Jesus appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then Jesus appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time (most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep). 7 Then Jesus appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
Luke 6:29
To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.
This is, of course, Easter week. And God sees God days of thousands of years. So in Father God's time this morning Jesus offered up His own Life and His Seamless Chiton Holy Robe. Tradition says it would look like this:
The Week of Easter provides a lifelong thought process and journey about Forgiveness.
Luke 23:34
And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
And they cast lots to divide his garments.
Tom Halladay and Rick Warren did a combination Bible Study and Book "The Relationship Principles of Jesus" and the Study called "40 Days of Love." This study considered all the aspects biblically of the Forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
Let's look at the list of the Bible.
Jesus had a long, incredible list to forgive.
~ His mother and brothers for trying to stop His Ministry and knowing of The Annunciation.
~ Peter and Thomas swore they'd never desert Jesus.
~ Eleven of 12 Disciples.
~ Some of the 72 Disciples upon hearing Communion would be eating the body and blood of Jesus, they never walked with Jesus again.
~ And astonishingly the list continues to the deaf heard, the blind saw, the lame walked, the lepers (9 of the 10) cleansed.
~ The list of those who knew immediately this was the Messiah: John the Baptist (doubted in prison at death's door), Andrew and Phillip had eye-witness testimony from John the Baptist, Peter and Nathaniel. With no clear word of the Samaritan woman from the well.
~ All 2 - 3 thousand people of Capernaum knew the first week of Jesus' ministry - all were being healed, all the town turned out for Jesus' first Sermon.
~ The Great Crowd following Jesus through the wilderness the day the Widow of Nain's son had his funeral bier merely touched by the Son of God - left his own funeral alive again.
~ Jairus is not mentioned again after his daughter had risen from the dead.
~ Being flogged to death, beaten to small beaten pieces by Pontius Pilate after being declared 'innocent' and with a message of innocence from Pontius Pilate's wife.
~ A week after Palm Sunday hopes Jesus to become King of Israel.
~ Let's not forget - you. Jesus died for your sins. And mine.
~ The sin of the world God wants to ... save. Jesus has carried, covered the sins of the world.
When you stop to think about Jesus having to facing hate after His Ministry.
Dying of a broken heart according to an Autopsy Study done by Mayo Clinic Doctors. You can well wonder what forgiveness is.
We know Jesus, His Father and the Holy Spirit work in such tandem, we know Father God knows in nano-second-by-second-detail each detail as Jesus felt in every cell and thought in His Body.
Hear O Israel, the Lord God is One.
And so we face Judgement from God Crucified. And Risen.
What do we see in this Incredible Heart Breaking Forgiveness?
Jesus and Father God did not have the Temple fall during the natural life time of Jesus. Those who had seen the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus healed them all. Displaying His Father's Abundance. Rome did not destroy the Temple and Judah until 70 A.D. The Willing Love God gives. God was taking charge, establishing the firmness of His forgiveness. Giving an eternal example.
John rightly said in John 21 we cannot know and list all Jesus said and did. We need the other Gospels to see more of just a glimpse. God Plan was the solid foundation of miracles standing firm. The deaf heard, the blind saw, the lame walked, the lepers cleansed. The Solid Promise of God healed them all.
John recorded by gentile Roman History was boiled in oil and made a horror for Emperor Domitian. Even the Emperor is unable to kill John and the incredible amazement of the entire Coliseum. ------- John survived unharmed. Emperor Domitian literally throwing John into a boiling cauldron of oil in front of a large, large Population of Rome. Faith was found for Jesus.. Domitian had no other way to put John away, other than exile on Patmos. Not surprisingly, Father God Planned John's long life and they wrote one of the most memorable books of the Bible, with the most glimpses of Heaven. Heaven beyond description with such splendor.
Mary Magdalene adopted eternally for her diligent search for Jesus. Seek and find - Jesus Promises us as well.
1 Corinthians 2
Jesus appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then Jesus appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time (most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep). 7 Then Jesus appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
And Jesus appears to Paul.
In fact, many people I know have had Jesus Love and appreciate them in their dreams. And warming hearts and changing lives proving Jesus is Love Magnificent.
Now we reach Forgiveness.
Ephesians 2 tells us God sees each of us and names us. Amazing when you consider the Millions of people seen in ancient of days and now. Crowds of people known to the God of All. Our Father. Many days have passed from those traveling the footpaths of rural Judah.
Crowds and Crowds of people known to God. The hairs on their head numbered. Father God would save all. And knows their stories of joy and struggle as well as the sparrows.
God one time sponsored a traffic jam and called it Exodus.
Eternity is without the cage of time. God invents time in this part of life. We don't see how we connect with dusty roads and men in dust robes.
We can say this age has divorce and disposable families. We move just as mankind moved all over the world in mummies found in China in 3,000 B.C. Horses from Europe. People from India and the U.K. and Denmark. Found in China mummified. Life and mankind are similar. Even if now we orbit the earth in rockets. 1500 A.D. had just as much divorce. As the USA was turning territories into states, we had a lot of divorce. It was called move to another state or territory suddenly and don't tell or leave a forwarding address. Divorce was called abandonment.
Now - Let us connect the ages through the Ancient of Days - Father God. Hear Oh Israel, God is One.
Forgiveness.
Bullying. Stalking. War. Robbery. Divorce. Theft. Familial death. Loss. Trauma. Accident. Illness. Child death. Illness. Pain. Loss of home. Old age when all that is familiar departs. Severe disappointment.
How do we relate the events of Easter to life today?
Jesus told several stories in the Bible to let us know His Burden is Light. He gives rest to the weary. His Love is the freedom of the Law. His Love is Liberty to the captive.
The Amazing Glory of God is His Mercy. Above sacrifice is God's Love and Mercy. When we are pressed and do not please our earthly father or our Heavenly Father. When we are the victim and become so angry to take this upon us to act in anger.
In our lives, we will have a Caiaphas. Ananias. We will weep to have a stranger help us like Simon of Cyrene. And have some pain in the comfort and perhaps anger.
We will see those we helped desert us like the nine lepers and only one leper gave thanks. Jesus healed and healed and healed - we know the name of few. Remember the blind, disobedient, beggar named Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus is healed and told to go his way at the end of the 10th Chapter of Mark. Instead of his own way, Bartimaeus chooses the Way of Jesus and follows Jesus.
We will see friends leave like Jesus saw the 72 disciples depart in horror of eating the Body and Blood of Christ.
We will have our family depart from public discussions and told the Family of God does His Will. If you are in a season of glum life, very glum, you can see Mark 24 is a personal roadmap of the sadness of Ecclesiastes House. Ecclesiastes House is despair in old age semi-living in doubt and fear. Sad news, realities of temporary life on this earth. Hard to extremely difficult to have a cross to bear.
Jesus our God. God of Love. God of Encouragement. God of Hope.
Jesus tells us what to do when we have a Cross to bear. God has Given Us His Word. Behold.
Luke 1
Go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins
Because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet
into the path
of peace
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you!"
Jerusalem - "The Lord sees", "Oasis of Justice", "City of Peace", "City of Holiness" in the "City of Peace."
What did Jerusalem Witness of the Risen, Eternal Life-Giving Jesus?
Jesus told us to turn the other cheek.
Jesus told us there are sheep and there are goats.
Jesus told us there is wheat and there is chaff.
Jesus displays forgiveness. All will Live. Jesus is not going to cull His People. Our God has a rich, rich heritage going back to the first days of Genesis saying God requires no human to die to please God. God has taken care of His Righteous and Well Earned Wrath. God has Given Himself.
Our God forgave in His Mercy - All.
And Jesus did not run to where He was going to find chaff - blowing bits of nothing for His Risen Victory. Jesus turned His face to be with those who had hearts for Jesus. 500 and 12 and Paul.
The Light of Mankind would draw multitudes - so fed by the Risen Christ appearing to the 500 and 12 and Paul - Multitudes would change the world - all nations would see the Life and Light of Jesus Christ, Messiah, Son of God. The Beloved of God are welcome in Jesus.
Jesus did not require God to stand Him in the Temple and see applause of the multitudes. Jesus did not require Caiaphas, Ananias and the Sadducean Council to tell Jesus it was a mistake. Jesus was busy forgiving instead.
Jesus was Living Alive and Active in Doing the Will of God. Jesus was finding Joy in His obedience and in His Humility finding the Victory.
The Path of God is established in forgiveness. Jesus was seeing the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
FINALLY, Finally, brothers of God's Family Doing His Will,
Aren't we curious who the 500 were?
Finding these gathered in Jesus - His Beloved. We know the 500 of God - Philippians 4
Finally, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think on these things.
Whatever you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, put these things into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Abba our Father,
We give Thanks for Your Blessings given Willingly. We give thanks for the Joy Jesus has in His Victory and His Beloved in the multitudes and 512.
the Lord of peace, our Abba, gives the 512 peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with us all.
Knowing the example of Jesus - this day and always - we will have peace. In the world, we will have tribulation. But take heart; Jesus overcomes the world.”
God our Abundance Always and Always and Always!
Just as Jesus has fed the thousands and we are the millions and the millenniums fed by our Living Jesus. Personally. We, the Children of our Father, are so very glad to be part of the 12 and the 500.
We pray perfect peace and our mind staying on Jesus. We can do all things through Christ Jesus our Lord. We want our Father always to trust in us.
May our Father God giving endurance and encouragement give us the same attitude of mind toward each other our Christ Jesus has.
May our God of hope fill us with all joy and peace as we trust in our Jesus, we may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Filling us, the ones we love, the nations Trusting in God and those believing in Jesus the ability to go marching in with the Saints of God. 'Oh win, oh win, oh win' the Saints of God go marching in. We want us all to be in that number marching in with the Saints of God.
Alleluia in the Highest Name of Jesus. Amen.
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