Walking Through The New Testament

Love…like Jesus!

John 19:16b-27

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 There 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.”

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 that said,

“They divided my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment.”[a]
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 her, “Woman,[b] here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Jesus, as God on earth, felt the love for His mother. So strong was this feeling, that He placed her in His most trusted man. A man that would care for her for the rest of her life. This feeling was strong. As strong as any longer He had felt. So strong that even as He was dying, He felt the need to have her taken care of.

The lessons He continues to teach on His way to death are amazing. Without a his presence as man on earth, He would have never fully understood our plight. Through this visit to earth to save us, He was able to understand the feelings of man. And as He did, He shared with us what we must do. We must love beyond what we thought possible. We must love more than we can ever understand. We must love like Jesus loved.

As He was sentenced to death He appointed someone to care for His mother. That is human. As human as it can get. The good news is that Jesus knows us, and as horrible as we were to Him, He saved us anyway. His love is our model. His love is our compass. His love should be our goal. Love like Jesus. Because…#JesusSaves

Amen
DK

Each of us is given the opportunity every day…

John 19:1-16

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 slapped him in the face.

4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “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 Jewish leaders 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 Jewish leaders 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 the Passover; it was about noon.

“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.

Each and every man in these verses shows our need to hang on to the things of this world. Pilate, shows his inability to do what is right for fear that he would lose his job. The Jews in the crowd, which I am sure many of whom believed Jesus to be the Messiah, refused to speak up in fear of no being accepted. This world is full of these reasons.

In order for us to truly act on behalf of the Father, we must be faith filled. It is a hard move to make sometimes, as that movement in Faith may seem to cost you something of this world. It could be a job, it could be money, it could be something you feel is greater than either of those, but we cannot allow our eyes to get in the way of our hearts.

It seems for a moment that Pilate could see greatness in Jesus, that he was moved by the resolve of Jesus. We all at one point are moved by His life and the Gospel, but we fall short of the Faith needed to act on that belief. Why? My friends, the devil is good at what he does. His distractions are proven. Only one person existed that can move us to act in Truth, Faith, and Love…Jesus.

His life speaks to us and tells us that there is more. That fear need not be the driving force behind our decisions to act. At the root of action towards what is Kingdom movement and what is right in the eyes of our Father is the belief that Jesus has already acted on our behalf. That the toughest decisions have already been made for us. We just need to walk with Him.

We need not jump through hoops, or do anything amazing. We just have to Believe that if we ask Him for help, that the help will come. Jesus died on the cross so that we would live. Jesus made all the right moves to ensure that if we act in His name, that all that we do will result in the glorification of the Father through Jesus.

Pilate knew it. Many, if not all, of the Jews knew it. You know it. Act in Faith. Step forward in Faith. Pray on your decision to act. It is promised that He will respond in the perfect manner. He always has. He always will. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

The light of the Lord is upon you…

John 18:28-40

28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because 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,” they objected. 32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.

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?”

35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests 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 Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But 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 an uprising.

Jesus and Pilate talking is an amazing happening, for it is Jesus once again speaking and teaching the world. My question is, “Why didn’t the Jews take care of the killing of Jesus themselves?”

Here is my list:
Fear…that He just might be King.
Anger…that He had knowledge.
Jealousy…that many loved Him.
Laziness…they we complacent.

For these reason, I would imagine they found it easier to kill Him than to change.

As Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life…He is also the Light. His light shines on the darkness in our lives. It exposes that sin that has held us in captivity for our entire lives. Once truth is exposed, we must pray for Him to forgive us and change us, and we must repent.

I believe the main issue, in regard to the Jews wanting Jesus dead, deals with light having shone bright on the hearts of those Jews in positions of power. That light exposed Truth, which then forced the Jews to either realize they were horribly wrong, or accept Jesus and His Gospel. Ouch!

We know what is coming. It is inevitable. Jesus will hang on the cross. He will die for us. For that we thank Him and love Him. So what about the Jews? Well…Jesus died for them to. All that’s left is to Believe. That is true for all of mankind. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

Jesus said he would…

John 18:25-27

25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”

He denied it, saying, “I am not.”

26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

I have thought this before…how painful and wretched Peter must’ve felt as the denials came out of his mouth. What a total and complete failure of a man he must’ve thought he was. What a complete and total waste of flesh he must’ve thought about himself. At least I would have.

I can say now that I wouldn’t ever deny Jesus, but so did Peter. I could say I would gladly lay down my life for Jesus, but so did Peter. I would attack anyone that would even dare lay a hand on my Shepard, but so did Peter. But Jesus saw more than the man Peter thought he was. He saw greatness in him. Jesus saw righteousness in him. Jesus saw ahead of what Peter could see, and was planning and preparing Peter through this very trial. The trial painstakingly geared to achieve the most of Peter for the Kingdom of God. Jesus saw more than just a man.

We are to go through trials throughout our lives. Trials, that if handed over to God, become a galvanization process. Processes designed to make us more and more useful to God and to fulfill His plan for us.

To ask Peter to embrace his failure as designed to expand and grow the Kingdom would be difficult for any man. But Jesus will return for all of us. He asks for Peter by name when He does. He asked for Peter. Jesus saw his heart, not his failure. Jesus sees your heart also, not your failures. He has a plan for you. Hand it to Him and He will use your failure to glorify God. Embrace the trial, for it is confirmation that He has a greater plan for you than could ever be imagined through our sight. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

John 18:19-24

19 Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.

20 “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. 21 Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”

22 When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.

23 “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” 24 Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

If I say something wrong, tell me. Why hit me? Is is because I spoke truth to you?

Jesus is still teaching. He was always teaching. Even as He was ridiculed and mocked and skapped, He still teaches. As a matter of fact, if the person that struck Him asked for forgiveness at that moment, Jesus would grant it. Of that, I am sure.

To be completely transparent should be the goal of every human. To not have to backtrack, change stories, or lie, to cover up a wrongdoing is pretty high on the list of many I am sure. The ability to allow your walk be your talk. To be a walking testimony, is a daily goal of mine.

I want to walk the way Jesus did. I want to be able to teach through service to others. I want others to see Him in me, rather than the person I am. I want people to know that I am forgive be a use of the blood of Jesus. I want people to know that cross is still actively taking care of sin daily. That the Finish Work Of The Cross is real.

I hope that my walk reflects Jesus in me today. And I hope this for each and every day until I am called home. #JesusSaves

Walk with Him in forgiveness of sins and sin…

John 18:15-18

15 Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, 16 but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.

17 “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.

He replied, “I am not.”

18 It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

The picture of Peter standing near the fire to warm himself is a mighty powerful image. A man who is cold and seeking to warm himself at a fire is asked a question. Perhaps they would have asked him to leave the fire and be cold. Perhaps they would’ve beat him or stoned him, as many were not fond of those that followed Jesus at this time. The situation that Peter was in is no excuse for denial, but we have all been there. You will find yourself there again.

To choose what is easy and comfortable is human nature. After all, when you are hot you seek cool water. When you are cold, you seek warmth. It is the way of this world. We are slaves to our flesh, and our flesh cries with it the mighty weight of sin. Not sons, as those have been fogiven. But rather our flesh carries sin. Sin as a state of being. I assimilate sin to being underwater…all the time. With sin being the water.

So, how do we breathe? Jesus! Jesus is how we breathe. He has taken our sins away with His blood. Through the cross, we are reminded that sin can also be overcome through our carrying of the cross the way that Jesus did. To carry the burden of sin and bare the yoke the way that He did. We need to beat ourselves up over sin. Repent! Change! The rest is His responsibility. Do not let guilt and fear rule your life. That’s too heavy. Walk past the sin. Walk past the denial of Him. You are forgiven. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK

The power is in you, even stronger than it was in Him…

John 18:1-14

When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.

2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”

5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

7 Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.

8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”[a]

10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)

11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13 and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.

Jesus was prepared. The soldiers were not. They flew backward and fell when Jesus said, “I am He.” Jesus is the Messiah.

Peter’s response is a human one. One of anger and fear. One that is sparked not by God, but by the evil that prowls. Jesus reminds His followers that this was part of the plan. Part of God’s perfect plan. We know from the previous readings of Matthew Mark, and Luke, that thia was difficult even for the perfect man that Jesus was. Peter acted in the way that I would’ve acted. I imagine many of us would be angry and afraid like Peter. The rebuke was not subtle, but very direct and to the point.

Tomorrow, as you go to work, imagine yourself confronting those that have spoken and acted against you. When you have their faces in mind, ask God to help you forgive them. Ask Him to come into your life and teach you to give others that gift that you have been given…Forgiveness. walk in the authority of Jesus, and as they act against you in the future, remember that you have been given life. A life designed to glorify Him even in the toughest of trials.

I will join you. As we join in prayer tomorrow morning, stretch your faith. People will notice and ask you about that light that you walk with. When they do, say that you walk with Jesus. #JesusSaves

Amen
DK