Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
54 Then they seized Him, and led Him away and brought Him to the [elegant] house of the [Jewish] [a]high priest. And Peter was following at a [safe] distance. 55 After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56 And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.” 57 But Peter denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him!” 58 A little later someone else saw him and said, “You are one of them too.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!” 59 After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, “This man was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly [deeply grieved and distressed].
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
I remember a secular song popular many years ago called “River”.
To this day, lines from that rather somber Joni Mitchell song stick with me.
She sang, “I’m always hard to handle. I’m selfish and I’m sad. Now I’ve gone and lost the best baby that I ever had.”
The words came to mind again this week while reading a post from a Christian who said, “I still struggle with being angry, ungrateful, and cranky.”
I added her words to what several people have written recently about Apostle Peter in today’s discourse from Luke 22.
As much effort as Peter made to assure and then reassure Jesus and the other disciples to never give up on Jesus – no matter the circumstances – He failed.
He failed in the worst way possible.
He failed himself.
He failed his friends and fellow disciples.
He failed his mother and his father
He failed to uphold every single thing he held to about his faith in God.
He failed his sworn and covenanted oath to God.
He failed his Messiah – denying him thrice times and very publicly.
When his Messiah needed and required him to be there for Him, as Messiah had predicted, before the cock crowed three times, Peter was nowhere declaring his his utmost confidence and faith in his Messiah nor his willingness to even die.
How much worse could it possibly get in that moment?
Then that fateful glance in the courtyard where Peter’s and Jesus’ eyes met after Peter thrice times emotionally, very publicly refuted his association with Jesus.
61 The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly [deeply grieved and distressed].
They have preached this passage, taken a long look at this passage, been very self-introspective of this text as it was preached to them – and they CRIED TOO!
We can probably, without much effort, safely guess what emotions were going on in Peter’s much anguished heart and soul: “Will God Now Give Up On Me?!?”
They cried, proclaimed – “I was not there when my Savior needed me most!”
They cried and declared – “I got so very tired, so very much worn out by it all!”
The cried and declared – “I feel like I have simply given up on God, My Savior!”
They have likewise asked of themselves, “Will God ever give up on me?”
Gravely worried because they think they have already and repeatedly done the one single thing that’s “finally too much for God to take,” they are feeling fear.
Many Will Worry About Keeping God’s Love
Now, their concerns aren’t just about their repeated failures toward conquering their anger, their fears, their broken promises, their ingratitude, or crankiness.
Some are worried about other things like unrelenting unswerving doubts, their waning and waxing faith, a fresh sin committed, or a repeated sin committed.
But, this lingering question comes rushing back to many people at different times, at too many inopportune times
“Does God give up on us as we all too often give up on Him?”
A significant question with what they believe has severe eternal implications.
I can safely confess here that despite what I staunchly believe is a steadfast and immovable faith – a “Superman Faith” if you will, I’ve certainly had that fear.
Have you?
At times, I’ve wondered if I have let God down too much or too severely or made that “one too big a mistake” with the severest of eternal implications possible.
It hurts my spirit.
It puts a giant strain, an immovable millstone upon my heart and upon my soul.
I will simply never have the necessary knowledge nor the required wisdom nor any of the maximum allowable strength to even begin to move it or remove it.
Responding to the Lord’s “Once In a Lifetime” Look
Luke 22:61-62 Amplified Bible
61 The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly [deeply grieved and distressed].
Two captivating stories are happening at the same time.
Inside the high priest’s court Jesus reveals his true identity as the Messiah.
Outside near the fire in the courtyard Peter denies his Lord three times.
Then the climax brings the two story lines crashing together.
Jesus’ eyes look directly at Peter’s eyes and quite literally changes everything.
Peter surrendered to the paralyzing fear of his faith’s ability at standing alone.
But fortunately Jesus enabled Peter to break out of the cage of conformity.
The rooster’s crow activated the alarm of Peter’s conscience.
Immediately he repented.
In extreme sorrow, Peter wept bitterly.
Do We Lose God When We Are Selfish and Sad?
As in Joni Mitchell’s sobering song, do we lose the best loved one we’ve ever had – our God and our Savior – when we are selfish and/or broken or sad?
No!
Absolutely Not!
It’s a guarantee that after we receive Jesus Christ as Savior, we still won’t be perfect!
And God knows that!
Instead, we all have a lot of “cleaning up” to do even at that point.
But, that is something onlyGod can do in your life.
Yes, you and I must cooperate, we must be and remain willing participants.
The way we do that is to believe Him that He loves us and has changed us.
That He IS always and forever changing us.
And, in addition, you and I must learn, and re-learn, how to receive His love.
With regards to Peter and His coming to terms with his catastrophic failures;
Later in the Upper Room he reaffirmed his love for Jesus by being there and not running away, fleeing from His presence, when Jesus appeared to the disciples.
Still later, doubts intact, Peter is recommissioned as the Lord’s representative.
John 21:15-17 Amplified Bible
The Love Motivation
15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these [others do—with total commitment and devotion]?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I [a]love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].” Jesus said to him, “Feed My lambs.” 16 Again He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with total commitment and devotion]?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].” Jesus said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me [with a deep, personal affection for Me, as for a close friend]?” Peter was grieved that He asked him the third time, “Do you [really] [b]love Me [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend]?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You [with a deep, personal affection, as for a close friend].” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
In John 21 we find that Jesus refused to let Peter cover up his unresolved past.
Three times the Resurrected Jesus asked Peter how much he loved his Lord.
And Peter asserted repeatedly, “Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus then empowered Peter, gave divine approval and permission, God’s own blessings, to just put his past behind him and walk confidently into his future.
Jesus’ aim is to come to us, bless us, reassure us, reconcile with and rehabilitate us whenever we feel the full weight of our millstones, when we fall from grace.
And our conscience can halt us before we yield to temptation.
But even when if we inevitably slip back into sin, God wants to restore us.
God does not stand behind home plate like an umpire at a baseball game with a great cloud of witnesses present waiting to signal and then shout, “You’re out!”
Instead, He comes to us on our lakeshores, draws us to Himself with kindness.
For us this means responding to the raucous alarm of our conscience, removing ourselves from the moment and place of temptation, repenting of our sin, give God permission to take our millstone, to reaffirming our loyalty to Jesus Christ.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 13 The Message
13 1-2 Long enough, God— you’ve ignored me long enough. I’ve looked at the back of your head long enough. Long enough I’ve carried this ton of trouble, lived with a stomach full of pain. Long enough my arrogant enemies have looked down their noses at me.
3-4 Take a good look at me, God, my God; I want to look life in the eye, So no enemy can get the best of me or laugh when I fall on my face.
5-6 I’ve thrown myself headlong into your arms— I’m celebrating your rescue. I’m singing at the top of my lungs, I’m so full of answered prayers.
Psalm 139:23-24 The Message
23-24 Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life.
Lord, we read Your text from Luke’s Gospel and we know that your convicting look is filled with thy convincing, affirming grace. Thank you for your transforming power!
44 It was now about the sixth hour (noon), and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.), 45 because the sun was [a]obscured; and the veil [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was [b]torn in two [from top to bottom]. 46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!” Having said this, He breathed His last. 47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he began praising and honoring God, saying, “Certainly this Man was innocent.” 48 All the crowds who had gathered for this spectacle, when they saw what had happened, began to return [to their homes], beating their breasts [as a sign of mourning or repentance]. 49 And all His acquaintances and the women who had accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, watching these things.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
It was to become the Greatest Injustice in the History of Mankind.
As Prophesied by Jesus Himself three times to His Disciples.
Betrayed, Falsely Accused, a Bevy of False Witness testified against him.
A Kangaroo Court held in the darkest of street corners, behind locked doors.
By His own people who once declared the triumph of his life and ministry.
Pilate Himself declared his innocence, tried everything to release him alive.
But Jesus’ own people would have none of it – Crucify! Crucify! Crucify!
Beaten and Scourged and Humiliated to almost beyond recognition.
Forced to carry his own means of death.
Both Hands and Both Feet Nailed to the Cross in the most painful of ways.
Raised up for all the great gathered crowds to bear their ugliest witness to.
Ceaseless, Unrelenting Mockery and Scorn shouted and heard far and wide.
Finally, more quieted and Hushed Words are uttered and heard but by a few.
“I am Thirsty.”
“Father, Forgive them for they know not what they do.”
“It is Finished.”
“Father, into Your hands I Commend My Spirit.”
And finally, all the words come to their ends, Jesus is dead …
But into this moment when all else is suddenly hushed …
But the hushed flow of words continues from unexpected sources …
Luke 23:47 Amplified Bible
47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he began praising and honoring God, saying, “Certainly this Man was innocent.”
Who else had heard these words spoken by the Centurion, the man with the authority to command and lead others to do his bidding, the man under the even greater authority of Pilate, under ultimate authority of his Emperor.
Yes, who else heard these hushed words of the Centurion …
Luke 23:48 Amplified Bible
48 All the crowds who had gathered for this spectacle, when they saw what had happened, began to return [to their homes], beating their breasts [as a sign of mourning or repentance].
The Word of God for His Children was undoubtedly rare and and far rarer still were the Words of God for His Children to remain hush, unspoken in those days.
Now, it is two thousand some odd number of years later and we “hear” again.
Through the Word of God for His Children and Song we remembered the scene.
Good Friday has passed us by, we have returned to the comfort of our homes.
To quietly await the quiet and hushed arrival of the sunrise on Easter Morning.
In that between time, on that day of whatever comes rushing to your mind – perhaps the final rush of housework, shopping and meal preparation for the final assembly of family and friends and perhaps even your neighbors too …
Question: What happens in your heart when you think of Jesus on the cross?
Probably not too much because like most you are waiting for the Preacher to lead the morning worship and Preach their messages on Sunday morning.
A day meant for personal reflection, perhaps family devotionals is what …?
Perhaps, if you are like me and perhaps a few others who went home “beating their breasts in hushed acts of confession and reflection and repentance, it is a time of inviting the Holy Spirit to intercede into your all too hushed moments.
I guess it is too hard to spend any extra time with God (Matthew 6:6-7) to try to imagine the indescribable, immeasurable depths of injustice on Good Friday.
His suffering is especially hard to imagine during this season of the year when we are still perhaps remembering his Advent and thinking about his birth too.
Our hearts are filled with emotion – the joy, and triumph and the Glory of God, the single greatest act of God’s love and God’s Justice of all time. (John 3:16-17)
The hearts of those who witnessed the Lord’s suffering were filled with all sorts of emotions, too.
Like the Centurion’s, Does The Cross Opens Our Eyes?
Luke 23:47 Amplified Bible
47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he began praising and honoring God, saying, “Certainly this Man was innocent.”
The seasoned Roman officer handling the execution praised God and knew this man Jesus was not guilty of any crime.
The crowd went home with deep sorrow.
John and Jesus’ mother Mary and a few others stood by the Cross …
John 19:25-27 Amplified Bible
25 So the soldiers did these things.
But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, His mother’s sister [[a]Salome], [b]Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 So Jesus, seeing His mother, and the [c]disciple whom He loved (esteemed) standing near, said to His mother, “[Dear] woman, look, [here is] your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple (John), “Look! [here is] your mother [protect and provide for her]!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
Most of Jesus’ friends went home in repentance or watched from a distance.
We have all of these “reactions from the ground as they look up at the Cross.”
What are we to make of them still today – in these 21st century times, seasons?
We have not understood, indeed we cannot understand the implications of the the harshness, yet also the beauty of cross unless it has changed us personally.
After Jesus “breathed his last” (Luke 23:46), Luke records for us the reactions of those who witnessed the crucifixion.
“All the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts”(v 48).
Yes, there was sadness, but once the spectacle was over, they left to get on with their lives.
Verse 49 then informs us “all his acquaintances … stood at a distance watching” —and we can barely even imagine what was running through all of their minds.
But the most striking and the most personal reaction that Luke captures is that of the Roman centurion, who, seeing what had happened, “praised God, saying, ‘Certainly this man was innocent!’”—or, as the NIV renders it, “Surely this was a righteous man.”
Here, amid the darkness of hypocritical religious leaders, cynical rulers, and callous passersby, the hushed whispers of lingerers, is a tiny glimmer of light.
Perhaps the very last person we would expect to see the truth—a man with no previous connection to Jesus, no background in Old Testament studies, and no predisposition to the things of God, just utterly obeying his Roman bosses—not only grasped what he looked at, but he immediately responded personally to it.
He saw
“what had taken place”—the words of Jesus, the darkness overhead, the manner of His death—and realized,
Here is no ordinary man. Here is a man who is different from every other man. Here is a man who is entirely innocent, wholly righteous.
Indeed, the Gospel narrative of Mark adds that the centurion confessed that the man on the cross was undoubtedly none other but “the Son of God” (Mark 15:39).
With his incredible and trained eye for detail, Luke places a clear emphasis on giving his readers a “from the ground up” seeing what took place on the cross.
He probably hoped that some readers would remember that when Jesus had read from the scroll of Isaiah earlier in His ministry, He had said, “The Spirit of the Lord … has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor … to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind” (Luke 4:18).
Indeed, a great theme found throughout the Gospel of Luke is that of darkness being invaded by light—the confusion and hardness of the people’s hearts and their minds being subsequently invaded by the liberating power of God’s truth.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25 Amplified Bible
The Wisdom of God
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God’s grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God. 19 For it is written and forever remains written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise [the philosophy of the philosophers], And the cleverness of the clever [who do not know Me] I will nullify.”
20 Where is the wise man (philosopher)? Where is the scribe (scholar)? Where is the debater (logician, orator) of this age? Has God not exposed the foolishness of this world’s wisdom? 21 For since the world through all its [earthly] wisdom failed to recognize God, God in His wisdom was well-pleased through the [a] foolishness of the message preached [regarding salvation] to save those who believe [in Christ and welcome Him as Savior]. 22 For Jews demand signs (attesting miracles), and Greeks pursue [worldly] wisdom and philosophy, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, [a message which is] to Jews a stumbling block [that provokes their opposition], and to Gentiles foolishness [just utter nonsense], 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks (Gentiles), Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 [This is] because the foolishness of God [is not foolishness at all and] is wiser than men [far beyond human comprehension], and the weakness of God is stronger than men [far beyond the limits of human effort].
Any attempt to articulate Christianity that denies the absolute centrality of the wisdom of God and the wisdom of the Cross can never lead to saving faith.
And while we do not always understand how the Spirit moves in leading men and women to be born again, our message must always and ever be the same:
“But We Preach Christ crucified”(1 Corinthians 1:23).
It is beholding the cross that brings life for anyone who responds to the man who hung there by confessing who He is and praising God for His saving work.
Unless and until the “goodness” of the cross is personal to us, it is essentially to be considered as utterly useless for us.
So, when was the last time you simply looked UP at your Savior on the cross and just walked away?
Or, when was the last time you looked DOWN at your Savior on the cross and up, just walked away into whatever else is about to rush into your hushed mind?
So, when was the last time you simply looked UP at your Savior on the cross and spent the intervening time waiting for the Easter moment and just praised God?
Which one best describes your reaction?
Don’t you find it even minimally amazing that probably the least commendable, the most hushed, the least exemplary response was that from Jesus’ friends?
In these intervening times and seasons, let’s not be just observers of the cross, but rather a people deeply sorrowed by our sins which took Jesus to OUR cross.
However, in our sorrow, let’s make sure we don’t let grief consume us.
Instead, let’s praise God for his grace and the salvation he has provided for us.
Then, rather than walking away, having been hushed by the moment, going into hiding like the fearful friends of Jesus (John 20:19),
Let’s maybe share the confession of the Centurion, and the grace of God with;
O’ Come All Ye Faithful …
Adeste Fidelis …
O’ Come Let Us Adore Him …
Venite Adoremus …
Joyful and Triumphant …
Laeti Triumphantes,
To the King of the Angels …
Regem Angelorum …
To Christ the Lord!
Dominum!
Amen!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 24 The Message
24 1-2 God claims Earth and everything in it, God claims World and all who live on it. He built it on Ocean foundations, laid it out on River girders.
3-4 Who can climb Mount God? Who can scale the holy north-face? Only the clean-handed, only the pure-hearted; Men who won’t cheat, women who won’t seduce.
5-6 God is at their side; with God’s help they make it. This, Jacob, is what happens to God-seekers, God-questers.
7 Wake up, you sleepyhead city! Wake up, you sleepyhead people! King-Glory is ready to enter.
8 Who is this King-Glory? God, armed and battle-ready.
9 Wake up, you sleepyhead city! Wake up, you sleepyhead people! King-Glory is ready to enter.
10 Who is this King-Glory? God-of-the-Angel-Armies: he is King-Glory.
Holy and Almighty God, Author of my Life, Perfecter of my Faith, my heart breaks that Jesus had to die as a sacrifice for sin … especially my sin. However, I praise you for your plan of grace, for your desire to provide mercy at the expense of your own heartbreak, and for your overwhelming love for people like me. In Jesus’ name.
13 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
2 And [a]supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, 4 rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. 5 After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?”
7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.”
8 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!”
Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”
10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.”
12 So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you [b]know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. 16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
Jesus came to model for us, show us what the Kingdom of Heaven is so we could become a dynamic, functional and living part of it.
Spending time reading the Gospels and studying and praying about who he was is a great way to remind ourselves that of all the rich and transformational ways Jesus is never what we expect but, in every way, is better than our expectations.
The story of Jesus redefining kingdom expectations, of kneeling to the floor and as host, gently handing his disciples feet so all could comfortably dine together is truly one of the most profound pictures of our Savior’s heart of love for us!
Jesus, like His Father in Heaven, cared so very much about the minutest details of his followers’ lives!
He was willing to completely surrender himself to the moment His Father set aside, to move into his destiny, to not shy away from God’s plan, get messy, to reach, teach, and show undeserved compassion to his ragtag group of disciples.
This is still true today!
Jesus cares about even the most minute details of your life and still come to us, still willing to model, set the example get messy to show you that you are loved.
None of your fears are too small, too inconsequential, needs much too silly, or stresses too insignificant or too great that God does not care about them all.
He cares about it all… even our stinky feet!
Jesus’ actions in this passage set an example of what it means to imitate him with our lives.
We are called to be more and more like Jesus every day, without exception, the servant of others, selflessly to live with humility, and love in every situation.
Christ-Followers are called to a selfless life as servant, conduct themselves in a very radical counter-cultural fashion – in unity, healing, instead of dividing.
Let’s learn more about what we can learn from the story of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet at Passover.
Where Does the Bible Talk about Jesus Washing the Disciples’ Feet?
The story of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet is recorded in John 13:1-17.
This event occurred in the upper room during the Last Supper.
In the biblical account, we read that when Jesus’ disciples arrived at a special gathering Jesus took the role of the ultimate servant of the house and humbly surrendered to His Father’s will and began washing each of his disciples’ feet.
This gathering, this time of communion, of the breaking and sharing of the bread, fruit of the vine, would later come to be known as the Last Supper.
It was the last time Jesus and his disciples broke bread together before his death on the cross.
It was during this Passover meal that Rabbi Jesus served as host, took the first communion with the disciples and also quietly identified Judas as his betrayer.
The act of feet washing was a necessary custom during this time period when gathering to have a communal meal.
The men would have come in with their feet dust-covered and dirty from their walking the undoubtedly, the decidedly unhygienic sun baked Roman roads.
Cleaning of the feet would have been necessary because the group would have likely been reclining together at a low table and dirty feet would not be the least bit welcomed so close to their food.
It was the servant of a household’s job to wash the feet of incoming guests.
Why Did Jesus Do This and What Was the Significance of Washing Their Feet?
In the Old Testament, priests performed and received ceremonial foot washings before they entered the temple for worship.
Foot washing was a serious matter: a basin for foot washing would have been placed between the Tent of Meeting and the altar so Aaron and his sons could wash before entering the Tent of Meeting,“Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die”(Exodus 30:20).
Disregarding the ritual cleansing meant death to a priest.
In John 13:4-5, Jesus “got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”
Jesus has placed the basin between the disciples and the altar, His cross.
Through the witness of His death and the testimony of His resurrection, Jesus makes holy all who do come to the cross through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Through Christ’s atoning work on the cross the disciples and all believers are made holy and righteous before God and then cleansed of their sin and set apart by GOD for service in His body, the Church, a holy priesthood of believers.
Jesus set himself aside, washes his disciples’ feet to purify and cleanse them for their service to God: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me” (John 13:8).
Jesus, knowing his coming destiny, washing the feet of his disciples came with so much significance for both his disciples in this intimate moment and for all Christians who strive to live, to love, to follow Jesus’ example and teachings.
This selfless act displayed Jesus’ amazing humility!
He took the role of a servant to wash the dusty and dirt-covered feet of his disciples.
Rabbi Jesus was setting an incredible example of what it is to be “Christ-like” through his decidedly humble actions.
Status, pride, or even dirt did not stop him from rolling up his sleeves to serve the men who had been at his side throughout the duration of his ministry.
Prior to this encounter, the disciples had been fighting amongst themselves trying to determine who was the “greatest” among them (Luke 22:24).
Jesus was in a very hands-on way showing them that in his Kingdom the last shall be first and the first shall be last (Matthew 20:16).
Jesus even prompts his disciples to show the same heart of service for each other (John 13:15).
He is clear that servanthood is essential to what it means to be his follower.
This washing also is symbolic of the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus to wash away our sins.
Peter objects to Jesus’ actions but then Jesus rebukes him by saying that unless he washed him, Peter had no part in him (John 13:7-8).
Peter then in a display of passion for the Lord asks him to then wash him from head to toe!
Jesus explains Peter does not need to be washed from head to toe because his actions were symbolic of the cleansing power that being a Christ-follower has in our lives (John 13:10).
Once washed by the blood of a lamb you are free from the stains of sin!
Jesus anoints the disciples for their new role as priests in the new temple that God Himself will raise up.
Jesus ordains them so they can serve His church when He leaves this world, returning to the Father.
Through the act of purification, Jesus imparts His holiness to the disciples so they will be set apart from the world even though they will remain in the world.
Jesus teaches his disciples that His holiness, salvation, and purity will all come through Him and His suffering.
Through the cleansing blood of our Savior – No repeat washing is necessary.
Our Healing is in our Becoming a Servant
John 13:14-15 New King James Version
14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.
In our culture today, sadly we don’t have an automatic equivalent to Jesus’ instruction to wash one another’s feet.
But we can figure out that it’s mainly about showing hospitality and serving one another.
The roads of Palestine were unpaved, and with sandals as common footwear, people’s feet would get really dirty—sometimes caked with dust and mud.
As a result, before you entered someone’s home, a servant would come with a pitcher of water, a basin and a towel and wash your feet, an act of hospitality.
It was a customary act of hospitality—like someone offering to hang up your coat and scarf on a cold day as you entered their warm home.
On the night of the last supper, Jesus took the role of a servant as he got up from the meal and began washing his disciple’s feet.
In doing this, Jesus was teaching his disciples an important spiritual principle.
We come to Jesus with nothing of our own, and we must receive from him and be ministered to by him before we have anything to give.
Then, having been served, we go and do the same, we surrender ourselves to God, serving, sharing with others the fullness God has poured into our hearts.
In this example, Jesus provided a profound symbol of his call to servanthood.
Following him is not about position, power, or prestige.
We serve because Jesus Christ came to us as sinners, yet he has served us first.
Jesus shows no squeamishness: He performs this ceremonial washing of His disciples’ feet with a solemn purpose – so others may be prepared to serve.
Setting aside their squeamishness to serve all others as Jesus first served all.
Jesus’ determination made me want to explore the Scriptures more deeply.
What Does Jesus Show When He Washes the Disciples’ Feet?
Through this simple act of foot washing, Jesus demonstrates to His disciples His eternal role as God’s High Priest and Mediator and the disciples part in the priesthood.
Even though He, Jesus must suffer and die and be raised again, the disciples can by faith in the empty tomb be certain He will never leave them or forsake them.
Scripture says, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek”(Hebrews 5:7-10).
Jesus is the High Priest of Heaven.
Through the foot washing, He ordained His disciples to be priests of the church in the world.
1 Peter 2:4-10 New King James Version
The Chosen Stone and His Chosen People
4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,
“Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who [a]are disobedient,
“The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,”
8 and
“A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.”
They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Christ, our permanent High Priest, sitting at the right hand of the Father;
He will offer up prayers on their behalf, “he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25), and will empower them through the Holy Spirit to perform their priestly duties to the glory of God.
3 Lessons from Jesus Washing the Disciples’ Feet
1. God’s Kingdom Works In Reverse Order
Matthew 18:4 says, “Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Humility, trust, simplicity, joy, full of wonder, and playfulness are all words that could be used to characterize children.
In Jesus’ Kingdom what seems logical to adults oftentimes goes against the way God works. Jesus calls the last to be first (Matthew 20:16).
His Word prompts us to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13).
The Bible teaches us to humble ourselves before the Lord (James 4:10).
In Matthew 5:38-40, Jesus teaches that when we are wronged not to fight back but to offer our offenders more of ourselves!
All of these ideas go against everything that seems logical, right, or justified in our world!
We live in a world where pride, greed, and ambition rule our systems.
Money talks, looking out for yourself is prized, and caring for those who are hurt so you can get ahead is not often considered.
Jesus intentionally sets an example of how we are to live as his followers through his actions at the Last Supper.
He makes it clear that we are called to be the feet washers of our community.
Our mission as Believers is to be those who love beyond reason every chance we get.
2. Jesus Washes Us Clean
Isaiah 1:18 says, “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
The prophet foretold of the cleansing power of Jesus years before Jesus physically walked the earth.
His followers would have seen the feet washing and the breaking of bread and sharing of wine at the first communion that happened at the Last Supper as symbolic of Jesus’ cleansing power.
When we bring our sins to the Lord he is willing and able to wash us clean.
All Jesus did led up to the work of the cross, where he took the weight of our sins onto himself, so we could be forgiven.
Don’t be ashamed of your “dirty feet” bring all that you are to the Lord and he is willing and able to set you free.
3. Jesus Was Not What the World Expected
Peter was shocked by Jesus’ actions and asked him to stop because in his mind his king and Savior wouldn’t stoop to the level of a feet-washing-servant.
Jesus was not what the world expected.
They were looking for a political liberator, someone who would help restore power to the Jewish people, and they thought their Messiah would be powerful in the same way the world measures power.
Jesus was full of heavenly ability and did many miracles but he never strove for a place of worldly power or influence.
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees (Matthew 23), avoided political confrontation (John 18:10-11), and took the posture of a servant throughout his ministry.
Meanwhile, his disciples were concerned about who would get the best seat in Heaven next to Jesus.
It wasn’t until Jesus’ death and resurrection that the full picture of Jesus as a Messiah as their foretold Savior was fully understood because while on Earth he never did as they were expecting.
When we think of what it means to be a Christ-Follower do our expectations line up with the example of Jesus?
It is easy to put God in a box, thinking he should work in ways that make sense to our worldly sensibilities.
The Bible reminds us that God rarely plays by our rules.
Jesus came to show us what the Kingdom of Heaven is so we could become a part of it.
Spending time reading the Gospels and studying and Praying over who he was is a great way to remind ourselves of all the ways Jesus is never what we expect but, in every way, abundantly, utterly, infinitely better than our expectations.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
“Unless I wash you
you have no share with me.”
If only it were otherwise.
If only I could present my credentials,
show my record of service,
get some kind of unlimited pass.
In every area of my life
I am more used
to proving how adequate I am,
presenting a polished image,
gaining certain privileges.
But you, Lord,
you bring me down
to where you are kneeling,
and take hold
of the feet I prefer to hide.
We are here together,
near the ground,
and in this humble position
I am touched by you
and made clean.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
53 Who has believed [confidently trusted in, relied on, and adhered to] our message [of salvation]? And to whom [if not us] has the arm and infinite power of the Lord been revealed? 2 For He [the Servant of God] grew up before Him like a tender shoot (plant), And like a root out of dry ground; He has no stately form or majestic splendor That we would look at Him, Nor [handsome] appearance that we would [a]be attracted to Him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and pain and acquainted with grief; And like One from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or esteem Him.
4 But [in fact] He has borne our griefs, And He has carried our sorrows and pains; Yet we [ignorantly] assumed that He was stricken, Struck down by God and degraded and humiliated [by Him]. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]; The punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him, And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, We have turned, each one, to his own way; But the Lord has caused the wickedness of us all [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing] To fall on Him [instead of us].
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
Someone Familiar With Our Suffering
“You can’t truly know people unless you walk a mile in their shoes,” we sometimes say.
Two thousand ago, a man named Jesus walked into humanity’s full view, in our shoes, and showed that he genuinely knew the full range of human experience.
The Word of God for His Children often reminds them that Jesus was one of us.
The Word of God comes right out of God’s mouth to reveal to human kind He experienced joy and suffering and sorrow, feasting and hunger, the fruits of hard work and the setbacks of humiliation, injustice, poverty, life and death.
He also knew the grief of losing a close friend, which led him to weep (John 11:32-35).
In addition, Jesus was sometimes discouraged by the spiritual numbness of his disciples (Matthew 16:8-12), and weary from hot, dusty travel (John 4:6).
He became angry when people mistreated God and others (Matthew 21:12-13), he also took children in his arms, taught and blessed them (Matthew 19:13-14).
Countless times we read of him healing the sick and destitute, individually and by the village full, approaching the unapproachable, touching the untouchable.
In the account of his crucifixion, as Isaiah foretold, Jesus even experienced total rejection, complete betrayal and unimaginable physical and spiritual suffering.
The reality: Our salvation wasn’t won in the beauty and safety of a royal palace.
Jesus pioneered our salvation through the experience of human living in this world.
He faced all the temptations and struggles we meet daily—and yet he never sinned (Hebrews 4:15).
There is not one single human heart who can claim it has never been wounded.
There is not one single human heart which can claim it has not ever suffered.
His words from the cross “I am thirsty” (John 19:28) assure us that he willingly and obediently dealt with all human experiences as he worked to defeat sin.
For humanity, there must eventually, gradually, subtly, suddenly, come the realization that there is a very real place in God’s divine order – where all our hurting, our woundedness, our suffering, our brokenness, sin, come together.
From Genesis to Revelation, The Word of God reveals to all of God’s children Jesus is our ultimate example of the type of heart we need to turn to, we need to surrender to, because by his crucifixion, He is our healer, our wounded healer.
And we see this heart, the heart of Jesus, not only from His life but also in the death He died for us, not only by the death He died for us, but by the witness of the EMPTY tomb, the angels’ words, by His resurrection and by His Ascension.
A Wounded Healer’s Heart
Jesus is a Wounded Healer.
He experienced our wounds by coming in flesh so He could feel what we feel.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”Isaiah 53:5. NKJV.
Are You A Wounded Healer?
Am I A Wounded Healer?
You and I may not even know there is a name for it; you are too busy doing what needs to be done.
You and I have almost certainly, surely been gravely wounded, hurt, maybe too even abused, maybe even bullied, maybe even betrayed, maybe even humiliated.
Somehow, by some means, in too many ways, we are all wounded throughout our lives, physically, emotionally, psychologically; some of us have been hurt in more ways than we can remember – the measure of trauma is too inconceivable.
A Wounded Healer is one who, although they have been wounded time and time again; discern they learn to take those experiences and use them to help others, to minister like Jesus, during their time of loss, tragedy, grief, pain or illness.
Even from hospital beds, with bodies wracked by severe illnesses, like Jesus, they realize that though they are suffering, have suffered in their bodies, they have also learned, by prayer, witness and their testimony of the work of their Savior Jesus in their lives, they can now benefit all others from that suffering.
Now they have become a Wounded Healer.
God isn’t causing their pain but He can use their pain to get your attention and help you and me and others grow, teach the many of compassion and grace.
By their example, you and I can learn how we too can share all our Savior Jesus Christ, minister to others in the middle of our own pain and it helps them heal!
Hebrews 13:1-2 Amplified Bible
The Changeless Christ
13 Let love of your fellow believers continue. 2 Do not neglect to extend hospitality to strangers [especially among the family of believers—being friendly, cordial, and gracious, sharing the comforts of your home and doing your part generously], for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
When this passage in Hebrews was anonymously written, people were expected to show generous hospitality to travelers and strangers who might otherwise have nowhere else to stay as they went from village to village and town to town.
The context of this advice urges believers in God to show love and care for one another as well for others who may be in need, such as strangers, travelers.
This advice echoes the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46, where Rabbi Jesus teaches us all that caring for the needs of others is like doing the same for him.
This passage in Hebrews also invites us to consider that a stranger or visitor we encounter might be an angel—that is, a messenger from God (also Genesis 18).
The point is that we should treat anyone we meet as being so valuable and fully worthy of our time that they might be sent from God, and that showing love and care and compassion to them would be like doing the same for the Lord himself.
This can be hard to imagine, especially if hospitality is not so common anymore in our culture and we need to be ever so much more wary of “stranger danger.”
But here the Spirit of God is challenging us simply to treat others well, showing love and kindness to everyone, no matter who they are.
In other words, we are called, even from the midst of our suffering, to love and care for others just as our Lord, Savior Jesus Christ has done for us at Calvary.
Angels of Mercy who will probably not have a set of initials after their name, they won’t ever claim to know it all, and they won’t ever have all the answers.
But they know how to listen, they know how to care, whose families will show up with a casserole, a care package, or sit with you through the night if need be.
Sometimes they say nothing at all.
They do not have to because they have been there.
They were wounded, they know.
Silence is golden, a hug is infinitely better than words.
Where Our Hurt and Our Healing Collides
Isaiah 53:3-5 Amplified Bible
3 He was despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and pain and acquainted with grief; And like One from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or esteem Him.
4 But [in fact] He has borne our griefs, And He has carried our sorrows and pains; Yet we [ignorantly] assumed that He was stricken, Struck down by God and degraded and humiliated [by Him]. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]; The punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him, And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed.
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is all of mankind’s Wounded Healer.
He experienced our wounds by coming in flesh so He could feel what we feel.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”Isaiah 53:5. NKJV.
If you have damaged emotions and physical and emotional scars, ABBA God the Father and Jesus His Son and God the Holy Spirit, are able to take care of those.
For God so loved the World that God sent His Son into the World that we should be saved – NOT CONDEMNED for our sins as we all so very righteously deserve.
Jesus gave His life at Calvary and rose again so that we could have eternal life AND be healers on this earth.
We cannot have open wounds and be a healer, we must have those taken care of.
Our resurrected Jesus is the only One who can overcome and heal our hurts so we can then recognize His Sovereignty and become the blessing God intended.
Maybe from your ailing’s you have never thought you had anything to offer.
My friend, I am certain you do.
If the Lord has forgiven you and restored you, pray for opportunities to give others hope and a light at the end of their tunnel.
Pray for the wisdom of God’s testimony and Jesus’ witness at Calvary above all, it is not an easy road to walk the road of suffering, but there are great rewards.
Are there areas in your life where you have opportunity to be a Wounded Healer?
I would love to hear about them!
Has someone else been a Wounded Healer to you?
Feel free to share Jesus Christ, your thoughts and encourage others here today.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Gracious God,
on this day we gather to remember the suffering death of Jesus.
He was despised and rejected,
oppressed and afflicted,
yet he was prepared to be wounded for our transgressions. We come overwhelmed by the depth of Jesus’ love for us,
and his commitment to defeat evil,
even when that meant his own suffering and his own death.
In his willingness to make us righteous, he poured himself out to death, even death on a cross, and so, in response to such love and sacrifice, we commit all of ourselves as his disciples to overcome evil with Your good, our suffering with Your wholeness, with love and compassion, acceptance and mercy for all, meeting oppression with Your justice. Thank you, Jesus, for being willing to enter the grit and grime of our humanity to save us. There has never been a greater sacrifice! Let that be our Witness and let that we our sure and certain Testimony unto the world. Jesus’ name, we pray.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
18 For I consider [from the standpoint of faith] that the sufferings of the present life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us! 19 For [even the whole] creation [all nature] waits eagerly for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration and futility, not willingly [because of some intentional fault on its part], but by the will of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will also be freed from its bondage to decay [and gain entrance] into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been moaning together as in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only this, but we too, who have the first fruits of the Spirit [a joyful indication of the blessings to come], even we groan inwardly, as we wait eagerly for [the sign of] our adoption as sons—the redemption and transformation of our body [at the resurrection]. 24 For in this hope we were saved [by faith]. But hope [the object of] which is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait eagerly for it with patience and composure.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
So, how is your day so far today?
Did you dread getting out of bed this morning?
Will you be irritated by traffic on the way to work?
Are you facing unreasonable demands from your employer?
Is there ongoing tension in your marriage?
Do you find that your children are ever more appreciative of what you do on their behalf?
Did the evening news cheer you at the end of the day?
Are you simply tired of the same old routine, and longing for something new?
Chances are you feel burdened about one or more issues above.
You are certainly not alone.
In fact, the Bible states,
“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Not only that but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the first fruits – we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:22-23).
All of creation groans, longing for redemption.
The Definition of Redemption
The dictionary defines redemption as:
1. the action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil.
2. the action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.
Romans 5:8-11 specifies,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”
Redemption is used in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
The Old Testament.
In the Old Testament, redemption involves deliverance from bondage based on the payment of a price by a redeemer.
The Hebrew root words used most often for the concept of redemption are pada, gaal, and kapar.
The verb pada is a legal term concerning the substitution required for the person or animal delivered.
The verb gaal is a legal term for the deliverance of some person, property, or right to which one had a previous claim through family relation or possession.
The meaning of the third verb, kapar, is to cover.
Fundamental to the message of the New Testament is the announcement that Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillment of Israel’s messianic hope and that, in him, the long-awaited redemption has arrived.
Deliverance of humankind from its state of alienation from God has been accomplished through the death and resurrection of Christ (Romans 4:25; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
In the New Testament, redemption requires the payment of a price, but the plight that requires such a ransom is moral, not material.
Humankind is held in the captivity of sin from which only the atoning death of Jesus Christ can liberate. (“Entry for ‘Redeem, Redemption'”. “Evangelical Dictionary of Theology”)
Redemption is Necessary
When life gets hard we tend to say that we need a break.
What we really need, however, is redemption.
Instead of gaining a momentary respite from the madness that surrounds us, redemption is the promise of God to deliver us from the power and presence of sin.
If this promise sounds too good to be true, consider the fact that the world used to work this way.
Prior to their rebellion, Adam and Eve had unbroken fellowship with God, unparalleled intimacy with each other and undisturbed enjoyment in their Edenic environment.
There has never been a time such as theirs when humans exercised biblical dominion over creation, complemented each other so completely and joyously lived every moment of every day under the rule of God.
But there will be again.
The Bible envisions a day when these broken relationships will be forever restored.
God’s people will inherit a new earth that bears abundant food apart from the sweat of their brow and without the threat of thorns (Revelation 22:2).
They will never feel pain or cause others to experience hurt of any kind as their tears have been eternally wiped away (Revelation 21:4).
Death will no longer haunt the living as gentle lambs will rest side by side with formerly carnivorous wolves (Isaiah 11:6).
Best of all, God will dwell with his people (Revelation 22:3).
Nothing unclean will be allowed to enter the new creation.
There will be no trees that trick or serpents that tempt.
Worship, not worry, will characterize the family of God in a world without end.
In a word, this fallen world will be redeemed.
Thus, the Christian worldview is premised on two realities:
God’s good world spoiled by human sin (fall) and sinful humans made fit to enjoy God forever (redemption).
In spite of the fall, the world continues to work – sort of.
After the fall, Adam and Eve’s oldest son proved remarkably adept at navigating through life.
Cain married a woman and loved their son (Genesis 4:17).
The curse of the ground notwithstanding, Cain became a farmer and then a city builder (Genesis 4:3, 17).
Even Cain’s descendants were known for their creative prowess, including advancements in shepherding livestock, playing musical instruments and developing sturdy weaponry (Genesis 4:20-22).
Put simply, even fallen people in a fallen world somehow manage to contribute to human progress.
On the other hand, even morally upright people manage to confirm the human predicament.
Noah is such a man who, in the midst of a moral sewer, managed to find favor in God’s eyes (Genesis 6:8).
His craftsmanship is demonstrated through his ability to build an ark that withstood the most destructive storm ever.
His attention to detail spared not only his life but that of his family and the entire animal kingdom (Genesis 6:14-22).
Nevertheless, in spite of God’s grace towards him, Noah later became drunk and passed out naked in his tent (Genesis 9:20-21).
When he awoke he cursed generations yet to be born (Genesis 9:24).
This is hardly the behavior one would expect from the man God used to rescue the world but Noah’s life confirms that “there is no one righteous, not even one”(Romans 3:10).
Redemption is Already Accomplished but Not Yet Complete
Humans still retain the image of God, which accounts for any semblance of goodness and enables any sense of progress (Genesis 1:26-27; 9:6).
However, life is not as it should be in this fallen world.
Theologians have differed over the means by which Adam’s sin has been passed down to every person but the reality of death provides sufficient confirmation that no one is exempt (Romans 5:12).
Though Charles Manson and Billy Graham took completely different paths with their lives, both are subject to the death sentence as are you and I.
The Bible thus describes our common plight: we are “dead” in our “trespasses and sins” and we are “by nature children under wrath” (Ephesians 2:1,3).
Redemption is the reversal of the fall.
In part, this reversal means that those who were spiritually dead are made alive (Ephesians 2:4) and those who were children of wrath are now children of God (1 John 3:1).
Though the Bible recognizes fallen people may make positive contributions to the world as a whole, the Bible is quite clear that no one can contribute anything positive to their own redemption (Romans 3:23-28).
The only person qualified to undo the effects of the fall is Jesus Christ who, as the eternal Son of God incarnated through the Virgin Mary. by the Holy Spirit.
This is not to say that he was not tempted as he lived in a fallen world and experienced genuine struggles that all humans face (Hebrews 2:14-18).
However, the Bible unflinchingly states that Jesus never sinned (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22) and thus focuses on him alone as the one who can make sinful humans fit to worship a holy God (Acts 4:12).
Even the death of Jesus was not the result of any sin he committed but rather the most gracious act of love ever displayed, where he took upon himself the sins of the world so that all who believe in him will be saved (Romans 5:6-11).
The Big Picture of Redemption in the Bible
The doctrine of redemption extends even beyond the matter of individual salvation.
During his lifetime, Jesus provided abundant proof of his ability to completely restore a fallen world.
He demonstrated his lordship over heaven when he calmed the storms on the sea (Mark 4:35-41);
he demonstrated his lordship over hell when he exorcised demons from a troubled man (Mark 5:1-20);
he demonstrated his lordship over life when he healed a woman of her incurable disease (Mark 5:24-34);
and he demonstrated his lordship over death when he raised a young girl from the dead (Mark 5:35-43).
With these and countless other unwritten miracles (John 20:30-31; 21:25), Jesus provided ample reason for us all to conclude that this troubled world is not our home – in the end, He himself will make all things new (Revelation 21:5).
The final book of the Bible is, therefore, a fitting end to the story of the fall with its triumphant declaration of full redemption:
“Then he showed me the river of living water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the broad street of the city. The tree of life was on both sides of the river, bearing 12 kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month. The leaves of the trees are for healing the nations, and there will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His slaves will serve Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. Night will no longer exist, and people will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:1-5).
Living in Light of Redemption
Living in a fallen world as Christians means we will experience trials and tribulations and will continue to struggle with our own temptations.
We are forgiven, but God is not finished with us yet(Philippians 1:6).
Consequently, longing for a better world, even a perfect world, is not a form of escapism.
Rather, it is the Christian’s rightful anticipation of a promise made by the One who justly pronounced a curse on this world and then lovingly took that curse upon Himself in order to, for once and all time, redeem people for His glory.
What are some practical steps that you can use to share the story of redemption with others?
Recognize that we are all products of the fall and in need of redemption.
It’s easy to forget that people who bother us are often people just like us.
We are all affected and afflicted by the fall.
When we view people through the lens of being fallen (instead of expecting them to live as if they were fully redeemed), we can be more sympathetic.
Thus, instead of bearing a grudge against them we should recognize the need to point them to their Redeemer.
Jesus stated it this way: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments”(Matthew 22:35-40).
Realize that the sufferings of this world are temporary.
This is not to diminish the pain we feel when our bodies fail or when friends betray us.
Pain is hurtful and we will feel it.
Yet, the promise of redemption is that our pain and hurt are not final.
We have hope because God Himself has promised to redeem all of creation.
If we want others to share in our story of redemption, we do this best when we live in light our future redemption.
1 Corinthians 2:9 states,
“But as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived’ – God has prepared these things for those who love him.”
Respond to God’s grace in your life by offering grace to others.
One of the joys we will experience in the new heavens and new earth is knowing that we are there because someone shared the good news of the gospel with us.
How much more will our joy be to know that someone has been redeemed because we shared the story of redemption with them!
We can do this with gentleness and kindness: “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).
Creation is Groaning as in the Pains of Childbirth.
Romans 8:22 Amplified Bible
22 For we know that the whole creation has been moaning together as in the pains of childbirth until now.
God created a paradise and sin ruined it.
Fortunately for us that is not the end of the story, creation is longing to be restored to the state it was created to be in, based on the promise of God.
This promise was fulfilled in Jesus and now Paul describes the physical fulfillment of this promise as something creation is in anticipation for.
He likens this waiting period to the labor pains of childbirth.
The process might be hard and might take awhile but once started there is no way to stop it.
And the end result makes the whole thing worth it.
Many people look around and make a judgment call based on what they see.
They look at the state of our natural realm and see death and decay.
Our news channels are filled with warnings of global warming ruining our environment.
Many organizations rally the governments and it’s citizens to save the planet.
However, the Bible says that creation as already been saved.
After taking all of this in it would be easy to say that God hasn’t fulfilled his promise to creation yet based on the natural evidence of this.
However, when Jesus came, I John says, that he came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).
Since he has already come, Satan’s power over creation has been destroyed.
We know this because Jesus came the first time to reconcile us to the Father and he will come the second time to redeem us and take us home.
Based on this we understand that creation has already received the first fruits of it’s redemption because Jesus has sent to us the Holy Spirit to testify that we are his children.
Paul said earlier in this chapter that this revelation of the sons of God is what creation has been waiting for (Romans 8:19).
Paul uses the illustration of childbirth to illuminate this very truth and to help us understand that just because we cannot see it, does not mean it has not happened yet.
Pregnancy is a sign that new life is something which is already taking place, awaiting the moment when God and God alone calls the new life into being.
Psalm 29:8-10 Amplified Bible
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the Lord [a]makes the doe labor and give birth And strips the forests bare; And in His temple all are saying, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sat as King at the flood; Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.
When a child is conceived within the womb of the mother, the evidence of this isn’t apparent for a time, even to the women – but changes are already starting.
Psalm 139:13-18 Amplified Bible
13 For You formed my innermost parts; You knit me [together] in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was being formed in secret, And intricately and skillfully formed [as if embroidered with many colors] in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were appointed for me, When as yet there was not one of them [even taking shape].
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I could count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.
The body of the mother is already beginning to adjust itself to receive the new life and attach it to the walls of the uterus where it may be nourished by mom as it steadily comes together and grows and grows as God has ordained it to be so.
A women doesn’t become pregnant when there is evidence to support that she is bearing a child, a women becomes pregnant at the conception of this child.
This illustration helps us to understand that the physical evidence always follows the act.
The spiritual always births the physical.
Creations’ redemption is already complete in the spiritual realm and now it is experiencing the labor pains which have started announcing to the reader the physical manifestation of this.
The amazing thing about labor and childbirth is that afterward comes fullness of joy.
The pains and hardship experienced are quickly forgotten once a baby is held in arms.
Countless women cannot recall any details of their labor because the joy of motherhood is so great.
Knowing what this type of suffering produces gives courage to all to endure it.
The same is true with creation.
Expectation of being restored to a perfect sinless existence is enough to endure hardship right now.
Creation is waiting in anticipation for it’s final redemption because it knows the One who promised is faithful.
Today, I join with creation in praising our God, looking forward to that day when I will see him face to face.
May you also join with us in celebration our full redemption through Christ Jesus, Amen!
The First Fruits of the Spirit
Romans 8:23 Amplified Bible
23 And not only this, but we too, who have the first fruits of the Spirit [a joyful indication of the blessings to come], even we groan inwardly, as we wait eagerly for [the sign of] our adoption as sons—the redemption and transformation of our body [at the resurrection].
Heart change comes quickly on the heels of Salvation.
This is because at Salvation our entire being and nature is completely changed when we get the Holy Spirit deposited inside of us testifying to the fact that we now belong to the family of God.
The Holy Spirit is given to us as the first fruits of our eternal redemption through Christ Jesus.
This is a foretaste of the blissful things that are to come.
Our bodies long to be clothed with Christ and like creation, we groan inwardly a waiting for this adoption to take place.
If the world and it’s desires held anything over you, once you are born again, the illusions of this world seem to fade away.
Replacing them comes a longing to be reunited with Christ.
Paul talks in detail about this desire.
In 2 Corinthians 5 Paul talks about a inward groaning in which we long to be further clothed and fitted with our heavenly dwelling.
On this earth we long and groan under the burden of this body because we are being fitted with a heavenly body fashioned after Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:2-5).
But in the same way that he is preparing us and making us fit for this heavenly body, the Holy Spirit is given to us as a guarantee of the fulfillment of this promise while on this earth (2 Corinthians 5:5 Amp).
So in this we can rejoice knowing that we have already received the first fruits of our redemption.
The amazing thing about knowing this promise is that we can rest assured of our future with God.
He left nothing up to chance but has done everything to bring restoration to us through his son Jesus.
Today I am so blessed to be called a child of God.
I am so blessed to have the Holy Spirit inside of me to testify to this wonderful truth every moment of the day.
I pray that this scripture based truth will come to bless you mightily today!
Amen!
In the name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Everlasting God, as our hearts yearn and groan within us waiting for the fullness of your kingdom, help us to pray, help us to wait, help us to not be misled by deception, but with undivided hearts look for the true light of your coming. Heavenly Father, thank You that in Christ I have been made a new creation. Thank You that the day is coming when the curse on the whole of Your groaning creation will be lifted. Until that time I pray I may live and work to Your praise and glory in Jesus name I pray,
Dear Father, you have blessed me with so many wonderful blessings. I thank you for each and every one of them. At the same time, dear Father, I do long to be brought into your presence in glory as your child. The pain and heartache of the world, the fragility of my body, and my frustration with my own vulnerability to sin keeps me longing for the day that your Son returns in glory. Until that day, help me as I try to be your holy child, let the Body of Christ be Your Church. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
21 When they approached Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples [ahead], 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and at once you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you should say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and without delay the owner will send them [with you].” 4 This happened so that what was spoken by the prophet would be fulfilled, saying:
5 “Tell the daughter of Zion (the people of Jerusalem), ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Gentle and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
6 Then the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them, 7 and they brought the donkey and [a]the colt, and [b]placed their coats on them; and Jesus sat on the coats. 8 Most of the crowd spread their coats on the road [as before a king], while others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of Him, and those that followed Him, were shouting [in praise and adoration],
“[c]Hosanna to the Son of David (Messiah); Blessed [praised, glorified] is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest [heaven]!”
10 When He entered Jerusalem, all the city was trembling [with excitement], saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
Triumphal Entry? Great Expectations? A King on His Donkey?
At first observation after a few readings of this narrative account of the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, I realized something about the two images disconnected.
The picture would have been perfect if Jesus had been riding a white horse, used in those days by warrior kings to symbolize conquering power, decisive victory.
But the narrator Matthew specifically highlighted: Jesus rode on the back of a donkey – the disciples celebrated and paraded their Messiah King on a donkey.
Why?
What image were they hoping, planning to project to the gathered crowds?
What were they expecting the gathering crowds to see and understand of this?
What of the gathering crowds at the gates of the city of Jerusalem?
What were their expectations of the coming of their “Messiah King?”
What were we expecting to see?
What “coming new thing” were we expecting to learn about or be reminded of?
An unarmed conquering warrior Itinerant Master Rabbi?
Long ago, prophet Zechariah said the Messiah would come in righteousness, riding on a donkey, a symbol of humility and peace (Zechariah 9:9 Amplified).
Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O Daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King (Messianic King) is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, [a]Humble and unassuming [in submission to the will of the Father] and riding on a [b]donkey, Upon a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Though most of the people would have probably seen Jesus fulfilling this prophecy as their Messiah (see also Psalm 118:25-26 Amplified),
25 O Lord, save now, we beseech You; O Lord, we beseech You, send now prosperity and give us success! 26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord; We have blessed you from the house of the Lord [you who come into His sanctuary under His guardianship].
Jesus came in triumph into His city under God’s guardianship, they expected him to announce the arrival of a war of rebellion against Roman oppressors.
But he didn’t.
Instead he had no army behind him, nobody is waving any swords or spears.
He was not even armed with a spear or a sword nor did anyone hand him one!
Perhaps with expectations crushed that’s why the chanting crowds changed their tune from “Hosanna” to “Crucify him!” 5 days later (Matthew 27:22-23).
Matthew 27:22-23 Amplified Bible
22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all replied, “Let Him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why, what has He done that is evil?” But they continued shouting all the louder, “Let Him be crucified!”
Considering our state of current events, I don’t guess, and I wont prophesize that things will have actually changed much from then until now, have they?
People are still willing to rally around the banner of Christ if it goes along with their own interests, if their expected understanding of Christ comes to them as they always expected, approved because their expectations have been fully met.
We also desire, even to go so far as to expect we can maintain a good Christian confession while trying to avoid standing too close to the lingering shadows of the cross, or getting too close to actually running to the tomb to see emptiness.
But Jesus, the King who actually rode on an actual donkey, calls us to actually examine our much paraded walk with him as we come to the cross this Friday.
Center yourselves and dig deep and CRY,
“Am I just here for the Parade?“
Am I just coming along side of everyone else, because everyone else is here right now or everyone else is going along for the ride because it all looks so very interesting and might even be a measure of fun or something I and my business might profit from?
If I have to actually get serious about all this, to decide between God and my job, my reputation, something else in my life—will I also change my expectations?”
The celebration of Palm Sunday is about King Jesus riding to the cross in total obedience to his Father – about His grace and peace come by way of the cross.
Will we with our packed luggage of preconceived expectations receive him in the same way he was presented by the Gospel narrator Matthew in chapter 21?
Our Expectations – A Humble, Triumphant King?
Matthew 21:5-11 Amplified Bible
5 “Tell the daughter of Zion (the people of Jerusalem), ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Gentle and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
6 Then the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them, 7 and they brought the donkey and [a]the colt, and [b]placed their coats on them; and Jesus sat on the coats. 8 Most of the crowd spread their coats on the road [as before a king], while others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of Him, and those that followed Him, were shouting [in praise and adoration],
“[c]Hosanna to the Son of David (Messiah); Blessed [praised, glorified] is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest [heaven]!”
10 When He entered Jerusalem, all the city was trembling [with excitement], saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Jesus was getting near the end of His ministry.
He had been telling the disciples that He would be killed.
Now He comes riding into the city, sitting on donkey’s foal.
This was to fulfill a prophecy made by Zechariah.
Kings, leaders, presidents and others in high authority are known for arriving with a lot of pomp and circumstance – it is expected to show them great respect.
There is always a lot of fanfare going on to bring in someone of high leadership.
Whenever the President of the United States arrives at a building where he is going to speak, he arrives with a great fanfare and a great entourage of people.
There are multiple vehicles in front and behind him.
When he walks out into a room, there is always some music playing, people rise up for him, and He is announced.
The same goes for famous celebrities.
Standing room only crowds
There is a lot of pictures and videos being taken.
All kinds of busyness, posting and sharing activity across social media outlets.
Celebrities arrive in a large limousine.
There is flashing of jewelry and expensive clothing.
There are red carpets.
There are lots and lots of television and journalists, and paparazzi’s.
It is a show of pride and luxury, with no sign of humility.
In many countries, when their leader arrives, there is also a great show of their military power.
Soldiers, weapons, and military equipment tour d’ force go paraded before the visiting leader to show who is in control and who exactly has all the power .
Jesus did not do any of this.
He came in riding on a baby donkey.
In the biblical times, a king would arrive on a horse showing great power.
Jesus did not show any of that, even though He had more power than all the kings on the earth combined.
He created the earth and all who are in it (John 1:1-5).
John 1:1-5 Amplified Bible
The Deity of Jesus Christ
1 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word ([a]Christ), and the Word was with God, and [b]the Word was God Himself. 2 He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. 3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being. 4 In Him was life [and the power to bestow life], and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines on in the [c]darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it].
The purpose of His arriving in that way, was to show love and compassion.
He is a king who can understand where people are, so He comes in humility.
Most people do not have the grand horse to ride on, but just have the donkey.
Even today, our Savior, our King Jesus comes to you in love and compassion.
He does have the power, but will not show a force of threat to get you to follow.
Jesus wants you and me to want to follow Him.
He understands where we and our “great expectations” are and is there for you.
As we proceed through this Holy Week,
Let’s take a slightly longer look at our “great expectations,”
our Godly versus Worldly priorities;
Matthew 6:33Amplified Bible
33 But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.
He is not unapproachable.
He is not unknowable.
He is not unreachable.
He is not untouchable.
Do not fear your king.
Do not fear your Savior.
He is gentle.
He is always and forever in and within our very midst …
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
1. Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee. Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art; dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.
2. Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King, born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom bring. By thine own eternal spirit rule in all our hearts alone; by thine all sufficient merit, raise us to thy glorious throne.
___Charles Wesley___ 1707-1788
I pray today that you will know this Jesus riding on the donkey’s back as your king; you will know Jesus is gentle and loving; that you and I will seek him as he seeks you and me to find Jesus in our life; that we will show His love and humility in your life. Lord Jesus, may we ever so lovingly and willingly obey you and joyfully follow you, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, Savior of us all, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
12 The next day, when the large crowd who had come to the Passover feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 they took branches of palm trees [in homage to Him as King] and went out to meet Him, and they began shouting and kept shouting “Hosanna! Blessed (celebrated, praised) is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; just as it is written [in Scripture], 15 “Do not fear, Daughter of Zion; Behold, Your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” 16 His disciples did not understand [the meaning of] these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified and exalted, they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him. 17 So the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to tell others about Him. 18 For this reason the crowd went to meet Him, because they heard that He had performed this [miraculous] sign. 19 Then the Pharisees [argued and] said to one another, “You see that your efforts are futile. Look! The whole world has gone [running] after Him!”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! Amen.
Open your Bible to John’s gospel chapter 12.
We have come to the last week of Jesus.
On Saturday, He had been in Bethany with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in the home of Simon the ex-leper.
Then on Monday, He left Bethany, and headed towards Jerusalem riding on the foal of a donkey.
Soon the people took palm branches and shouted: John 12:13“Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” Blessed is the King of Israel.”
So, when Jesus comes into the city of Jerusalem on this occasion with the word going everywhere about raising Lazarus from the dead, they are all thrilled and have broken off their palm branches, waved, hailed the arrival of Jesus as king.
John 12:13-15 Amplified Bible
13 they took branches of palm trees [in homage to Him as King] and went out to meet Him, and they began shouting and kept shouting “Hosanna! Blessed (celebrated, praised) is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; just as it is written [in Scripture], 15 “Do not fear, Daughter of Zion; Behold, Your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”
In John’s narrative account of Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem, the crowd shouts the right things about Jesus, “Hosanna! blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel” but we soon find out that even Jesus’ disciples really “did not understand all this.”
Then we read in the very next verse that His disciples were mysteriously blank.
They didn’t realize the true gravity of this event was a prophetic fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy (Zechariah 9:9) until after Jesus rose into heaven.
Zechariah 9:9 Amplified Bible
9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O Daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King (Messianic King) is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, [a]Humble and unassuming [in submission to the will of the Father] and riding on a [b]donkey, Upon a colt, the foal of a donkey.
The crowd had come out to meet Jesus only because they had seen or they heard that Jesus had raised someone named Lazarus from the dead earlier.
And the Pharisees saw Jesus’ popularity as a threat to their own power and position (John 11:47-50; 12:9-11).
Why do or did you come out of wherever it is you live to attend Palm Sunday?
Were you aware of the words of prophecy of Zechariah 9:9?
Are you at Palm Sunday worship service because you only briefly heard of Jesus?
Do you even know of the name of Lazarus and his biblical connection to Jesus?
Are, were you, there because it is an “old family tradition” of uncertain origin or because being there is fulfilling a favor to someone even though you do not, have no plan to believe in God, the Father or God the Son or God the Holy Spirit?
Or are we those who consider ourselves totally committed loving GOD 1000%?
It’s easy to think that we would do better.
It’s easy to think that we know who Jesus really is.
But most longtime followers of Christ would agree that Jesus is a mystery.
He is not any easier to get to know than anyone else we might meet.
In fact, we wouldn’t be wrong to assume that it would take more effort to know the Son of God than to know anyone else.
And yet we can grow to know Jesus.
We can acknowledge that Jesus spends more time as an out layer of our life.
We can recognize where, when Jesus spends too much time on our periphery.
Our relationships with our family members, with our neighbors, co-workers.
Our relationships with strangers on the streets, our fellow communities of faith in our shared efforts to provide volunteer services, meals, a glass of cold water.
We can learn how to gradually move Jesus into the center of our lives where we are the ones who are most eager to not just wave our Palms but to lead Jesus in.
Taking the reins of the colt while Jesus sits next to us on the colt and enters in.
Setting the pace of the colt with Jesus sitting on its back.
Crowds of people see, witness our lives at the center of where Jesus is coming.
Directed display of Discipleship in action.
It takes time to move out from the crowds, work on our part, we are not alone.
The Spirit of Jesus himself comes into our hearts, teaches us (see John 16:7-15).
By the Holy Spirit, John and the other disciples eventually did understand what was going on here, what their closeness and proximity to Jesus meant to others.
And as we diligently study the Bible as God’s living Word, asking for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we can grow, greatly mature to know, experience Jesus too.
It can take some mightily significant work, but the Holy Spirit will help us, and there is no better relationship to invest in than our relationship with our King.
Palm Sunday … Jesus is Being Led into the City
Palm Sunday is a Christian celebration that marks the beginning of the Holy Week leading to Easter Sunday.
It commemorates Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, when people laid down palms and branches in front of him as a sign of honor.
In modern times, churches hold Palm Sunday services in which assembled worshippers are each given a palm branch or cross made from palm leaves.
The celebration involves singing hymns, reading Scripture, and sometimes even a parade or procession with the palms around the church or community.
Palm Sunday is a timeless reminder of the selfless love Jesus showed by laying down his life for us, entering directly into the center of our lives and it is a time to reflect on our own lives, how we can show that same love to those around us.
Palm Sunday is the day we each remember and celebrate the day Jesus entered Jerusalem as our coming Savior and King.
As Jesus rode a donkey into the town of Jerusalem, a large crowd gathered and laid palm branches, their cloaks across the road, giving Jesus royal treatment.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands of people shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
Palm Sunday is a moveable holiday that changes yearly based on Lent and the spring equinox.
Many churches celebrate Palm Sunday by waving palm branches, singing traditional hymns, and making crosses out of palm fronds for the children.
But while this is a triumphal entry, it is Jesus’ first step toward His death.
Many churches celebrate Palm Sunday.
Maybe your church has their member congregants, the children, even complete strangers collectively waving palm branches to help them connect to the story.
But while this is our triumphal entry, it was Jesus’ first step toward His death.
Matthew 21:4 tells us:
‘This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, ‘Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’
*The prophecy is cited from Zechariah 9:9 and Isaiah 62:11.
Palm Sunday Bible Story – Triumphal Entry
Matthew 21:1-11 – Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King
As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
In this closing of this Lenten season as we reflect on the sacrifice of Christ, we see him riding a donkey as he comes to Jerusalem as King.
This animal was symbolic of humility, peace, and King David’s royalty (see also King Solomon’s Procession 1 Kings 1:33).
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to show everyone publicly that he was the chosen Son of David (another name for the promised Messiah).
We might have expected a stallion.
But this surprising King rides a donkey.
Jesus identifies with the the common man and woman, with the lowly of heart.
The kingdom of God is totally different from the here-today, gone-tomorrow kingdoms of the world.
Don’t mistake this King on a donkey for the kind of ruler we usually see in this world.
From Jesus we learn that being a king in God’s kingdom is about service and humility.
A king serves.
So, as we fulfill our own calling, we will serve the Lord, we serve one another.
As we live by the guidance of the Spirit, visit people who are sick, care for those who are poor, feed the hungry, and we will learn to love our neighbors as much we love our God, we are servant kings and queens of the kingdom of heaven.
That is when we are most like Jesus, when Jesus finds His way delicately weaved into the center of our lives who calls us to reign with him today and for eternity.
Jesus once came riding on a donkey.
Next he will come riding on the clouds of heaven to reign over us, claim us as His own, to live with us in the new heaven and earth forever (Revelation 21- 22).
Come, Lord Jesus, Come!
On the heels of this, another Palm Sunday, as we begin this Holy Week, may we constantly, centrally, be reminded of its significance, value for our lives today.
That very important day in history, when Jesus centered Himself directly, and decisively into the eternal affairs of man, began His journey towards the cross.
Yet maybe again, ultimately centrally, amid busy lives, on the heels of Spring Break, or in all the upcoming thoughts about Easter, the real central meaning of it may, even unintentionally, get missed – again – until the next Palm Sunday.
One day, Palm Sunday will be an every day celebration of the centrality of Jesus!
His Word becomes central, reveals such great truths in every part of this story.
Truths that draw us closer towards Christ, reminding us that He alone is King…
Palm Sunday reminders Centering Christ as Our King
1. God’s Word tells us the people cut palm branches, waved them in the air, and laid them out on the ground before Jesus as He rode into the city.
The palm branch represented goodness and victory and was symbolic of the final victory He would soon fulfill over death.
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55
2. Jesus chose to ride in on a donkey, which directly fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy of Zechariah. 9:9.
In Biblical times, it was common for kings or important people to arrive by a procession riding on a donkey.
The donkey symbolized peace, so those who chose to ride them showed that they came with peaceful intentions.
Jesus even then reminded us that He is the Prince of Peace.
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Zechariah. 9:9
3. When the people shouted “Hosanna!” they were hailing Christ as King.
That word actually means “save us now,” and though in their own minds, they waited for an earthly king, God had a different plan of bringing true salvation to all who would trust in Him.
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!” Psalm 118:26
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
4. The Bible says that Jesus wept for Jerusalem.
Amid the praise of the moment, He knew in His heart that it wouldn’t be long that these same people would turn their backs on Him, betray Him, and crucify Him, truly His heart broke with the reality of how much they needed a Savior.
“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it, and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes.” Luke 19:41-42
5. Palm Sunday reminds us that the reign of Christ is far greater than any man’s mind could ever conceive or plan.
Man looked for someone to fight their battles in the present day world.
Yet God had the ultimate plan of sending His Son to fight the final battle over the grave and death itself.
This is the greatness of why we celebrate this week.
Because of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, we can be set free of death.
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,'” John 11:25
We have so much to be grateful for this week.
The enemy knows that, and you can bet, the enemy will do everything he can to distract us from this Holy Week’s true meaning.
Don’t let him win.
In this Holy Week, I fervently pray may God direct our thoughts and attention towards the exact center what and who matters most, Jesus Christ our King…
Let’s choose to center our focus on worshipping our Lord, thanking Him for the gift of His sacrifice, celebrating the power of the Resurrection, and the new life found in only one place, being the exact, exacting center of Him and Him alone.
Let us center our day, celebrate Palm Sunday as the crowds that greeted Christ that day, singing “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
O Lord Jesus Christ, when you entered Jerusalem, great crowds waved palm branches and cried “Hosanna.”
Save us now from our sins, and make us to rejoice in you, our only Redeemer;
through your mercy, O our God, you are blessed, and live and govern all things, now and forever. Amen.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 