OUR FATHER WHO KNOWS THE END FROM THE BEGINNING

Matthew chaa

pter 27 verses 3 - 10 breaks away from the main narrative to record the actions of Judas after he had betrayed Jesus and had seen what was happening as a result.

Judas had interacted with the religious leaders beforehand and they had offered him thirty pieces of silver ( about $500 USD ) if he helped them track down Jesus in a secluded area so that they could discreetly arrest him.

He, maybe naively, thought that the religious leaders wanted to question Him or expel Him from the city but at the trial the next morning, Jesus was condemed to death for blasphemy and was taken to the Roman governor in order to get the sentence of death sanctioned.

Not having understood the intentions of the religious leaders, Judas was horrified that the sentence of death was being sought and in remorse, he went back to the chief priests and elders of Israel to repent for accepting their offer. When they rebuffed his attempt to rescind his transaction, he threw the silver back at them and went and hanged himself seeing that there was no pathway out of the mess of transacting in the blood of an innocent man that he was now permanently linked to.

3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”

5 Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.

6 But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.” 7 And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.

9 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced, 10 and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”

The religious leaders, seeing that the silver as back in their possesion, had to decide what to do with it because it could no longer go back into general funds because of the purpose for which it had been withdrawn.

One of the pressing issues at the time was that when people died while in Jerusalem and remained unclaimed, there was nowhere allocated to bury them and so the religious leaders decided to use the silver to buy an available plot of land that was owned by a potter. If the potter used it to get clay for making pots,  it was probably not good for other uses like agriculture so it was on the market for a low price and the thirty pieces of silver was enough to purchase it.

Matthew, in verses 9 - 10, referenced the foretelling of this unusually specific occurance by the prophet Jeremiah by name and the prophet Zechariah by text.

Jeremiah chapter 19 verses 1 - 4;

1 This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people and of the priests 2 and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. There proclaim the words I tell you, 3 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings of Judah and people of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. 

4 For they have forsaken me and made this a place of foreign gods; they have burned incense in it to gods that neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent

Zechariah chapter 11 verse 12 - 13;

12 Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver.

13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter. 14Then I cut in two my other staff, Bonds, that I might break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.

Have mercy on us O God.

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OUR FATHER WHO GAVE HIS ONLY SON TO SAVE US

As the working day started that morning, the Lord Jesus was still in the custody of the chief priests of Israel 

A meeting was held by the religious leaders to discuss what steps to take now that they had Jesus in their hands.  They wanted to put Him to death but under Roman law, they could not do so unless a Roman court condemned Jesus.

They strategized how they would manipulate the system to make sure that they could have Jesus killed as soon as possible.

Having settled on a plan of action, they retrieved Jesus from their holds, tied Him up hand and foot and took Him to Pontious Pilate who was the Roman governor in authority over Judea at the time.

The Messiah sent by God to the people of Israel was rejected by His own people and was presented to a gentile ruler for judgement.

Matthew chapter 7 verses 1 - 2 records the begining of the manipulation of the system starting with binding Jesus with fetters so that He looked like a dangerous criminal when He appeared before Pilate.

1 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. 2 And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

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OUR FATHER WHO TRANSFORMS HIS PEOPLE BY HIS SPIRIT

As the Lord Jesus was being questioned, harangued and abused in Ciaphasˋ palace, the disciple Peter was waiting in the courtyard to see what was going to happen to Jesus when in quick succession, three different people confronted him with the fact that he seemed to be one of the accomplices of Jesus. 

Peter, having pledged to the Lord Jesus that he would never deny Him even to the point of death, suddenly found himself under pressure and fear overwhelmed him and he instinctively distanced himself from Jesus using curses and swearing to provide camouflage for himself by seeming to be from a crass underword culture rather than an associate of a righteous prophet.

Matthew chapter 26 verses 69 - 75 captures these interactions thusly.

69 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.”

70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.”

71 And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

72 But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!”

73 And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.”

74 Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. 

75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.

When Peter had devolved to instinctual behaviour three times, a rooster crowed as morning was breaking and Peter realized that in the face of personal danger, he had denied Jesus in public three times even though a few hours before, he had been boldly proclaiming that he would steadfastly stand alongside Jesus.

This brought Peter to a crisis where he had a sudden loss of confidence in himself and he wept bitterly at the realization that he had been weak and like a reed, was easily blown around by the wind.

Later on, after Jesus had risen from the dead, the same Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, was a new man. He was now very courageous and when he himself was arrested and brought before the religious and civic authorities for propagating  a new message of the risen Jesus and healing people, he declared to their faces that they had rejected the Son of God who was the Messiah whom they purported to be waiting for and as such, were now obsolete vestiges of a by-gone era. This example of Peter's transformation is found in the book of Acts chapter 4 verses 10 - 13;

10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,

   which has become the cornerstone.’

12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

The transforming power of Jesus dramatically changed Simon to Peter, a reed to a rock.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO GAVE HIS SON TO SAVE US

Matthew chapter 26 verses 57 - 68 records the events that followed the Lord Jesusˋ arrest where they took him to Caiaphasˋ house who was the high priest that year.

(The book of John chapter 18 records that they first stopped that the house of Annas who was the high priestˋs father-in-law who then sent Jesusˋ onto to Caiaphasˋhouse.)

Peter (and another disciple per John 18) followed behind the arresting detachment to see what was going to happen to Jesus.

57 And those who had laid hold of Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. 58 But Peter followed Him at a distance to the high priest’s courtyard. And he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.

59 Now the chief priests, the elders, and all the council sought false testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, 60 but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward 61 and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ”

62 And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” 63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”

64 Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

65 Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! 66 What do you think?”

They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.”

67 Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?”

During the questioning of Jesus, false witnesses appeared to testify against Jesus but there were no credible testmonies until two witnesses presented the fact that they heard Jesus say that He was able to destroy the temple and rebuild it three days.

Through the questioning, Jesus was silent but when the high priest, putting Jesus under oath, asked Jesus directly if He was the Christ, the Son of God.

To this Jesus answered that He was indeed who Caiaphas was asking if He was hand further to that, He would been see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.

This astounding statement by Jesus where He described His future position on the throne of God and His ultimate return to earth in glory scandalized the participants in the trial and they settled that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy and worthy of death.

Once they had determined among themselves that Jesus was guilty, they felt free to degrade Him and they began spitting on His face and striking Him and mocking His claim to be the Christ.

Because Israel was under the control of the Roman Empire at that time, the leaders of Israel had no power to impose capital punishment on anyone and so in order to have Jesus killed, they would have to take Jesus to the Roman authorities to have Him tried in Roman courts so that they could legally have Him put to death and thus the narataive will take us to the palace of the Roman governor of Judea named Pontius Pilate.

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OUR FATHER WHO GAVE HIS ONLY SON

Judas Iscariot, knowing that Jesus and the disciples would be on the mount of Olives in the garden called Gethsemane, led the enforcers from the chief priests and the elders up to where Jesus was, and indicated who their quarry was by using the prearranged signal of a kiss.

When the enforcers arrested Jesus, Peter the disciple, in a frantic response, grabbed a sword and cut off the ear of the high priestˋs servant. 

Jesus, now under arrest, spoke to His followers not to resist with their weapons because a kingdom sustained by weapons would ultimately die by weapons.

He attempted to assure the disciples that even at that time, he could have asked the Father to make twelve legions of angels available to defend them from the authorities but what was happening was the fulfillment of scripture.

He asked the arresting officers why they had come to take Him in the night when He was with them all day long in the temple. He answered His own question by stating that the fulfillment of prophecy was shaping the sequence of events and the long prophecied 

The disciples who had been with Him, suddenly lost heart and abandoned Jesus in the hands of His captors fulfilling the prophecy of Zecharia chapter 13 verse 7 which said;

ˋStrike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scatteredˋ

Matthew chapter 26 verses 47 - 56 captures when the Lord Jesus was given into the hands of sinners and reads this way;

47 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.

48 Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” 49 Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.

50 But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?”

Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him. 51 And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.

52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? 54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”

55 In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me. 56 But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.”

Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

And thus Jesusˋ ordeal began with Him alone and engulfed in the ranks of His enemies.

 Psalm 17 verses 8 - 12 foretold the moment of arrest from Jesusˋ point of view as He prayed to His Father to keep Him in the apple of His eye.

                    Keep me as the apple of your eye;

    hide me in the shadow of your wings

9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me,

    from my mortal enemies who surround me.

10 They close up their callous hearts,

    and their mouths speak with arrogance.

11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me,

    with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.

12 They are like a lion hungry for prey,

    like a fierce lion crouching in cover.

What a great price our Lord paid for us.

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OUR FATHER WHO GAVE HIS ONLY SON TO SAVE THE WORLD

 Matthew chapter 26 verses 36 - 46 says this;

36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

The Lord Jesus, knowing the difficulty of what was to come, was in distress and He asked His three close disciples to be with Him while He prayed.

He fell on His face before the Father and asked Him, if it were possible, to let the cup of intense suffering to pass from Him but He said to the Father that He would submit to the Fatherˋs will.

Jesus travailed for an hour and when He checked His three disciples, they were asleep. He advised them to pray so that they could avoid entering temptation for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

The Lord prayed in sorrow for three hours but at each hour, He returned to find His disciples sleeping. 

On the third hour, Jesus returned and announced to them that the time had come for Him to be betrayed into the hands of sinners and they should get going for the betrayer was getting close.

The Lord Jesus, set His face to flint and with resolve, went to surrender Himself into the hands of the authorities who were seeking to kill Him.

And so the passion of the Christ began.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO GAVE HIS ONLY SON

After their last supper,  The Lord Jesus, in Matthew chapter 26 verses 31 - 35, prophesied to His disciples that it was not only Judas who would stumble that evening but rather all of them. 

31 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:

‘I will strike the Shepherd,

And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

32 But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

33 Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are [g]made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”

34 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

35 Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”

And so said all the disciples.

In this passage, the Lord Jesus referenced Zechariah chapter 13 verse 7 which reads this way;

“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.

Locked into the scriptures written centuries before, was the behaviour of the disciples when their leader was arrested and taken for trial.

The Lord of Hosts, calling the weapon of the state against His Shepherd, a man whom He named His companion (a glimpse into the nature of Jesus being One who was alongside God the Father ), foretells that the sheep would scatter.

When Jesus said this to His disciples, the apostle Peter declared that he would never deny Jesus but Jesus, to make a point that the scriptures cannot be broken, described the specific circumstances (a cock crowing three times) that would surround Peterˋs denial to which Peter replied that he would not deny Jesus even to the point of death.

The other disciples also made the same profession but the scriptures were indeed unbreakable and within a few hours, the disciples were scattered when Jesus was apprehended by the authorities in the garden of Gethsemene.

If a non-metaphoric shepard were to be struck, real sheep would scatter and so it was not against nature that the disciples were prophecied to scatter in the face of an attack on their master. 

When Jesus ressurected and the disciples were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, they no longer had the nature of sheep but rather the nature of their master and they boldly testified about Jesus in the face of the ones who had plotted His death.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON

The Lord Jesus, as they were eating the last supper, instituted the rite of  communion where the bread was broken and shared to represent His body that was to be broken and the wine that was shared that represented His Blood that was to be spilled for the remission of sins. This scene, to be repeated for two millenia so far, was for the commemoration of the Lordˋs death until He returned in glory.

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

With the handing out of the wine, the Lord clicked the stopwatch to indicated that from that moment, they would no longer be sharing anything until the kingdom of God had been made acceesible to His disciples and they shared the wine of the Spirit.

From that moment, the totality of the plan of the salvation of mankind was going to be accomplished including the trials, the scourging, the crucifixion, the death, the burial, the descent into hell, the ressurection, the ascent into heaven, and the redemption of mankind.  All these eternally momentous events were going to occur before they shared wine in the kingdom of God.

A hymn was sang to mark the moment in time and they left to the mount of olives where the unstoppable chain reaction would begin when the Son of Man was handed over into the hands of sinners.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER GAVE HIS ONLY SON TO REDEEM MANKIND AND NOW HIS TIME WAS AT HAND

The Lord Jesus, with the day of His suffering set for the next day, begins the final protocols that needed to be instituted before hand.

Starting with the Last Supper, the Lord was approached by His disciples about where to set up the passover meal.  He instructed them to go into the city and find a man who had the facilities and  been briefed beforehand and to tell him that the time had come and to provide the required space and victuals.

17 Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

18 And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.” ’ ”

19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

Once it was evening, Jesus sat down with the twelve disciples and as they ate, the Lord Jesus broached the fact that someone in their midst was going to betray Him. This was a shock  to the group of men and they each began to try make it known the to the others  that they were not involved in treachery against Him. They all asked the Lord to testify that it wasnˋt they who were involved. 

The Lord announced that the one who dipped a piece of bread into the broth at the same time that He did was the one who was going to betray Him and that the person who was going to do it was better off never to have been born because of how agregious the act of betraying the son of man was.

Judas, knowing that it was he who dipped at the same time as Jesus, asked if it was he who was going to betray Jesus and Jesus answered that it was.

20 When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. 21 Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?”

23 He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?”

He said to him, “You have said it.”

Thus the sequence of events that led to the death of the Lord Jesus began in earnest and the identification of the person who would turn Jesus over into the hands of His enemies was the first of the steps.

Judas left the venue shortly after to fulfill his end of the agreement he had made with the religious leaders for thirty pieces of silver and by the next night, Jesus would be dead.

Have mercy on us O God.

4

OUR FATHER WHO GAVE HIS ONLY SON TO SAVE THE WORLD

Matthew chapter 26 verse 14 - 16 records the event where Judas Iscariot decided that he could benefit the most by betraying Jesus into the hands of the religious leaders.

He asked them what price they would pay to get Jesus and they agreed on thirty pieces of silver.

14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

The book of Zechariah chapter 11 verses 12 - 13 aludes to this event thusly;

12 I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.

13 And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.

This prophecy appears to capture the words fo Jesus speaking of the ˋhandsomeˋ price of thirty pieces of silver that they paid to get Jesus but in a cryptic way, revealing that the money was paid out and then returned and that the money was laundered by the aquisition of a potterˋs field.

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OUR FATHER WHO HONORS THOSE WHO HONOR HIS SON

Matthew chapter 26 verses 6 - 13 captures a moment when a woman, inspired by the Holy Spirit, approached the Lord Jesus and poured an expensive frangant oil on His head as he sat at the table.

Jesusˋ disciples were annoyed that so much money was wasted instead of being put towards a good cause like helping the poor. 

6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”
10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. 11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. 12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. 13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

Jesusˋ response to the complaints of the disciples revealed a glimpse behind-the-scenes of the preparations being made for Jesusˋ crucifixion and burial.

As the time approached for Jesus to give Himself into the hands of the authorities, the preparation for His burial were underway and the pouring of the fragrant oil represented the physical version of what was happening in the spiritual realm.

The womanˋs sacrifice and obedience to the prompting of the Spirit immortalized her participation in the story of the salvation of mankind and as Jesus foretold, her actions are  still being read and studied two thousand years later.

John chapter 12 verse 26 says this:

If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be. If any man serve Me, him will My Father honor.

Amen.

4

OUR FATHER WHO SENT HIS SON TO DIE FOR THE SINS OF THE WORLD

Matthew chapter 26 verses 1 - 5 records the change in the atmosphere that occurred two days before the Passover feast when the Lord Jesus finished teaching His followers about His return in great glory as the judge of the whole world but He predicted that first, He was going to be delivered into the hands of the authorities to be crucified.

At that time, the plot to kill Jesus intensified as the Pharisees, scribes and the elders of Israel gathered at the residence of Caiaphas the high priest and planned  

1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 2 “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

3 Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

The people of Israel were gathering in Jerusalem for the Passover feast and the religious and political leaders, as they planned to eliminate Jesus, realised that it would be disruptive and cause unrest and chaos with all the people in the city and so they were constrained in what they could do at the time but with trickery, they intended to ensnare Jesus and kill Him.

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OUR FATHER WHOSE KINGDOM IS RIGHTEOUS KINGDOM

The Lord Jesus, giving the last parable before the dominos that led to His cricifixion began to fall, described a scene where He would be arriving in great glory accompanied by holy angels and He will occupiy a great throne of glory.

All the nations of the earth will be gathered before Him and as a judge, He will separate these nations into two categories: The sheep and the goats. The sheep will be placed on His right side and He will bless them and welcome them into the kingdom they have inherited. The Lord gives the reason for their inclusion in this first group is that they;

• When Jesus was hungry, they gave Him food
• When Jesus was thirsty, they have Him drink
• When Jesus was unknown, they welcomed and included Him
• When Jesus was naked, they gave him clothes
• When Jesus was sick, they visited Him
• When Jesus was imprisoned, they came to see Him

Those who were blessed were confounded because they had no recollection of doing these things for Jesus but He informed them that everytime they helped the people in the margins with no status, no voice and no strength, they were directly helping Him.

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

In contrast, those who were placed on the left side of the throne, classified as goats, were those who did not undertake to minister to those on the lowest rungs of society and by failing to do so, let Jesus languish in their midst and were now to face eternal judgement.

41 “Then He will also say to those on the  left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

This sobering event reminds us that a primary preoccupation of the Lord is the care of the weak and lowly for He very strongly identifies with them and He has given all people  an unlimited credit card such that anything given to the poor and any expense undertaken on their behalf is charged to Him and he will repay it.

As Proverbs chapter 19 verse 17 says;

He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given.

This unconditional contract removes any excuse that we may have from helping the poor. 

Have mercy on us O God.

8

OUR FATHER WHO GAVE US HIS SPIRIT AND HIS POWER TO PROFIT HIS KINGDOM

The Lord Jesus, in Matthew chapter 25 verses 14 - 30, continuing to teach His followers about the kingdom of Heaven, used a parable to explain to them how to be profitable servants during his absence.

In the parable of the talents, Jesus told them of a man who was to travel to a distant country and so divided some of his holdings among his servants to take care of and then went on his way. When the man returned, he assessed the performance of each servant based on what they had done with the assets he had left them. 

14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

In this parable, the man was Jesus Himself and His followers were the servants to whom the money was consigned. The money represented any deposit of the Spirit of God who supplied the spiritual gifts and power left in the charge those who followed Jesus.

This portion of the gifting and power of the kingdom of God given into our care consists of what is revealed to us as requirements in the kingdom of God for which we are also given unique abilities that we can use to attended to and fulfill them.

In the case of the first and second servants who was given five and two talents respectively, they traded and invested what was given to them and they were able to return double their masters original goods.

What does the trading and investing represent? In the corporeal world, if one were given an amount of cash to administer, one could buy a business or invest in projects that yielded dividends after a period. Carefully managing the portfolio would result in the growth of the value of the holding over time and when the owner of the asset called to draw upon the investment, the deposit would worth more than the initial fund.

Translating these principles into spiritual terms as they relate to the kingdom of God,  what is being proposed is that we handle our own revelations of the kingdom of God and the individual abilities and strengths that are bestowed on us as opportunities to invest in the growth of the kingdom of God with the understanding that what we have been given and how we steward them will be used to guage what we can be entrusted with in the kingdom to come.

In the parable, the third servant displeased his master because he was risk averse and decided to safely bury what he was given so that when the master returned, he could return to him exactly what he was given.

The master argued that if risk aversion was the operating principle, the third servant should have at least placed the money in a low-risk, interest-bearing savings account so that when the master returned, his money could have gained some interest instead of being static and perhaps suffering the ravages of inflation.

This suggestion by Jesus translates into the spiritual realm as an option to serve in other peopleˋs ventures and ministries to take advantage of their successful investments that more gifted people are able to manage and as a result, what was given to the servant would be put towards a growing investment and when Jesus returned, would find that the servant has contributed to another personˋs successfull efforts and would be able to realise interest on His investment.

The third servant, in effect, was given an investment of gifts and power in his life and what he returned to his master was himself alone. The expectation, however, was that each person, having been given a deposit of the Spirit of God, would be able to present other people to his Lord who had been won over to the kingdom of God by the investment of their time and gifts and even if the person could not directly win over souls, could at least join in to help the fishers of men who were successfully netting the souls of men for the kingdom.

Have mercy on us O God.

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OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE Part 7

Matthew chapter 25 verses 1 - 13 records another parable that contrasts the end-of-the-age experiences of the servants of the kingdom of heaven who were wise and those who were foolish.

1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

This parable is another warning that perpetual vigilance is required for all those who would be entrusted with the things of the kingdom of heaven.

The scene is described where ten virgins were tasked with going out to meet the bridegroom as he arrived into town so they could escort him and his entourage to the wedding venue. 

Five of the ten were wise and attentive. They kept their lamps ready and had reserves of oil in case the bridegroom was delayed.

On the other hand, the foolish virgins were not vigilant and fell asleep while they waited fo the bridgroom. When the call finally came that the bridegroom was enroute, they awoke and realized that the oil for their lamps was low and they did not have enough to go out to welcome the bridgegoom.

In a panic, they asked the five wise virgins to share their oil with them but the wise ones knew that they needed all the oil they had and if they split it out, they would all run out and everyone, including the out-of-towners, would be left standing in the dark trying to grope their way to the wedding venue.

The only solution for the foolish virgins was to go out to buy more oil for their lamps from the after-hours oil retailers and at mid-night, while they were gone, the bridegroom arrived and only the five wise virgins were available to meet the bridegroom as they.

The five virgins and the bridegroom and his escorts joined up and they went to the wedding venue and closed the door.

The five foolish virgins finally found an oil dealer willing to open shop for them in the night but by they time they returned, the wedding was already underway. They knocked on the door asking to be let in but the bridgroom did not recognize them and did not want wedding crashers to interupt the proceedings and they were turned away.

The lessons that we can derive from this parable are;

• Stay alert to listen and watch for the signs of the Lordˋs arrival
• Do not be asleep during the time when preparations are being made
• Each person is responsible for and must attend to their own preparedness
• Keep reserves of annointing so that we can endure through delays
• Acquire annointing oil while it is yet day for it is harder to acquire it in the night 
• Going out to meet the bridegroom to welcome him is how he recognizes us. If we sleep and get preoccupied with other things instead of finding him and personally walking with him to the wedding venue, we will not be known.

Have mercy on us O God.

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OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE Part 6

The Lord Jesus, in Matthew chapter 24 verses 45 - 51, advises His disciples to be faithful in carrying out their service so that when their master returned unexpectedly, they would be found going about their Fatherˋs business. Those who are consistent in their service of God would be blessed when they are found occupied by their work in the Lordˋs household when He returns. Such a servant would be entrusted with all that the master had.

On the other hand, a servant, having concluded that his master was not returning any time soon, reverts to a carnal way of living and works to gain dominance over the other servants as though he were their master. He indulges himself in very carnal appetite and sets a bad example for everyone in the household.

45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

When the master returns, the evil servant is caught by surprise and found to have been an untrustworthy steward of his masterˋs business and he is consigned to the outer darkness where there is weeping in deep regret over failing to take the things of his master seriously.

Have mercy on us O God.

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OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE Part 5

Matthew chapter 24 verses 36 - 44 records the Lord warning His followers that His return would be a complete surprise to everyone including the angels of heaven and some manuscripts record that even the Lord Jesus Himself did not know the day or hour of His return.

The Lord compared His return with the onset of the great flood of Noah where people were going about their daily lives eating and drinking and starting families when suddenly, the opportunity to enter the ark was no longer available and the door of the ark was closed and the destruction of the flood carried them away. 

In the same way, people, not believing that the end of the age of grace was soon to arrive, would continue living as they alway had until suddenly, the gift of the free salvation that Jesus acquired for mankind was no longer being offered.

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

The return of the Lord Jesus will be sudden and will have no overt precursors. Life will carry on as normal right until the last second. People working together on farms or in factories will discovery that some people in their midst have disappeared into thin air and realize that they have been left behind.

The Lord Jesus explains that the reason for the secrecy is so that the kingdom of darkness would not be able to anticipate the day of the Lord and make plans to patrol the perimeter with his angels in order to interfere with (or  thwart ) the Son of Manˋs invasion of the earth.

The secret is tightly kept in order to catch the kingdom of darkness off-guard but the Lord advises His followers to be perpetually vigilant so that when the trap is sprung, they would be found to be in good standing in the kingdom of God and be caught up with Him in the clouds.

Amen.

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OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE Part 4

Matthew chapter 24 verse 32 - 35;

32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When it branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Amen

12

OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE part 3

In Matthew chapter 24 verses 29 - 31, Jesus reveals the events that would occur immediately after the great tribulation;

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

As the end approaches, the persecution on the people of God would intensify as economic pressure and subtle deceptions carried out by the world systems flush believers out of hiding where they are killed. If these days were not shortened, as Jesus said in verse 22, no Christian at that time would physically survive the trials.

When this period ends, distinct signs would occur in the heavens where the sun will go dark along with the moon and not in the form of an eclipse but rather as a general dimming of the sun that will plunge the whole earth into darkness at the same time.

In the spiritual realm, the stars will fall from heaven as their dominion in spiritual places collapses. The spiritual powers that rule over territories and nations will be  shaken by a severe quake in the spiritual realm.

It is then that the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky as a light show of glory and splendor and power. All the people on earth, when they see this sign circling the globe, will know that the King of Glory, whom they had abandoned or rejected, was now returning and they will see Him on the clouds of heaven, no longer as a preacher entering Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey but now as the One of exceedingly great  power and glory.

As the whole world watches the frightening spectacle, a blast of trumpets will reverberate and the Lord Jesus will send His angels to gather His chosen ones from every corner of the earth and all His elect from all the places in heaven that they are.

Have mercy on us O God.

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OUR FATHER  WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME OR THE DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE part 2

The Lord Jesus had just outlined for His disciples, in Matthew chapter 24 verses 3 - 14, a list of general events that would occur as an indicator of the time of His return. He then, in verses 15 - 28, zoomed in on a specific event whose occurence signalled a state of emergency. 

This is an event that was spoken of by the prophet Daniel ( in the book of Daniel 9 v. 27 and Daniel 11 v. 31) and Jesus tells his followers that when they see the abomination of desolation standing in the Holy place, then each person in the south of Israel (Judea) must flee to the mountains as fast as humanly possible because the great tribulation will have began and this event would be more severe than anything that have ever happened or will ever happen.

15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

This tribulation will be so terrible that if its duration were not constrained by God, no human beings would be saved but for the sake of the ones chosen, the time of the tribulation if shortened.

During these desperate times, with people under immense pressure, there will be words circulating that the Messiah has arrived and it will be very tempting to run out after these false messiahs and false prophets especially when they are displaying supernatural power.

The Lord describes what the deceptions will be like and how to respond. People will hear rumours that the Messiah has touched down in the desert but he warned us not to go out to the desert to see for ourselves.

Others will hear that the Messiah has made an appearance in some inner chambers and secret offices but the Lord warned us not to believe that either.

These are traps that are set to capture people who have even a modicum of hope in the appearance of a Messiah. When people arrive in the desert to see the ˋmessiahˋ, they are rounded up and when they enter buildings to seek the ˋmessiahˋ in secret rooms, they are captured.

23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.

26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

The Lord then tells His followers what the genuine indicator of His arrival would be; As lightning strikes in the east and flashes across the sky to the west, the Lordˋs arrival will be an unmistakable phenomenon of light in the sky that could not be imitated by false messiahs. People claiming to be the messiah who mysteriously appear in the desert and in hidden rooms are false messiahs because the appearance of the real messiah will be overt, public and visible to every person on earth.

Wherever the carcass is, there the eagles (Note, most translations render this word as ˋvulturesˋ instead of ˋeaglesˋ) will be gathered together. This phrase indicates the danger of being misled by the claims of the false messiahs and false prophets. If anyone falls for the deception and goes to the location given, they will be devoured by the vultures who will await them there.

Have mercy on us O God.

24

OUR FATHER WHO ALONE KNOWS THE TIME AND DAY OF THE END OF THE AGE

In the book of Matthew chapter 24 verse 3 - 14, the Lord Jesus, while sitting on the Mount of Olives, was approached by His disciple for a private consultation. They had heard him speak of His return at the age and they were trying to understand how it would affect them.

They wanted to know;

• When the described events would occur
• What indicators would mark Jesusˋ return
• What indicators would mark the end of the age

3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

The Lord answered the last question about the signs that would mark the end of the age first by giving them a list of conditions that would converge that would be the harbinger of the end of the dispensation that His ministry was about to innugurate;

These items were pertaining to the world at large;

• Many false christs will appear claiming to be Jesus
• Wars will proliferate wround the world
• Rumours of wars will be constantly circulating
• Major geopolitical upheavals will roil the earth
• Famines will scourge the earth
• Pestilences will sweep nations
• Major geological events like earthquakes will strike all over the world

These items were partaining to the Church;

• Persecution and murder of Christians will be widespread
• Christians will be hated for the sake of the name of Jesus
• Some Christians will betray one another and hate one another
• False prophets will arise in their midst with deceptions that will capture many
• Many in the church will become lawless
• Many will have their love for God grow cold
• The gospel of the kingdom would be preached in all the world

The Lord gave a guideline to His followers on how to respond if they are embroiled in those times. He said that they would participate in the global effort to  preach the gospel to the whole world as a witness and those who endured through these difficulties with their faith intact even at the end, would be saved.

Have mercy on us O God.

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