June16 @ @ rRandyP comments: mFaithOfJesus kjv@Mark:11:27-33 ANSWER ME - The Sanhedrin seem to be caught in a trap with both prophets. They do not answer Jesus because of what the people think of John, at the same time they are not arresting Jesus outright because of what people might think of Him. However, there are too many minds at work here for this to be their tactical blunder. They are banking that if they do not tell then He won't tell. Jesus is banking on the same. Both are banking on what will best connect with the people. Stalemate works to both's advantage. The chiefs had only to connect to the crowd of that day. Jesus had to connect with the crowd of all time. Both may have accomplished their objectives. Opinion is beginning to sway. Within the next day even some of those leaning toward Jesus will retreat and even disdain. For them the temple stunt and the rough talk about their leaders may have gone too far. You have heard the adage "winning the battle but, loosing the war"? The faith of our Lord is battling a much bigger war than just those who oppose Him. This battle He wins, all battles He wins, they are just not aware of it yet. By thwarting His will they are playing right into it.
June28 @ @ rRandyP comments: mFaithOfJesus kjv@Mark:14:43-52 THAT THE SCRIPTURES MAY BE FULFILLED - A man is being arrested for what? The high treasonous crime of healing thousands of citizens? Of teaching in parables? Of feeding starving people? Of trying to avoid political controversies and dissensions? Of reviving interest in the scriptures particularly the old prophecies? There is a big difference between Jesus and both the chiefs and the disciples. They are all trying to make things happen, Jesus is taking it as the Father brings it unto Him. If He took kjv@Isaiah:53 alone as His script He would know to just allow it to happen, it is in the Father's hands. Perhaps this has been His frame of mind all along. The Father presents a cripple along the road, Jesus sees it as a sign that the Father wants to heal him, Jesus reaches out in obedience. The chiefs can follow the same scriptures and determine that either this man is the Son of God or that He is purposely approximating the prophetical details trying cunningly to prove Himself Messiah. They are in the position of trying to test what the Father is doing rather than allowing it come. The disciples likewise are in the position of trying to make something happen on their own. Both are offended. The faith of our Lord is that the Father will see all this through. The script is written it just has to be acted out. Few lines are required on His characters part from here on out. Sounds simple, but, it involves Him having to sacrifice Himself completely to it.
July1 @ @ rRandyP comments: mFaithOfJesus kjv@Mark:15:1-15 THOU SAYEST IT - It is interesting to see how an fresh set of eyes would see this case. Pilate now comes into the picture, surveys the situation, sees that the chiefs are largely driven by envy, makes his ruling. kjv@Proverbs:27:4 says "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?". Is it any surprise that from the time of Cain and Able to Jacob and his brothers to Saul and David and beyond, when it comes to religion envy rules the day? Why would a man be crucified on the charge of envy? Missing in this account are the efforts of Pilate to pawn Jesus off elsewhere. Offering a switch of venue or a switch of accused is a poor excuse for justice when the just thing to rule is that this man is innocent and that his enemies are mad with envy. But, Pilate does not, he plays it to his own personal advantage putting the judgment back into the hands of the mob. The chiefs know how to move/play this crowd, they have been preparing for this several days at least with the types of staged inquiries they had made of Jesus publicly. This skill comes with plenty of practice. We should be aware of the same. The faith of our Lord was to remain silent like a "lamb to it's shearers" as He was commanded. For us we told to take no thought for that day as the Spirit will tell us the words to say; to do as directed. Stephen was not quiet. Paul several times beaten near to death was not silent. Now that Christ has done His silence it is time for us to do His talking.
August22 @ @ rRandyP comments: mFaithOfJesus kjv@Luke:10:1-24 JESUS REJOICED IN SPIRIT - It must be pleasurable to observe your followers making their first few spiritual steps. After all that you have invested in them, to set them out on their first solo flights, then to have them return with such encouraging words. These men are just babes and they are sent out among the wolves, but they have held their own. There will of course need to be adjustments, corrections, reproof, for what it is worth though it was a good first effort. Seventy people now doing the advance leg work of the Lord's final journey back to Jerusalem has to be on the radar of a great many chiefs and leaders. Tensions have to be ramping up. The so called wise and prudent are preparing their ultimate denial and rejection. Twelve, now seventy? What next 300 little Jesus' healers coming in to town for Passover? A great many works have been done by Jesus and now by His followers. If there were any chance of believing there would be signs of cracking by now. The faith of our Lord is in the mission ahead and it's timing. It is good that He had a moment of rejoicing and encouragement. However, there is a point where miracles and wonders are too plenteous to be noticed. What is there left to do by the time yet another town is on the "woe unto thee" list. It is time to make toward Jerusalem.
October9 @ @ rRandyP comments: mFaithOfJesus kjv@Luke:22:1-6 THEN ENTERED SATAN - There are many actors on the stage at this time including Satan, but we need to make it perfectly clear who is directing the action. There is one thing happening, perhaps best described in kjv@Isaiah:53. This time now is between the Father and the Son. The rest is a side show. It is pleasing the Father to put the Son Jesus to this. These men believe that they have the power to make things happen. Even Satan thinks that he is getting one over. Nothing of the sort! If God's will was anything other God's will would be done. God had plenty opportunity to remove Judas. He had plenty of opportunity to strike down these chiefs and scribes. He had plenty of time to move Jesus to a safer location. Jesus knew it was Judas that would betray Him from the beginning kjv@John:6:64, knew that he was a devil kjv@John:6:70, knew that he was stealing from the purse kjv@John:12:6. Choices were made by Jesus all along in obedience to the Father's will that have led Him to this. All of these men have had choices as well, except they chose to play the part of wickedness. They have played their chosen part well, but it is not their show; they are not directing the action they are merely responding to the script. The faith of our Lord is not in worrying or keeping track of who is who in this passion or who is doing what. It is all the Father. It is all the plan. It is all in the Father's hands.
October12 @ @ rRandyP comments: mFaithOfJesus kjv@Luke:22:47-53 YOUR HOUR - The guards are there under orders, they are going to do what they are sent out to do. One has to wonder though what they are thinking individually as Jesus heals their buddy's ear. I believe that these are Temple guards; pretty easy uneventful duty til now. They are probably as unfamiliar with wielding a sword as is fisherman Peter. They are no doubt familiar with the crowds of followers Jesus has drawn to the Temple daily and the calls of Hosanna and probably not so familiar with the arguments being tallied by their bosses the Sanhedrin. Do they also know of the false witnesses being coaxed up? Here the man that has taken them to this park is pointed out by this possible messiah as having betrayed Him with a kiss. This possible prophet has called for calmer peaceful heads to prevail at this time and has questioned the chiefs and elders as to proceeding against Him as a common thief yet oddly in such secrecy as if they knew how the masses would react. Yet of all of this talk the most eerie statement is captain Malchus' ear and the look of startled awe in his eyes. What argument is there against that? The power of darkness is that to those serving it there is no argument involved. One does what one does because there is penalty and consequence to not doing it. One is not paid for thinking through the facts and coming to a rightful judgement. Realize however what these men are forced into questioning. Recall when you were a non-believer and the anxiety you felt approaching anything Jesus related. Translate that tense inner apprehension to these men and amplify it by the obvious fact that you are now called upon to enforce the capture of this Holy Man and take Him even to Pilate (the man who recently slaughtered a host of Galileans on your temple steps just to make a political point). There are times when one ear speaks louder than several mouths. This should have been one of those times. The faith of our Lord is voluntary towards it's duty to the Father. The duty of darkness is demanded and employed and coerced. These men will carry out what they have been directed to no matter what they believe personally, but so too will our Lord Jesus in His hour.
October13 @ @ rRandyP comments: FaithOfJesus *Luke:22:54-62 PETER REMEMBERED THE WORD - I think that the question we most commonly have is where are the other disciples? Why are they not there? It may perhaps be a better to question why did Peter go? What did He hope to achieve? Peter has followed the elite group to the High Priest's house. The servants of the house who would rather be sleeping, but because of the disturbance are out in the court yard and on the patio starting a bonfire to keep warm; this in the very late night hours. In the dim light of all this commotion there is a man who is not a servant, not one of the elders or chiefs or guards, and the servants are naturally wondering who this man is and why he is even there. I am not sure whether it would have made any difference to them had Peter been honest, they pretty much knew that he was a servant of the man being questioned inside. It is a very odd situation Peter has positioned himself in. And Why? He cannot hear what is being said. He cannot see who all is in there. He would not be able to do anything if the treatment of Jesus got out of hand. He may not even be able to see Jesus until Jesus sees him. He is likely there solely because of loyalty which to us is admirable, but in reality is opening himself to a sifting like few men have ever experienced. Now he feels himself as having to lie and deny Jesus. As much as Judas has betrayed Jesus, Peter has denied Jesus. Worse yet Jesus told both men that they were going to do it. I cannot tell you where the other disciples are. Perhaps/Hopefully they are gathered in small groups with other followers pastoring, waiting for further word. Perhaps they are scattered so as to not make themselves and their flocks easy marks. Perhaps now they are praying like they should have this earlier eve to not enter temptation as Peter has. The faith of our Lord hears a crow of a cock and knows what has just occurred and what that occurrence will entail. He looks to Peter. He does not get mad nor blame His friend, He prays again silently in a glance that His friends faith not fail. He prays that he will remember more than just those few words.
October15 @ @ rRandyP comments: mFaithOfJesus kjv@Luke:22:66-23:25 YE SAY THAT I AM - It is said by many that Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God, that the gospels have been corrupted into claiming that for Him. Here Jesus claims that He would not be believed if He did tell it. Further He said that herefore after He would be at the right hand throne of God. Does that mean that that He was making the claim to be the Son of God? The chiefs, scribes and elders took it to mean so. How does one corrupt the fact that the well schooled Hebrew scholars and leaders sought vehemently to kill Jesus because of this blasphemous claim, that they falsified information on a trumped up charge of national perversion and sedition, that they accused him of claiming to be Christ which by prophetical necessity is the same Son of God, that neither of the state authorities could not find evidence for the trumped up charge and that the leaders still pursued the death sentence for Jesus over that of a seditious murderer? Jesus does not have to claim it at this point because everyone there knows that it is the claim that He is by implication making. The issue then (as it is now) is whether one believes the claim or not, not whether the claim has been made. Not believing that the claim has been made is cheap and lazy way intellectually of not having to believe in Jesus the Son of God. It is employed mainly by those other religions that want to borrow from the teachings/goodness of Jesus without having to take Him at His word. The faith of our Lord is in much more than words, it is also in accomplishments and reactions. What better way to answer whether you are Son of God than have your adversaries unwittingly and against their will prove it.
December2 @ @ rRandyP comments: mFaithOfJesus kjv@John:12:37-50 I KNOW HIS COMMANDMENT IS LIFE - Similar to God hardening the Pharaoh's heart, He has hardened many of the chief priests. I don't know if it is meant that He enacts this upon them, rather that the thought of Him as now presented makes their hearts hard. It is like us saying "you make me sick". You of course do not make me to be sick, my guttural response to you is sickened. The thought of God dwelling in the flesh? For the hardened sickening. The thought of messiah not coming from their ranks, sickening. The thought of them not knowing God, but this unlearned fool, sickening. The thought of Him calling them hypocrites and children of the Devil and a broad of vipers, sickening. That He heals on Sabbaths, that He claims to forgives sin, that He associates with sinners and publicans, that every answer to them is a parable or puzzle to solve, that He is leading the uneducated masses and them into a head on collision with Rome; it is all just sickening to the chiefs. Worse yet, there are suspicious people among these leaders who seem to believe on this Jesus, but wont stand up for Him (which must go to show what type of people He draws). You can see how hearts can become hardened with very little external pressure from God, in fact it is likely to believed that they are doing God the favor for putting this revolting lunatic down. Here is the thing though, everyone knows that Isaiah said that all this would surround the "Righteous One"; that He would be denied and rejected and tremoved from the living. Jesus said that if a man hear His word and believe not, He (Jesus)judges the man not; His word (Jesus speaking the Father's command) judges Him. If God has forced a hard heart upon one then how can HE judge him? HE has not forced, we have responded that way in facing His truth. Why not judged until the last day? Because until the last day there remains that possibility that a person's heart can be changed; and if not changed, used to strengthen someone's that has. The faith of our Lord is that the Father's commandment equals life everlasting. Therefore He speaks what He has been told. One that believes on Him believes on the Father. That same word is eternal life to one and judgment of similar kind to another.
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