and good works, and faith and faith and faith IN YOU! O LORD I do ask that You will help things to move smoothly as Jeff and I head into the interview on Sunday. Help us to speak clearly and without pride. Help us to know what to ask, and when not to ask. Help us to be honest and in all things to remain faithful to Your will for our lives. Please open the door for us to serve in ways which will bring You glory and give us further opportunity to grow more like Your Son Jesus so that even in our everyday lives we may bring You glory also.
Amen!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The Betrayal and Trials of Jesus
The sovereignty of God has been on my mind a lot lately as we decided to send Joshua to private school next year and then Jeff's application to the Uniting Church to become a Minister of the Word was rejected.
This morning I went to BSF, my Bible Study class. This past week our class has been reading through the stories of the last supper, Jesus' prayer at Gethsemane, Judas' betrayal and Peter's denial of Jesus and the five trials Jesus went through (before Annas, Caiaphas, Pontius Pilate, Herod and Pilate again). The thing that struck me the most with all these stories was Jesus' insistence that what had been prophesied and recorded in the Scriptures (ie, the Old Testament) must come to pass.
Below is just one example, although there are many throughout the "passion" narrative. I have woven this account together taking verses from both Matthew and John's gospels. None of the gospel accounts includes every detail of this time, but together they provide a picture which is as complete and sufficient for our needs as God wanted it to be. The words of Jesus are in red, to help you keep track of who is speaking because it is not always apparent from the snippets.
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Matt26:1-2 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, "As you know, the Passover is two days away - and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."
Matt 26:4-5 ... they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. "But not during the feast," they said, "or there may be a riot among the people."
Matt 26:16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
John 13:18 "I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: 'He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.' "
Matt 26:23,25 Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me."
... Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?"
Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you."
John 13:27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
"What you are about to do, do quickly," Jesus told him.
John 18:1-3 When he had finished praying Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it.
Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
Matt 26:46-47 "Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"
While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent fromt he chief priests and the elders of the people.
John 18:4-6 Jesus knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?"
"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.
"I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)
When Jesus said , "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.
Matt 26:48-50 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.
Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for."
Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.
Matt 27:1-2 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and he elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
John 18:28-29 Then the Jews led Jesus to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"
Matt 27:22,24-26 "What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked.
They all answered, "Crucify him!"
When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!"
All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!"
Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
---
Can you see how Jesus guided the events so that His crucifixion occurred at the very time which God had planned for it - the Passover, the annual Jewish celebration of their deliverance by God? The people involved eagerly desired Jesus' blood yet they did not want to cause a stir at the Passover time, when so many Jews were present in Jerusalem. Despite this, at Jesus' urging Judas betrayed Him at a time which ensured Jesus would indeed be crucified at the Passover.
And yet, Jesus' instigation of the timing of the event does not change the fact that Judas is held accountable by God for his premeditated betrayal of Jesus. When Judas saw what he had done, he felt remorse, but no true repentance. This was demonstrated by the way he went to the chief priests and elders to ask them to undo what he had done - but he never went to Jesus to ask forgiveness. If he had, he might have been at the foot of the cross later that day when Jesus said, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 24:34). Instead, filled with regret and shame, he committed suicide. We each need to remember that while God is sovereign and in control, He is also our Judge with authority over us and He will hold us accountable for all our decisions and actions, big and small.
Consider what Peter had to say about this later, when he spoke to the crowds at Pentecost:
Acts 2:23 "This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross."
Peter and John prayed this after they were released by the Sanhedrin (religious council):
Acts 4:27-28 "Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen."
Jesus' crucifixion was all part of God's eternal plan for salvation. He brought it about according to His own sovereign will. But it was our sin, yours and mine, which required that it should come to pass.
[This post was also posted at Equip Academy here.]
This morning I went to BSF, my Bible Study class. This past week our class has been reading through the stories of the last supper, Jesus' prayer at Gethsemane, Judas' betrayal and Peter's denial of Jesus and the five trials Jesus went through (before Annas, Caiaphas, Pontius Pilate, Herod and Pilate again). The thing that struck me the most with all these stories was Jesus' insistence that what had been prophesied and recorded in the Scriptures (ie, the Old Testament) must come to pass.
Below is just one example, although there are many throughout the "passion" narrative. I have woven this account together taking verses from both Matthew and John's gospels. None of the gospel accounts includes every detail of this time, but together they provide a picture which is as complete and sufficient for our needs as God wanted it to be. The words of Jesus are in red, to help you keep track of who is speaking because it is not always apparent from the snippets.
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Matt26:1-2 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, "As you know, the Passover is two days away - and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."
Matt 26:4-5 ... they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. "But not during the feast," they said, "or there may be a riot among the people."
Matt 26:16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
John 13:18 "I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: 'He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.' "
Matt 26:23,25 Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me."
... Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?"
Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you."
John 13:27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
"What you are about to do, do quickly," Jesus told him.
John 18:1-3 When he had finished praying Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it.
Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
Matt 26:46-47 "Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"
While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent fromt he chief priests and the elders of the people.
John 18:4-6 Jesus knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?"
"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.
"I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)
When Jesus said , "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground.
Matt 26:48-50 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.
Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for."
Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.
Matt 27:1-2 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and he elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
John 18:28-29 Then the Jews led Jesus to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"
Matt 27:22,24-26 "What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked.
They all answered, "Crucify him!"
When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!"
All the people answered, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!"
Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
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Can you see how Jesus guided the events so that His crucifixion occurred at the very time which God had planned for it - the Passover, the annual Jewish celebration of their deliverance by God? The people involved eagerly desired Jesus' blood yet they did not want to cause a stir at the Passover time, when so many Jews were present in Jerusalem. Despite this, at Jesus' urging Judas betrayed Him at a time which ensured Jesus would indeed be crucified at the Passover.
And yet, Jesus' instigation of the timing of the event does not change the fact that Judas is held accountable by God for his premeditated betrayal of Jesus. When Judas saw what he had done, he felt remorse, but no true repentance. This was demonstrated by the way he went to the chief priests and elders to ask them to undo what he had done - but he never went to Jesus to ask forgiveness. If he had, he might have been at the foot of the cross later that day when Jesus said, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 24:34). Instead, filled with regret and shame, he committed suicide. We each need to remember that while God is sovereign and in control, He is also our Judge with authority over us and He will hold us accountable for all our decisions and actions, big and small.
Consider what Peter had to say about this later, when he spoke to the crowds at Pentecost:
Acts 2:23 "This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross."
Peter and John prayed this after they were released by the Sanhedrin (religious council):
Acts 4:27-28 "Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen."
Jesus' crucifixion was all part of God's eternal plan for salvation. He brought it about according to His own sovereign will. But it was our sin, yours and mine, which required that it should come to pass.
[This post was also posted at Equip Academy here.]
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