Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Crucifixion and Victory – 31 March 2021, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)



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Y God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? (Psalm 22:1)

 

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ND about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?   (Matthew 27:46)

 

            The twenty-second Psalm is one of the most profound Messianic Psalms of the whole of that Book. It expresses, in the spirit of the prophets, the pains and anguish our Lord suffered on the cross in its first twenty-one verses. In Verses 22-31, the Psalm speaks of the resurrection glory our Lord felt at His moment of triumph over death and Hell.

 

            Eli, Eli, lama sabachthaniThis phrase is among the seven last ‘words’ (exclamations) from the cross. They reveal an amazing endurance of our Lord for physical pain in His human manliness. The pain of the cross is so intense that it cannot be imagined – only experienced. It is a severe pain that is unrelenting. In fact, it even increases as it continues. It might be designated as an excruciating pain. Such pain is beyond the common endurance of the human body, yet Jesus retained His mental faculties throughout the process of crucifixion. It is interesting to note that the word, excruciating, comes from the Latin (ex: from, and cruci: cross) meaning pain as from the cross. 

 

            Partially blinded by the blood streaming down His face from the crown of thorns, Jesus looked through the haze at the multitudes of jeering hecklers for whom He was presently suffering. He could bear, somehow, the intense physical pain of the cross, but what of that of His immeasurable and unrequited Love with which He loved the very ones who had crucified Him mercilessly. It was a sacrifice that HAD to be made. It was decided in the Counsel of Heaven in Eternity Past, and our Lord entered into our scale of time to endure that sacrifice of redemption for those whom He would receive. 

 

            Amazing how prophets of old often uttered prophecies of which they had no understanding but, yet, were led by the Holy Ghost to record the words. One such blazing example in given by King David in the 22nd Psalm (known as one of many Messianic Psalms). This Psalm describes in great detail the suffering of Christ on the cross – how his tongue clave to the roof of His mouth for thirst, His blood coagulated in this thoracic cavity due to pooling, and His arms being jolted out of socket due to the abrupt drop of the cross into its appointed pit. He describes those who ridicule Him – His nakedness and shame. He also uses a term that seems out of place to describe Himself there on the cross: But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people(Psalm 22:6)

 

            This verse addresses an obscure and little known Type of Christ given in the 22nd Psalm – a Messianic Psalm. A Messianic Psalm is one that relates to Jesus Christ. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me(Luke 24:44) This Psalm is of particular note for it quotes the very words of Christ from the Cross in its first verse: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Psalms 22:1) The specific reference of the Type to which I refer is that of the Crimson Worm. I first wrote of this in a devotion in the late 90s. It is an amazing Type whose image is near perfect with that of Christ on the Cross.

 

            Before advancing further, let us examine the word used in Psalm 22:6 for ‘worm.’ In the Hebrew language, this word is ‘tola’ ath’ which means crimson, or scarlet, worm. How could Jesus possibly be compared to a Scarlet, or Crimson, Worm? Well, in many points as we shall see. While living in Iran (old Persia), I happened to observe, often, large bloody spots on the white oak trees lining the boulevards of Esfahan. On inquiry, I was told that these red blood spots were caused by the crimson worm. This particular species, coccus ilicis, has an interesting life cycle that commends itself to comparison to Christ on the cross. The dye from these worms was used to color garments red in Jesus’ day. Of course, red was the color favored by the wealthy and was very expensive to produce. The color of red, or scarlet, is used in the Bible to describe how revealing are our sins: Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool(Isaiah 1:18)

 

            The female of this species will seek out a certain kind of tree when she is ready to produce young. She climbs the tree, just as Christ mounted the Cross, at her own volition. If the Crimson Worm does not climb the tree, her young family cannot be realized. If Christ had not, at His own volition, allowed Himself to be crucified, His family – the Church – would not have been possible. When her young are hatched, they feed on her living body. When able to subsist without the mother, she begins to die. She emits a red dye that covers her young – a color which they remain for the rest of their lives. If the believer is under the blood of Christ, he will remain so forever, and we feed upon the living body of Christ - our Bread of Life.

 

            The entire section (Verses 1 to 21) are a description of Christ’s suffering on the cross – exact in every detail. But now, let us examine the last ten verses which describe His resurrection victory. The entire tone of the Psalm abruptly changes from sorrow and despondency to joyous celebration:

 

            I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.  For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever(Psalm 22:22-26)

 

            Your HEART will live forever because your Lord has risen from the grave and His Mighty HEART – pierced for you - will live forever. The Heart is the Temple of God. Such Temple exists in the Heart of every believer.

 

            All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the LORD’s: and he is the governor among the nations(Psalm 22:27-28)

 

            His once-and-for-all sacrifice and victory has fulfilled the prophecies of the ancients of the Old Testament. He is the same Lord of the Old as of the New. All power has been granted Him as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. All nations do, indeed, remember Him whether they wish to do so or not. The calendars of the world recognize the time of His Coming by the calculation of years BEFORE and After that important Crux of Time.

 

            All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul(vv29)

 

            It is a certainty that none can keep alive his own soul for that breath of life is sustained moment-by-moment by the Lord Jesus Christ. After we sleep in Christ, we awaken with a life eternal. But all, even the unrepentant sinners, shall bow the knee before Him ere they descend to their final reward.

 

            A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation(vv30)

 

            The Seed that shall serve Him are those who have believed the promise of that Seed made to Abraham from His day until now and into the future – one generation accounted for the Lord. The Old Testament Church of Abraham’s seed looked forward in faith to the coming of the Redeemer Lord just as the New Testament Church looks back on the accomplished historical fact. But all is maintained by the certainty of faith.

 

            They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this. (vv 31) That same generation will declare the faith to succeeding members of the generation of the righteous foal l of faith are accounted sons and daughters of Abraham. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham……Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ….. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:7, 16, 29)

 

            We have every reason to rejoice at the resurrection of our Lord, though in His suffering, He bore our sins. He rejoiced at the conclusion of His victory – why shouldn’t we, His followers?

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Hymns of the Church – What a Friend we have in Jesus – 30 March 2021, Anno Domini


 

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 MAN that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24)

 

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HIS is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17 These things I command you, that ye love one another. (John 15:12-17)

 

            What a Friend we have in Jesus, is one of the simplest, but most beautiful, of all hymns of the latter days of hymnology. It is about the Lord Jesus Christ as the greatest Friend any could be blessed to have. The introductory text from the Gospel of St. John clearly defines the impulse that moved in the heart of the composer, Joseph Scriven (1819-1886) – LOVE! Joseph was an especial friend to widows and orphans and labored in providing them with wood for the hearth which he chopped and delivered himself. His story deserves some explanation to grasp the full nature of his heart in writing this hymn. 

 

            Joseph Scriven was born in Bainbridge County Down in Ireland to wealthy parents in 1819. He graduated Trinity College in Dublin (1842) and was engaged to be married to the lady who held sway over his heart in 1843. The night before the wedding, his beautiful fiancĂ©e was riding along the River Bann to meet Joseph. Her horse shied at some unexpected rush of birds and she was thrown into the edge-water of the river, knocked unconscious, and drowned in less than a foot of water. This tragedy had an overwhelming effect on Joseph. He could no longer abide the beautiful rolling hills and green mountains of Ireland. He departed Ireland, heartbroken, for Canada where he tutored students, preached and labored for the poor who could not afford wood for heat. He settled in Port Hope, Canada, where he was known as the Good Samaritan of Port Hope (owing to his charitable work for widows and orphans). 

 

            Scriven’s mother became seriously ill in Ireland in 1855. Scriven sat down and wrote a poem for her which was a manner of prayer for her in praising Jesus, WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS. Charles Crozat Converse read the poem as published in an Irish periodical and wrote the tune to the hymn, by which it is sung, in 1868 (CONVERSE). The hymn was first credited to the famous hymn-writer, Horatius Bonar, but Bonar denied having written it. Later, the original poem was found in the estate of Scriven’s mother and he was finally given credit for his work in 1880. The hymn has retained the exact wording as written by Scriven.

 

            In 1857, Scriven again was engaged to be married to the daughter of a sea captain, but this lady, too, died suddenly of pneumonia. Scriven continued his work of preaching and charity until his death in 1886 – broken-hearted, but trusting in His best Friend. The following are published articles about Scriven:

 

            A tall obelisk was built upon his grave with the words from the song and the following inscription:  This monument was erected to the memory of Joseph Scriven, B.A., by lovers of his hymn, which is engraved hereon, and is his best memorial. Born at Seapatrick, Co. Down, Ireland, 10 Sept.1819, emigrated to Canada 1844. Entered into rest at Bewdley, Rice Lake, 10 August 1886, and buried here. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

 

A plaque can be found on the Port Hope-Peterborough Highway with the following inscription:   Four miles north, in the family Pengelley Cemetery, lies the philanthropist and author of this great masterpiece, written at Port Hope, 1857. The composer of the music, Charles C. Converse, was a well-educated versatile and successful Christian, whose talents ranged from law to professional music. Under the pen name of Karl Reden, he wrote numerous scholarly articles on many subjects. Though he was an excellent musician and composer with many of his works performed by the leading American orchestras and choirs of his day, his life is best remembered for this simple music so well suited to Scriven's text.

 

            Easter is a fitting time to consider the depth of love the best Friend men and women of faith have ever had in our Lord Jesus Christ:

 

What a Friend we have in Jesus

 

What a friend we have in Jesus

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit

O what needless pain we bear

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer

 

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged

Take it to the Lord in prayer

Can we find a friend so faithful

Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness

Take it to the Lord in prayer

 

Are we weak and heavy laden

Cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge

Take it to the Lord in prayer

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?

Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In his arms he'll take and shield thee

Thou wilt find a solace there

 

What a friend we have in Jesus.  All our sins and griefs to bear!   What a privilege to carryEverything to God in prayer!  O what peace we often forfeit   O what needless pain we bear.  All because we do not carry.  Everything to God in prayer. Have you considered lately the bond of friendship you share with the Lord Jesus Christ? As our Proverbs text says, “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” If we have Jesus as our best friend, we must show ourselves friendly to Him. We must have placed our trust in His redeeming grace. If we have done, we can share every burden and grief with Him who is the bearer of those burdens for His friends. It is the privilege of the cross that enables us to carry EVERYTHING to God in prayer. We pray in faith – not for what we WANT – but for what He knows is best for our needs. Many Christians suffer grief needlessly when they fail to communicate in prayer those griefs to One who laid down His life on their behalf. 

 

            Have we trials and temptations?  Is there trouble anywhere?  We should never be discouraged.  Take it to the Lord in prayer.  Can we find a friend so faithful.  Who will all our sorrows share?   Jesus knows our every weakness.  Take it to the Lord in prayer. Certainly, we all have trials and temptations else we cannot identify as Children of the Living God! There is one thing that is uniformly scattered throughout the globe – TROUBLE! Knowing that these are not some strange experience that only we can have, we have a Friend who has conquered every problem and trial. He is able to intercede for us. He may not remove the impediment that confronts our path, but, if not, He will strengthen us to overcome it. He knows our frailty, and has experienced every pain (and more) that we can know. He was faithful to the end. “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24) and “Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.” (John 13:1) This last passage is one upon which our hearts should be fixed during this Holy Week before the Sunrise at Easter – He loved them unto the end.

 

            Are we weak and heavy laden.  Cumbered with a load of care?   Precious Savior, still our refuge.  Take it to the Lord in prayer.  Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?   Take it to the Lord in prayer!   In his arms he'll take and shield thee.  Thou wilt find a solace there.   Are we not dust, and less than dust, without God our Savior? Were the very worlds not created by His Word, and all that is? We are less than the clay of the Potter before Him; but His loving hands gently mold and shape us into the vessel of His love and bearing whether of wood, clay, or precious metals. Even if we were made a vessel of wood, that would be a glorious vessel beyond the Gates of Splendor with our Redeemer and Lord. Yes, our friends have oft forsaken us. So did every friend our Lord had during His earthly ministry forsake Him and flee at the crucial moment of danger in the Garden at Gethsemane. Even at the cross, we are told that they watched from afar – all except the three Mary’s and the beloved disciple, John. Have you oft found a solace in the loving arms of our Lord? I have done many times. There are times when Christ has called me to walk to Him in faith. This walk I began in faith, but, like Peter, when I looked into the turbulent waters of the sea of life (taking my eyes off my Savior), I began to sink. On the stormy seas of life, there is only One upon whom we can call to save us – the Lord Jesus Christ who is Master of the Ocean Seas.

 

            When the morning begins to dawn toward the first day of the week (Easter Sunday) and it is yet dark, let us walk with Mary Magdalene to the open Tomb and find it empty for us, too. Joseph Scriven did so, and countless multitudes of others whom we shall meet on Resurrection Day at the last Trump – that final Easter Day of Rejoicing!

 

I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year,

‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’

And he replied, 

‘Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the Hand of God.’

That shall be better than light, and safer than a known way.

 

Minnie Haskins 1908

quoted by King George at beginning of Second World War in 1939

Sunday, March 28, 2021

AOC Sunday Report - Sunday next before Easter, commonly called Palm Sunday




 Happy Palm Sunday!

The AOC Sunday Report can be downloaded RIGHT HERE!

We have great sermons today from Bishops Jerry and Roy, as well as Revs Jack and Bryan.  Each is really really great.  You can actually see and hear Rev Jack's sermon RIGHT HERE!

There are always a lot of people who need your prayer, please start with Shamu, Jim and Laurie and work out from there.

There is a truly epic week ahead, open your heart to the Holy Ghost and see the week!

Godspeed,

Hap

Church of the Faithful Centurion
Descanso, California
United States of America

Holy Week

The Sunday next before Easter is commonly referred to as Palm Sunday.  The period between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday is often referred to as Holy Week.  Most churchgoing people go to church on Palm Sunday, then to church on Easter Sunday. It’s a fairly uplifting time with not a lot of thinking. On Palm Sunday Jesus makes his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. On Easter Sunday there’s the joyous resurrection. What’s not to like about that?

 

The thing is, there is a tremendous amount that goes on between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, not all of it joyous, in fact most of it is pretty scary or sad.   The beginning of the week was wonderful; in the end the week was even more wonderful.  In between was a series of ups and downs the ups a little high and the downs very very deep. It is important to remember as you go through Holy Week that Jesus was in control of all the events of the week.  The week starts with the Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem and ends with the death of the Savior on the Cross and the burial of his body in the tomb.  It is a week of ups and downs without parallel, the ups a little high and the downs very very deep, deep as Hell you might say, and precedes the most joyous day of the year, the Day of the Resurrection or Easter Sunday.

 

Jesus has a triumphant entry into the city on the First Day of the Week (Sunday); on Thursday night he celebrates the Passover with his disciples in the Upper Room, he prays and agonizes over what he knows is coming in the garden of Gethsemane; Judas betrays him early Friday morning, his most trusted disciple denies him, not once but three times before the cock crew; the Jews condemn him to Pilate who in turn orders him to be beaten and humiliated; that does not satisfy the Jews and at their request, Pilate condemns a man he knows to be innocent to a horrible death to pacify the crowd of Jews assembled by the priests; Jesus is crucified, asks John to take care of his mother and gives up the ghost; his body is taken down and buried; the disciples are dispersed and discouraged; they have listened to their Lord, but not understood.

 

Think of this week from the disciples’ perspective, on the first day they enter with their leader into Jerusalem in triumph; mid-week they celebrate the joyous feast of the Passover, then their leader is betrayed, defends himself not and is killed.  At the time they surely could not think of this as a Holy Week and certainly not a Good Friday.  Yet on the first day of the week that follows, our Lord is Risen, Risen indeed and delivers the promise of salvation in person.

 

It is important to remember as you go through Holy Week that Jesus was in control of all the events of the week.

 

What a week!

 

Palm Sunday

The name Palm Sunday comes from the palm leaves, along with clothing and other honors strewn along Jesus’ path as He came in to Jerusalem the first day of the week before His crucifixion.  Of interest, only Jesus knew of the upcoming crucifixion, every one else, including Jews, Romans and the Christians, thought he was making a triumphant entrance in to the city to take control of things and kick the Roman occupation force out. The moon was almost full, this was the year of the Messiah according to Daniel.  Jesus chose the route into the city, through the King’s Gate.  The people saw Him coming and met him at the Mount of Olives.  They expected Him to come in and proclaim His rule.  And that He did, but not in the way the people were looking for.     Those who thought of Him as Lord looked for a Kingdom of this World to be established. Sunday was a day of triumph and fulfilled the anticipation of the Jews of a day for which they had waited four centuries.  The Messiah had finally come, at the time predicted by scripture.  They were certain that He would free them from the burdensome and cruel yoke of Roman rule.  The Jews would finally be on top of the power pyramid.  They would rule the world under Him!  Yet, that was not to be.  The day in the temple!  Holy Cow!  Here their savior was throwing people out of the temple, not throwing the Romans out of Jerusalem.  They were sad to learn He came not to rule this world, for that time was not yet come; He came to give them the key to eternal salvation.  He came to take them from this veil of tears to a state of perfect freedom.  They wanted someone to throw the Romans out and all God sent them was the key to eternal life.  What a disappointment!

 

Monday

On Monday, Jesus preached in the Temple and further distanced Himself from the people’s vision and demonstrated God’s vision.  He went in to the temple and through out the vendors selling “sacrificial” birds and animals at exorbitant cost, as well as the moneychangers, changing Roman money for Temple money dishonestly.  Far from announcing Himself head of the temple, He announced they had made His Father’s house a den of thieves.  Rather than working within the Jewish establishment, He over turned it!

 

Tuesday

Jesus and the Pharisees dispute in the Temple. He left for the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. There he delivers the “Mount of Olives Discourse”. Judas agrees to betray him to the Jewish priests for 30 pieces of silver. 

 

Wednesday

The Sanhedrin was gathered together and decided to kill Jesus, even before Pesach if possible. In the meantime, Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper. Here he was anointed on his head by Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, with very expensive ointment of spikenard. Some of the disciples, particularly Judas Iscariot, keeper of the purse, were indignant about this; the oil could have been sold to support the poor.  “This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.”  In this case, Judas recalls to mind many politicians.  Jesus reminded them of the importance of first things first and the futility of giving, rather than helping, when He said in Matthew 26.11 “For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.”  Judas went to the Sanhedrin and offered them his support in exchange for silver. From this moment on Judas was looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus. Judas spied on Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane where he came on his plan.

 

Maundy Thursday

At the Passover Feast, Jesus and his disciples share the “Last Supper” and He washes their feet. Jesus blesses his bread and wine as his flesh and blood and shares it with his disciples, the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. As Paul tells us in his First Letter to the Corinthians, “…the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”

 

At this same dinner, the disciples manage to quarrel over who should be the boss of who.  Jesus tells them he came in the role of a servant, as He is their master, their role is likewise that of servants.  In a move designed to reveal both His knowledge aforehand and our frailty, He tells Peter that Peter will deny Him thrice fore the cock croweth, or dawn breaks.  Peter, a loyal follower, denies what will be shown as clear fact.  Remember the further you let yourself get from the Lord, the weaker you are.  Weakness grows with the cube of the distance.  Stay close.

 

As the dinner goes on, Jesus tells them one of them will betray Him.  Not able to grasp that any of them would literally betray Him, each asks, “Is it I?”  Judas knows.

 

Jesus tells the disciples things are heating up, counsels them to arm themselves and goes out to pray in the garden of Gethsemane.  Disciples come with Him, despite their best efforts, they fall asleep.  Night has long fallen, the end of the day is near by our reckoning.  The end is near for Jesus here on earth.  Even nearer for Judas.

 

 

Good Friday

Good Friday was the day in which Jesus was tried by the Jews, tried by Pilate, condemned, crucified, died and was buried[1].  Except in hindsight, this was not a Good Friday at all. 

 

In the early hours before sunup, Jesus is betrayed by the “Judas Kiss” and arrested. At sunrise, he is disowned by Peter thrice before the cock croweth. When brought before Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest, and his Council, he is condemned. He says that he will rise from death after three days.

 

They hand him over to the Roman authority, Pontius Pilate, who sends him to Herod (Antipas, the son of Herod the Great). Then Pilate asks the crowd who he is to pardon: a murderer, or Jesus? The crowd chooses Barabas and Jesus is sentenced to death. Pilate’s actions made famous the line, “I wash my hands of this.”  While he might have attempted to wash the guilt for the murder of the world’s one truly innocent man on to the Jews, he remains the one who condemned him to death.  Pilate was nothing if not a politician and bureaucrat.  The condemnation was to him the simplest solution to the problem of a Jewish hierarchy’s manufactured crowd’s anger.  What was the death of one Jew to him?  Yet he was worried enough to attempt to wash his hands of the guilt.

 

Jesus is brought to Calvary, where on the “third hour” (9 am) he is crucified. He is mocked as he hangs between the Bad Thief and the Good Thief, whom he blesses. On the “sixth hour” (noon), darkness covers the land. Jesus cries out “My God, My God, hast Thou forsaken Me?”

 

After drinking wine, he commits his spirit to his Father and dies. Matthew reports an earthquake that destroys the Temple. Many understand now that Jesus was the Son of God. His body is taken down and anointed. He is buried in a new tomb donated by Joseph of Arimethea. This is the first day of death.

 

Holy Saturday

The Jewish Council remembers his vow to return and has the tomb guarded and sealed with a heavy stone. His followers stay in the “Easter Vigil”. Second day of death.

 

Easter Sunday

On the third day of death, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary find the tomb empty, but for an angel who tells them Jesus is already resurrected and is on His way to Galilee. On their way to tell the others, Jesus appears to them.  Death is conquered, the Promise delivered.  Our lives from this day forward are eternal!

 

Think about the Week that was!

The reason Jesus came to Jerusalem at the Passover was to take the place of the yearly sacrifice by one perfect sacrifice, one time, for all time and for all mankind. His was the blood marking our door that the destroyer might pass over.  The week started on a triumphant note and ended up trying to do between there were windows into the future, glimpses of the past, moments of despair, moments of terror, moments of confusion; but in the end joy and the ultimate triumph.



[1] The tomb was a new one which had been hewn for Joseph of Arimathea.  Joseph, a native of Arimathea, was apparently a man of wealth, and probably a member of the Sanhedrin an "honourable counsellor, who waited (or "was searching") for the kingdom of God", according to John, he was secretly a disciple of Jesus. As soon as he heard the news of Jesus' death, he "went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus." Pilate, reassured by a centurion that the death had really taken place, allowed Joseph's request. Joseph immediately purchased fine linen and went to Golgotha to take the body down from the cross. There, assisted by Nicodemus, he took the body and wrapped it in the fine linen, sprinkling it with the myrrh and aloes that Nicodemus had brought. The body was then conveyed to the new tomb in rock in his garden nearby. There they laid it, in the presence of Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and other women, and rolled a great stone to the entrance, and departed. This was done speedily, "for the Sabbath was drawing on". Joseph of Arimathea appears in some early New Testament apocrypha.

 

Although there are no written records until the fifth century, tradition holds Joseph of Arimethea, who provided the tomb for the burial of Jesus Christ, brought Christianity and the Holy Grail to England in 37 AD and built a church in Glastonbury in Somerset.

Sermon Notes - Palm Sunday - 28 March 2021, Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord) - Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide



The Sunday next before Easter, commonly called

Palm Sunday.

The Collect.

 

A

LMIGHTY and everlasting God, who, of thy tender love towards mankind, hast sent thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, to take upon him our flesh, and to suffer death upon the cross, that all mankind should follow the example of his great humility; Mercifully grant, that we may both follow the example of his patience, and also be made partakers of his resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

¶ This Collect is to be said every day, after the Collect appointed for the day, until Good Friday.

 

            The lectionary text for Palm Sunday is too lengthy to cover in one presentation and covers four days of readings. Therefore, I will summarize the Gospel texts that give us enough to evoke a thirst for deeper study of this profoundly important week in the life (and death) of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 


That which we approach today in observing the impending crucifixion of Christ is the great mountain of grace and mercy at Calvary – a mountain of unmerited mercy and grace for the chosen of God. It was foreshadowed by the interdicted sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham in the same mountain range as that of Calvary. These smaller mountains of God's grace are like small foothills of promise that rise in growing measure toward the heights of Everest which is the true Calvary. Such Mountains are as Great Lone Hills standing erect in a wilderness of want.     

 

The sacrifice of Christ was the consummation of all of God's prophecies of redemption, salvation, and atonement. It was the final act that opened the floodgates of mercy and the fountain of eternal life for all who are those of faith. There was nothing reasonable about the sacrifice of Christ. He came to shed His life's blood for those who were at enmity with Him and His Father. As our fathers climbed each successive mountain of grace and prophecy, their perspective prevented their clear view of the ultimate mountain of greatest towering stature that loomed beyond the crest of the last lesser mountain that foreshadowed Calvary. Mount Moriah upon whose brow, Abraham would have sacrificed Isaac, precluded the full view of that sacrificial fulfillment in Christ. As well was the fullness of the Promise occluded from the view of Moses upon Mount Nebal. It was the faith of Abraham, Moses, and others in the satisfaction of the benefits of salvation that made the coming reality of the redemption an accomplished and known fact centuries before its actual fulfillment.

 

            As we begin our observance of Holy Week, it will be revealing to our souls if we view the significant events of the week in order of their occurrence:

 

The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the Lord's DayOn the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem(John 12:12) This was the day that the Passover Lamb was to be set aside and kept for its sacrifice on the eve of Passover. Truly, Christ coming into Jerusalem to be kept until the 14th Nisan was the full picture of our Passover in Christ. Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us: 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Cor 5:7-8) The unleavened bread with which we observe the Passover represents the truth and sincerity of Christ our Passover.

 

            It is noteworthy of the fickle and wicked nature of man that the same people who were shouting Hosanna at the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem were the same who would be shouting for His crucifixion less four days later. And they were encouraged to do so by their wicked priests and ministers. On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt (John 12:12-15)

 

            Christ rode into Jerusalem on a colt of a donkey (Probably a mule since this would be consistent with the mule of David upon which his sone rode to coronation). (see 1 Kings 1:33) Jesus is spiritually called the Son of David.

 

           He had traveled to Bethlehem on a donkey at the beginning of His life. At the close of His life, He again rides into Jerusalem on a colt of a donkey. The people cast palm branches before Him shouting "Hosanna" a word of Hebrew origin Ho - see us, Yasha- na (save). This is why we refer to the day as Palm Sunday. It is the day that we, like Christ, begin our observance of Holy Week in preparation for our Passover in Christ. (Explain Passover: Exodus 12)

 

            The Jewish rulers were enraged at the honor the people showed to Christ. They could have been part of the celebration but chose to be part of the gloom and hate. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him. They conceived in their hearts to destroy the source of their anguish. The devil, like governments, can tolerate no opposition.

 

            Jesus would observe the Passover meal the night of His taking by the Jews in the Garden at Gethsemane. He would serve the meal to Judas, and the disciples, knowing beforehand that the disciples would flee from Him once the tables were turned against Him, and Judas would betray Him with a `kiss.' As Mary had anticipated His coming Passion (unwittingly), and bathed the feet of Christ with ointment, Christ will now signal that act of humility by bathing the feet of His disciples at the Passover meal.

 

            On the eve before His crucifixion, the Lord went into the Garden at Gethsemane to pray. He took His three closest disciples, Peter, James, and John, who could not keep awake even in the last moments of the life of Christ. We, too, cannot keep our attention on the Word even during the sermon most frequently. How vain and fickle are we!

 

            When the Jewish soldiers came to take Jesus captive in the Garden, His identity was pointed out by Judas who went to Christ and kissed His cheek, thus betraying the Lord of glory with a kiss. And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him. 48 But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss? (Luke 22:47-48)

 

            That was a betrayal of eternal repercussions for Judas, and for us. Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons(John 18:3)

 

The courageous Peter drew a sword and severed the ear of one of the guards. He had much courage in the presence of Christ, yet, when separated from Christ in the Garden, that same Peter denied Christ shamefully three times in the night. Why did Peter have that sword? In obedience to the counsel of the Lord: 36 Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one(Luke 22:36)

 

 The Lord was aware of the danger the disciples faced in His company, therefore His approbation of lethal weapons for self-defense.

 

Christ (the true High Priest) was taken to the Jewish High Priest where He was mocked, beaten and ridiculed. He was blasphemed and the Sanhedrin presumed to interrogate the Son of God. Having falsely accused Him, they led Him to Pilate the Roman Proconsul. Herod would be considered a pretty good Democrat or Republican today – he was quite politically correct. He found no fault in Christ, but wished to pass the buck by sending Jesus to Herod who also mocked Christ and tried to humiliate Him. He then returned Jesus to Pilate. King Herod and the Proconsul had previously been bitter enemies, but in their mutual estrangement to Christ, they became friends at this time.

 

The devil's children have united in their opposition to God always. To be honest, even the Gentile, Pontius Pilate did attempt to set Jesus free, but the moment he attempted to do this, the Jews raged against him and threatened him with a charge against his allegiance to Caesar.

 

Pilate, after an established tradition of setting one prisoner free at Passover, decided to offer up Christ as the man to be set free. The Jewish rulers would hear none of this. They demanded, instead that Barabbas, a depraved murderer, be set free instead. Let me tell you here and now, that Barabbas represented each one of us. Because of Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension, we all, who were offenders against God and man, have been set free.

 

Please note this political decision of poor and cowardly PilateAnd Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14 Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him. (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.) And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas: (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.) Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them. But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will. (Luke 23:13-25)

 

            Pilate should run for President of the United States since his politics so corruptly match those of our present administration. 

 

            So, Christ was beaten with many stripes, tortured and delivered up for crucifixion – a crown of thorns on His head to ridicule His claim to be the Son of God. He was cast without the gate of Jerusalem as the Son of the Owner of the Vineyard. Along the Via Dolorosa, He carried His heavy cross – the cross intended for you and me. He was driven all the way to Golgotha on Calvary's brow and crucified between two criminals. The events of that day will await further revelation in next week's sermon for Easter.

 

Are you ready to partake of the Communion of the Lord's Table?    BE READY!

Sunday next before Easter, commonly called Palm Sunday



This sermon is available as a video presentation RIGHT HERE!

Sermon – Reverend Jack Arnold - Time and Action
Church of the Faithful Centurion
Descanso, California

Today’s sermon brought the Collect, Epistle and Gospel together and is partly contained in the forewords above. 

 

Consider these words from the Collect:

 

… thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, to take upon him our flesh, and to suffer death upon the cross, that all mankind should follow the example of his great humility; Mercifully grant, that we may both follow the example of his patience, and also be made partakers of his resurrection…


 

In the Collect, we acknowledge God sent His Son to be our Savior.  Think about that, the Creator, Lord and Master of the Universe sent His only Son to live amongst us and not just provide us with instruction and leadership, but to give His earthly life as a one time sacrifice for our sin that we might be accounted as perfect in our final accounting, the resurrection.  How much did God value His Son?  Consider what Paul tells us - Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

Reading this, let us consider how much God valued His Son and how much He values us that He sent His Son here to teach us to guide us, to love us, and finally to give His Life for us that we might be free from the bonds of sin and death. Jesus humbled himself to a commoner’s death, and not just that of any commoner, but that of a thief. That says how much He loves His Creation, that He would die a most painful death that we might have everlasting life. He effectively took our place physically on the cross, physically in the sense we are sinners, and as Paul points out in Romans, the wages for sin is death. Jesus replaced us and took the wages for sin on our behalf so we might have everlasting life. 

 

The Collect calls us to follow the example Jesus set in His actions of His Death and Resurrection, and also calls us to embody His great humility and His great patience, that we might follow the upward narrow path towards heaven and be partakers of His Resurrection. The Collect calls us to action and follow in the example of Jesus’s great humility, humbling himself, the being who created this planet, to die for us on the cross, laying down His Life for ours, is an example we must strive to emulate in our own lives, to the best of our abilities.

 

If we follow His Example and do our best to emulate His humility and patience, we too can be a part of His Resurrection. We will be a part of our own resurrection of sorts. To accomplish this, we have to have our selfish selves die and be replaced with the unselfish self, which we can achieve through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In other words, we need to stop our sinful behavior and replace that behavior with more Godly behavior. 

 

Jesus set the ultimate standard for us to following God’s will.  His entire ministry can be described as  actions. He physically lived His Message. His Message can clearly be seen through His Actions. We need to do as He did and show by our actions that we serve Him.

 

Jesus knew ahead of time where, how and when He would die. He even told His Followers this, but they did not understand as they did not have the Holy Ghost within them to help them comprehend what He said. He knew with a 100 percent certainty it was going to be a physically and spiritually painful death, Yet, He also knew this was God’s Will that we might live.  If He did this for you, how can you not follow Him wherever His Will takes you? And remember His Example, of acting even if it means the death of your temporal body. His Example that He has left to us to follow is that of Action.

 

Recall Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem on this day so many years ago.  Only Jesus knew of the upcoming crucifixion; everyone else, including Jews, Romans and His followers, thought he was making a triumphant entrance in to the city to take control of things and kick the Roman occupation force out. It was almost a full moon, this was the year of the Messiah according to Daniel.  The natural events were lining up as Scripture had predicted which preceded the arrival of the Messiah.  Jesus chose the route into the city, through the King’s Gate.  The people saw Him coming and met him at the Mount of Olives.  When He came in through the King’s Gate, the people were expecting to see their future earthly king. They did not have the Holy Ghost within them to see His true nature.  However, they were incorrect, who they were seeing was and is their heavenly king. Jesus had no intentions of establishing a Kingdom of this World. He was looking for followers for the Kingdom of the Next World, of Heaven.

 

 

This World is only temporary, but the Next World is of Eternity. What ever trinkets we might acquire on Earth will never measure up to the gift that Jesus bought for us by His Death and Resurrection upon the cross. It is a gift of great joy, the fact is we should be by all rights dead and headed for the pit, instead headed to a kingdom of joyfulness and laughter and all pleasant things, and a world that will be far better than our pitiful shadowland here. This is indeed the most valuable of all gifts we will ever receive in our lifetime. 

 

As  an aside the Chief Priests, who had so much invested in their 613 laws, likely searched far and wide for the crowd to convict Jesus of the crimes they imagined against their system. We need to remember that not all of the Jews wanted Jesus executed, just those  in power and those that followed them.  The system that they followed was of this world, not God’s.  Remember, there are none so blind as those who will not see. They were in the darkness, thus they could and would not see what was being shown to them because it would interfere with their comfortable way of living.  A new way that asked of them, no demanded of them, accountability unto God for their actions.  Know the crowd was not a self-forming group naturally set on condemning Jesus, but a handpicked gang.  At the same time, many of those in the crowd who condemned Him the morning of Good Friday were in the crowd that welcomed Him to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  What a difference five days can make.

 

Make no mistake, we are that crowd.  And, like Pilate, no matter what we say, we cannot wash our hands of the responsibility.  Thus, we must separate ourselves from the crowd.  Separate, that is to make ourselves holy, set aside.

 

When the time comes, how will you ACT?

 

It is by our actions we are known.

                              Be of God - Live of God - Act of God 

Holy Week

The Sunday next before Easter is commonly referred to as Palm Sunday.  The period between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday is often referred to as Holy Week.  Most churchgoing people go to church on Palm Sunday, then to church on Easter Sunday. It’s a fairly uplifting time with not a lot of thinking. On Palm Sunday Jesus makes his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. On Easter Sunday there’s the joyous resurrection. What’s not to like about that?

 

The thing is, there is a tremendous amount that goes on between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, not all of it joyous, in fact most of it is pretty scary or sad.   The beginning of the week was wonderful; in the end the week was even more wonderful.  In between was a series of ups and downs the ups a little high and the downs very very deep. It is important to remember as you go through Holy Week that Jesus was in control of all the events of the week.  The week starts with the Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem and ends with the death of the Savior on the Cross and the burial of his body in the tomb.  It is a week of ups and downs without parallel, the ups a little high and the downs very very deep, deep as Hell you might say, and precedes the most joyous day of the year, the Day of the Resurrection or Easter Sunday.

 

Jesus has a triumphant entry into the city on the First Day of the Week (Sunday); on Thursday night he celebrates the Passover with his disciples in the Upper Room, he prays and agonizes over what he knows is coming in the garden of Gethsemane; Judas betrays him early Friday morning, his most trusted disciple denies him, not once but three times before the cock crew; the Jews condemn him to Pilate who in turn orders him to be beaten and humiliated; that does not satisfy the Jews and at their request, Pilate condemns a man he knows to be innocent to a horrible death to pacify the crowd of Jews assembled by the priests; Jesus is crucified, asks John to take care of his mother and gives up the ghost; his body is taken down and buried; the disciples are dispersed and discouraged; they have listened to their Lord, but not understood.

 

Think of this week from the disciples’ perspective, on the first day they enter with their leader into Jerusalem in triumph; mid-week they celebrate the joyous feast of the Passover, then their leader is betrayed, defends himself not and is killed.  At the time they surely could not think of this as a Holy Week and certainly not a Good Friday.  Yet on the first day of the week that follows, our Lord is Risen, Risen indeed and delivers the promise of salvation in person.

 

It is important to remember as you go through Holy Week that Jesus was in control of all the events of the week.

 

What a week!

 

Palm Sunday

The name Palm Sunday comes from the palm leaves, along with clothing and other honors strewn along Jesus’ path as He came in to Jerusalem the first day of the week before His crucifixion.  Of interest, only Jesus knew of the upcoming crucifixion, every one else, including Jews, Romans and the Christians, thought he was making a triumphant entrance in to the city to take control of things and kick the Roman occupation force out. The moon was almost full, this was the year of the Messiah according to Daniel.  Jesus chose the route into the city, through the King’s Gate.  The people saw Him coming and met him at the Mount of Olives.  They expected Him to come in and proclaim His rule.  And that He did, but not in the way the people were looking for.     Those who thought of Him as Lord looked for a Kingdom of this World to be established. Sunday was a day of triumph and fulfilled the anticipation of the Jews of a day for which they had waited four centuries.  The Messiah had finally come, at the time predicted by scripture.  They were certain that He would free them from the burdensome and cruel yoke of Roman rule.  The Jews would finally be on top of the power pyramid.  They would rule the world under Him!  Yet, that was not to be.  The day in the temple!  Holy Cow!  Here their savior was throwing people out of the temple, not throwing the Romans out of Jerusalem.  They were sad to learn He came not to rule this world, for that time was not yet come; He came to give them the key to eternal salvation.  He came to take them from this veil of tears to a state of perfect freedom.  They wanted someone to throw the Romans out and all God sent them was the key to eternal life.  What a disappointment!

 

Monday

On Monday, Jesus preached in the Temple and further distanced Himself from the people’s vision and demonstrated God’s vision.  He went in to the temple and through out the vendors selling “sacrificial” birds and animals at exorbitant cost, as well as the moneychangers, changing Roman money for Temple money dishonestly.  Far from announcing Himself head of the temple, He announced they had made His Father’s house a den of thieves.  Rather than working within the Jewish establishment, He over turned it!

 

Tuesday

Jesus and the Pharisees dispute in the Temple. He left for the garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. There he delivers the “Mount of Olives Discourse”. Judas agrees to betray him to the Jewish priests for 30 pieces of silver. 

 

Wednesday

The Sanhedrin was gathered together and decided to kill Jesus, even before Pesach if possible. In the meantime, Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper. Here he was anointed on his head by Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, with very expensive ointment of spikenard. Some of the disciples, particularly Judas Iscariot, keeper of the purse, were indignant about this; the oil could have been sold to support the poor.  “This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.”  In this case, Judas recalls to mind many politicians.  Jesus reminded them of the importance of first things first and the futility of giving, rather than helping, when He said in Matthew 26.11 “For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.”  Judas went to the Sanhedrin and offered them his support in exchange for silver. From this moment on Judas was looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus. Judas spied on Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane where he came on his plan.

 

Maundy Thursday

At the Passover Feast, Jesus and his disciples share the “Last Supper” and He washes their feet. Jesus blesses his bread and wine as his flesh and blood and shares it with his disciples, the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. As Paul tells us in his First Letter to the Corinthians, “…the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”

 

At this same dinner, the disciples manage to quarrel over who should be the boss of who.  Jesus tells them he came in the role of a servant, as He is their master, their role is likewise that of servants.  In a move designed to reveal both His knowledge aforehand and our frailty, He tells Peter that Peter will deny Him thrice fore the cock croweth, or dawn breaks.  Peter, a loyal follower, denies what will be shown as clear fact.  Remember the further you let yourself get from the Lord, the weaker you are.  Weakness grows with the cube of the distance.  Stay close.

 

As the dinner goes on, Jesus tells them one of them will betray Him.  Not able to grasp that any of them would literally betray Him, each asks, “Is it I?”  Judas knows.

 

Jesus tells the disciples things are heating up, counsels them to arm themselves and goes out to pray in the garden of Gethsemane.  Disciples come with Him, despite their best efforts, they fall asleep.  Night has long fallen, the end of the day is near by our reckoning.  The end is near for Jesus here on earth.  Even nearer for Judas.

 

 

Good Friday

Good Friday was the day in which Jesus was tried by the Jews, tried by Pilate, condemned, crucified, died and was buried[1].  Except in hindsight, this was not a Good Friday at all. 

 

In the early hours before sunup, Jesus is betrayed by the “Judas Kiss” and arrested. At sunrise, he is disowned by Peter thrice before the cock croweth. When brought before Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest, and his Council, he is condemned. He says that he will rise from death after three days.

 

They hand him over to the Roman authority, Pontius Pilate, who sends him to Herod (Antipas, the son of Herod the Great). Then Pilate asks the crowd who he is to pardon: a murderer, or Jesus? The crowd chooses Barabas and Jesus is sentenced to death. Pilate’s actions made famous the line, “I wash my hands of this.”  While he might have attempted to wash the guilt for the murder of the world’s one truly innocent man on to the Jews, he remains the one who condemned him to death.  Pilate was nothing if not a politician and bureaucrat.  The condemnation was to him the simplest solution to the problem of a Jewish hierarchy’s manufactured crowd’s anger.  What was the death of one Jew to him?  Yet he was worried enough to attempt to wash his hands of the guilt.

 

Jesus is brought to Calvary, where on the “third hour” (9 am) he is crucified. He is mocked as he hangs between the Bad Thief and the Good Thief, whom he blesses. On the “sixth hour” (noon), darkness covers the land. Jesus cries out “My God, My God, hast Thou forsaken Me?”

 

After drinking wine, he commits his spirit to his Father and dies. Matthew reports an earthquake that destroys the Temple. Many understand now that Jesus was the Son of God. His body is taken down and anointed. He is buried in a new tomb donated by Joseph of Arimethea. This is the first day of death.

 

Holy Saturday

The Jewish Council remembers his vow to return and has the tomb guarded and sealed with a heavy stone. His followers stay in the “Easter Vigil”. Second day of death.

 

Easter Sunday

On the third day of death, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary find the tomb empty, but for an angel who tells them Jesus is already resurrected and is on His way to Galilee. On their way to tell the others, Jesus appears to them.  Death is conquered, the Promise delivered.  Our lives from this day forward are eternal!

 

Think about the Week that was!

The reason Jesus came to Jerusalem at the Passover was to take the place of the yearly sacrifice by one perfect sacrifice, one time, for all time and for all mankind. His was the blood marking our door that the destroyer might pass over.  The week started on a triumphant note and ended up trying to do between there were windows into the future, glimpses of the past, moments of despair, moments of terror, moments of confusion; but in the end joy and the ultimate triumph.



[1] The tomb was a new one which had been hewn for Joseph of Arimathea.  Joseph, a native of Arimathea, was apparently a man of wealth, and probably a member of the Sanhedrin an "honourable counsellor, who waited (or "was searching") for the kingdom of God", according to John, he was secretly a disciple of Jesus. As soon as he heard the news of Jesus' death, he "went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus." Pilate, reassured by a centurion that the death had really taken place, allowed Joseph's request. Joseph immediately purchased fine linen and went to Golgotha to take the body down from the cross. There, assisted by Nicodemus, he took the body and wrapped it in the fine linen, sprinkling it with the myrrh and aloes that Nicodemus had brought. The body was then conveyed to the new tomb in rock in his garden nearby. There they laid it, in the presence of Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and other women, and rolled a great stone to the entrance, and departed. This was done speedily, "for the Sabbath was drawing on". Joseph of Arimathea appears in some early New Testament apocrypha.

 

Although there are no written records until the fifth century, tradition holds Joseph of Arimethea, who provided the tomb for the burial of Jesus Christ, brought Christianity and the Holy Grail to England in 37 AD and built a church in Glastonbury in Somerset.