GOD'S AMAZING LOVE

What amazing love that God would choose to give up His heavenly home to be born as a human baby just so we could have salvation.  

Today we had Communion at church - and the origin of the Communion commemoration was the night before the exodus of God's people from slavery in Egypt under a Pharaoh who didn't remember why thy were there in the first place.  

Back in Jewish history, Abraham had a son born to his wife, Sarah, named Isaac.  Isaac had twin sons, named Esau and Jacob, with Jacob conniving (with help from his mother) to be the one who got his father's blessing.  Jacob had 12 sons, but Joseph was very much a favorite, because he was born of the woman Jacob loved most.  Because of Jacob's favoritism to this son, the older brothers faked his death and sold him to merchants who were passing by where they were grazing their father's sheep.  Once in Egypt, he was sold to the ruler, Potiphar, and became a servant to him.  (I won't go into all that happened in his earliest years in Potiphar's service, but what a story!)

Eventually Joseph became a highly acclaimed leader, second only to Potiphar, and it was during that time that there was a horrible famine in his homeland, and his brothers came before him to buy grain. (Again another WOW! story.)  Ultimately it is a story of God placing him in the right place for the right time. It is a wonderful story, but not my current focus.  I just want to establish the basis for why the Hebrews (Israelites) were in Egypt.  Because of the famine, Joseph's entire family came to live in Egypt, and were treated very well because of Joseph.  And then time went by.  In fact, almost 400 years of time.  The Hebrews, who were the foreigners, grew to be a very large group, and the Pharaoh at the time was afraid they would also become powerful, so he enslaved them, using them to build the bricks to build his cities (and very likely the pyramids) until God sent someone to rescue them.  

That someone was Moses.  He was born to Hebrew parents, but hidden to escape Pharaoh's mandate to kill all Hebrew baby boys at birth. When he was too old to hide at home any longer, his mother hid him in a basket in the reeds at the edge of the river, and when the Princess came down to bathe she heard the baby, felt immediate love for him, and adopted him as her own.  Moses' elder sister was not far away that day.  She was watching over her baby brother from the shore, and immediately went to the Princess and asked her if she would like to hire a nursemaid.  The Princess said yes, and so it was Moses' own mother who nursed him and cared for him until he was old enough to be weaned.  

Moses grew up in the palace, but he didn't forget his heritage.  When he was about 40 years old he saw one of the Hebrews being abused by an Egyptian and he killed the Egyptian; and because of that had to run for his life.  But again God had a plan.  After 40 years in exile, God called Moses to return to Egypt to be the leader who would bring His people out of bondage. Multiple plagues ensued, with Moses pleading for Pharaoh to let his people go, with Pharoah's heart being hardened each time and saying no - until the final plague.  

God told Moses to have everyone prepare to leave, to prepare unleavened bread (think whole wheat crackers), and to kill a young lamb for each household, put some of the blood of the lamb over the top and sides of the doorposts of their houses, roast the lamb, and stay inside.  That night the Angel of Death passed through Egypt and killed the firstborn male of everything - both animal and people. But the Angel "passed over" the houses protected by the blood of the lamb.  No one in those homes died.  And finally Pharaoh relented (briefly) and told Moses to take his people and leave.  

That Passover was commemorated every year by the Jewish faithful up to the time of Jesus. And Jesus became the Passover Lamb, the perfect Lamb of God, the final sacrifice ever needed. On the night before He died on the cross, He celebrated Passover with His disciples, and he changed Passover from being about remembering their ancestor's rescue from Egypt to being about Him and the ultimate sacrifice He was about to make to provide salvation for all who would accept his sacrifice.  

So, when we drink the "cup", the grape juice or wine of the commemoration, we are remembering that His blood over the door of our hearts is our protection from eternal separation from God, i.e., eternal death; and when we eat the unleavened bread, we are remembering that Jesus said it was symbolic of his flesh that was wounded for us: a crown of thorns that pierced His head, the lashing of the whip that had pieces of metal hooks and rock attaches to the ends of the things to tear away the flesh, the spikes nailed through his hands and feet, the spear thrust through his side as he hung on the cross, the mediator between God and man.  Fully God.  Fully human.  Fulfilling the purpose He came to earth to do - to provide us Salvation.  

What amazing love.  That Jesus (God) would come as a baby, live in our broken world, and then choose to be the sacrificial lamb for us, to take our place, and be slaughtered to pay the price for all sin for all time.  The thousands of animals that were sacrificed as offerings were only symbolic.  He was and is the only one who can forgive us of Sin.  He did.  He does.  All we have to do is accept the gift of Salvation that he offers us.  

John 3:16  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life.  John 3:17  For God did to send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  He paid the price for our ticket to Heaven, but we have to reach out and accept it.  

DAY 14 – COUNTING TO ASCENSION

BACKTRACKING, LESSON 10:  THE SABBATH OF PASSOVER

 

What Mary knew

Reading for today:
Luke 1:26-56
Luke 2:21-53
John 19:25-27

Jesus’ followers were Jews. They honored the Sabbath. Sabbath lasted from dusk on Friday until dusk on Saturday. The Sabbath followng Jesus’ crucifixion was a very special Sabbath. It was the Sabbath of the annual commemoration of Passover.

The Jewish faithful were celebrating the redemption of their ancestors from Egypt – the exodus of a people who had become slaves – who had been held in slavery for most of their 400 years in Egypt. Moses and Pharoah had a running dialogue, with plague after plague thrust upon the Egyptian people, with Moses repeatedly imploring, “Let my people go!”

The final plague occurred during the night (beginning about midnight) after the children of Israel consumed that very first Passover feast. The Angel of Death touched the firstborn of every living thing in Egypt with death – from the mightiest to the lowliest. All who did not have the blood of the lamb sprinkled over the doorpost of their abode lost their firstborn. And in the grief of his personal loss, Pharoah finally said, “Go!”

During the Israelites’ forty years of wandering in the desert God instituted laws that would instruct them in how to live their lives, and how to honor Him. Honoring the Sabbath Day, just as God had hallowed it by resting that day in His creation, was an imperative. It was part of the Old Covenant, and until the institution of the New Covenant they lived by that Covenant. Jesus had just made a New Covenant the night he celebrated the Passover with his disciples, but it was not yet shared….

My explanation is just to affirm the timeline they were restricted by.  On Saturday night after the Sabbath ended it was too late to go out to the site of Jesus’ burial – but early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, those who longed to honor Him could wait no longer.

My thoughts thrust me this morning to Mary, Mother of Jesus. As a little girl she heard the stories of the Messiah who was to come. He was to be born of a virgin. I imagine that every devoted Jewish girl wondered who that lucky girl would be – probably fancying He would be born into a lavish home, his mother one of prestigious birth. He would be the conquering King after all – so how could he be born to anyone outside a powerful, wealthy family?

God had another plan. It was she who was chosen – and as events leading to his birth and earliest days unfolded, she treasured all of those memories up in her heart. From the announcement of the angel Gabriel that she would be the one who birthed God’s Son; to Elizabeth’s greeting of, “Who am I that the mother of my Lord should greet me…;” to the shepherd’s telling of the angels’ hillside proclamation; to Simeon’s prophecy over the child at Jesus’ dedication in the temple when Jesus was 40 days old – and Simeon’s declaration that now that He had seen God’s salvation, he could die in peace.

Then, to have Wise Men from the East come and bow before the child in a humble cottage in Bethlehem, and gift him such expensive gifts….there was a lot to ‘treasure up.’

No doubt the necessary flight into Egypt was not quite in her vision of what she thought would be intended for this one who would someday be King…. However, having angels come and direct their comings and goings for Jesus’ protection…. More things to treasure up.

And then, to be his mother – to watch him grow, see his respect, witness firsthand his absolute perfection. He was sinless. No tantrums. No unfair treatment of siblings. Ever the peacemaker. I have great kids, and am incredibly blessed – but He was absolutely perfect in every way, in every situation, in every decision.

Oh, he gave his parents one bit of grief when he stayed in Jerusalem when he was twelve, having stimulating discussions with the religious leaders at the temple when his parents assumed he was somewhere with the group from Nazareth as they made their way back to their own town up north after being in Jerusalem for – not coincidentally – the Feast of the Passover! A trek they made annually.

That’s the only glimpse we actually get of Jesus as a child – at twelve – and he was ‘about His Father’s business.’ Other than that, all we are told is that Jesus grew and became strong…grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

 

Mary had not forgotten any of that. We aren’t privy to what else Jesus had shared with her, but we do know that His own siblings didn’t believe in Him until after the resurrection. In fact, from the cross, Jesus made sure Mary would be cared for by ‘gifting her to John’ and ‘John to her.’

Mary was in town for the Feast of The Passover again this year. But this time, she stood near the cross – watched her child who had prophecies proclaimed over Him before, during and after His birth, bleeding. Watched the soldiers take his beautifully woven seamless garment and cast lots for which one would own it, heard Jesus’ final words, wept…. Watched Jesus die….

We do not know precisely what Mary knew. We do not know how much Jesus had told his mother – but there is no indication that he had forewarned her…but Simeon had. He had told her, …a sword shall pierce your own soul, too. And now it had come true.

Mary had experienced the pain of misunderstanding when she first became pregnant outside wedlock. She lived with that taint on her life. People around her didn’t believe she was chosen – or that this first of her many children was God incarnate. What Mary did know and hold closely was what God had revealed to her – through the Angel Gabriel; through corroboration of her soon-to-be husband, Joseph; through Elizabeth, her cousin; through shepherds; and Simeon; and the prophetess Anna; and what she saw of Jesus as he grew.

 

(Mary was also there at the wedding in Cana, and knew enough to know her son could save the day….)

The reality of what Mary experienced versus what she might have assumed would happen reminds me clearly that God’s call on my own life may not go as my script would design…. But I know the One who died and who came back holds me safely in His hands. The cross is where Justice and Mercy collide. Sin demanded payment. Justice was served. But Justice came clothed in love – bathed in the mercy of the Redeemer’s blood.

It is Jesus’ shed blood that saves. There is no other way.

It is important in this world of political correctness that has gone all wrong with its assumptions to also note that God’s sacrifice of Himself on the Cross to redeem us from Sin does not save everyone – only those who accept it… and who fall humbly at the foot of that cross, and allow that blood to flow over them in cleansing power.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. It’s that simple….

Thank you, Lord, for all you have done for us so we can be free to live for You!

The rub is – on that Passover Sabbath in 33 A D when Mary had so much to ponder, the Jewish people were celebrating Passover  – their ancestors’ release from Egyptian captivity – while anticipating another ‘freeing from captivity’ when their Messiah would finally come….

He did. He had just died on the cross on Friday afternoon, the Lamb of God who took away the Sins of the world. Most of them missed out on that reality. They’re still waiting. But we know He came. On Resurrection morning, He arose. Mary’s suffering soul pierced with grief soon experienced JOY!

When He comes again, present grief will also turn to joy! That is a great reminder on days when the pain of loss is pervasive.

DAY 4 - COUNTING TO ASCENSION

Day 3: POST RESURRECTION

BACKTRACKING TO ‘GOOD’ FRIDAY: LESSON 1

(6 p m Thursday  – 6 p m Friday)

AKA – at least for me – ‘BLACK’ FRIDAY

Reading for today:
Matthew 26:20
Mark 14:17
Luke 22:14 – 16

In my passionate pursuit of the Journey to the Cross – and beyond – there was just too much to write about concerning all Jesus was going through, so this is as good a time as any to step back and look more closely at all that happened at the end of His time on earth.

It’s going to take several days to explore how it all went down according to the fused scriptural accounts, so hang in with me if you want to go for the ride!

In Jewish custom, the day began at 6 p m – so even though we celebrate Passover on Thursday evening – 6 p m Thursday was the beginning of their Friday, and ‘evening’ was after 6 p m.  As you will recall, Peter and John were the two that were sent to prepare the Passover on Thursday – and when it was prepared, all 12 disciples came together to eat the meal that commemorated the time in Jewish history when God delivered their Israelite ancestors from the tyranny of slavery in Egypt. 

God sent multiple plagues, but Pharaoh’s heart was hardened each time, until at last, with the final plague, he was broken enough to release them (even though he changed his mind within hours – but by then they had made their exit.)

In the original Passover meal that was prepared prior to their flight from Egypt, the people were instructed to choose a perfect one-year-old male lamb (either sheep or goat), take the lamb into their home and care for the lamb for 4 days, then all of Israel must kill their lamb at twilight.  (The lamb would have been chosen on Sunday – the same day Jesus rode into Jerusalem thus declaring Himself the ‘chosen one’.)

That gets really personal for me…. They would have literally made the lamb a pet – and then had to kill it. They would have felt its warm breath against their cheek, its fur under their fingers as they petted it. They would have heard it bleat when it needed something – and experienced the trust it placed in them as they became ‘friends.’ They would have seen its complete submission to them in its eyes – and then they would have slaughtered it at twilight on what would be Wednesday evening to us – the beginning of their Thursday.

What a violation of trust! The realization of what they did thrusts me back in time to childhood. We grew our own beef. We killed them. We ate them. But then, one year, my Dad bought a young calf to raise instead of an older one that he just had to fatten up a bit. This calf wasn’t just ‘steaks-on-the-hoof.’ This calf was given a name. His name was Blackie. Blackie became a pet. I felt his warm muzzle as he ate grain from my hand, thrilled to his recognition of me whenever I approached, cried when he met the intended fate for which he was purchased. And – I wouldn’t eat meat again until Blackie was gone. He wasn’t just beef. He was my friend. Just remembering makes me tear-up. And I’m a carnivore! I’m sharing that to make a point. They killed a lamb they were fond of – something dear and precious and loved.

They were to take some of the blood of the lamb and put it on the sides and tops of the exterior doorframes of the houses where they were going to eat the lambs. Then they were to stay in those houses – and when the Angel of Death came, he would ‘pass over’ all of the houses that were marked by the blood of the lamb. The only way they would be saved was by the blood of the lamb. The only way we can be saved is by the blood of the Lamb – the Lamb of God who gave his life for us.

Exodus 12 and Deuteronomy 16 outline the instructions for observing the Passover. It was to be celebrated ‘for the generations to come.’ Jesus honored that annual celebration – and then He made it into a celebration about Him – the New Covenant in His blood. That was huge!

On that first Passover night before they left Egypt they were to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. Jesus and his disciples would have done just as Scripture instructed. They would have killed the lamb at twilight, roasted the meat over the fire during the daylight hours, then had their meal together in the upper room that Peter and John had prepared for them earlier in the day.

As part of their Passover celebration Jesus washed their feet, instructed them that this bread he was breaking was his body broken for them, and that the wine was his blood poured out for them.

Several years ago I had the opportunity to hear a man who represented ‘Jews for Jesus’ explain the Passover feast and its significance. Every custom that is being practiced today has significance related to Jesus’ death and resurrection. It was a wonderful event to be part of. On two other occasions I have attended a ‘Passover Feast’ with the readings by a pastor, and the customs performed by all the participants, including the eating of the bitter herbs, and dinner with lamb – though ours wasn’t roasted over the fire as the Old Testament prescribed…. And, I’ve seen it enacted, with a low table and 13 men reclining around the table, dressed in garb reminiscent of what we would perceive men of their day wearing – and reciting the lines preserved for us in the New Testament.

Those opportunities make quite an impact – and make the event they shared that evening more clear. It is something I would love to be part of annually because it makes the parallels between the children of Israel being rescued from bondage under the Egyptians – and us being rescued from the bondage under sin so poignantly clear. We honor the New Covenant in Jesus’ blood every time we take communion. I realize that. We remember his sacrifice for us – remember his death until He comes – just as He bade his followers to do in the early morning hours of their Friday morning – late evening on Thursday in our reckoning of time…we just may not personally experience the full impact of the message quite as dramatically in our sacramental symbols as we would in the full-meal-deal remembrance observed for Passover.

For my ‘extra’ today I’ll share another of my poems:

CHOICES
by Lola Cain

My father came home with two hats and he said,
“Which color, my dear, shall I place on your head?”
I thoughtfully shrugged and replied, “I don’t care.
“Let brother choose which one he wants of the pair.”

And brother responded, as always was true,
“I want the one she wants.” So what could I do?
I promptly decided ‘I really want red,’
but quickly said, “I want the blue one” instead.

Then brother confirmed what I already knew
and cried out, “Oh, Daddy, I too want the blue.”
So sweetly, demurely and kindly I said,
“O K. He can have it. I’ll take red instead.”

When later the choice was for balls red or blue
Same question. Same answer. Same outcome was true.
The difference was – by now father knew
by my wink – I had gotten what I wanted, too.


This poem is based on fact. The hats were cowboy hats, and were brown and blue, instead of red and blue. I don’t remember the colors of the balls – but the principle is intact. When asked his preference my younger brother always responded, “I want the one Lola wants.” Now I recognize that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I treasure the warmth of when we were ‘young and very close.’ It is a time captured in memory. Oh how precious those memories are!

Journey to the Cross 2017, Day 38

Thursday, Day 38:  PASSOVER             

Countdown – 3 days

Reading for today:
Matthew 26:17-29
Mark 14:12-25
Luke 22:7-38
John 13 & 14 (+15-17 for full discourse)

Exodus 12 (especially verses 7 & 22)

The synoptic gospels record some of the basic facts – from varying points of view, of course – but John was there. He and Peter were the two disciples who were sent per Jesus’ instructions to prepare the Passover feast. They had undoubtedly celebrated two or three prior Passovers with him, so when it came to the day of Unleavened Bread – and time to make preparation – they asked him where – and he told them.

The annual seven-day celebration of Passover commemorated the Israelites’ escape from Egypt, when God directed the people (through Moses) to bake unleavened bread for their journey – bread that would not spoil – and then slaughter a lamb and put its blood on the outside of the door casing on the top and sides of the door frame so that when the angel of death ‘passed over’ their homes would be spared. It was a huge celebration every year after that – in remembrance of the miraculous deliverance of the Jewish people from 400 years of captivity in Egypt.

The lamb they were to eat would have been slaughtered at sundown (the night before in our thinking) – as that was the beginning of their day –  and the daylight hours would be spent doing the food preparation for the dinner they would share later in the day. 

It was customary for a servant to wash the feet of the guests when they entered a home. It was a practical and appropriate gesture. They wore sandals, and the dusty – or occasionally muddy – roads soiled their feet. On this night, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. In fact, in John’s report of the evening, Jesus modeled the kind of behavior He wanted His followers to emulate. It is tender reading – both a mirror and a plumb line....

Matthew lets us know that there was more than one cup. I don’t recall what tradition says about how many there were in their remembrance celebration – and it doesn’t really matter – but what does matter is that Jesus used this moment to change the celebration to be about Him from that Passover forward instead of about the history of the Israelites.

There is a discrepancy of whether he gave them the bread first or the cup first. I’ll acknowledge that – then move on.... The words He said are reported differently as well, so the following is a summarization – with the intent intact – though they are certainly not precise quotes.

The Passover feast used unleavened bread – just as the Israelites would have baked in preparation for their flight from Egypt. Jesus took a crisp wafer of unleavened bread and graphically snapped it between His hands, then passed it to his disciples and said, “This is my body, broken for you....  Take and eat. Do this in remembrance of me.”

He also took the cup, gave thanks, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.... Drink all of it....”

The most bizarre thing is that John reports 5 long chapters of information –  most not mentioned in the other gospels – and he doesn’t report on this ‘sacrament’ at all.

Just a couple of additional observations: John may have felt the others already covered that – and he could fill in all of the other details they missed. He was there. Jesus would have followed the prescribed Passover, which slaughtered a perfect lamb to become the substitute for sin – and now He made this a model to be followed with a different application.

The Passover meal would go into the night, and in ‘their day’ move them from Thursday to Friday, since Friday (for them) began at 6 p m...

And – as a ‘sacrament’ that we follow, the words of institution say, “As oft as you do this, do this in remembrance of me.” They did it once a year – and only once a year – at Passover, at the ‘Feast of Unleavened Bread.’ And every time it was done from that day forward, instead of remembering the Israelites being rescued from the land of Egypt under Moses’ leadership, those who were followers of Christ celebrated the amazing gift of God’s love poured out for man...the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world…Jesus’ sacrificial gift which freed us from the curse of sin.

I realize I am being repetitious, but the importance of what he changed Passover to be is monumental and is worth reiterating.  

I cannot write all the things that fill my heart....  In John’s account, it appears they leave the Upper Room at the end of Chapter 14 – but on their journey to the Mount of Olives Jesus continues teaching them.... Re-reading these words now with all of this clearly in mind: knowing Judas has left to betray Jesus – yet Jesus’ focus is on final teaching moments – with some of my most favorite messages shared – between the upper room and the Mount of Olives, as they cross the Kidron Valley....

Read them for yourself, from His perspective.... I am the vine, you are the branches.... My command is this: love each other as I have loved you....

What amazing love....

Jesus gets no sleep tonight….

Journey to the Cross 2017, Day 35

Monday, Day 35:  The Final Week      

Countdown: 6 days

Reading for today:
Matthew 21:10-17
Mark 11:12-19
Luke 19:45-48

So – blending the gospel accounts – it appears that as Jesus was walking back to Jerusalem from Bethany on Monday morning He cursed a fig tree that had no figs – but it wasn’t even fig season....  I have to assume it was for the purpose of creating a teachable moment....

Bethany was a 2-mile walk from Jerusalem.  Bethany was a village nestled near the base of the Mount of Olives, to the east of Jerusalem. Bethphage was along the route to Jerusalem, and was a very small village on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives is a long hill – not just a peak....  It helps me visualize to have more information.

Jesus destination in Jerusalem was the temple – but when He entered, He was infuriated because the profiteers had made it a den of robbers. Jews had come ‘up’ to Jerusalem from all over Israel as well as from other surrounding countries to celebrate the Passover. The poor and those who traveled long distances were dependent on purchasing the lambs or doves they would have to have for their sacrifice after they arrived in Jerusalem. They could only make those purchases with local coins, which necessitated there being money-changers – and the money-changers were short-changing the customers. Jesus tossed them all out. They were in business to line their own pockets, not to provide a fair-market-value service.

I don’t believe this is an indictment on garage sales, bake sales, church auctions, and other appropriate fundraisers held in churches, as some have tried to make it. If they had had a ‘helping service’ that truly helped, offering a fair exchange, I do not believe it would have invoked Jesus’ ire. His act is a model for what should elicit righteous indignation in us: inequities and abuses that deny rights, denigrate, and devour. His house is to be a house of prayer. He is to be the priority. Serving others in His name is to be the model. They bilked others under the guise of helping....

Far more delightful to note today is what happened next: something we rarely pay attention to! While the money-changers were cleaning up the mess and trying to sort out whose was what, Jesus was at the temple healing people. Even the little children were caught up in the praises, shouting ‘Hosanna to the Son of David.” What a telling statement Matthew makes: ‘When the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting (praise) in the temple area...they were indignant.’

Not just miffed – but filled with such animosity that their resolve to kill him was an obsession. Jesus didn’t let their hatred deter Him.  He continued healing and teaching. I need to pay attention to that model. No matter what tries to distract, I need to stay focused and not be deterred from pursuing the right priorities. May it be so....

Matthew tells us Jesus spent the night in Bethany again.

------

Postscript for 2017:

As those who have been reading my blog entires for this year know, this post was originally written in 2010.  If I were writing fresh today, I would have other thoughts, I am sure....  One of those is the condition of our world.  It's scary out there, but God alone offers us hope - and that hope was made possible through Jesus.  

One of the first things I saw today was Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch being affirmed.  His speech of humility and gratitude was tenderly touching.  I am so grateful that we have another justice filling Antonin Scalia's seat who believes in the foundational purity of the Constitution instead of viewing it as a fluid document.  There are ways to change laws -  but it is not the role of the Justices.  Their role is to uphold the constitution in its original intent and uphold the laws not recreate them.