John 15:12-27 ~ The Spirit of Truth

John 15:12-27

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

Genesis 1:

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.


Acts 2:
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. They persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

This lists the fate of the formerly fearful apostles of Jesus:

SIMON, GIVEN THE NAME PETER ~ Peter worked among the Jews before he eventually reached Rome, where he was the first bishop. Along with the Apostle Paul, he may have been executed around AD64 during the persecutions of Emperor Nero, or later in AD67. Apparently he was crucified, head-down, at his own request. Later church archaeology found that St. Peter's in Rome was built over his grave. This article is complete with photographs.

JAMES, SON OF ZEBEDEE - A FISHERMAN ~ During the persecutions of Herod Agrippa I, King of the Jews, in c AD44, the apostle James was beheaded - Before his death, James the Greater as he is known to distinguish him from James, son of Alphaeus, preached in Jerusalem and Judea, modern Israel. A later Spanish tradition is that James preached the Gospel there sometime before his death.

The Synagogue of Capernaum has pillar with the name Zebedee and his son's James and John - disciples of Jesus.

Acts 12:1-2 - "It was at this time (of great famine, possibly around AD44) that King Herod laid violent hands on some of the Church members. James, John's brother, he executed with the sword ....."

JOHN, BROTHER OF JAMES and SON OF ZEBEDEE - A FISHERMAN ~ According to John's Gospel (19:26-27), it was John who took Mary, the mother of Jesus, as his adopted mother. He preached in Jerusalem, and later, as bishop of Ephesus, south of Izmir in western Turkey, worked among the churches of Asia Minor. During the reigns of either Emperor Nero (AD54-68) or Domitian (AD81-96), he was banished to the nearby island of Patmos, now one of the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. He was subsequently freed and died a natural death at Ephesus c. AD 100.

PHILIP ~ Philip preached the Gospel in Phrygia (west central Turkey) before dying or being martyred there at Hieropolis.

BARTHOLOMEW, also NATHANAEL ~ The missionary work of Bartholomew is linked with Armenia (present day Armenia, eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, north western Iran) and India. Other locations include Egypt, Arabia, Ethiopia and Persia (Iran). Traditionally he met his death by being flayed or skinned alive, and then beheaded. Derbent, north of present day Baku on the Caspian Sea may have been his place of martyrdom. Recent archaeological findings, Scripture written by Bartholomew, in India place 2nd century gospel carried in by Bartholomew.

THOMAS DIDYMUS - 'DOUBTING THOMAS' ~ Thomas may have labored for the Gospel in Parthia (including modern Iraq and Iran), but stronger traditions link him with southern India. Indian Christians from the west coast Kerala area claim they were evangelized by Thomas, who was later speared to death near Madras on the east coast. Mount St. Thomas, close to Madras is associated with his name.

MATTHEW, also LEVI - TAX-COLLECTOR/PUBLICAN ~ Nothing definite is known of Matthew's career. After preaching in Judea, different traditions place his missionary work and possible martyrdom in Ethiopia or Persia. The first Gospel of the New Testament from the earliest times been attributed to Matthew.

JAMES, SON OF ALPHAEUS ~ Known as James the Less, to distinguish him from James the Greater, son of Zebedee, but more likely because of his smaller stature than his relative importance. He, and Jude, should not be confused with James and Jude (or Judas), the brothers of Jesus. Most commentators treat them as separate sets of brothers. Tradition claims he first worked in Palestine (Israel) before preaching and martyrdom in Egypt.

JUDE, also THADDAEUS ~ Jude is also confused in some sources with Jude, one of the brothers of Jesus. He may have preached in Assyria (eastern Iraq) and Persia (Iran), before joining with Simon the Zealot and being killed with him in Persia.

SIMON THE ZEALOT or PATRIOT ~ Simon is referred to both as the "Cananaean" and the "Zealot". The titles may refer to him being "zealous", or to his membership of one of the Jewish revolutionary movements known as Zealots. One tradition is that he first preached in Egypt, before joining Jude and travelling to Persia, where both were martyred. Simon may have been crucified or hacked to death.

MATTHIAS ~ As a disciple from the time of Jesus' baptism through to his death and resurrection, and possibly one of the 72 sent out to preach and heal, Matthias was chosen by prayer and the drawing of lots to replace Judas Iscariot as the twelfth apostle, Acts 1:15-26. No more is heard of him in the New Testament, and the various traditions are made more confusing because of the similarity of his name to Matthew's. He may have preached and been martyred in Ethiopia, Other traditions place him in Judea, and later Cappadocia (eastern Turkey) and the Caspian Sea area.

PAUL OR SAUL OF TARSUS ~ Paul traveled widely, made at least three major missionary journeys, wrote many letters of which thirteen still exist, and his life and work is touched upon in a variety of ways in his letters. On returning to Jerusalem after his third journey, he was arrested and during his subsequent trials, as a Roman citizen "appealed to Caesar" for judgement - all covered by Acts 21-26. Chapters 27 and 28 then describe Paul's voyage and journey to Rome in fascinating nautical detail. The Catholic Church researched for 20 years the stumbled upon bones in St. Paul's . After careful research, the bones St. Paul in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, were declared to be Paul's.

For some two years after his arrival in Rome, he was under house-arrest, before possibly being executed in the persecutions of Emperor Nero that followed the burning of Rome in AD64.

However, there are strong traditions that on appeal to the Emperor on what was a Jewish religious charge, he was acquitted. He remained free for perhaps three years, revisiting Ephesus and other churches, and even going as far as Spain, before being re-arrested and sentenced to death. In his cell, he wrote his last letter - the Second Letter to Timothy - before execution around the year AD67.

Archaeologists say he was beheaded at a place now called Tre Fontane in Rome, and that the church of St. Paul stands over his grave.

The apocryphal "Acts of Paul" describe Paul as "a man small of stature, with a bald head and crooked legs, in a good state of body, with eyebrows meeting and nose somewhat hooked, full of friendliness; for now he appeared like a man, and now he had the face of an angel!"

John 3:16-21 ~ He gave

John 3:16-21 (Revised Standard Version)

[16]
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.


[17] For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
[18] He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
[19] And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
[20] For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
[21] But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God.

Judges 6:36-40 ~ Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece.

Judges 6:36-40

36 Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised- 37 look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said." 38 And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

39 Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew." 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.


Luke 15:3
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.


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Mark 16:9-15 ~ Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature

Mark 16:9-15

9
When he had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.
10
She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping.
11
When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
12
After this he appeared in another form to two of them walking along on their way to the country.
13
They returned and told the others; but they did not believe them either.
14
(But) later, as the eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised.
15
He said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.


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Luke 24: 35-48 ~ Peace be with you

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn's The Meal in Emmaus in 1648.



Luke 24: 35-48 ~ (New American Bible)


35
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
36
While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you."
37
But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
38
Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts?
39
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have."
40
And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
41
While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?"
42
They gave him a piece of baked fish;
43
he took it and ate it in front of them.
44
He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled."
45
Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.
46
And he said to them, "Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day
47
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
48
You are witnesses of these things.


Jesus ate a Mediterranean type diet with Kosher components since He was part of the Jewish culture. Based on biblical references, Jesus ate a diet rich in fish, wheat, whole meal flat bread, olives, olive oil, figs, dates, the occasional lamb and red wine.

These are things we can touch.


John 21:24-25
24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. 25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

John says he is a witness to this. Today, if we traveled to John Rylands Library in Manchester, England, we could see a fragment of Saint John's Gospel dated to 130 AD.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:6
6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

Jesus said something for us to consider, today:

John 20:29
Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

2 Corinthians 5:7
for we walk by faith, not by sight.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.


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Mark 16: 1-8 ~ Who will roll back the stone for us? God will.

Mark 16: 1-8

1
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him.
2
Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.
3
They were saying to one another, "Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?"
4
When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large.
5
On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed.
6
He said to them, "Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him.
7
But go and tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.'"
8
Then they went out and fled from the tomb, seized with trembling and bewilderment. They said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.



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1 Corinthians 15:1-11 ~ He appeared to more than the five hundred of the brothers at the same time

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

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Mark 8:31 ~ blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed

Mark 8

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.
Without the faith to believe that Jesus rose from the dead, there is not Christian faith. The whole of Christian faith says that Jesus rose from the dead after giving his life as atonement for human nature. God gave Jesus his life again and we are given life by the grace of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 28:
9 Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Mark 16:
9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

Luke 24:
9When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

Luke 24:
25 He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.

30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.

Luke 24:
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, "It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

John 20:
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!"

John 20:
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

John 21:
None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.

Acts 1:
2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

John 20:
2 4Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus spoke of us, as well, for Easter of 2008:

John 20:29
Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

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Psalm 127 ~ Unless the Lord watches over

Psalm 127

1 Unless the LORD builds the house,
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.

3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.

4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.

5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate.



Unless the LORD watches over...



Matthew 27:

62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first."

65 "Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

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John 18: 28-40, John 19 ~ The King of the Jews

Scala Sancta, the Holy Stairs, transfered from the archaeological ruins of Pilate's Palace to the Vatican. The stairs are the stone seen through the wood.

John 18: 28-40

28 Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"
30 "If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."

31 Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law."

"But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected. 32 This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.

33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

34 "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"

3 5"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

36 Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

37 "You are a king, then!" said Pilate.
Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

38 "What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him. 39But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?"

40 They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.

John 19

1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.

The flogging instrument seen on the Shroud of Turrin.

4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him." 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, "Here is the man!"

6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, "Crucify! Crucify!"
But Pilate answered, "You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him."

7 The Jews insisted, "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."

8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. "Where do you come from?" he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 "Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"

11 Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."

13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour.
"Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews.

15 But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked.
"We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.
16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."
22 Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."



A cross seen with a sign "King of the Jews" Pilate had written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The ties would have held the condemned down to avoid the prisoners hanging crucified on the Passover & the condemned was nailed to the cross three times. To have death occur from trauma as well as suffocation.

23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

24 "Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing."
So this is what the soldiers did.

25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.

35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," 37and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."

38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.


A new, unused tomb in Israel, similar to the one used for Jesus' body. Where Jesus was placed until Easter resurrection.

Psalm 116 ~ You have delivered my soul, my eyes, my feet

Psalm 116 is thanksgiving the psalmist (and when we read God’s living word, it is you) responds to divine rescue from mortal danger and from near despair with vows promised to God. Verse 9 rejoices that you will walk with God in the land of the living. This is a strong reason to rejoice, God is living and active. He hears our prayers with mercy for this life and we have eternal life in Jesus Christ with Him.

Verse 10 I kept faith, even when I said: even in the days of despair, the psalmist did not lose all hope. We know that faith pleases God.

Verse 13 The cup of salvation is an important part of Holy Week. Jesus became our cup of salvation. The bible tells us that life is in the blood, Jesus told us that communion is a celebration and solemn remembrance that His blood, the wine of communion, is the cup of salvation. A gift from God.

Verse 15 Too costly in the eyes of the LORD: the meaning is death of God's faithful is grievous to God, not that God is pleased with the death. This is why God wept when Lazarus died and He returned Lazarus to the living. God did not rejoice that Jesus, His Son, had to die, but He loved us enough to have atonement for our reconciliation to God. Today, this is debated in more liberal churches. God calls us to holiness, but He has explained that His ways are not our ways.

The Holy Spirit carried men along, moving and guiding them as they wrote in their own words what God wanted them to say. Although the Bible was written on perishable material and copied by hand for many centuries, its accuracy is not in doubt, proven by Dead Sea Scrolls and papyrus from 2,000 years. The Bible has survived persecution & criticism to be read with great interest in each generation. The Bible gives witness to the greatness of the Creator. A loving Father concerned for all of his creation. The church of Jesus Christ has prevailed for 2,000 years against all the doubts, skeptics, haters and will continue until the return of Jesus Christ. This occurs with the love, protection and truth of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 116

1 I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my pleas for mercy.
2 Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
our God is merciful.
6 The Lord preserves the simple;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return, O my soul, to your rest;
for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling;
9 I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.

10 I believed, even when I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted”;
11 I said in my alarm,
“All mankind are liars.”

12 What shall I render to the Lord
for all his benefits to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord,
14 I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his saints.
16 O Lord, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!


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Psalm 69:8-10, 21-22, 31-34 ~ a stranger

Psalm 69:8-10, 21-22, 31-34

8 I have become a stranger to my brethren, an alien to my mother's sons.
9 For zeal for thy house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult thee have fallen on me.
10 When I humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.
21 They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22 Let their own table before them become a snare; let their sacrificial feasts be a trap.
31 This will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs.
32 Let the oppressed see it and be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
33 For the LORD hears the needy, and does not despise his own that are in bonds.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves therein.

In the midst of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for us, God saw Jesus needed help to carry the cross. In the terrible events of that day, the day God changed the sins of the earth, the day that God gave us eternity in the blood of Jesus Christ; in the midst of Jesus’ mortification, Simon of Cyrene, father of Rufus and Alexander, helped Jesus carry the cross. Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21 & Luke 23:26.

That day the Son of God continued to fulfill prophesy and to provide us atonement of our sins. Because of that day, we are victorious over death in the name and grace of Jesus Christ. We should be touched by that love and do as Jesus asked us to do.

John 13:34
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Jesus, we are told in John 1, is the light of the world. Light does not become darkness, Love conquers all. Consider, if you were Simon of Cyrene, an act of kindness to Jesus, compelled or not, in His most desperate hour would touch you for eternity. And think the strong likeliness that Paul's letter to the Romans, Chapter 16 is about Simon of Cyrene’s family.

Romans 16:13
Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.

Let us not forget the victory for us in that terrible time and remember:
Psalm 69: 33 For the LORD hears the needy, and does not despise his own that are in bonds.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and everything that moves therein.


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Mark 11:27-33 ~ Jesus was walking

The Lithostrotos - Greek word meaning pavement, mentioned as Gabbatha in aramaic in John 19:13.

Via Delarosa, or Via Cruis, traces places Jesus walked, specifically during His false trial and condemnation as a criminal to crucifixion. Archaeology would place Jesus at least 20 feet below street level today.

On the Via Delarosa, you would find the path that Jesus Christ walked.

Mark 11:27-33


27 They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. 28 "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you authority to do this?"

29 Jesus replied, "I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 John's baptism—was it from heaven, or from men? Tell me!"

31 They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' 32 But if we say, 'From men'...." (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)

33 So they answered Jesus, "We don't know."
Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."

In this passage about Jesus, we see how He responds to lack of faith & hypocrisy. But this is how God reacts to faith:

Genesis 15:6
6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Matthew 8:8-11
8 The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

10 When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 9:2
Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven."

Matthew 9:22
Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.

Matthew 15:28
Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Matthew 21:21
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.

Mark 10:52
"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Mark 16:14
Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

John 2:11
This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

John 11:45
Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him.

Acts 3:16
By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.


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Isaiah 42:1-7 ~ I, the LORD, have called you

John 1: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

Listen to ocean sound, click on Ocean Waves Moods 1

Isaiah 42:1-7 (New King James Version)

1 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.

3 A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.

4 He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”

5 Thus says God the LORD,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:

6 “ I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,

7 To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.

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Hebrews 11: 24-26, 32-40 ~ looked to the reward

Delilah, דְּלִילָה, Standard Hebrew meaning "One who weakened or uprooted or impoverished" from the root dal meaning "weak or poor". This is the lioness Delilah in the Sambala Sanctuary in California. Lioness live about 15 years.

Jesus is called Lion of the tribe of Judah. Lions are used in the bible to describe the tribe of Judah. The Old Testament uses the analogy of brave men being like lions or lionesses. Samson and King David showed bravery and strength by fighting and conquering lions. Temple tools and Temple pillars had lions carved on them. Lions and Daniel were used by the Lord showing Babylonians the power of God. Lions are in the Old Testament defeating enemies of God. King Solomon’s throne had lions in the gold. Lion type creatures are told to be part of the living creatures around God’s throne in Ezekiel and Revelation. Lions are sometimes used as analogies as agents of destruction. Psalms and Job point out to us that the Lord is greater than the Lion. Hosea, inspired by the Holy Spirit, compared the voice of God to the roar of Lion, inspiring all who hear it to follow God’s instruction.

Amos 3:8
The lion has roared— who will not fear? The Sovereign LORD has spoken— who can but prophesy?

2 Timothy 4:17
But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth.

1 Peter 5:8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Hebrews 11:24-26, 32-40

[24] By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
[25] choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
[26] He considered abuse suffered for the Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward.

[32]
And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets --

[33] who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
[34] quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
[35] Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life.
[36] Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment.
[37] They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated --
[38] of whom the world was not worthy -- wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
[39]
And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised,

[40] since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

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John 11:45-56 ~ They were looking for Jesus

The Messiah is our Passover by Leon Harn

John 11: 45-56

[45]
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him;

[46] but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
[47] So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council, and said, "What are we to do? For this man performs many signs.
[48] If we let him go on thus, every one will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation."
[49] But one of them, Ca'iaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all;
[50] you do not understand that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish."
[51] He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation,
[52] and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.
[53] So from that day on they took counsel how to put him to death.
[54]
Jesus therefore no longer went about openly among the Jews, but went from there to the country near the wilderness, to a town called E'phraim; and there he stayed with the disciples.

[55]
Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves.

[56] They were looking for Jesus and saying to one another as they stood in the temple, "What do you think? That he will not come to the feast?"


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Genesis 2:4-19 ~ But there went up a mist (fog, vapor) from the land and watered the whole surface of the ground--

Jan Brueghel the Elder. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. 1615.

Genesis 2:4-19 (Amplified Bible)

4This is the history of the heavens and of the earth when they were created. In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens--

5When no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not [yet] caused it to rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the ground,

6But there went up a mist (fog, vapor) from the land and watered the whole surface of the ground--

7Then the Lord God formed man from the [a]dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life, and man became a living being.(A)

8And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden [delight]; and there He put the man whom He had formed (framed, constituted).

9And out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight or to be desired--good (suitable, pleasant) for food; the tree of life also in the center of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of [the difference between] good and evil and blessing and calamity.

10Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four [river] heads.

11The first is named Pishon; it is the one flowing around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.

12The gold of that land is of high quality; bdellium (pearl?) and onyx stone are there.

13The second river is named Gihon; it is the one flowing around the whole land of Cush.

14The third river is named Hiddekel [the Tigris]; it is the one flowing east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and guard and keep it.

16And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;

17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and blessing and calamity you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

18Now the Lord God said, It is not good (sufficient, satisfactory) that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper meet (suitable, adapted, complementary) for him.

19And out of the ground the Lord God formed every [wild] beast and living creature of the field and every bird of the air and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever Adam called every living creature, that was its name.

Footnotes:
A. Genesis 2:7 The same essential chemical elements are found in man and animal life that are in the soil. This scientific fact was not known to man until recent times, but God was displaying it here.

2 Peter 3:8
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

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Matthew 22:23-33 ~ know the Scriptures and know the power of God

Matthew 22:23-33

23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

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Isaiah 1:19-2:3 ~ people shall

Broken Oaks Celtic Christian Music ~Oak Trees From Acorns - Listen - a song of resurrection, healing and rebirth.

Isaiah 1:19-2:3 (New King James Version)

19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword”;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

21 How the faithful city has become a harlot!
It was full of justice;
Righteousness lodged in it,
But now murderers.
22 Your silver has become dross,
Your wine mixed with water.
23 Your princes are rebellious,
And companions of thieves;
Everyone loves bribes,
And follows after rewards.
They do not defend the fatherless,
Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
24 Therefore the Lord says,
The LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel,

“ Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries,
And take vengeance on My enemies.
25 I will turn My hand against you,
And thoroughly purge away your dross,
And take away all your alloy.
26 I will restore your judges as at the first,
And your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”
27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice,
And her penitents with righteousness.
28 The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together,
And those who forsake the LORD shall be consumed.
29 For they shall be ashamed of the terebinth trees
Which you have desired;
And you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens
Which you have chosen.
30 For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades,
And as a garden that has no water.
31 The strong shall be as tinder,
And the work of it as a spark;
Both will burn together,
And no one shall quench them.

Isaiah 2
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days
That the mountain of the LORD’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.
3 Many people shall come and say,

“ Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.


Terebinth and oak trees are considered as theophanies, divine manifestations of God to a person. These trees are used as places for religious practices, a place for encountering the Living God, landmarks and, also, a place for burial.

Just as Solomon experienced God by visiting a lonely place, the desire for speaking with God became corrupted into a practice of idol worship. We want God to be part of our lives, but desire Him to be on our terms. The wood from the trees was sometimes used to make idols, instead of emblems of strength and durability.

We are like Israel, experiencing God’s great and tender mercies and asking,“what have You done for me lately?” God is telling us in Isaiah 1:19-2:3, that He believes that even when we fall into selfishness and self-centered sin, with His grace, we are redeemable and He loves us.

John 1:43
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."

46"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked.
"Come and see," said Philip.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."

48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."

49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."

50 Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." 51 He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."


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1 Kings 17:17-24 ~ Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?

Tibouchina granulosa, this purple flower is sometimes called Glory Tree.

1 Kings 17:17-24

17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, "What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?"

19 "Give me your son," Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?" 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!"

22 The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, "Look, your son is alive!"

24 Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth."

During the time of Jesus walking the earth, people were concerned with God’s wrath:

Luke 13:
1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

6 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'

8 " 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' "

God tells us, in His scriptures, that He is slow to anger. God declares to us that His love extends as high as the heavens.

Psalm 36: 5 Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.

God renews his mercy over and over to us each day, just as God repeats his signs, miracles and wonders. He sent us His son helping us understand the height, the depth and the reaches of His love. The miracles of Elijah sound a lot like the miracles of Jesus, for an excellent, awe-inspiring reason: it is the same power of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Elijah did many miracles, signs & wonders, because Elijah was the front-runner to Jesus, the Son of God.

1 Kings 17:1, Elijah predicts a famine and drought. Jesus saves the disciples:

Matthew 8: 26 He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"

In 1 Kings 17, Elijah saves the widow, himself and her son from a morsel during the famine, in Matthew 6, Jesus feeds 5 thousand.

In 2 Kings 2:8, Elijah parted the water and crossed over on dry land, Jesus walked on water.

Matthew 14: 25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

Today’s reading is Elijah raising the widow’s son from death. Jesus raised from the dead as well:

Luke 7: 11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." 14 Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16 They were all filled with awe and praised God.

John 4: 46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. 48 "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe." 49 The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies." 50 Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live."

The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour." 53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." So he and all his household believed.

Luke 8: 49 
While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," he said. "Don't bother the teacher any more." 50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."

51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child's father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. "Stop wailing," Jesus said. "She is not dead but asleep."

53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, "My child, get up!" 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.



John 11: 40 

Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."'

43
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.


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Numbers 9:15-23 ~ they remained

The portable dwelling place for the divine presence, or tabernacle is known in Hebrew as the Mishkan ( משכן "Residence" or "Dwelling Place"). The Mishkan was in use from the the Exodus until portions of the design and temple tools were made part of the first and second Temples built in Jerusalem.

Numbers 9: 15-23

15
On the day when the Dwelling was erected, the cloud covered the Dwelling, the tent of the commandments; but from evening until morning it took on the appearance of fire over the Dwelling.
16
It was always so: during the day the Dwelling was covered by the cloud, which at night had the appearance of fire.
17
Whenever the cloud rose from the tent, the Israelites would break camp; wherever the cloud came to rest, they would pitch camp.
18
At the bidding of the LORD the Israelites moved on, and at his bidding they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the Dwelling, they remained in camp.
19
Even when the cloud tarried many days over the Dwelling, the Israelites obeyed the LORD and would not move on;
20
yet sometimes the cloud was over the Dwelling only for a few days. It was at the bidding of the LORD that they stayed in camp, and it was at his bidding that they departed.
21
Sometimes the cloud remained there only from evening until morning; and when it rose in the morning, they would depart. Or if the cloud lifted during the day, or even at night, they would then set out.
22
Whether the cloud tarried over the Dwelling for two days or for a month or longer, the Israelites remained in camp and did not depart; but when it lifted, they moved on.
23
Thus, it was always at the bidding of the LORD that they encamped, and at his bidding that they set out; ever heeding the charge of the LORD, as he had bidden them through Moses.


Matthew 19:
28 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

Probably, the corner where the Mishkan (tabernacle) once stood. In the background is the modern settlement of Shiloh. It is not clear from the description if this wall is actually the wall of the courtyard or the walls of the building with the animal skin roof. This Mishkan was in use during the time of Judges of Israel. (Also notice the forestation of Israel, more trees were planted in Israel in the last 100 years than any other country on earth.)

4/28/08 Foxnews reports that 80% of the U.S. population is Christian, of that population, 50% have have changed Christian religious affiliation seeking a personal relationship with Jesus and not just religion. Christians are still being led and follow the Lord's direction to move in their lives today.



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Exodus 2:1-22 ~ Moses was content

Exodus 2:1-22 (Amplified Bible)


1 NOW [Amram] a man of the house of Levi [the priestly tribe] went and took as his wife [Jochebed] a daughter of Levi. 2And the woman became pregnant and bore a son; and when she saw that he was [exceedingly] beautiful, she hid him three months.

3And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark or basket made of bulrushes or papyrus [making it watertight by] daubing it with bitumen and pitch. Then she put the child in it and laid it among the rushes by the brink of the river [Nile].

4And his sister [Miriam] stood some distance away to learn what would be done to him.

5Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and her maidens walked along the bank; she saw the ark among the rushes and sent her maid to fetch it.

6When she opened it, she saw the child; and behold, the baby cried. And she took pity on him and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children!

7Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call a nurse of the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?

8Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the girl went and called the child's mother.

9Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take this child away and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages. So the woman took the child and nursed it.

10And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. And she called him Moses, for she said, Because I drew him out of the water.

11One day, after Moses was grown, it happened that he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of [Moses'] brethren.

12He looked this way and that way, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

13He went out the second day and saw two Hebrew men quarreling and fighting; and he said to the unjust aggressor, Why are you striking your comrade?

14And the man said, Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? Then Moses was afraid and thought, Surely this thing is known.

15When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh's presence and took refuge in the land of Midian, where he sat down by a well.

16Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.

17The shepherds came and drove them away; but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock.

18And when they came to Reuel [Jethro] their father, he said, How is it that you have come so soon today?

19They said, An Egyptian delivered us from the shepherds; also he drew water for us and watered the flock.

20He said to his daughters, Where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.

21And Moses was content to dwell with the man; and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.

22And she bore a son, and he called his name Gershom [expulsion, or a stranger there]; for he said, I have been a stranger and a sojourner in a foreign land.


How many of us struggle to be content? About 5 weeks ago, one of the major news networks did a poll and story on the American struggle for, not contentment, but happiness. The poll featured the person polled asked on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being perfect, how happy are you? Every participant answered at least a 9 and some answered a 10. The scientist controlling the experiment came on camera saying his in-depth studies portray the polled people as…. using strong exaggeration. The scientist said one of the reasons people today feel isolated is the need to portray their lives as a successful & happy. The scientist went on to say these results were not surprising to him, he expected people to face a national television cameo as portraying themselves as fulfilled.

At funerals, I have been asked how I can believe in a God so cruel as to separate people by death. The answer is God built us to be seekers in this life & to grow into seeking, wanting, needing relying upon His grace. The separation from God, the separation from our loved ones is an invitation for the separation to be temporary.

If Moses had grown up as an extension of Prime-Minister Joseph’s family, as just another honored part of the honored clan (even if it was slavery), and had faced his life feeling absolutely happy ever day, what would he have accomplished? Moses probably felt content most of his life, but he was still seeking. The journey isn’t a bad thing & roses have thorns. Norman Vincent Peale used to say, “You have problems, must mean that you are alive.”

One way in life to feel less isolated is to join a Christian small group in a Bible believing Church; there Christians share their burdens in supporting, prayerful confidence. The Bible asks us to share our burdens and to be constant in prayer.

Hebrews 12:
18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned." 21The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear."

22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.


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Isaiah 60:17-22 ~ the Lord will swiftly accomplish these things when their time comes

A Lunar Moth arrived at our window last night, it was an amazing part of creation. The wings are by far one of the most spectacular green moth wings on the planet, it is not only a naturally fluorescent green color, but glows-in-the-dark and has full wing fluttering motion! The Luna moth or Lunar Moth (Actius luna)from a type of giant silk moth which has a four natural fluorescent green colored wings with a brown, and white "eye" on each of its wings. These nocturnal insects have long, sweeping lower wing-tails. The normal wing span for Lunar Moths is from 3 to nearly 8 inches across. Ours was 4 inches across & taller, we thought at first it was a bird, but the motion fluttered more than anything we had ever seen.

The moths seem to have a season. Spring and Fall. Everything in its time. Except the glory of the Lord.

Psalm 104:
31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works-

Romans 8:21
That the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Isaiah 60:17-22 (New American Bible)

17
In place of bronze I will bring gold, instead of iron, silver; In place of wood, bronze, instead of stones, iron; I will appoint peace your governor, and justice your ruler.
18
No longer shall violence be heard of in your land, or plunder and ruin within your boundaries. You shall call your walls "Salvation" and your gates "Praise."
19
No longer shall the sun be your light by day, Nor the brightness of the moon shine upon you at night; The LORD shall be your light forever, your God shall be your glory.
20
No longer shall your sun go down, or your moon withdraw, For the LORD will be your light forever, and the days of your mourning shall be at an end.
21
Your people shall all be just, they shall always possess the land, They, the bud of my planting, my handiwork to show my glory.
22
The smallest shall become a thousand, the youngest, a mighty nation; I, the LORD, will swiftly accomplish these things when their time comes.



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Matthew 9: 1-8, 27-33 ~ they glorified God

Matthew 9: 1-8, 27-33

Listen, click on listen tag

1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” 31 But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

32 As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”


These verses from the gospel of Matthew are about healing. Many people say that the time of miracles is past. This is untrue, the Catholic Church records, vehemently, thoroughly and with zeal, the healings in the name of Jesus Christ occurring today and in centuries past. In my life, I have been witness to healings: My mother was being prayed for in Jesus Christ’s name, she said it was like being microwave flash cooked, her visible tumor on her thyroid of many years, scheduled for surgical removal, was healed.

My mother’s friend was told her eye blood vessels would fail, her doctors then discovered glaucoma. She requested surgery and the doctors told her the blood to her eyes would shut down and she must learn Braille, surgery was not an option. My mother’s friend began traveling to Christian seminars where many healings in Jesus’ name occurred. After several years of traveling to seminars, the doctors continued to ordered her to learn Braille quickly; she went to her eye specialist appointment to learn her eye blood vessels had healed and she no longer had cataracts. Mother’s friend continues to go to the seminars as worship and thanksgiving.


Our youth pastor called me the first day of summer break, 5 years ago, saying he had witnessed a just occurred accident involving a truck and a child on a bike. He was extremely distressed and said the truck looked like a shark had bitten a huge bite out of the truck, leaving a huge head imprint on what was left of the hood. We were to discover in the next 30 minutes that the 13 year old dragged 75 feet by the truck was a close, close family friend of ours and the youth pastor. Our dear young friend was ordered a life flight, but he regained consciousness to say his name. Dr. Red Duke was the admitting, emergency physician and asked parental permission to remove his internally bleeding spleen and kidney, brain damage would be accessed later. Our friend’s father wisely asked to wait. That Sunday, our church all signed a blanket with Sharpie pens, agreeing that our friend would be covered in prayer and we prayed for him in Jesus’ name. The next day, the physician assigned said, "It was amazing there was not any brain damage. The kidney and spleen began to function, someone (or church) had been praying for our friend1"

A friend of mine from church was crying a lot, and unusually for her, one Sunday. She has been told she had a near fatal blood count from medication she was taking. After an emergency appointment with a hemoglobin specialist, the outlook could be immediate death from stroke. She was called the next day for another emergency appointment and blood was taken again. Then a teaching, very well-known, hospital called her to ask for a blood sample. The nurse taking the sample explained that five total samples had been taken, the results showed falling blood counts for a year, then an emergency count. Then two more samples showed a count climbing from 70 to 210, normal, in a space of three days. My friend had been prayed & healed in the emergency time in the name of Jesus. Her blood counts have been normal for 3 years.

Our pastor was scheduled for both of his arm rotator cuffs to be surgically repaired, he had been in great pain for 2 years. Our church attended the 2008 January Winter Conference, unexpectedly he was called by symptom of feet (with many others) for prayer. He was prayed for in the name of Jesus Christ and his rotator cuffs and back began to feel intense heat. His surgeon confirmed with MRI that the rotator cuffs were healed. Surgery was unneeded.

Jesus Christ yesterday, Jesus Christ today and Jesus Christ tomorrow. Unchanging.

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