My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Scripture:-

⁴⁵ From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. ⁴⁶ About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). ⁴⁷ When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” ⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” ⁵⁰ And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

Observation:-

As Jesus hung on the cross, the heavens suddenly darkened at noon and Mount Golgotha remained in darkness for three hours. About three in the afternoon, the Lord suddenly cried out in a loud voice “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Those standing there thought he was calling Elijah, and one of them immediately ran and got a sponge, filled it with vinegar and offered it to Jesus on the cross. The rest, though alarmed at the change in the elements above, still admonished the man to leave Jesus and see if Elijah really came to see Him. But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and gave up His spirit.

Application:-

What was the significance of the eclipse that brought this darkness? Why did Jesus cry out that way to God?  The darkness in the skies mirrored the darkness of the sins of the world piled onto Jesus, and at that moment, God the Father who detests sin could not help but turn His face away from His beloved Son, causing the grieved Lord to cry out in great grief to His Father who had always been with Him even before the beginning of Creation.

Why did the people think Jesus was calling Elijah? Eli means “My God”, and the crowd standing by could have misinterpreted Jesus calling “Elijah” instead of Eli. Due to the torture of the cross, the Lord’s cry may not have been clear. The crowd could also have been fearful of the darkness and wondered if the day of the Lord had come, and since Scripture prophesied that Elijah would come first, they might have been expecting Elijah.

As we meditate on this passage, we are touched yet again by the great sacrifice of the Lord in bearing the sins of the world. He who was sinless was made sin that we might receive forgiveness. How terrible it was for the Lord to experience that moment when the Father turned away. How deep that sacrifice, even deeper than the physical pain of Jesus body. May we always appreciate the great and wonderful thing the Lord did for us that we might be saved.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we praise You and thank You for You saved us with such great sacrifice. To have the Father turn away from You, to have You who are sinless made sin. We cannot comprehend the depth and pain of Your sacrifice. We can only thank You and serve You for the great thing You did for us. Forgive our sins, and heal us we pray. Let the vision of the cross ever be before us. Let us never forget the great sacrifice You gave for us. May Your name be praised forever, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

Rivalry and Favoritism

Rivalry and Favoritism

Last Saturday, we were privileged at SIB to have brother Fergus Ong give his debut sermon. With the theme of the month being focused on the family, brother Fergus shared a deep message on family values based on a review of the family lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Basically, there were two main themes running through these families that caused all sorts of conflicts and problems, namely Rivalry and Favoritism. In Abraham’s family, there was early rivalry between Sarah and Hagar before Isaac was born and later Isaac and Ishmael who taunted his younger brother. This led to Sarah forcing Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away. In Isaac’s family, the rivalry was even more pronounced with the twins Jacob and Esau. Even from the womb, Jacob grasped at the heel of Esau indicating his desire to come out first. In coming out second, it was akin to starting a cup final already one goal down. Esau, as firstborn, already by birth had all the privileges both materially and spiritually, especially in the society of the day. As Jacob and Esau grew, they went very different paths, but their rivalry was still very apparent. Esau was a man of the outdoors, a strong hunter, while Jacob stayed behind in the tents. Esau was impulsive and proud, but Jacob was reflective and a thinker. We learn here how rivalry in the family need not necessarily occur in the same field, but from different areas.

From young, intelligent Jacob already understood and desired the privileges of birthright while thoughtless Esau thought nothing of it, even despising it. When the moment of opportunity came, when Esau came in famished and desired the soup Jacob was cooking, Jacob asked Esau for his birthright and he foolishly traded it for a bowl of soup.

At the same time of this rivalry between the brothers, their parents made it even worse by Favoritism. Isaac who had a taste for wild game quickly favored Esau the hunter, while Rebekah favored Jacob the younger who spent more time with her in the tents. As Isaac aged and his eyesight became poor, he felt that he would not live for much longer and sought to give his final blessing to his firstborn Esau. Knowing this, Rebekah quickly plotted to have Jacob put on goatskins on his arms so that he would appear hairy like Esau and go to Isaac with his favorite meal. Isaac faithfully got conned that day and gave the firstborn’s blessing to Jacob instead of Esau. Esau was furious and planned for the day when he could take revenge on Jacob.

Knowing this, Rebekah quickly sent Jacob away to her brother Laban until Esau’s anger subsided. In Laban’s home, the twin problems of rivalry and favoritism occurred all over again. Jacob the deceiver ended up being deceived by Uncle Laban into marrying Leah as well as his desired Rachel, and having to work another 7 years for Laban. In that time, Jacob plotted and rivaled with Laban over the flocks put under his care.

Later, Rivalry grew between the two sisters, Rachel and Leah, with Jacob clearly favoring Rachel. The rivalry extended to each giving their maidservants to Jacob to have more children through them. Later, Jacob continued this trend of favoritism by favoring Joseph among all his brothers.

What was the result of all the Rivalry and Favoritism? Family strife, politicking and scheming, betrayal and pain. How different indeed is God’s plan for the family unit. For husbands to love their wives, for children to obey their parents, for brothers and sisters to live together in unity. The main lesson for us from this story is that we must guard against rivalry and favoritism but instead foster unity and love. Parents must guard even against perceived favoritism and always be alert to hear what their children have to say. As far as possible, we must not let children grow up with harbored hurt or perceived injustice on our part. In the rivalry between children, we must take the effort to point them towards a common goal, that there need not be a winner and a loser between them, but they can be both winners and excel and support each other to be the best that each can be.

 

Simon of Cyrene

Simon of Cyrene

Scripture:-

³² As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. ³³ They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).³⁴ There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. ³⁵ When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. ³⁶ And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. ³⁷ Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

³⁸ Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹ Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” ⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴² “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”⁴⁴ In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Observation:

After the torture session, the Lord is too weak to carry the cross, and along the way, they grab a man called Simon from Cyrene and make him carry Jesus’ cross. At the place called Golgotha, meaning the skull, they mixed wine with gall and let Jesus drink it to dull the pain. The Lord after tasting it refuses, and they proceed to drive in the nails into Jesus’ hands and feet. All who pass by hurl insults at Jesus, including the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law. Even the two thieves being crucified with Jesus insulted him, although one later repented and defended Jesus as written in other gospels. The primary insults against Jesus was that He saved others and could not save Himself and that He could rescue Himself or have God rescue Him if He really was the Son of God. No one understood that this was all part of God’s plan for humanity’s redemption, and Jesus was there wholly voluntarily.

Application:

Consider Simon of Cyrene. At that time, he could have counted ill luck in being picked on to carry the heavy cross. The blood of Jesus would have got all over him. The mocking and spitting from the people would also land upon him. After coming so far to worship at the Passover, here he was, becoming ceremonially unclean and being forced labor for the crucifixion of some notorious criminal. Finally at Golgotha, Simon was able to let go of the great burden, full of sweat, blood and pain from the weight. What happened to Simon after this? Did he leave Jerusalem in disgust? Did he stay and watch what happened to Jesus? Did he find out more about why Jesus was being crucified? Scripture does not tell us these details here.

However, later in Acts 13:1, Luke gives a list of leaders of Antioch who send Paul and Barnabas out on the first mission to the Gentiles. In that list is Simon called Niger and Lucius of Cyrene. Niger means Black, so it literally means Simon called Black and Lucius of Cyrene. So the Simon here was from Cyrene, and should quite literally be the same Simon of Cyrene that carried Jesus cross! The fact that he was dark also lends credence to the way the soldiers singled him out among others for the unpleasant task of carrying Jesus’ cross. Also, the reason Matthew recorded his name at all was probably because the church knew who Simon of Cyrene was.

So Simon of Cyrene later would realize that what seemed like incredible misfortune was actually the greatest privilege. Who else had the opportunity of carrying the cross for the Lord, upon which He would bring salvation for not only Simon of Cyrene but everyone who would believe in Jesus.

The lesson for us is that although we might face troubles or great inconveniences, we should bear it humbly and graciously. Unknown to us, it might actually be a great privilege.

Prayer:

We praise thee and worship thee O Lord for the marvelous things You have done. We thank You for the lesson of Simon of Cyrene which teaches us how we should bear hardship and trouble humbly and graciously, for behind the scenes even that could be a great privilege to us. Help us and teach us Lord, even as we seek Your face. In Jesus name, Amen.

He bore our shame

He bore our shame

Scripture:

²⁷ Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸ They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹ and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. ³⁰ They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. ³¹ After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

Observation:

After Pilate sentences Jesus under pressure from the crowd, the soldiers bring him to the Praetorium where they cruelly mock and torture him in the midst of their whole company. They dress him up with a scarlet robe, and set a crown of thorns on his head, even putting a “ruler’s staff” in his hand. Laughing, they kneel in front of him and hail him as the King of the Jews. Then they spit on him and strike Jesus on the head again and again with the staff. Finally, they put back his own clothes on him and lead Jesus away to crucify him.

Application:

What provokes this kind of cruel and animalistic behavior in men? We love especially to see the great and mighty fall. We laugh sarcastically when we hear of the failures of great leaders. We joke and make fun. Superficially, in putting other people down, we are trying to feel better about ourselves, to forget for the moment our own weaknesses and shortcomings. In a way, to many, it is a form of revenge for the times when we ourselves have been ridiculed and made fun of. Ultimately though, even if we have a short moment of entertainment, the reality sets back in quickly, the emptiness and meaninglessness of life.

The Lord Jesus came to suffer not only for our sin, but also for our shame. In being mocked and ridiculed so severely, He was bearing silently the shame of the world. Who has been shamed? Jesus has been shamed too. We think God doesn’t understand? No!, He himself felt the sting of shame and ridicule. He bore it silently, and graciously, without a word of complaint. If they only knew who He was….. that it was the true Son of God they were trampling under their feet, who could end their lives in the blink of an eye, and condemn them at any moment to an eternity in flames.

Prayer:

We thank You and praise You Lord, that You not only suffered and died for us, but You also bore our shame. No matter what ridicule or insults we face, You faced far worse. Even where others persecute us, let us learn to respond as you did, with great patience and love, not dealing with them as their sins deserve. May Your name be praised forever O Lord. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.                                                                                                                                     

Barabbas or Jesus?

Barabbas or Jesus?

Scripture:

¹¹ Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. ¹² When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. ¹³ Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” ¹⁴ But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.

¹⁵ Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. ¹⁶ At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” ¹⁸ For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.

⁹ While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”²⁰ But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.²¹ “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered.²² “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!”²³ “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”²⁴ When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”²⁵ All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”²⁶ Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

Observation:

The Lord is brought before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, and remains silent in spite of the many accusations of the chief priests and the elders. Pilate is puzzled at the Lord’s silence, with no reply to even a single charge. Politically shrewd, Pilate is also quickly aware that it is from their own self interest that the Jewish leaders have handed Jesus over.

Finding no reason at all for Jesus to be killed, Pilate seeks to find a way to release Jesus. This intention is further strengthened when Pilate’s own wife issues him an urgent message not to have anything to do with hurting this innocent man.

Using the normal custom to release a prisoner of the crowd’s choice during the festival, Pilate offers to release Jesus or Barabbas, a well known murderer. Under normal circumstances, no one in the right mind would vote to release the murderer. However, the crowd, incited by the Pharisees, has become bloodthirsty and chooses Barabbas instead, being insistent on crucifying Jesus.

Pilate continues to try and reason with the crowd, asking them what crime Jesus has committed.  However the Jewish crowd only shouts louder “Crucify him, crucify him”. Afraid of having to deal with a riot, the cowardly governor finally gives in, washing his hands before them, and declaring himself innocent of Jesus’ blood which is wholly their responsibility. Horrifyingly, they declare “let his blood be on us and our children”. If they only knew what horrors their descendants would have to face in the Crusades, in the Soviet Union, and in the Holocaust where 6 million Jews were killed. In the last days, when the Anti-Christ takes control of the world, Jews will again be massacred and this will only end when the Lord comes again in His Second Coming.

Application:-

Looking at the way the events unfolded, everything pointed to the Jews being solely responsible for the arrest and murder of Jesus, their own Savior who came to save them. The Gentiles, though, as the tools used to execute the Lord are not guiltless too for it is their hands and tools that nailed the Lord to the cross and hung him there to die most gruesomely. How incredible the paradox, that as the human race, we killed God our Savior while He shed His blood to save us and give us eternal life. Indeed, He died for us while we were still His enemies, and therein lies the great mystery of God’s incredible love for us, that no one can fathom.

The incidence of Barabbas is also of no coincidence. The late Derek Prince once shared how he was meditating on the crucifixion where there were 3 crosses on a hill, with the central cross higher than the other two. The Holy Spirit asked him “For whom was the central cross made? Think before you answer”. Derek thought for a moment and said “It was made for Barabbas, but at the last minute Jesus took his place”. “So Jesus took Barabbas place, but you have said that Jesus took your place” the Holy Spirit continued. “Yes he did” Derek responded and the Holy Spirit concluded “Then you must be Barabbas”.  At that moment, Derek saw it with absolute clarity. He was exactly the criminal for whom the cross was prepared. It was made to his measure. It was exactly where he should have been.

Each one of us was destined to die on the cross, just like Barabbas. Every part of our personality is sinful, corrupted by our sinful desires. However, Jesus took our place. He suffered and died for us that we might escape death and live. What does it mean to take up one’s cross? One aspect of it has to do with the recognition that Jesus has died on our cross for us. With that knowledge, how then shall we live life? How other than to live for the Lord who took the place of suffering and death for us……. We were bought at a price at very great cost. How then can we go on and deliberately live sinful lives or lives of disobedience knowing what Jesus died for us?

Prayer:

 We praise You, Lord Jesus, for You took our place. Like Barabbas, we were destined to die on a cross made specifically for us, for the punishment of our sins. But You came and took our place. You saved us from death. You saved us from the fire. Even while we were Your enemies, You loved us and gave Yourself for us! How could we ever take You for granted O Lord? Forgive our sins we pray. Give us fresh passion to serve and worship You, out of the gratitude we should have in our hearts. Praise be Your name forever, Lord Jesus. We praise You and worship You. In Jesus name, Amen.

The remorse of Judas

The remorse of Judas

Scripture:

Early in the morning, all the chief priests and sdthe elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. ² So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

³ When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴ “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”

⁵ So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

⁶ The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸ That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. ⁹ Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, ¹⁰ and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.” Matthew 27:1-10

Observation:-

The Lord is duly condemned by the very people He came to save from condemnation. Gleefully, the murderous chief priests and elders make plans how to execute Him and proceed to hand him over to Pontius Pilate the Roman governor. Judas, the great traitor, is filled with great remorse and returns the 30 pieces of silver, horrified that He has betrayed the innocent blood of Jesus. The chief priest and elders refuse to take it, asking Judas to bear his own responsibility. Unable to bear the horror of his guilt, Judas throws the money into the temple and then hangs himself. The chief priests ironically decide that the money should not be put into the treasury being blood money, when they themselves serve with hands drenched in innocent blood. Instead, they use it to buy the potter’s field and make it a burial place for foreigners. Unknown to them, their very act fulfills prophecy as Matthews quotes Zechariah where the Lord Himself is valued only at 30 pieces of silver.

Application:-

Imagine the hearts of the chief priests and elders. Here, they had finally caught the man who had been provoking them, who had won the hearts of the masses, whose popularity had far exceeded what they could ever have hoped to achieved. At their apparent mercy, these evil men now sought to vanquish Jesus once and for all. Even then, they had at their choice numerous ways to kill Jesus. Why did they have to choose the most cruel way – the Roman execution by the cross? Didn’t they have any compassion in their heart at all as a human being? They knew for sure that the Lord had done nothing at all deserving death. How could men who studied the Scriptures day in and day out exhibit such wickedness and ruthlessness when they professed to follow the God of love? Our hearts are deceitful beyond cure… All of us are capable of great wickedness for our own selfish ends. Pride, anger and revenge can lead us to do the most inhumane things. The dark side of human nature lies within us. Therefore, we need to never cease to be grateful to God for His incredible grace to wretched creatures such as us…

What happened to Judas? Did he not realize what he was doing? Couldn’t he blame the devil? Couldn’t he blame the Lord for not living up to his expectations? What was actually in Judas’ mind when he betrayed the Lord? Was it purely money that triggered his actions? There is no doubt Judas was a lover of money, as he helped himself to the ministry funds in secret. Perhaps he started off with good motives, sincerely believing the Lord was the Messiah. Nevertheless, narcissistic motives must have come in, and the selfish part of Judas must have become increasingly alarmed at talk of the Lord going to Jerusalem to die. The incidence of the Lord’s response to the woman who poured perfume on his feet also triggered something within Judas. He probably decided it was time to cut losses from all his time invested in following Jesus, and just get the most he could before leaving Jesus, who was expecting to die anyway.

However, it was only after he betrayed Jesus and saw the Lord bound as a condemned criminal that the truth really hit him. He, Judas, had allowed himself to become the primary tool in bringing Jesus to this current state. The blood of the holy Lord would first and foremost be on his head. Incredible guilt must have hit him, and the accuser no doubt would be Satan, the same tempter who led him to make this error in the first place. Was Judas beyond salvation? Theoretically, No! Even the prodigal son was accepted back by his father. Even at that point, the Lord would have redeemed Him, just as He redeemed Peter.

That is the way of the devil. He tempts us to fall into horrible sin, and then jumps back right in to condemn us and load us with tons of guilt. Those who cannot handle it even commit suicide and become lost forever in eternity. Praise God that we have a Savior who will save us! We have hope, even in the most hopeless situation! We have the promise of forgiveness, even when we have committed the darkest sins. The Lord showed us this by redeeming Paul, the murderer of Christians, and making him the chief of Apostles.

Prayer:-

We praise You and thank You, Lord, that You are able to save us, even from the lowest depths, even when we have no hope and no light. We thank You Lord that by Your sacrifice, You prepared the way for us to be forgiven of all our sins, no matter how hideous they are. You saved us when we were wretched. You gave us hope when there was none. You gave us eternal life when we least deserved it. Let us hold on to You, Lord Jesus, and make our faith strong in You. Forgive our sins, and make us right with You, O Lord. Sustain us, and help us even as we look to You. In Jesus name, Amen.   

Three times disowned

Three times disowned 

Scripture:-

⁶⁹ Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said. ⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. ⁷¹ Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁷² He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!” ⁷³ After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” ⁷⁴ Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. Matthew 26:69-75

Observation:-

This passage looks at the betrayal of Peter. Now the Lord’s supposedly most courageous disciple dared to follow discretely to see what would happen to Jesus. However, Peter soon encountered trouble in the courtyard when a servant girl called him out as a disciple who was with Jesus. Quickly, Peter defensively denied even knowing Jesus and went to the gateway but another servant girl there said the same thing. Again, Peter exclaimed that he didn’t know Jesus, but shortly after, those standing there reaffirmed their suspicion that he had been with Jesus because of his Galilean accent. For the third time, Peter again denied knowing Jesus, and just as the Lord prophesied, the rooster crowed. Then Peter went outside and wept bitterly.  

Application:-

Why did Peter follow in the first place? What emotions must have run through him? As probably the Lord’s foremost disciple, he must have felt completely helpless at what was happening. Perhaps he desired to do something to help Jesus and was looking for an opportunity to do so. Perhaps, he expected the Lord to use His miraculous powers to get out of his predicament, and would be pleased to see him close by. Still, it is commendable, that he had the courage to follow, as he could quite easily be thrown to the same fate as Jesus by the authorities if they recognized him.

However, when the crunch came, Peter immediately melted and showed his cowardly self in denying the Lord three times. Earlier, he said he was willing to die with the Lord, but when the moment of truth came, he failed to stand up to the test. It is easy to condemn Peter, but who among us could actually have done differently in his circumstance. The disciples had seen their Master and Lord violently taken from them, and the Lord did not protest or show any signs of resistance at all. It was too much for them, and their faith was shaken like never before.

What is the lesson for us here? We need to be aware of the frailty and cowardice of our human weakness. In ourselves, we are weak, even if we think we are brave. We need the Lord. We need His grace and His help to stand courageously for Him. The Lord did not condemn people and He does not condemn us, but it is for us to stay true to Him, even in the face of persecution, especially in these last days.     

Prayer:-

Dear Lord, we thank You for this lesson on Peter, and how even great men of God can fall because of human weakness. Give us Your grace and strength we pray that we might stand by Your Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen.

Gentleness under trial

Gentleness under trial

Scripture:-

⁵⁷ Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. ⁵⁸ But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.

⁵⁹ The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death.⁶⁰ But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.

Finally two came forward ⁶¹ and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

⁶² Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” ⁶³ But Jesus remained silent.

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

⁶⁴ “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

⁶⁵ Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. ⁶⁶ What do you think?”

“He is worthy of death,” they answered.

⁶⁷ Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him ⁶⁸ and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?” Matthew 26:57-68

Observation:-

After the Lord is arrested, He is brought to the high priest Caiaphas. There, the elders and the Sanhedrin seek various ways to find false evidence to put him to death. Many false witnesses come forward, but nothing conclusive is forthcoming. Finally, two accuse Jesus of saying He is able to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. Caiaphas challenges Jesus to answer this accusation but the Lord remains silent. In great anger, Caiaphas then challenges Jesus under oath to God to declare if he really is the Messiah, the Son of God.

At this point, the Lord declares “You have said so. But from now on you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty one and coming one the clouds of heaven.” Caiaphas immediately tears his clothes and cries blasphemy, and induces the crowd to pronounce the Lord worthy of death. Then they abuse him with spit and blows and mock him as the Lord becomes silent again.

Application:-

What was the motive of the elders and the Sanhedrin? From the start, they were already consumed by jealousy, which turned to hate and cultivated that murderous spirit within them. The majority of them were filled with pride and a judgmental spirit. We need to beware of cultivating a similar attitude which in the end, resulted in them degenerating into a murderous mob.

Why was it so hard for the false witnesses to pin concrete false evidence on Jesus? It was because the Lord led such a pure and blameless life. Those who tried to defame Jesus only ended up making a fool of themselves. It should be our objective too to live a blameless life like the Lord, that even if others abuse or slander us, they will be ashamed in their hearts.

What did Jesus mean about sitting at the right hand of the Father and coming on the clouds of Heaven? Firstly, the Lord was foretelling where He would be going in a short while, back to His rightful place at the right hand of the Father. Secondly, the Lord was looking forward to His second coming, when He would come in the clouds in all power and glory to the detriment of all who rejected Him.

Why did Jesus accept all the abuse and mocking in complete silence? Scripture prophesies of Jesus as the meek lamb offered up in sacrifice for the world – a bruised reed he will not snap and a smoldering wicker he will not snuff out. He only spoke out as the Spirit led Him. We can only marvel at the humility and self-control of the Lord, who at any time had at his disposal 12 legions of angels that could easily rout the mob and Roman soldiers.

Prayer:

We praise You, Lord, for the great and excellent things You have done. Forgive us, O Lord, for the sin of pride and jealousy, and having a critical spirit. Give us O Lord, a spirit of maturity and wisdom, not to be alarmed or focused on the outside of things, but rather look deeper into the more important spiritual things. Help us, O Lord, live a pure and blameless life to the extent that those who slander us will be ashamed. Help us, Lord, cultivate Your great humility and gentleness and self-control. We praise You, Lord Jesus, who sit at the right hand of the Father, who will come again soon in the clouds of Heaven! Blessed be Your name O Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.