Podcasts about Preparation day

Send us a textIn this episode, Pastor Dom continues teach about the relevance of Jesus's crucifixion to communion. Luke 23:43-4643 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” 44 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45 Then the sun was darkened,… 46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.' ” Having said this, He breathed His last.Matthew 27:5151 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,Hebrews 9:77 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance;Hebrews 10:19-2019 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God,Matthew 27:54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”Romans 1:2020 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,Luke 23:48And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.Luke 18:13And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!'Matthew 27:54So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”John 10:3030 I and My Father are one.”Matthew 1:2323 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”Mark 2:77 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”2 Corinthians 5:2121 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.John 1:11 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.John 19:31-34Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.Mark 15: 42-46Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44   Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. 45   So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46   Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.Isa

Jesus died on Preparation Day, which is Friday. The man who saw this is the apostle John, the writer of the Gospel. He tells this to show that Jesus had a real physical body and that he really died. He also testifies to these things so that you too may believe. And his testimony is true. Joseph of Ramah and Nicodemus were both rich, honourable, and good, and in the most dangerous circumstances of Good Friday they did their best to honour Christ without any fear. But they showed a respect for the dead body of Christ that no one showed for His living body. Because of the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross, everyone who believes in Him is saved and is guaranteed eternal life. What about your dear fellow countryman? Do you want to receive salvation in Christ alone?

Mark 15:37 - 16:8 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.“Don't be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'”Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Peter Estrem was preacher for this service. John 19:31-42: Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.” After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

Order of Service: - Prelude - Hymn 292 - O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken: vv. 1, 2, 4, 12, 15 - The Versicles (pp. 120-121) - Os Justi: Os justi meditabitur sapientiam, Et lingua ejus loquetur judicium. Lex Dei ejus in corde ipsius. Et non supplantabuntar gressus ejus. Alleluia. The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of judgement. The Law of God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. Psalm 37:30-31 / Music: Eleanor Daley - John 19:31-42: Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.” After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby. - Homily - Magnificat (choral setting by Ralph Vaughan Williams) - The Kyrie (p. 124) - The Lord's Prayer (p. 125) - Hymn 584 - Grant Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord - The Collect (pp. 125-127) - The Benedicamus (p. 127) - The Benediction (p. 127) - Hymn 293 - O What Precious Balm and Healing: vv. 1, 4 - Postlude Service Participants: Peter Estrem (Preacher), Rev. Prof. Mark DeGarmeaux (Organist), Prof. Ann Fredrickson (Choir Director), Mary Martha Singers (Choral Group)

Preparation Day Welcome Road to Hope Lent 2025

We saw last week that our Lord and Savior that he was crucified and He died upon that tree. And now we're going to look at some individuals and how they responded to him after he had died, and we're going to focus in on one man named Joseph and a group of women who had followed him from the Galilee to Jerusalem and watched and observed not only his death, but also where he was buried. And what's also important is how he was buried. To donate please visit us at: https://loveisrael.org/donate/ Checks may be sent to: LoveIsrael.org 6355 N Courtenay Parkway Merritt Island, FL 32953 Feel free to download our MyBibleStudy App on telephone https://get.theapp.co/yjjq we don't know how long we can post the teachings on YT https://www.instagram.com/mybiblestudyofficial/

We saw last week that our Lord and Savior that he was crucified and He died upon that tree. And now we're going to look at some individuals and how they responded to him after he had died, and we're going to focus in on one man named Joseph and a group of women who had followed him from the Galilee to Jerusalem and watched and observed not only his death, but also where he was buried. And what's also important is how he was buried. To donate please visit us at: https://loveisrael.org/donate/ Checks may be sent to: LoveIsrael.org 6355 N Courtenay Parkway Merritt Island, FL 32953 Feel free to download our MyBibleStudy App on telephone https://get.theapp.co/yjjq we don't know how long we can post the teachings on YT https://www.instagram.com/mybiblestudyofficial/

LUKE 1:8-17 8 Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshippers were praying outside. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his birth. 16 Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous - to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. FROM THE LESSON A Christmas Carol - "Good Spirit, assure me that I may yet change these shadows you have shown me, by an altered life. I will honor Christmas in my heart." Ebenezer Scrooge Preparation Day - the Israelites had a day designated each week, a day that was part of their weekly routine called the Preparation Day. It was always the day before the Sabbath. In order to keep the Sabbath properly, adequate preparation was necessary. Make Ready A People Prepared - in ancient times, before a King visited any part of his realm, a messenger was sent before him to prepare the way. And this included everything from repairing the roads to preparing the people. This was the specific role for John the Baptist in the coming of Jesus. Lamps Without Oil - this is meant to be comical. This is not an accident. It is making a choice to be unprepared. The equivalent today would be showing up for something just holding a light bulb, instead of bringing a flashlight. KB - he is a Christian hip-hop artist and music executive. He has a podcast called The Southside Rabbi and has written a book titled "Dangerous Jesus." He reminded us that Christianity is not about coming to a building to hear about the King, but about the King coming into our life.

Talk 47  Mark 15:40-47 The Burial of Jesus    Welcome to Talk 47 in our series on Mark's Gospel. We have now reached Mark 15:40. Today we'll be concentrating on Jesus' burial and, as we do so, we'll take time to note the importance of the certification of his death and of the key roles played by Joseph of Arimathea and women like Mary Magdalene. Next time, which will be our final talk in this series, we'll be looking at Mark's account of the resurrection and the Great Commission.   As we proceed we will take time to stress the importance of each of these historical facts without getting involved with relatively minor issues like the apparent differences in the Gospel accounts, or whether, as some have argued, Jesus was actually crucified on the Thursday, rather than, as is traditionally taught, on what we know as Good Friday. Such discussion is generally unproductive.   As far as any differences in the accounts are concerned, I have already pointed out in my book, You'd Better Believe It, that the Schofield Bible offers an explanation of how the different accounts of Christ's resurrection appearances can be reconciled. What's more, any such differences actually strengthen the case for the resurrection as they suggest that there was no collaboration between the four writers. And does it really matter what day he was crucified? Surely what matters is that Christ died for our sins… was buried… and rose again. This, says Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, is the essence of the gospel.   So, over these two final talks, we'll take the text of Mark's Gospel as we have it and consider Jesus' burial, the confirmation of his death, his resurrection, and his last instructions to his disciples.   We'll begin today by reading verses 42-47: 42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.   We'll start with the confirmation of Jesus' death. Joseph goes to Pilate and asks for the body of Jesus, but Pilate needs to be sure that Jesus is already dead. Some victims of crucifixion had been known to survive for days. He summons the centurion who crucified Jesus, who assures him that Jesus really is dead. So Pilate gives the body to Joseph.   Why is this important? Why has Mark chosen to include this detail about the certification of Jesus' death? Because the entire truth of the resurrection rests upon it. There have always been those who, refusing to believe the clear evidence of the Gospel writers, have argued that Jesus only appeared to die on the cross but recovered in the tomb and walked out! And if Jesus did not die, the resurrection is a myth! There is no truth in the gospel that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried and that he rose again (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The certainty of the resurrection rests securely on the certainty of his death.   And his burial is important too. This not only gives added confirmation to the fact that Jesus was truly dead, but it also helps us in our understanding of the significance of baptism. In Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12 Paul teaches us that in baptism we are buried with Christ and raised with him to live a new life through our faith in the power of God. Of course, the word for baptise in Greek is baptizo which always means immerse, and all baptisms in the New Testament were by immersion. But how does this relate to Jesus' burial? Let me put it like this:   When we first put our faith in Jesus we acknowledged that on the cross he died in our place, to take the punishment for our sins. In so doing we identified ourselves with his death. That's why Paul could say in Galatians 2:20, I was crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. When you gave your life to Christ, you became a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old you died and a new you came alive. Baptism is a wonderful picture of that truth. Jesus died, was buried, and rose again. In baptism you act out your identification with him as you are buried in the water and come up out of it to live out the new life he has already given you. (See my book, You'd Better Believe It, for more on this).   But let's look now at the man who buried the Lord Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea. Let's read again verses 42-43. 42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. And  verses 46-47 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.   First, please note the urgency of the situation. As I'm sure you know, the Jewish Sabbath lasted from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. That's why it was important for Jesus to be buried very soon after he died. Apart from the fact that it was against the Law for a dead body to remain exposed overnight, for the Jews all forms of work were prohibited on the Sabbath. So if Jesus' followers didn't bury him before sunset the Romans would have disposed of his body as they were not subject to the laws of the Sabbath. And, as verse 42 tells us, evening was already approaching when Joseph went to Pilate to ask for Jesus' body.   Joseph was a well-respected member of the Sanhedrin, most of whom, as we know, were bitterly opposed to Jesus, but Joseph was an exception. When Mark says that he was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, he is implying that Joseph was a follower of Jesus, albeit until now, secretly. He had been present at Jesus' trial before the high priest, but we're told in Luke 23:51 that he had not consented to their decision and action.   Clearly Joseph had now decided to let his respect for Jesus be known publicly. What he was about to do could hardly be kept a secret. By coming in contact with a dead body he would make himself ritually unclean and would not be able to attend the synagogue the following day. His absence would be noticed. What's more, it was a risky thing to show sympathy with anyone who had been crucified, especially on a charge of sedition. He was in danger not only of incurring the wrath of the Jewish authorities, but of the Romans too. No doubt that's why Mark says that Joseph went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body.   Verse 46 tells us that, after Pilate had authorised Joseph to have the body Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.   Matthew 27:60 explains that this tomb was one which Joseph had had carved for himself, and, to complete the picture, John 19:39 tells us that he was accompanied by Nicodemus, the member of the Sanhedrin who had come to Jesus by night in John 3. Perhaps he too had decided that it was high time to make his secret discipleship public. The message of Christ crucified demands a decision of us all. In the light of his death, are we prepared to stand up for him?     But Joseph and Nicodemus were not the only ones to play a significant part in the burial of Jesus. Verse 47 tells us that Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. It's time for us now to consider the important role of such women in the life of Jesus, and now at his death. We'll start by going back to verses 40 and 41.   40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there. In many ways these verses should have been included at the end of our last talk, as they are part of the story of the crucifixion, but I have left them until now to link them with the references to these women a little later in the story. We have been told so much about Jesus' male disciples that it's easy to forget that he had female disciples too. Three women are named in these verses, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and Salome. But Mark tells us that many other women were also there watching the crucifixion from a distance. They had followed him since the early days of his ministry in Galilee and had cared for his needs. And, as we see in the last verse of the chapter and the first of the next, these devoted disciples were determined to care for his needs even after his death.   47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. 15:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. The three women named in these verses were among many who were not only devoted followers of Jesus, but who also supported Jesus and the apostles out of their own means. Luke 8:1-3 tells us that as Jesus travelled about proclaiming the good news of the kingdom…   …The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out 3 Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. These verses indicate the highly valued role of women among the early disciples, their devotion to Jesus often exceeding that of the men, as it does so often today. Apart from the apostle John, it was women, not men, who stood near the cross as Jesus was crucified (John 19:25-27), and, apart from secret disciples like Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, it was women who participated in his burial and brought precious spices to anoint his body. And, as we see in the next chapter, it was to women that was given the first good news that Christ was risen. We'll move into Chapter 16 next time for the final talk in our series, but let's conclude today's talk by considering the role of Mary Magdalene.   Perhaps the first thing to notice is that it is Mary Magdalene who is mentioned first each time these women are mentioned:   40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.   47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. 15:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Secondly, Mary was the first person to witness the resurrection of Jesus:   15:9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.   Thirdly, she was the first person to proclaim the news that Jesus was risen:   15:10 She went and told those who had been with him.   The question naturally arises as to why Mary was so honoured. That verse in 1 Samuel 2:30 comes to mind – Those who honour me, I will honour. Mary had honoured the Lord by supporting him throughout his ministry, by remaining to the end at the scene of the crucifixion, by following Joseph to see where Jesus was buried, and by buying spices to anoint his body. She was clearly devoted to him. And that devotion sprang from what Jesus had done for her. He had driven seven demons out of her. Her deliverance led to a lifetime of devotion. And isn't that what motivates us? We love him because he first loved us. And if we honour him, the day will come when he will honour us.

Faith is not built on __________________ alone, but on God's __________________. [Mark 15:42-46 NIV] It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, [43] Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. [44] Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. [45] When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. [46] So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. The __________________ scientists in the world can't explain how the __________________ was made. [Mark 15:15-20] So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified. [16] The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor's headquarters (called the Praetorium) and called out the entire regiment. [17] They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. [18] Then they saluted him and taunted, "Hail! King of the Jews!" [19] And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. [20] When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. Crucifixion was designed to be the most ________________ way to die. [John 19:32-34] So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. [33] But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn't break his legs. [34] One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. It is a __________________ how a dead man could live again. [John 20:3-7] Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. [4] They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. [5] He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn't go in. [6] Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, [7] while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. The ______________________ is the ultimate evidence of God's victory over __________________.

Helene tracking to a Big Bend landfall Thursday afternoon as a major hurricane, and today is the final day to be sure all preparations are complete. The latest on the storm, state emergency action, plus the day's biggest news on Hour 3 of the Wednesday Bob Rose Show for 9-25-24

John 19:38 ¶ After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. 39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.   Here we see the secret disciples come forward when all the others have forsaken Jesus and are hiding. These guys come at the perfect time so the last of the prophecies can be fulfilled Isaiah 53:9 And they made His grave with the wicked-But with the rich at His death. These two men give Jesus a burial fit for a King using 100 pounds of very expensive spices, because He is King Jesus and one day will come back to rule and reign. They are running out of time to get Jesus in the grave before the Sabbath starts and also so the 3 days and 3 nights can be fulfilled, so they use the closest available tomb which happens to be Joseph of Arimathea's. It is done, it is finished, all that is left is for Jesus to come out of the grave and show that He is truly God as if all the miracles He has done is not enough. Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." Trust in Him today.   38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. Mt 27:57; Mr. 15:42; Lu 23:50; Joh 9:22; 12:42 All four evangelists mentioned Joseph of Arimathea but only with Jesus' burial. The Synoptics tell us that he was a God-fearing rich member of the Sanhedrin who was a follower of Jesus and who had not voted to condemn Jesus. Only John identified him as a secret disciple who feared the Jews, namely, the unbelieving Jewish leaders. Jesus had warned His disciples about trying to hide their allegiance to Him (12:42-43). Finally Joseph "broke his cover" by courageously requesting Jesus' body from Pilate. Jesus'  corpse  would  have  ended  up  in  the  grave  of  a  common criminal but for Joseph's intervention. Pilate probably granted his request for Jesus' body because he realized that Joseph wanted to give Jesus' an honorable burial. That would have humiliated the Jews further. Joseph's courageous act doubtless alienated him from many of his fellow Sanhedrin members. We do not know what the ultimate consequences of his action were for him. Evidently it was Jesus' death that made him face up to his responsibility to take his stand for Jesus. I think that he worked up the courage to request an audience with Pilate and then made his request, but not with the arrogance and smugness with which the Jewish religious leaders had dealt with him. His was a humble request, but a reasonable one. Unlike the crucifixion of our Lord, it does not appear to be something that Pilate begrudgingly granted. Indeed, if he felt guilty over condemning an innocent man, he may have felt good that Jesus (this “righteous man,” as Pilate's own wife had referred to Him—Matthew 27:19) was given an honorable burial. And if the other religious leaders happened not to like it, so much the better. Gave him leave. According to Roman law. Ulpian, a Roman jurist of the third century, says: “The bodies of those who are capitally punished cannot be denied to their relatives. At this day, however, the bodies of those who are executed are buried only in case permission is asked and granted; and sometimes permission is not given, especially in the cases of those who are punished for high treason. The bodies of the executed are to be given for burial to anyone who asks for them.” Greedy governors sometimes sold this privilege. Cicero, in one of his orations against Verres, has a terribly graphic passage describing such extortions. After dwelling upon the tortures inflicted upon the condemned, he says: “Yet death is the end. It shall not be. Can cruelty go further? [i] 39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. Joh 3:1-2; 7:50 This was usually the amount used for a King and He is King Jesus Can you imagine the cost for that much spices? The contrast is marked between Nicodemus' first and his second coming.[ii] 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. While the Synoptics speak very favorably of Joseph, John is not quite as complimentary in his description of this man. John does not mention that Joseph was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin or that he opposed their efforts to kill Jesus. John describes Joseph only as a disciple who kept his allegiance to Jesus a secret, for fear of the Jews. It looks as though John wants us to view Joseph as a pretty unlikely candidate to bring about what the Scriptures require, so far as our Lord's burial is concerned. Added to this is the fact that Nicodemus is just as unlikely. Who can pull off what is required here, and in such a short period of time? From what I know of Nicodemus, and from what little I know of Joseph of Arimathea, these two men would not be at the top of my “most likely to be helpful” list. So far as their loyalty to our Lord in the past is concerned, these two men are not impressive. But so far as their ability to accomplish the task (of burying Jesus in a kingly fashion), they are well qualified. This is not the time for a family member or a close follower of Jesus to request His body for burial. But Joseph of Arimathea is a member of the Sanhedrin and a very wealthy man. He offers Pilate the opportunity to rid himself of the responsibility for burying the body of Jesus. Joseph of Arimathea is not alone in his efforts to obtain the body of Jesus and to give Him a proper burial. He is working with Nicodemus, another very prominent member of the Sanhedrin. These two men must have begun their association as colleagues on the Council of the Sanhedrin. When Nicodemus objected to the way the Council was proposing to deal with Jesus, Joseph must have taken notice. They may have talked privately and discovered that they were of like mind regarding Jesus. They may have attempted to support each other as they objected to the course the Sanhedrin seemed bent on taking. While Jesus was being crucified, they seem to have mutually agreed upon a plan to obtain His body in order to give Him a proper burial. One cannot discern from the Gospels just when Joseph and Nicodemus agreed to work together, or when they commenced their efforts to prepare for the burial of Jesus. It may be that Joseph agreed to ask Pilate for permission to remove and bury the Lord's body. At the same time, Nicodemus could have begun to acquire the necessary spices and material to prepare the body of Jesus for burial. Working together, these two men are able to accomplish something that none of our Lord's family or His eleven disciples could achieve—they are able to gain access to Pilate and to gain possession of the body of Jesus. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. John is the only evangelist who recorded that there was a garden and an unused new tomb near the place of Jesus' crucifixion. The tomb was probably an artificial cave in the limestone, many examples of which are observable in Palestine. Matthew noted that the garden and its tomb belonged to Joseph (Matt. 27:60). John's mention of the garden prepares for his reference later to a gardener (20:15). His reference to the tomb being new and unused prepares for the Resurrection in which no other corpse was in the tomb (20:8, 12). "The fall of the first Adam took place in a garden; and it was in a garden that the second Adam redeemed mankind from the consequences of Adam's transgression Look at Isaiah fifty-three verse nine.  His grave was assigned with wicked man, Yet He was a rich man in His death, because he had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. We might even say that Jesus was given a burial “fit for a king.” In his account of the burial of Jesus, John gives us some very important details. He not only mentions Joseph of Arimathea, he tells us about Nicodemus. It is only from John's Gospel that we even know of Nicodemus. No other Gospel mentions this fellow. Nicodemus is the same man who “came to Jesus by night,” as we read in John 3:1-2, and as he reminds us in 19:39. It is John's mention of Nicodemus in chapter 7 of his Gospel that now catches my attention. You will remember that Jesus had come to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles (7:1-10ff.). The Pharisees and chief priests decided it was time to arrest Jesus, so they sent the temple police to bring Jesus to them (7:32). When these men returned empty-handed, the Pharisees were incensed. The officers explained that they had never heard anyone speak as Jesus did (7:45-49). Nicodemus then sought to speak a word (cautiously, it would seem) on Jesus' behalf. He did not openly defend Jesus and His teachings, but he did question his fellow Pharisees about the legality of the method by which they proposed to deal with Him. John 7:50-52- 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before and who was one of the rulers, said, 51 “Our law doesn't condemn a man unless it first hears from him and learns what he is doing, does it?” 52 They replied, “You aren't from Galilee too, are you? Investigate carefully and you will see that no prophet comes from Galilee!” In today's legal terminology, Nicodemus is objecting that Jesus is not being given “due process of the law.” Jewish law required that charges against Jesus first be substantiated and, after this, that Jesus be given the chance to speak in His own defense. This had not been done, Nicodemus pointed out, and no one seemed to be heading in the direction of making things right. His peers were not at all gentle in the way they responded to his objections. Here was a highly respected teacher of the law, a Pharisee, a member of the Sanhedrin, and yet he was dealt with as though he were an incoming freshman. “You are not a Galilean, too, are you?” This was no compliment. It was like saying, “How could you be so ignorant?” And then, adding insult to injury, they challenged Nicodemus to look into this subject more carefully, implying that his grasp of the issues was shallow and superficial. I must admit that I had nearly written Nicodemus off in chapter 3, but after reading about Nicodemus in chapter 7, I had totally given up on this man. I assumed that he just sort of wilted under the criticism of his peers, never to be heard from again. I now must rethink my hasty conclusion. I believe that Nicodemus rose to the challenge. I think that he did investigate more thoroughly and found that the Scriptures did point to Jesus as the Messiah. Furthermore, I think that as Nicodemus became more convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, he spoke out more openly, and at least one other person on the Council agreed with him—Joseph of Arimathea. I am willing to go even farther. I wonder if it was not because of the objections of Nicodemus (and perhaps Joseph as well) that the Sanhedrin felt compelled to modify the way they sought to deal with Jesus, so that they at least appeared to be following Jewish law. Is this why Jesus was first brought before Annas, and then Caiaphas, and then finally brought before the whole Council? Is this why the assistance of Rome was requested? If this is the case, then Nicodemus contributed greatly to the process which led to our Lord's crucifixion rather than to death by stoning, as the Jews seemed to prefer. It would also seem that the Sanhedrin voted to hand Jesus over to Pilate, but not without hearing objections from both Joseph and Nicodemus (if, indeed, they were both present). This act of requesting the body of Jesus and giving Him a proper burial may have been a public protest on the part of these two members of the Sanhedrin. All of this would mean that Joseph and Nicodemus were not as passive in their disagreement with their peers on the Sanhedrin as assumed. It is John's Gospel alone that informs us of these two men's lavish use of spices in their preparation of Jesus' body for burial (19:39-40). From the accounts of the Synoptic Gospels, we might have assumed that our Lord's body was not even properly prepared for burial. We read there only that the body of Jesus was “wrapped in a clean linen cloth” (Matthew 27:59; see also Mark 15:46; Luke 23:53). We read also in the Synoptics of the intent of the women to return to the tomb and to prepare the Lord's body with spices (Mark 16:1; Luke 23:55-56; 24:1). It was almost as though the women were unaware of the fact that 100 pounds of spices had been used by Joseph and Nicodemus. Or, perhaps they just felt they could not trust these men to do it right, and they would have to come back later to improve on the work of these two men. The thing that strikes me in John's account is that no mention is made of the fact that the tomb in which Jesus was laid was the one that Joseph had custom-built for himself (Matthew 27:60). From a reading of John's account, one would assume they were carrying the Lord's body away from the cross and through a garden (only John mentions the garden). It was getting late, and they had no time to lose. There was an available tomb nearby, in the garden, and they made use of it. It appears the reason for using this tomb was not because it belonged to Joseph, but because it was close, and it seemed expedient to use it because they had run out of time. This makes sense to me. The question which the reader must ask is, “How was it possible for Jesus to be given a rich man's burial, when none of His eleven disciples were present, and when the time was so short?” Putting together all of the data from the four Gospels, I would conclude that something like this occurred. Joseph and Nicodemus had opposed the Sanhedrin's plan to kill Jesus. At some time during the crucifixion process, they determined to acquire the body of Jesus to give Him a proper burial. Joseph went to Pilate and obtained the body while Nicodemus acquired the necessary spices and cloth. They both went to the cross, took down the Lord's body, and wrapped it in a clean linen sheet. They were carrying the body through the garden, noting the lateness of the hour, and wondering what they should do. Joseph may have looked up and seen the freshly-hewn tomb which he had acquired for his own burial (and perhaps for the use of his family as well). Realizing they were out of time, Joseph told Nicodemus that they would stop right here and bury the body of Jesus in his own tomb. There was no time to do anything else. I am assuming here that Joseph had intended from the beginning to give Jesus a proper burial, but that he had not necessarily planned to bury Jesus in his own tomb. As nightfall approached, Joseph realized that he was in trouble, time-wise. He looked about, and his eyes fixed on his own personal burial place. There was really no other choice, given the time, and so this is the place where they chose to lay the body of Jesus. John tells the story in such a way that the reader sees, once again, the sovereign hand of God, orchestrating these events so that they fulfill the prophecies of old. Jesus was put to death with criminals, but in the final analysis, He was buried with the rich. The One who seemed destined to be buried on “boot hill” is now buried on “snob hill.” And in so doing, prophecy is once again fulfilled. Note, incidentally, that John does not tell us every time that a prophecy is fulfilled. Three times in his account of our Lord's death he indicates that the details of Jesus' death fulfilled prophecy. But here he does not tell us that the Scriptures were fulfilled, even though they were. I believe John expects his readers to figure some things out for themselves. A good teacher does not give the student the answer to every question. A good teacher teaches the student how to find the answers to his questions. John is a good teacher. 42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby. Isa 53:9; Joh 19:31 Preparation Day - the day immediately before the Sabbath and other Jewish festivals. Preparation Day always fell on Friday among the Jewish people, because all religious festivals began on the Sabbath, or Saturday (Matt. 27:62; John 19:14, 31). With a week of holidays ahead, the Preparation Day for the Passover was especially busy. The details for preparing the Passover supper had to be completed by afternoon. Preparations included baking the unleavened bread, gathering festive garments to wear for the occasion, and taking a ceremonial bath. But above all, the Passover lamb had to be slain. Slaughtering began an hour or more earlier than for the usual daily evening sacrifice. At the Temple, the priests slaughtered thousands of lambs brought in by the people. Their blood was poured at the foot of the altar. Then the lambs were roasted whole in preparation for the Passover meal in each home that evening.[iii] The chronological reckoning between John's gospel and the Synoptics presents a challenge, especially in relation to the time of the Last Supper (13:2). While the Synoptics portray the disciples and the Lord at the Last Supper as eating the Passover meal on Thursday evening (Nisan 14) and Jesus being crucified on Friday, John's gospel states that the Jews did not enter into the Praetorium “lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover” (18:28). So, the disciples had eaten the Passover on Thursday evening, but the Jews had not. In fact, John (19:14) states that Jesus' trial and crucifixion were on the day of Preparation for the Passover and not after the eating of the Passover, so that with the trial and crucifixion on Friday Christ was actually sacrificed at the same time the Passover lambs were being slain (19:14). The question is, “Why did the disciples eat the Passover meal on Thursday?” The answer lies in a difference among the Jews in the way they reckoned the beginning and ending of days. From Josephus, the Mishna, and other ancient Jewish sources we learn that the Jews in northern Palestine calculated days from sunrise to sunrise. That area included the region of Galilee, where Jesus and all the disciples, except Judas, had grown up. Apparently most, if not all, of the Pharisees used that system of reckoning. But Jews in the southern part, which centered in Jerusalem, calculated days from sunset to sunset. Because all the priests necessarily lived in or near Jerusalem, as did most of the Sadducees, those groups followed the southern scheme. That variation doubtlessly caused confusion at times, but it also had some practical benefits. During Passover time, for instance, it allowed for the feast to be celebrated legitimately on two adjoining days, thereby permitting the temple sacrifices to be made over a total period of four hours rather than two. That separation of days may also have had the effect of reducing both regional and religious clashes between the two groups. On that basis the seeming contradictions in the gospel accounts are easily explained. Being Galileans, Jesus and the disciples considered Passover day to have started at sunrise on Thursday and to end at sunrise on Friday. The Jewish leaders who arrested and tried Jesus, being mostly priests and Sadducees, considered Passover day to begin at sunset on Thursday and end at sunset on Friday. By that variation, predetermined by God's sovereign provision, Jesus could thereby legitimately celebrate the last Passover meal with His disciples and yet still be sacrificed on Passover day. Once again one can see how God sovereignly and marvelously provides for the precise fulfillment of His redemptive plan. The MacArthur Study Bible. 1997 (J. MacArthur, Jr., Ed.) (electronic ed.). DOCETISM : a belief opposed as heresy in early Christianity that Christ only seemed to have a human body and to suffer and die on the cross God is not interested in outward religion Mt 15:8 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.  Mr. 7:6 He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. You must decide whether to choose the favor of God or of men Joh 12:43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Joh 7:13 However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews Is Jesus the real Messiah You have to decide, there are 300 plus prophecies fulfilled.  The evidence is overwhelming.      Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions [i] Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Jn 19:38). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. [ii] Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Jn 19:39). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. [iii] Nelson's new illustrated Bible dictionary. 1995 (R. F. Youngblood, F. F. Bruce, R. K. Harrison & Thomas Nelson Publishers, Ed.). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

John 19:28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. 31 ¶ Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken." 37 And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced."   Here we see the final prophecy being fulfilled as Jesus knows all else has been fulfilled, He says I thirst. He has completed everything else He was supposed to do and then He fulfills one last Scripture by saying He thirsts and they give Him the sour wine. He says it is finished and gives up His spirit. It is finished is an accounting term that means your debt has been paid in full. Jesus paid for all our sins on the cross. He suffered 3 hours spiritually when it was dark and He was taking our hell for us as our substitute during that time period. That is why the old song can say Jesus paid it all. There is nothing left for you and I to do but to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved Acts 16:31. Have you done that? If not, you need to because no one will make it to Heaven unless they trust in what Jesus did on that cross and add nothing to it to be saved. It was the day before the Sabbath and the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross so that they might not defile themselves. These people cared more about their rituals than about killing Jesus. Lastly we see that the soldiers came and fulfilled two more prophecies by piercing Jesus side and not breaking his legs. We see the water and the blood comes out and it proves without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is dead. To find out about the symbolism behind the water and the blood you will have to listen to the message..   I am amazed at the words of verse 28. Jesus knew that everything was completed. He was no helpless victim, powerless, and therefore subject to the whims of those who had arrested Him. Jesus was aware of every Scripture that spoke of His atoning death as the promised Messiah. In the last few weeks especially, Jesus has been orchestrating events so that His death would perfectly fulfill all these prophecies. In the final moments of His life, Jesus takes note of the fact that every prophetic detail has been arranged for so that He now may proceed to complete His mission, in a way that fulfills the remaining prophecies concerning His death. 28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished. Now how did He know that? Why, He knew it because He had omniscience. He knew everything. Jesus Christ was on a divine schedule with an omniscient eye moving step at a time and fulfilling every detail of prophecy. He knew exactly where He was; and He was saying to Himself, Well, I know that all things are now accomplished, except for one Scripture, Then He says at the end of verse 28, "...I thirst," Jesus, in total awareness of every fact in the universe, knew that in God's plan everything was done except one Scripture was left unfulfilled. Psalm 69:21 was that Scripture. Psalm 69:21 said of Christ in His death, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.." He knew that that had not yet been fulfilled. At the beginning of the cross they had tried to give Him vinegar. Really, gall, which is a sedative; but He wouldn't take it so He could suffer without any kind of deadness but suffer the total pain, But now He knows that Scripture needs to be fulfilled, so He says, " I thirst." Jesus refused this because He insisted on drinking the “cup of God's wrath” to the full (John 18:11). Now the soldiers didn't have to respond, they did because they were under divine motivation; God was moving to fulfill the prophecy. 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. Mt 27:48 The hyssop reference may simply be a detail in the testimony of an eyewitness to Jesus' crucifixion. However, 1 Cor. 5:7) it's interesting that hyssop, a long reed with kind of a little more bushy end is what they used on this occasion because hyssop is very famous to all Jews, It takes them immediately back to Exodus 12:22. You remember that the angel of death was going to pass over Israel, and God said to the people of Israel, You take hyssop and take the blood and sprinkle on the doorposts and the lintel. Any time hyssop appears to the Jewish mind it's reminiscent of the great sacrifice of the Passover lamb, How fitting that hyssop should be the tool at this sacrifice of that final and greatest Passover Lamb. So they give Him to drink, and with that Jesus fulfilled every single prophecy. He was in full knowledge of every detail; He was in full control of everything He did and everything the soldiers did The “wine” Jesus now accepts is a cheap wine. It did not deaden any of His pain. Our Lord's thirst and His partaking of this “wine” seems to have served a two-fold purpose. First, it fulfilled Scripture: My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death (Psalm 22:15, NKJV). I am weary with my crying; My throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God Psalm 69:3, There's a spiritual thirst.  And I believe this, of course, is what Christ is screaming out and shouting out; that He's thirsting spiritually.  Second, it would seem as though the vinegar-like wine served to help clear the throat of our Lord, so that He could end His life triumphantly, with a shout. So far as John informs us, the “shout” is not, “It is completed,” but rather as Luke informs us, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). These two statements must have come in close proximity to each other, however. The words that John records were no doubt spoken first, and then were followed by the words that Luke records. John simply tells us that Jesus “said,” “It is completed.” Jesus declares that His work is completed, and then He gives up His Spirit. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. Joh 17:4 "Papyri receipts for taxes have been recovered with the word tetelestai written across them, meaning 'paid in full. Paul would write in Second Corinthians 5:21, “He became sin for us.  He was made to be sin for us to finish that work.  Nothing more needs to be done.” It really has been completed, hasn't it? Everything for which John has been preparing us in this Gospel has now been accomplished by our Lord. John 1 declares that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, who called the world into being. He is the One sent to earth by the Father, in order to reveal Him to men. He is the One who “came unto His own place and to His own people,” and yet those who were “His own”—the Jews—rejected Him. He was “lifted up” so that He could draw all men unto Himself (3:13-18). He came to do His Father's will (4:34) and has now completed it. He came to declare His Father's Word, and He has proclaimed it (8:26-28, 38; 12:49-50; 14:10). He came to glorify the Father, and on the cross, He has done that (12:23, 28, 41; 13:32; 17:1, 4). It truly is finished; His task has been completed. And because all of His prerequisite work has been completed, our Lord can now die. His life is not taken away from Him; He voluntarily gives it up, just as He had indicated earlier: John 10:14-18 - 14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not come from this sheepfold. I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice, so that there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me—because I lay down my life, so that I may take it back again. 18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my own free will. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it back again. This is the commandment I received from my Father” The phrase “bowed His head” is also a marvelous phrase.  It's found in Matthew 8:20 and in Luke 9:58.  The phrase “bow His head,” you go back in your mind when they asked Jesus where He's staying.  And He says what?  “The foxes have holes, the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”  Same phrase.  The one place Jesus found to finally lay His head was on Calvary and He does it willfully, He does it obediently.  He does it in control. The phrase “gave up” I've mentioned to you a number of times as we've gone through John for a deliberate reason.  The word “delivered, handed over” and the word used for Judas when he betrayed Him, when he delivered Him up.  “Delivered, handed over and/or betrayed”:  paradidomi.  Same word Jesus says here.  He delivers up His spirit.  What looks like a betrayal, what looks like handed over to the police, handed over to the Roman guard, handed over to the Jewish authorities.  What looks like He's being delivered up, He Himself delivers up His spirit.  And I believe John uses this to illustrate, again, Christ is in control.  Nobody else is pulling the strings on this deal, Christ is the one who delivers up His spirit.  Notice there is darkness, separation, and intense thirst, these all will be found in hell. Simon Greenleaf years ago wrote a collection called The Testimony of the Evangelists. He was an attorney and, a student challenged him.  He was sort of notorious for vilifying Christians and how stupid they were; and some student challenged him, “Why don't you use the same case law analysis that you teach to prove or disprove the resurrection?” And this was sort of a novel idea and evidently Greenleaf took some time off from teaching, spent two years of his life tracking this thing down; and at the end of it, again, he wrote the book Testimony of the Evangelists saying that if the death, burial and resurrection of Christ was put on trial today there would be more than enough evidence to convict it.  In other words, to prove, that it actually happened and it brought Simon Greenleaf from an antagonistic person toward to Gospel to belief in Jesus Christ.  And there's a Simon Greenleaf School of Law. We have a faith built on the inspired Word of God, notice the prophecies. It is a finished faith;. A cry of victory This set of verses is unique to the fourth Gospel 31 ¶ Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. De 21:23; Mr. 15:42; Joh 19:42 These Jews considered sundown the beginning of a new day. In this case the new day was a Sabbath. This Sabbath was an extra special day because it fell during Passover week. The Jews wanted to get the bodies down off their crosses so they would not defile the land. The Mosaic Law instructed the Jews to allow no one to remain hanging on a cross overnight because this would defile the land. Such a person was under God's curse (cf. Deut. 21:22-23; Josh. 8:29). To allow someone to remain overnight on a Sabbath would be especially offensive. De 21:2 "If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 "his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God. Time was running out for The Jews. They had been forced to go through the formalities of a trial and to obtain Pilate's cooperation in the crucifixion of Jesus. They were still under great time constraints because this was the day of preparation; they must be done with this crucifixion by evening so they could begin to observe the Sabbath by evening. Normally, death by crucifixion would take much longer, and this was no problem to Rome. While the Romans liked to leave the bodies of those crucified exposed for some time, to serve as a warning to all, the Jews could not allow these bodies to remain exposed after nightfall. The men would have to die more quickly than normal so that their bodies could be taken down. Rome had a solution for this situation.  A heavy hammer was used to crush the bones of the victims' legs. This would make it impossible for those being crucified to push up with their legs in order to facilitate the breathing process. Once their leg bones were broken, the victims died within a short time. The soldiers therefore set out to break the legs of all three. For some reason, they started on the outside, waiting to deal with Jesus last. (Is it possible that having seen and heard the events of that day—such as the three hours of darkness—they were now reluctant to do further bodily harm to Jesus?) When they came to Him, it was apparent that He was already dead. There was no need to break His legs. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 1Jo 5:6,8 One of the soldiers must have wanted to make absolutely sure that Jesus was dead, so he thrust his spear into our Lord's side. Immediately, both blood and water gushed out, a fact to which John gives special significance Ex 17:6 "Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. And much is made of this whole issue of blood and water.  Some think it has to do with the sacraments; others see a mystical reference to it.  All sorts of things. I do think the one thing John wants us to know for sure is that Jesus Christ really died. I think, that John evidently intends to describe the incident as something entirely unexpected and marvelous, and that this explanation better suits the solemn asseveration of ver. 35. That the fact had a symbolic meaning to the Evangelist is evident from 1 John 5:6.[i] 6 This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 1Jo 5:8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. There may also be a symbolic meaning: the blood speaks of our justification, the water of our sanctification and cleansing. The blood takes care of the guilt of sin; the water deals with the stain of sin.[ii] The blood and water illustrate two aspects of salvation: blood to atone for the guilt of sin, and water(symbolic of the word) to wash away the stain of sin. The blood speaks of justification and the water of sanctification. The two must always go together, for those who have trusted the blood of Christ to save them should live clean lives before a watching world.[iii] Eph 5:26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, Tit 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, Eph 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace In the baptism of Christ He identified with sinners, didn't He?  He identified with sinners.  You see, baptism was baptism of repentance.  It was baptism of repentance.  He didn't have anything to repent of.  But there in that most unique way He told John, "You have to baptize Me."  John said no, the reverse is true.  And He said, "No, you have to baptize Me.  I need to fulfill all righteousness."  And there He was in His baptism identifying with sinners and defining the reason He came.  And the Father gave witness, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased."  Jesus arrives from Galilee where He's been with His disciples and desires to be baptized by him, by John. Even though there is no sin for Jesus to repent of, and there's no need for Jesus to be washed on the inside, God requires this of all His people and I will do all that God requires.  I will do it in order to fulfill all righteousness.  Whatever it is that God requires of His people, I will do."  He was fully human and He obeyed God's Law in full.  That was the perfection of His life, which by the way, as we know was imputed to our account.  And so He says, "I must fulfill all righteousness. the gospel of John, I always think it's an interesting note, chapter 1 verse 32, "And John the Father says to him, "The one on whom the Spirit descends, this is the one who is coming to baptize with fire."  And the second divine testimony was given at His blood, as it were, or at His death, that at the end of His ministry...at the end.  That too defined His ministry because as He had identified with sinners in going into the waters of a baptism of repentance, He fully identified with sinners at the cross by taking their punishment.  Those are tremendously defining events, two monumental experiences bracketing His ministry of redemption.  And so the Father says, "I gave testimony at His baptism, testimony at His death." Second half of verse 6, quite interesting, just in case you missed it, "This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and with the blood."  Well what a strange thing to say.  Why, did You think we were going to deny the second one?  Did You think we were going to say that You only gave testimony at His baptism, that only at His baptism did You identify with Him?  Only at His baptism was He Your Son?  Only at His baptism did You say, 'This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased,' and that You didn't affirm Him, You didn't give testimony to Him, You didn't witness to Him at His death?  Did You think we were going to say that?  And is that why You said, "With the water, not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood?"  Exactly right...that's exactly what I knew you'd say. By the end of the first century when John wrote this, sometime after 90 A.D., a serious heresy had already developed which said that Jesus was God's Son at His baptism, but not at the cross.  That the Christ's Spirit descended on Him at His baptism and left Him before the cross so that Jesus came by water, the Christ's Spirit came by water, not by blood.  That is that His baptism was a revelation that He was the anointed of God but the Christ who was baptized was very different than the Jesus who was killed.  The Christ's Spirit who came upon that man at His baptism departed before the cross and the Jesus who was crucified was nothing but a mere man. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. Purpose is John 20:20-21 1Jo 1:1 ¶ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2Pe 1:16 ¶ For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. Same in 1 John 5 The purpose of God's witness, God's witness through the water & the blood, , the purpose of all of God's witness that essentially is the New Testament, is that you might have eternal life and this life is in His Son.  Go down to verse 20, right toward the end of this epistle, "We know the Son of God has come."  How do we know that?  Because of the testimony of God now recorded on the pages of the inspired Scripture.  "And has given us understanding in order that we might know Him who is true and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ, this is the true God and eternal life...and eternal life."  It's always about eternal life. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken." Ex 12:46; Nu 9:12; Ps 34:20 Once again, John wishes us to see that the things which took place at Calvary were the very things God had prophesied.  Jesus, by giving up His life earlier than expected, was spared from having His legs broken. John sees in this a fulfillment of prophecy. Though the Old Testament text that is fulfilled is not indicated, very likely it comes from Exodus 12 or Psalm 34:20, or both: Exodus 12:43-46, 43 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the ordinance of the Passover: No foreigner shall eat it. 44 But every man's servant who is bought for money, when you have circumcised him, then he may eat it. 45 A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat it. 46 In one house it shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones” Nu 9:12 'They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break one of its bones. According to all the ordinances of the Passover they shall keep it. Psalm 34:20, He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken (NKJV). 37 And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced." Ps 22:16-17; Zec 12:10; Re 1:7 What a profound prophesy.  They're going to see the Christ crucified, the One they've pierced, the only begotten, the One and only and they're going to mourn.  And then John, when he writes the Revelation writes in Revelation 1:7: BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, . . . every eye will see Him, Zechariah 12:10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn”. The piercing of the side of our Lord was prophetically necessary, since Zechariah 12:10 refers to the Messiah. And so what John describes is what Zechariah foretold. Everything was truly going according to God's plan. Not one prophecy failed to be fulfilled. I am sure that the events which occurred at the cross had a great impact on those who witnessed the death of our Lord. The centurion was convinced from what he saw that Jesus was the Son of God. Some of those who heard Peter preach at Pentecost may well have witnessed our Lord's death at Calvary. Luke 23:48 tells us that the multitudes, when they beheld this sight, went away beating their breasts. It was a horrible day for those who thought it might be entertaining. I wonder how many of these folks were later saved. If you are a Christian, you should be stirred in your soul every time you read of our Lord's death. We should never tire of remembering Him and His death, as our Lord commanded (see Luke 22:19; cf. 1 Corinthians 11:23ff.). We should take every temptation to sin seriously, knowing what our sin cost Him at Calvary. We should never cease to preach Christ crucified, for this is what the gospel is all about. Thirty years later, on this very spot, judgment was pronounced against some of the best citizens of Jerusalem. Of the 3,600 victims of the governor's fury, not a few were scourged and crucified! Judas died in a loathsome suicide, the house of Annas was destroyed some years later, Caiaphas was removed a year after the crucifixion, and Pilate was soon after banished to Gaul and there died in suicide. When Jerusalem fell, her wretched citizens were crucified around her walls until, in the historian's grim language, ‘space was wanting for the crosses, and crosses for the bodies.' The horrors of the siege of Jerusalem are unparalleled in history. In the Synoptic Gospels, we read a great deal concerning the mockery of the crowds, of the Jewish religious leaders, of the Roman soldiers, and even of the two thieves. But John passes these matters by. Why? I think there is a good reason, one that makes a lot of sense once you stop to think about it—John wants our Lord Jesus to be central and preeminent in his account of the death of the Savior at Calvary. Jesus is center stage in John, as He ought to be. Calvary is about a cross, the cross of Jesus Christ. It is He alone, through His cross, who saves sinners. Let us never lose this focus. We need to see that the punishment that He took is the punishment that we deserved. Totally.  Every time a sacrifice occurred in the Old Testament, even up until Christ's time, I think there's great importance in putting your hand on that animal and slaying him.  That should be you.  It should be your blood.  You should pay for this.  And He did it for us.  Therein is, I think, the compelling part of the human conscience.  Someone else took my penalty. Lu 23:49 But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.        Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions [i] Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Jn 19:34). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. [ii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Jn 19:31). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. [iii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe's expository outlines on the New Testament (265). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

John 19:7 The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God." 8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, 9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Then Pilate said to Him, "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?" 11 Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." 12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar." 13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" 15 But they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!" 16 ¶ Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away.   The Jews have backed Pilate into a corner at this point. It is a matter of Jesus claiming to be King and there can be only one King in Rome. He can either save his soul or his life. If He turns Jesus loose, he loses his life, if He crucifies Him, it will be his soul. So, Pilate asks where Jesus is from, but Jesus knows it is too late for Pilate, he has already said he doesn't care about truth and so He does not answer him. It is a bad place to be when you have rejected God for so long, that He refuses to speak to you anymore. Pilate lets Jesus know that he is powerful and can let him go or he can have him crucified and Jesus speaks one more time. He lets Pilate know that He only has power because God has granted it to him. Then He lets Pilate know that his sin is less than that of the one who delivered Jesus up and I believe He is speaking about Judas. The Bible speaks of degrees of sin and degrees of reward. Hell won't be the same for everyone, just as Heaven won't. Read 1 Corinthians 3:8-15, 2 Corinthians 5:10. 2 John 1:8 Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.  Revelation 22:12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.   7 The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God." Le 24:16; Mt 26:55,65; Joh 5:18; 10:33 Now what the Jews are going to do is they're going to put these things together in an accusation that's going to cut both ways and it will notch it up so far that Pilate has to do something about it.  In Leviticus 24:16 it was blasphemous for a person to call himself a king in Judaism.  Under a theocracy for you to say you were a king when you weren't a king was guilty of death.  That's a religious law under a religious system under Caiaphas.  A political law, if you call yourself a king, you're fighting against Caesar as the true emperor king.  So both of these charges now of treason raise it way high and Pilate's going to have to do something about it.  If Pilate won't condemn Jesus for treason, perhaps he'll condemn Jesus if he understands that both sides of religion and the civil law would work to his benefit to see Jesus executed.  Now, Pilate well knew that law. What was that law? Pilate knew that the Jews didn't tolerate any false gods, right? Two times Pilate had brought in the image of false gods to Israel, hadn't he? On his standards when he arrived there, on the shields that he hung up in Herod's palace, both times it had caused a revolt among the Jews, hadn't it? It had caused such a reaction among the Jews that he got word from Caesar himself to remove those things or he'd be removed. And Caesar was watching Pilate because Pilate had a problem with this same issue every time. That is, dragging, or letting false gods exist in Israel. Now the Romans weren't stupid. They knew in order to subject the people; you give them enough freedom to make them content. You don't violate their religion. And so the Romans let them worship as they wanted and they did not offend them with outside gods. And so, the Jews are saying ‑ Hey, Pilate, you remember that law about false gods? Remember that one? See. The one that almost cost you last time? Yeah, well here it comes again, Pilate, He's claiming to be the Son of God, we don't believe in false gods. That just cuts because this is right exactly where Pilate's blown it twice before. Now they are sharp. They've got this plot, down to a science, they know what they're doing. And so, what they're doing is putting the pressure on Pilate to get rid of another false god. And the last two times he didn't do it, the first time it cost him his whole rule there, really, because he had to give in to them. The second time it almost cost him his life. Now they're saying to him, in effect, ‑ You going to let this one get by again? You're not going to execute what we believe to be a false god? You're going to let a false god run around among us again? You going to do this again? Guess who we'll report you to? Hmm? You know, so we'll tell Caesar. And so, the threat is too much. And they know where to hit him 8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, That leads us to Pilate's fatal panic in verse 8. Verses eight through eleven ask and answer the question who's in control of all of this mess: This is the first time the word fear comes into the storyline.  Pilate's been acting a shrewd politician, now he's scared.  Why is he scared?  Well, two very good possibilities. As if it's not bad enough to put Pilate in the spot that he can't get out of, when they said to Pilate ‑ He is making Himself to be the Son of God ‑that would automatically turn on something that Pilate well knew. The Romans were very superstitious. And the Romans believed that the gods, and demigods, often came into the world and moved among men, see. And the Jews when they said to him ‑ He makes Himself the Son of God ‑ he wouldn't have thought of that in the Jewish context, he would have thought of that in a Roman context. And he would have thought of it in a pagan context. And he would have understood it that this is ... this is a man who is claiming to be a son of a god. And then he would have thought to himself ‑ If He is, I'm in real trouble, right? I've just flogged the son of a god. The Romans were superstitious. For example, in Acts chapter 14 when Paul and Barnabas came into town and they said: Hey, these guys are terrific, we think they're gods come to earth. And they started calling them Jupiter and Mercury, remember that? That was a common superstition. Acts 28 has it again. They believed that the gods came into the world. Remember, his wife has a dream, too, in Matthew twenty-seven that sort of sets him back a little bit.  Now Pilate's got this thing in the back of his head to add to all the rest of the stuff that's scrambling his brain. Maybe I've been beating up the son of a god, little did he know. That it was God Himself, the only true God. 9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. Isa 53:7; Mt 27:12,14 You say, "What's he saying? Does he want to know His address in Nazareth?" No. He knows where He's from. He is asking Him if He's the son of a god, that's what he's asking Him. Where did You come from? Are You earthly or are You from up there where the gods are? Before the flood God said: "My Spirit will not always strive with man." The Bible tells us Pharaoh hardened his heart, Pharaoh hardened his heart and then it stops and it says: "And God hardened Pharaoh's heart." There comes a time in the life of an individual who willfully rejects Jesus Christ that all of a sudden it becomes impossible. And God in Christ knew Pilate. He knew it was over. He knew Pilate had gone past the point of return. You see, back in chapter 18:36, Jesus had even said to him Every one that is of the truth hears My voice." He had given him an invitation. He declared who He was. He told him He was a King from another realm, not the world and Pilate wouldn't buy it and Pilate kept going further and further and further and further and Jesus just knew it was over. 10 Then Pilate said to Him, "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?" It's a shocking thing when you study in the Bible the silence of God. You say, "Why was Jesus silent?" Well, He was silent, I think, in response to prophecy. Isaiah 53:7 says: "As a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth." In a sense He knew He was fulfilling prophecy in silence. But, let me give you something even greater than that. Jesus knew Pilate's heart. And Jesus knew it was over with Pilate...it was over. Nothing that Jesus said anymore would have mattered to Pilate. So, He didn't say anything. You know, it's a shocking thing to realize that a man can come to the place in his own experience with God that God stops talking to him. But it can happen.  11 Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." Lu 22:53; Joh 7:30 You say, could anybody ever be that guilty?" Yes, anybody who knows the truth and rejects it, according to Hebrews 6 is guilty of crucifying the Son of God afresh, putting Him to an open shame. And men today are just as guilty as the people who screamed for His blood then when they reject Him, willfully knowing the truth. And so, it's hard for me to conceive of anymore guilt than Pilate but there's more guilt than what he did in ignorance. Much more on those who should have known the truth. Theirs was the greater sin. And that shows you there's degrees of sin. It only takes one sin of the smallest degree to condemn a man to hell, but the hottest hell and the severest punishment is reserved for those whose sin is a travesty on what they know to be true. Like Hebrews says of how much greater punishment shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden underfoot the blood of the covenant, the Son of God. The greater sin is that. Now, the one who's delivered Him raises several questions.  Who?  It's a singular verb, a singular pronoun.  The one who delivered.  So He's talking about one person.  Is it Judas?  Is it Caiaphas?  Is it Satan?  And I don't have a clear answer.  Caiaphas is representing Judaism at its worst and Pilate is representing Roman civil law and these are the things colliding in the charges right now.  Some would lean towards Caiaphas as the one.  He says, “He has the greater sin,” because under the religious theocracy, he should know.  “He came into His own and His own know Him not.”  He should know who Jesus is and he's going to deliver Him over to get rid of the problem because it's expedient that Christ die for the nation. John's expression, “handed over,” is used 11 times previously in this Gospel (6:64, 71; 12:4; 13:2, 11, 21; 18:2, 5, 30, 35, 36). In its first 8 occurrences (6:64–18:5), this verb is consistently rendered “betray” by the NASB, and in each case, it clearly is used in reference to Judas. The next 3 instances of this verb (18:30, 35, 36) are found in the context of Jesus' trials, after His betrayal and arrest, and thus they are rendered “handed over” by the NASB. I would have to conclude that when this verb is used here, it may be referring to Judas. why would Jesus mention Judas to Pilate? And why would Jesus' reference to Judas strike such fear into the heart of Pilate? From Matthew's Gospel, it would seem that Judas may already have died by his own hand (Matthew 27:3-10). Is it possible that Pilate knew about Judas' role in all this, and also that Judas had already killed himself? That might give Pilate pause for thought! Jesus has pointed out that Judas was guilty of a great sin. Judas is now dead, by suicide. While Judas may be guilty of greater sin, Jesus implies that Pilate will also be guilty, of a somewhat lesser sin. Now we begin to see why Pilate is getting more and more uneasy about condemning Jesus, and why he wants so much to release Him. Pilate seeks to instill fear in Jesus, by trying to impress Him with his authority. Instead, Jesus instills fear in Pilate, by reminding this governor where his power comes from, and by indicating that any harm done to Him is God's will. Even though the death of Christ is God's will, it will also be the result of Pilate's sin, for which he must someday give account. No wonder Pilate is getting nervous! Now, technically we all know that sin is sin.  We don't like that, but if you steal a pen from the office, or some Post-its or whatever you rip off from your office, that is somehow as bad as murder and rape and plunder and mayhem.  Now, in our view of things, well of course it's not the same.  But from a purely technical theological stance, sin is sin, right?  Even the Scripture attempts to deal with sins differently in the Old Testament.  Certain sins were punishable by more severe punishments.  So we can say there are sort of degrees of guilt, degrees of the scope of a crime; but is that really what's going on here?  If Pilate is going to be a pawn in God's program and convict Jesus Christ to die a Roman crucifixion, then how is that lesser than the one who's delivered Him?  Lu 12:48 "But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. So, we see then that Pilate says ‑ I can do what I want. And Jesus says ‑ You couldn't do anything except God gave you the power. Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar." Lu 23:2; Ac 17:7 Now, if you think it was bad before, it's bad now. Cause now they're saying ‑ We're going to report you for letting this political threat to Rome go unpunished. Now you know they were clever enough to twist it around and Pilate knew it would be the end of his life. Pilate knew to tolerate a traitor was the end. Tiberius would never permit to tolerate a traitor. And this did it. He chose in favor of his neck not his soul. They're saying, “You're no friend of Caesar if you don't kill this man.” It's blasphemous under the religious law for Jesus to make Himself out to be a king and it's treason for Him to call Himself king when Caesar is alive.  “If you don't do something about this, you're not a friend to Caesar.” And Pilate's relationship with Caesar and Tiberius are ticklish enough that he understands now that he can't do anything about this.  He has been painted into a corner and there's no way for him to win, even though he continues to maintain Christ is innocent.  Now, look at it from his picture for just a moment.  Who's he going to fall on the sword for?  This shredded human, Jesus?  Or Rome?  And if he takes it on the brow for Christ and says, “No, I'm releasing Him,” then his career as a political appointment is over.  He might be murdered.  So from a political standpoint, he commits suicide if he doesn't turn Christ over to be crucified.  13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. Gabbatha - This word is not elsewhere used. It comes from a word signifying to be elevated. – the one who is lifted up should not be, but Jesus should be and will be on the cross. Php 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, The judgment seat in the text is the stem word “bema.”  If you know your New Testament, you know about the Bema Seat.  They bring out Pilate's bema and they put it on the pavement.  It's the Lithostrotos stone.  You can go and walk on these stones.  Those stones are beautiful, enormous, huge pieces of rock that for centuries have been walked over and within a stone's throw, envision a chair of some judgment, throne-looking apparatus being brought out of Pilate's house, sat down on these stones.  He sits to render judgment.  And, again, the layers of irony in Johannine literature.  I mean, who is going to have the Bema seat?  Who will sit on the throne judging man?  All these layers.  Here's the God of the Universe being condemned by this little pawn, Pilate, on a stupid little chair on a stupid little rock.  And the God of the Universe will be the King of the Universe on the throne of God, judging righteously.  Can't miss the layers and layers of Johannine irony.  “Behold, your king.” 14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" Mt 27:62 But he won't miss the opportunity to mock them, “Behold, your king.” I don't know what he meant by that. I don't know whether it was cynical, whether it was desperate. I don't know what it was. By this time the man has lost his senses. By this time he is in a corner, he is cringing, he is panicky, his heart is beating, he is sweating, he just wants out. He's remembering that Jesus may be the son of a god. He's remembering the warning his wife had in a dream which connects up that whole divine possibility. He's remembering that Jesus is innocent. He knows the hatred of the Jews. He worries about the pressure of Rome. He's trapped. He's pounded down. He's ripped. He's got nowhere to go. And he says Behold your king. In other words, the emphasis may be on the "your," you decide. "And they cried out, Away with Him, crucify Him. Pilate said unto them, Shall I crucify your king? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar." 15 But they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!" Ge 49:10 Our king does not live in a house on the corner, our king does not sit on a throne on this earth; our king is other-worldly.  Lest we love our country too much to displace our Christ as our King, be very careful.  And we see the Jews doing just this.  “We have no king but Caesar.”  And if they could do it, it would be easy. Samuel goes to God and they have this great discussion.  He says, “Give them a king, but let them know what's going to happen.  He's going to take their children and their land and their animals and a percentage of their crops and he's going to extort the people to support his kingdom so they can be like everyone else.  And warn them and warn them and warn them.” So, you know, the king's inaugurated, the whole story.  We now come full circle.  We want to be like all the other people and have a king; and the bitter, better kingdoms, and divided kingdoms and the time of the judges and all the cycle down and now they're exiles and the remnants are scattered.  And now they're coming back to Jerusalem, a handful of Jews.  It's Passover.  There's a lot of them, they've kind of got their confidence up a little bit.  “We have no king but Caesar.” And this is the high priest for goodness sakes.  “No king but Caesar.” How far he's come from his mission as high priest.  16 ¶ Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away. Mt 27:26, 31; Mr. 15:15; Lu 23:24 Applications: We must be careful not to displace Jesus Christ and put the government first. Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. God's sovereignty never lessens an individual's responsibility. Man's not a puppet.  At the same time, God is sovereign.  The evil that occurs with Judas and Pilate and Caiaphas and Satan is not somehow on the fringe of God's sovereignty. God would say, I planned that Jesus will die for you.”  Jesus' death on Calvary was not an afterthought because evil got, sort of run out of hand of God's Sovereignty.  The minute we say that God is Sovereign, and these things occurred, we say, “Well, how could God allow these things to happen?” I mean, after all, why couldn't He have dealt with Judas and Pilate and Satan and all those things?  Well, he could have.  And if God wanted to be a puppeteering Creator and just sort of relegate men the way He wanted to, He could sure do that.  Somehow in this context man is a moral agent who works and lives within the Sovereignty of God.  You and I have choices all the time.  Well, does man have a free-will?  Does man have a choice?  Can man make decisions?  Yes and no.  That's the answer.  Under the sovereignty of God a lot of evil goes on.  If your view of man is basically good and a free moral agent, then you have a huge problem.  If your view of man is basically, essentially evil and wicked and depraved, it makes great sense.  That God is sovereign even as man is depraved.  So both exist.  If God's sovereignty somehow dismantled human responsibility, then Christ did not need to die.  Christ only died because it was part of God's eternal plan to save man from his wicked estate. Who is responsible or guilty for the death of Jesus? Think about the disciples all running away.  Didn't Matthew know one good attorney?  He was a tax-collector for crying out loud.  He ought to know a couple of good, shrewd attorneys.  How do we help Jesus out here?  They all run away. And people around the world who are Jewish are incensed with the whole notion that any way shape or form that Jews are responsible.  Men and women, the text says that Jewish leaders were behind this but they were not solely responsible.  All humanity was responsible.  You see, it wasn't just the Jews.  The Jews were His chosen people.  They are the ones that sort of incensed the thing.  You read, go home today, and read two verses in Acts.  Acts chapter two verses twenty-two to twenty-three, actually two passages, and Acts 4:27-28.  Acts 2:22-23, Acts 4:27-28.  Peter preaching saying, “All of us are guilty.” It wasn't just the Jews who nailed Christ to Calvary.  It wasn't just the Jews who conspired, because all men are guilty, all men are evil and there's not one righteous, no not one.  Every one of us put Christ on Calvary.  So we say, well, “Couldn't God have used someone besides Judas and besides Pilate?”  Sure, He could have done anything He wanted.  He chose before the foundation of time as far as you and I know it that part of His predestined plan, He was going to use these men as pawns.  If that gives you trouble, I can't help you.  What should give you trouble is that He would love the likes of you and me. The God of the Universe threw everything at His Son because He loved you and He loved me. Are you going to please God or man? Eph 6:5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, How do you look at the death of Christ Is it a martyrdom or Is it a substitutionary death for our sins You say I'm not like Barrabbas I'm not a murderer – you and I helped kill him because it was our sin that put Him there. Our hard hearts that pounded in the nails, Is He was pierced through for our transgressions. James says if you speak badly of people you are a murderer Not a robber or thief – you steal every day because you do not give God the glory He deserves, stealing His rain and sunshine and not using the gifts He gave you to serve Him Not a rebel – Every day you don't submit to God as your Lord you rebel against Him You finally have to decide what you will do with Christ, no decision is a decision to reject Christ. Who do you believe Jesus to be, and what will you do with Him? The answer of the Bible is this: Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved”. What about it? What is this saying to us? Listen to this. It's saying this. I don't care who you are, I don't care where you live, you've got to make a decision about Jesus. And the whole point that I want to emphasize to you is first of all this: Pilate attempted repeatedly to get rid of Jesus. You know what? He couldn't do it. You know why? No man can do it. If you think you can wiggle out of a commitment to Christ and a final decision, you are wrong. No decision is a decision with Pilate. What are you going to do? You going to go for your soul or your neck? Your soul or your body? You want eternal salvation or do you want to go for the things of the world now and live it up? At least you think you live it up. You don't really live it up till you meet Christ and find out what livings all about. That's your choice. And God wants nothing more than to put you in a corner and force you to make that decision. But I say to you with all the love in my heart, make it before it's too late and you find that Jesus is silent and there aren't any answers anymore. And don't do what Pilate did. Don't pass the buck. Don't compromise. Don't run away. Pilate said that and you have to say it too. What shall I do with Jesus? And the only wise thing to do is accept Him as Savior and Lord.      Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

John 18:28 ¶ Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. 29 Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?" 30 They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you."   In this section we see the Jews just assume that Pilate will kill this ”Man” Jesus that they want killed because of envy.  Pilate lets them know real quick that it isn't going to be that simple, but asks what is He accused of? They come up with this general if He weren't an evil doer we would not have delivered Him up to you. In other words, we want Him killed, don't worry about the charges, just kill Him. The Jews have Pilate right where they want him and they are ultimately going to force Him to kill Jesus. We will see that Pilate has messed up three times in insulting the Jews and their God by some of the things he did. This is ultimately how they force him to do their will, because if he messes up one more time it is means the loss of his political position at the least and most like it will cost him his life. Are we willing to give up all our human ambitions to follow Jesus?  If not, why not? He is worth it.   The Jews are going to make three allegations against Jesus Christ to Pilate. First they're going to claim that He is an evildoer. He's a wicked person. The second accusation is that He Himself has made Himself out to be the Son of God. And the third claim is treason. Anyone who makes himself out to be king is a threat to Rome. So, He is guilty of treason. John reported much more about Jesus' trial before Pilate than did any of the other Gospel writers. He omitted referring to Jesus' appearance before Herod Antipas, which only Luke recorded (Luke 23:6-12). He stressed Jesus' authority, particularly His authority as Israel's King (cf. v. 36; 19:11, 14). John seems to have assumed that his readers knew of the other Gospel accounts of Jesus' passion. This assumption supports the view that this was the last Gospel written. The other Gospels stress the legal aspects of this trial. John presented it more as an interview between Jesus and Pilate similar to His interviews with Nicodemus (Ch.  3), the Samaritan woman (Ch.  4), and the blind man (Ch.  9). It proceeded as Pilate asked four questions: "What accusation do you bring against this man?" (18:29), "Are you the King of the Jews?" (18:33), "Do you want me to release the King of the Jews?" (18:39), and "Where are you from?" (19:9). My goal in this lesson is to focus on the “big picture” of our Lord's trial before Pilate. Once this picture is clear in our minds, the details will be more easily grasped. I shall attempt to set the scene by concentrating on four statements found in our text. The first is a statement by the Jews in verse 31: “We cannot legally put anyone to death.” The second is the question raised by Pilate in verse 38: “What is truth?” The third is the declaration of our Lord in verse 37: “You [rightly or correctly] say that I am a King.” The final statement is made by John in verse 32: “This happened to fulfill the word Jesus spoke, indicating what kind of death he was going to die.” Before we turn to these four statements, I want to call your attention to a summary[i] of the sequence of events which occurred from the time the Jews decided that Jesus must be put to death, to the time when Jesus rose from the dead. This summary not only reminds us of the final events of our Lord's life, it also points out the unique contributions of each of the Gospels. Allow me to call your attention to some of the unique contributions of each of the four Gospels. MATTHEW. Matthew's Gospel has several unique contributions. It is Matthew's account that includes an account of the suicide of Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus and handed Him over to the Jewish religious leaders. This story is inserted into Matthew's report of our Lord's arrest. Matthew 27 begins with Jesus being brought to Pilate by the chief priests and elders of Israel (verses 1-2). Verses 3-10 then contain an account of Judas' suicide. Then, at verse 11, the account of Jesus' trial before Pilate continues. It seems to me that Matthew wants his readers to know that in the midst of our Lord's trials, the one who turned Jesus over to the authorities has already come to regret his treachery. The testimony of Judas is added to that of others, including Pilate: “Jesus is innocent!” Matthew also records the intervention of Pilate's wife, who had a sleepless night and therefore warned her husband not to be a part of the execution of Jesus, since He was an innocent man. Actually, she did not refer to Jesus merely as innocent, but as righteous (27:19, NAB). Matthew is the one who includes an account of Pilate washing his hands (27:24), a symbolic gesture intended to indicate that he did not approve of the crucifixion of Jesus. This does not release him from his guilt for taking part in the death of Jesus. He gave Jesus over to the Jews to put to death, and he facilitated their plans by having Roman soldiers conduct the crucifixion. And this Pilate did, knowing that Jesus was innocent. Finally, Matthew 27:25 records that incredible statement of the Jews: Let his blood be on us and on our children! MARK. Mark has the distinction of being the shortest account of Jesus' trial before Pilate, a mere 20 verses long. Mark makes no unique contribution here, although he does join Matthew in telling us that Pilate had figured out that the Jews had turned Jesus over to him out of envy (Mark 15:10; see also Matthew 27:18). LUKE. Luke's account is only 25 verses long. Luke alone informs us that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, who declared Jesus innocent as well, and then returned Him to Pilate (23:6-12). We also learn that these two men were at odds with each other, and that they were somehow reconciled in the midst of their mutual dealings with Jesus. JOHN. John has the longest and most detailed account of our Lord's hearing before Pilate. In John, we see an increasing sense of awe and dread on the part of Pilate. We are also told of his cynical remark, “What is truth?” (verse 38). But perhaps the most interesting contribution John makes is his record of the conversation which occurred between Pilate and Jesus. In the other Gospels, Jesus says almost nothing, either to the Jews, to Pilate, or to Herod. In John's account, Jesus and Pilate do have a conversation of sorts. There is no contradiction here, however. When Jesus refuses to speak, it is (1) because the law does not require Him to testify against Himself, and (2) because He refuses to defend Himself. Jesus would not interact with Herod because he was merely hoping to see some miracle. If Jesus had defended Himself by speaking or performing miracles, it could have prevented His death. When Jesus refused to speak, it was when He was in the presence of the Jews. When Jesus did speak with Pilate, it was inside his residence, where the Jews would not enter. The conversation was not of His guilt or innocence, but about His identity and His mission. We might say that it was evangelistic. 28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. Mt 27:2, 27; Mr. 15:1; Lu 23:1; Ac 3:13; 10:28; 11:3 "They" refers to all the Jewish authorities They led Jesus from Caiaphas in that he was the head of the Sanhedrin that had passed sentence on Jesus The text tells us that it's early in the morning. In fact, there are two night watches. This is probably about six a.m. Now that may seem like an early time to go to work. It was not uncommon for them to start early in the day. If you put verse 18:28 and John 19:14 together, Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" you have the sixth hour of the day. What we have here is about six hours from the time that Christ appears before Pilate before He goes through the whole trial. Get a picture.  It's six hours in length. It's a very quick process through which Christ goes. They don't want to be defiled, but inside they're wicked and defiled. They're hearts plotting murder, but they want to look clean; not going into the Gentile's house lest they be defiled for their ritual. He doesn't comment, he just tells the facts. They are anxious to avoid external defilement in order to observe a festival whose real significance was that, as well as reminding God's people of the ancient deliverance from Egypt, it pointed forward to the true Passover Lamb, whose sacrifice would bring to an end all distinctions between what was ceremonially clean and unclean, and effect an inward cleansing; and it was the death of that true Passover Lamb that the Jews at this moment are anxious to bring about." Why then were these Jews concerned that entering Pilate's Praetorium might preclude them from eating the Passover? Had they too not already eaten it the night before? The "Passover" was the name that the Jews used to describe both the Passover proper and the entire festival that followed it including the feast of Unleavened Bread (cf. Luke 22:1). Evidently it was their continuing participation in this eight-day festival that these Jewish leaders did not want to sacrifice by entering a Gentile residence. There are six different trials taking place, and in each case nobody wants to take responsibility for this verdict. Herod says, ”Well, it's not my jurisdiction.” 2 The Jews say, “Well, we really can't handle this. This has got to be the Romans who do it.” Pilate washes his hands of the whole deal and even tries to work things out so that there can be the exchange with Barabbas. Nobody wants to be the one who the crowds look to and say, “You're responsible for putting our prophet to death.” 27:1-2; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66-71). The Sanhedrin had condemned Jesus for blasphemy (Matt. 26:63-66; Mark 14:61-64), which was a capital offense in Israel (Lev. 24:16). However the Sanhedrin could not execute the death sentence for this offense without Roman agreement, and there was little hope of Pilate giving it. Therefore the Jewish leaders decided to charge Jesus with treason. The word "Praetorium" identified the headquarters of the commanding officer of a Roman military camp or a Roman   military  governor's  headquarters.  Pilate was such a governor.  His normal headquarters stood at Caesarea, the capital of the Roman province of Judea. However during the Jewish feasts Pilate came to Jerusalem with Roman troops to discourage uprisings. His headquarters in Jerusalem was either in Herod's palace on the western wall of the city or in the Fortress of Antonia immediately north of the temple enclosure. The traditional  site  is  the  Fortress  of  Antonia,  the  beginning  of  the  Via Dolorosa or "way of sorrow" that Jesus traveled from the Praetorium to Golgotha. The Jewish religious leaders appear to have incorrectly assessed the situation. They may have assumed that since Pilate had provided Roman soldiers to assist in the arrest of Jesus, he was giving them a “blank check” to deal with Jesus as they saw fit. Their appearance before Pilate early on this morning does not look like a humble petition being made by the religious leaders of a subject nation. The Jewish leaders boldly arrive at Pilate's home in the early hours of the morning, with Jesus in their custody (verse 28). It may have been at the very first signs of light. Their arrival at this early hour could almost be characterized as “cruel and unusual.” They further insult Pilate by refusing to enter his residence. In their minds, to do so would be to defile themselves by entering the house of a Gentile. Consequently, they virtually force Pilate to come outside to speak with them. Such actions would not be unusual, if it were Pilate demanding such things of the Jews, but for the Jews to act this way toward Pilate is nothing less than insulting. Pilate's response to their demands caught the religious leaders off guard. They seem to have expected Pilate to “rubber stamp” their indictment of Jesus and to quickly authorize His execution. Instead, Pilate required them to declare formal charges against Jesus, charges that they had not been able to establish, even though they worked at this all night long (see Matthew 26:59-60; Mark 14:57-59). Before the Jews, Jesus had confessed that He was “guilty” of being the Son of God. They reasoned that this “confession” made Him guilty of blasphemy, and that because of this, Jesus must be put to death (Matthew 26:62-65, Mark 14:64). However, they were not able to substantiate any charges that would make Jesus worthy of death under Roman law. As they stand before Pilate, they find themselves in a real bind. They believe Jesus is guilty of blasphemy, and deserving of death, but they do not have any solid evidence that Jesus is guilty of any capital offense under Roman law; thus, they are hard pressed to convince Pilate that Jesus really should be put to death. It wasn't that the Jews never put anyone to death without Rome's consent. We know from the account of the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7 that the Jews were more than willing to put someone to death, without permission from Rome. Stephen's death was different, however. It did not occur during the feast, and it would seem that Rome was not even aware of what took place. It was very different with Jesus and with Pilate. The words of the Jews in our text mean something like this: “We really want to kill Jesus ourselves, by stoning, but we can't get away with that at the moment—not now anyway, during the feast, while all of your Roman soldiers are ‘on alert' and watching us like a hawk.” If they could kill Jesus without Rome's help, and even without Rome's permission, they would gladly do so. But they are powerless to do so now, and they know it. Their words convey a feigned submission to Roman authority, but this is all hypocrisy, as Acts 7 underscores, and as Pilate surely knows. It must have been their fumbled attempt to arrest Jesus in John 7 that convinced the Jewish religious leaders they needed all the help they could get if they were to arrest and execute Jesus. Did they seek to employ Roman soldiers in this final attempt to arrest Jesus because they felt confident these soldiers would not be favorably impressed with the words of a Jew (as the temple police had been)? Many failed attempts to stone Jesus may have led them to conclude that they must go about this legally, so that the power of Rome could be enlisted in their efforts to be rid of Jesus. It never seems to occur to these Jews that their words to Pilate were a confession of failure on their part  to prove Him guilty and also an admission that our Lord was really in control. Rome chose to give its subject provinces a fair degree of freedom, so long as they were submissive and cooperative. This meant that the Jews were allowed to govern themselves by making and enforcing laws, and by trying and punishing law-breakers. Rome could intervene at any time, at its discretion, but under normal conditions, they would not do so. The one exception came in the area of capital punishment. There was too much risk of abuse here, and so (in theory, at least) any execution required Roman permission and was normally carried out by crucifixion, at the hands of Roman soldiers. Normally, Pilate would reside at his palace in Caesarea. During the Passover season, the population of Jerusalem would swell considerably. Pilgrims came from afar to celebrate this feast, and there was a very high level of messianic expectation and enthusiasm. Consequently, the chance of some kind of uprising was considered much greater at this time. Therefore, a sizeable force of Roman soldiers would be stationed in Jerusalem or nearby, and Pilate himself would temporarily reside in Jerusalem. Because of the season, Pilate must bear the burden of responsibility for dealing with the Jews and for determining the fate (humanly speaking, of course) of Jesus.  29 Pilate then went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this Man?" The Jews are just saying, “Confirm our judgment.” Pilate is going to insult them by starting a new trial. Pilate is going to say to them, “If you don't like what I'm doing (verse 31) take Him yourselves and judge Him according to your laws.  If you don't like my approach to rubber-stamping your thing, I'm going to start over here. If you don't like it, you judge him yourself.”  30 They answered and said to him, "If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you." You don't go into a court saying, “We want to kill the guy. We don't want a fair trial. We don't want a fair hearing. We don't want you to hear it. Just execute him, that's all we want from you.”  Pilate won't be easily manipulated. He won't be swayed; he dispatched soldiers to arrest Him just a few hours before. He's not ready to execute Him for some crime that he's yet to see or hear. Readers of the New Testament are familiar with Pilate, who is not portrayed in a very favorable light. Luke's Gospel informs us that Pilate was governor when John the Baptist commenced his ministry (Luke 3:1-2). Later in Luke, we read of his abusive and blasphemous treatment of the Galileans: “Now there were some present on that occasion who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices” (Luke 13:1).[ii] What we know of Pilate from history is not very flattering either. He made several major mistakes,[iii] which set the scene for what takes place in our text. Normally, when Roman governors arrived in Jerusalem, they removed their standards (a pole with a Roman eagle or an image of the emperor mounted on the top) because of the Jews' disdain for such images.[iv] In spite of his awareness of these Jewish scruples and past Roman practice, Pilate's troops marched into Jerusalem carrying medallions with the emperor's image or bust among their standards. This precipitated a protest demonstration by the Jews lasting five days, and eventually, Pilate was forced to give in to public pressure by removing the standards. A second incident occurred when Pilate later constructed an aqueduct to convey water from cisterns near Bethlehem to Jerusalem. This provoked a riot, not because of the aqueduct itself, but because Pilate funded the project with funds he took from the temple. Roman troops had to be used to put down the riot, and Pilate warned them not to use their swords. His instructions were not carried out properly, and there was bloodshed. Paul Maier enumerates some good reasons why Pilate's actions may not have been as evil or as foolish as they seemed,[v] but this did not prevent the riot or the resulting bloodshed. It was yet another black eye for Pilate's administration. The straw which broke the proverbial “camel's back” seems to have occurred when Pilate set up several golden shields at his headquarters in Jerusalem. These shields had no images, but only an inscription of dedication to Tiberius. Nevertheless, the people protested strongly, backed up by Herod Antipas and his brothers. This time, Pilate refused to back down. In other places like Alexandria, shields were tolerated by the Jews. This was Jerusalem, however, and this was a “golden” opportunity for Herod to make Pilate look bad to Tiberias. Herod wrote a letter of official protest to the emperor, who ordered Pilate to have the shields sent to Caesarea, warning him about offending the Jews by violating their customs. All of this is to say that Pilate was none too popular with the Jews at this point in time. I doubt very much that he cared either, because his actions toward the Jews seem to indicate that he held a great disdain for them. You can imagine, then, how Pilate must have responded to the knock on his palace door early that fateful morning. “He who blesses his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It will be counted a curse to him” (Proverbs 27:14). The Jews are in a hurry, and they need to dispense with the legal formalities as quickly as possible if they are to have this whole horrible thing finished by sunset (so that they can “worship God” at this Passover). They have been up all night with Jesus, preparing for this moment. Now, they demand to see Pilate, but they also refuse to “defile themselves” by entering into the dwelling of this Gentile pagan (18:28). And then, when Pilate asks them to indicate what formal charges they wish to press against Jesus, they are unable to articulate any charges which would make Him worthy of the death penalty. Instead, they come up with a pious sounding version of “trust me”: “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you” (verse 30). They hesitated to bring the charge of blasphemy against Jesus because Pilate might dismiss it as unworthy of his consideration (cf. Acts 18:12-16). They evidently did not accuse Him of treason because this too would have incited His many followers, and they would have had difficulty proving it. Consequently they did not name the charge but assumed that it was serious and implied that Pilate should trust them and "rubber stamp" their decision. Perhaps the fact that Pilate had provided troops to arrest Jesus encouraged them to think that he had already judged Jesus guilty. They did not appreciate Pilate's question since it suggested that they would have to go through a formal trial from beginning to end. John's record paints a very shrewd politician who is very smart about the issues at hand, about his own position. So don't always write Pilate off as sort of this mealy-mouth embattled governor. He's a very shrewd, bright man. "It is possible that they were taken by surprise at Pilate's indication that he would try the case himself. They had had his cooperation in making the arrest; now they apparently expected that he would take their word for it that the man the Romans had helped to arrest was dangerous and should be executed." Pilate realized that the Jewish leaders had determined to do away with Jesus (cf. Matt. 27:18), but he had no evidence that Jesus had done anything worthy of death     [i] See “Sequence of Events” summary at the end of this lesson. [ii] A study note in the NET Bible reads, “This is an event that otherwise is unattested, though several events similar to it are noted in Josephus (Jewish War 2.169-74; 2.175-77; Antiquities 13.372; 18.55-59; 18.60-62; 18.85-87). It would have caused a major furor.” The NET Bible (Dallas, TX: Biblical Studies Press), 1998. [iii] These are outlined by Maier on pages 148-153. [iv] This disdain was based upon their understanding of Exodus 20:4-5, which prohibited the use of engraved images. [v] Maier, pp. 148-149.        Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions

Mark 15:40-47 NIV - Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

Mark 15:40-47 NIV - Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

After this, Jesus, seeing that all things were now finished, that the Scripture might befulfilled, said, “I am thirsty.” Now a vessel full of vinegar was set there; so they put a spongefull of the vinegar on hyssop, and held it at his mouth. When Jesus therefore had receivedthe vinegar, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.Therefore the Jews, because it was the Preparation Day, so that the bodies wouldn't remainon the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special one), asked of Pilate that theirlegs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Therefore the soldiers came, andbroke the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with him; but when they cameto Jesus, and saw that he was already dead, they didn't break his legs. However one of thesoldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. He whohas seen has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, that youmay believe. For these things happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled, “A bone ofhim will not be broken.”Again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom theypierced.”After these things, Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear ofthe Jews, asked of Pilate that he might take away Jesus' body. Pilate gave him permission.He came therefore and took away his body. Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night,also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred Roman pounds. So theytook Jesus' body, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is tobury. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden. In the garden was a newtomb in which no man had ever yet been laid. Then because of the Jews' Preparation Day(for the tomb was near at hand) they laid Jesus there.

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Luke 23:50-56 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. 55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment. What does this say about God? About people? What is your response? A full transcript can be found at amyburgin.com.

Podcast Home.https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.comHelp me to continue to make and share great Biblical content everyday and download my latest free Book at | PatreonYou can also support my podcast athttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/JRMcCandlessThe Significance of the Burial of JesusThe Burial of Jesus55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's sons. 57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.The Guard at the Tomb62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.' 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.(Matthew 27:55-66)Further Discipleship Training Courses Free at;linkedin.com/in/jeremy-mccandless-68353b16Podcast Archive also athttps://www.youtube.com/c/JeremyRMcCandlessThe LIFE Podcast - The Bible Project | FacebookMy Amazon Author Pageamazon.com/author/jeremymccandlessJeremy McCandless is creating podcasts and devotional resources | PatreonHelp us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

Luke 23:50-54 (NIV) – [50] Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, [51] who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. [52] Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. [53] Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. [54] It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. Luke 24:1-6 (NIV) – [1] On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. [2] They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, [3] but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. [4] While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. [5] In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? [6] He is not here; he has risen! Empty Cross + Empty Tomb = Full Life John 10:10 (NIV) – [10] The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Full (perissos) means overflow, beyond measure, superabundant in quantity or superior in quality, exceedingly abundantly above. (Strong’s) John 10:10 (MSG) – [10] A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. Matthew 14:20-21 (NIV) – [20] They all ate and were SATISFIED, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were LEFT OVER. 1. A life full of satisfaction Luke 6:45 (NIV) – [45] The good man brings good things out of the GOOD stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the OVERFLOW of his heart his mouth speaks. 2. A life full of goodness Romans 5:15 (NIV) – [15] But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the GRACE of the one man, Jesus Christ, OVERFLOW to the many! 3. A life full of grace Romans 15:13 (NIV) – [13] May the God of HOPE fill you with all JOY and PEACE as you trust in him, so that you may OVERFLOW with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit. 4. A life full of hope, joy, and peace 2 Corinthians 1:5 (NIV) – [5] For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our COMFORT OVERFLOWS. 5. A life full of comfort 2 Corinthians 3:8 (NIV) – [9] If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, HOW MUCH MORE glorious is the ministry that brings RIGHTEOUSNESS! 6. A life full of righteousness 2 Corinthians 4:15 (NIV) – [15] All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause THANKSGIVING to OVERFLOW to the glory of God. 7. A life full of thanksgiving 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV) – [8] And God is able to make all GRACE ABOUND to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 8. A life full of grace Philippians 4:12-13 (NIV) – [12] I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have PLENTY. I have learned the secret of being CONTENT in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in PLENTY or in want. [13] I can do everything through him who gives me strength. 9. A life full of contentment 1 Thessalonians 3:12 (NIV) – [12] May the Lord make your LOVE increase and OVERFLOW for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. 10. A life full of love

Obedience to God in these times means to use the full authority and power Christ has given you to call forth God's promises, confident God is working in our behalf even when we don't see it.   SHOW NOTES CONNECT WITH TODAY'S GUEST: None LINKS FROM SHOW CONTENT: Pam's miraculous story of surviving sudden cardiac arrest: https://www.charismapodcastnetwork.com/show/faithtoliveby/8669c493-a4f1-4aa3-adb0-45651bd1a139/From-My-Heart-to-Yours The Hebrew year 5784: http://sheerahministries.com/2021/08/13/hebrew-year-5782-5786-a-5-year-prophetic-outlook-2022-2026/ Get Pam's books from direct from her web store (link below) using the 20% discount code, or from Amazon: Prepare for the Harvest! Confidence in God's End-time Promises, https://amzn.to/40Sj7zk Prepare for the Harvest! 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Silent Saturday with Dr. Lidia MartinezLisa Lorenzo and Dr. Lidia Martinez are discussing Holy Saturday, the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, when Jesus' body laid in the tomb. It is a time of reflection, mourning, and waiting for the promise of the resurrection. They reference Matthew 27, which explains that the guard at the tomb was posted on Preparation Day. The conversation centers around the somber feeling of Holy Saturday and the importance of taking time to reflect on this day in order to better appreciate the Easter Sunday resurrection. They discuss the importance of understanding the sacrifice Jesus made in order to better appreciate the gift of salvation. They encourage listeners to take time to reflect on this day, think about Jesus' suffering, and appreciate the resurrection that followed. The conversation reflects on the time before Jesus' resurrection, when his disciples were in hiding and filled with fear, feeling lost and alone. The guard was posted to keep the tomb secure until the third day, to prevent the disciples from stealing the body and claiming he had been raised from the dead. The conversation then shifts to reflect on how we can find hope in our own dark times. We cannot rely on our emotions, as they are fleeting, but must instead be rooted in Jesus. It is important to reframe our thinking and to remember that even in moments of hopelessness, it is only a moment in time. The conversation focused on how to cope with difficult emotions, such as sorrow and grief. The speakers suggested not making any decisions and instead just being, as they are daughters and sons of Christ. They suggested finding positive coping skills such as cleaning the house, going for a run, and praying. Other tools suggested included having an attitude of gratitude, challenging negative thought patterns, reframing suffering as an opportunity for growth, practicing mindfulness and self-compassion, and building a support network. The conversation concluded with a reminder to come back full circle to gratitude. The conversation focused on how to reframe suffering and negative thoughts in order to bring joy and gratitude into one's life. They discussed how to challenge negative thought patterns by meditating on God's word and character. They also discussed how to reframe suffering as an opportunity for growth and how to practice mindfulness and self-compassion. Finally, they discussed building a social support network and focusing on gratitude and joy. They referenced scriptures from Romans 12:2, Philippians 4:8, James 1:2-4, Romans 8:28, Matthew 11:28, and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. The speakers encouraged listeners to not take action based on their feelings, seek help if needed, surrender to God, and remember that feelings may come and go.Timestamps0:00:00Therapy Thursday: Reflecting on Holy Saturday with Dr. Lidia Martinez0:01:48Conversation on Finding Hope in Difficult Times0:06:23Conversation on Reframing Negative Thought Patterns and Finding Gratitude0:08:36Conversation on Overcoming Negative Thoughts and Reframing Suffering0:15:55Conversation between Dr. Lydia and Friend on Praying Continually and Finding Joy in Difficult Times0:17:41Faith with Friends Podcast: Finding Hope in Difficult Times

JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB – Jesus Walking in the Way of the Cross (VIDEO)   LYRICS TO MUSIC: Go on brothers lay him down Go on brothers lay him down Wrap his body with a clean white shroud Roll that stone leave him in the ground Go on brothers lay him down   Go on sisters cry for him Go on sisters cry for him But wipe your eyes and dry your skin The crying will be done in three mornings Go on sisters cry for him   Hold on children wait and see Hold on children wait and see The death that's come is a death too weak Can't take my Jesus cannot take my King So hold on children wait and see   Oh glory glory won't you come for me Glory glory won't you come for me I know your slumber is a momentary sleep I feel you rising up from the deep Oh glory glory you will come for me   MESSAGE SUMMARY:  Some of the most expensive, elaborate, and impressive structures in history are tombs. Throughout humanity great energy has been spent constructing a final resting place for the prestigious and powerful. The Taj Mahal in Agra, India, the pyramids of Egypt, and the terra cotta army in Xi'an, China are some of the most notorious. They stand as feats of architecture, design, and craftsmanship - each fueled by countless hours of work by a vast number of humans. Some of these structures are still visited today by hundreds of thousands each year. Jesus too was laid in a tomb. And though purchased by a wealthy disciple, it seems to have been no more than a small, man-made cave. When Joseph of Arimethea asked Pilate for Jesus' body, his request was surprisingly granted. After being wrapped in linen, Jesus was placed into a room ‘cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid' (Luke 23:53). Today, there remains uncertainty as to which specific site held the body of Jesus. Notwithstanding this fact, many travelers still seek out Christ's tomb. Unlike many of the famous burial monuments however, those who make this journey do not come to be amazed by the architecture or awed by the craftsmanship. The spectacle itself is rather unimpressive - no more than a small hole cut into the side of a hill, void of any adornment. Despite Jesus' position, despite his seat ‘at the right hand of God' (Mark 16:19), he was buried in a common tomb. Despite the ‘riches' of his glory and grace (Colossians 1:27, Ephesians 2:7), Jesus' body was laid to rest in a cave. How he continually clothed himself in humility! So why then do countless Christians travel across the world each year to see where Jesus walked? Why spend the time and effort to visit a hole in the ground, that quite possibly Jesus' body never actually entered? People come because of who Jesus was, not any place where he may have laid. They come to gain perspective. They come to refresh their spirits. They come because Jesus was real, and most critically, that three days after his death, the tomb stood empty. Hallelujah! Death was beaten as God's perfect plan for his Messiah was fulfilled. The tomb could not hold him. “He has risen, just as he said,” (Matthew 28:6), and he is alive now and forever! Written by Jesse Braswell Roberts / Poor Bishop Hooper golgothamusic.com // poorbishophooper.com // Second edition ©2022 Jesse Braswell Roberts / Poor Bishop Hooper   TODAY'S PRAYER: Praise Jesus for his death and resurrection. Ask Jesus for a fresh revelation of what the empty tomb means for you today. Thank him for how he has saved you. Pray for those who do not yet know the One who has conquered death, and do not understand what Jesus' resurrection means for their lives. Give thanks that God's perfect plan was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and that his love for you is unfailing and everlasting Today's Affirmation: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT: If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mark 15:42-47: “It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.”. Further Reading: Matthew 27:57-61; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Isaiah 53:9-12. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Contemplating the Mighty Acts – Palm Sunday and Holy Week”, at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Matthew 27The Crucifixion of Jesus32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can't save himself! He's the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.'” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on himThe Burial of Jesus57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.The Guard at the Tomb62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.' 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.www.BibleDeliverance.org

In The Middle | April 2, 2023Pastor Wes MorrisLuke 23:50-54 (NIV) Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.√  THERE IS ALWAYS A GAP BETWEEN THE PAIN AND THE PROMISE.√ WHILE WE ARE WAITING, JESUS IS WORKING.Colossians 2:13-15 (ERV) You were spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were not free from the power of your sinful self. But God gave you new life together with Christ. He forgave all our sins. Because we broke God's laws, we owed a debt—a debt that listed all the rules we failed to follow. But God forgave us of that debt. He took it away and nailed it to the cross. He defeated the rulers and powers of the spiritual world. With the cross he won the victory over them and led them away, as defeated and powerless prisoners for the whole world to see.IN THE MIDDLEI. WE WAIT PATIENTLY.Romans 5:3-4 (TLB) We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us...Habakkuk 2:2-3 (NLT) Then the Lord said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.II. WE WAIT EXPECTANTLY.Isaiah 40:27-31 (TLB) Don't you know? Haven't you heard? The eternal God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn't grow tired or become weary. His understanding is beyond reach. He gives strength to those who grow tired and increases the strength of those who are weak. Even young people grow tired and become weary, and young men will stumble and fall.But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.III. WE WAIT CONFIDENTLY.I Corinthians 15:55-58 (TLB) O death, where is your victory? Where is your sting? For sin—the sting that causes death—will all be gone; and the law, which reveals our sins, will no longer be our judge. How we thank God for all of this! It is he who makes us victorious through Jesus Christ our Lord!So, my dear brothers, since future victory is sure, be strong and steady, always abounding in the Lord's work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever wasted.—---Subscribe to receive our latest messages.——Stay Connected, ask for prayer and find out more.http://www.baychapel.com/connect——Bay Chapel exists to help people ‘Find God and Find Life' through a relationship with Jesus Christ. To support this ministry and help us continue to reach people all around the world click here: http://www.baychapel.com/give

Pastor Lowell Nelson teaches about John 19: 31-42 "Christ's Burial" on 3/29/2023 for our Wednesday Bible Study. John 19:31-42 Jesus' Side Is Pierced 31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken." 37 And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced." Jesus Is Buried 38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. 39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.

Pastor Lowell Nelson teaches on John 19: 1-16 "⁠Jesus Delivered to Be Crucified⁠" on 3/15/2023 for our Wednesday Bible Study. John 19 Jesus Delivered to Be Crucified 1 So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. 3 Then they said, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck Him with their hands. 4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, "Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him." 5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, "Behold the Man!" 6 Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him." 7 The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God." 8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, 9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, "Where are You from?" But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Then Pilate said to Him, "Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?" 11 Jesus answered, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin." 12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, "If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar." 13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" 15 But they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!" 16 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away.

Those covenanted with Elohim refer to Friday every week as Preparation Day. Preparing for Shabbat is the goal. The washing of clothes, cleaning the house, cleansing the body, and preparing enough food for eating after sundown on Friday till sunset on Shabbat. Also, preparing the mind and heart for one thing – to spend time, this set-apart time, with our Creator, our Father.Expanding on this concept, Elder William Jackson, Rabbi Berkson's executive assistant, urges us to be mindful of the return of Messiah Yeshua in the same way and prepare ourselves for this day to which we are all looking forward.• Let's learn to be Shabbat-centric• Exodus 12:31-39 – Preparation Day defined• Exodus 16:1-28 – Grumbling and playing with stinky stuff• What about preparing internally?• Why do we need to be prepared?• Matthew 25:1-5 – They all slumbered and slept• Matthew 25:6-13 – The Bridegroom came and the door was shut• Matthew 24:14-15 – Why did Yeshua tell the parable of the virgins?• Matthew 24:42-46 – Messiah Yeshua is coming like a thief in the night• This journey should be enjoyable• Some things need to be replacedTake advantage of new teachings every week. Please click the "LIKE" button if this video has been a blessing.To learn more about MTOI, visit our website, https://mtoi.org.Join us on Social media!  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mtoiworldwideFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mtoi_worldwideYou can contact MTOI by emailing us at admin@mtoi.org or calling 423-250-3020. Join us for Shabbat Services & Torah Study LIVE, streamed on our YouTube Channel every Saturday at 1:15 pm and every Friday for Torah Study Live Stream at 7:30 pm, eastern time.

The four-gospel accounts of Yeshua's crucifixion and third-day resurrection do not seem to flow chronologically as we might like them to. Collectively, the gospel narratives inform us of the events of his last week in a rather disjointed and, in some cases, totally confusing way. Often, as we try to follow the events and make good sense of them, it raises more questions than answers. With today's podcast, Episode 125, and Part 12, I will continue to analyze the final week of Yeshua's ministry week leading up to his crucifixion and third-day resurrection. For example, here is a comparison of statements appearing in the gospel narratives. Mark 14:12. Now, on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?” Right. So, Yeshua's disciples are already slaughtering the Passover Lamb. Then, Yeshua sits down to eat the Passover, and firmly, it is at night. John 13:30. "...and it was night." So then, during supper, Yeshua said to his disciples: Luke 22:15. "With fervent (a longing) desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." Okay, I got it. Yeshua's disciples slaughter a Passover lamb, and they ask him where he wants to eat the Passover. Then, they eat the Passover at night, and during supper,  He tells them that He desires to do this BEFORE He suffers.  But then there is this statement about the religious leaders who would prefer not to get him crucified on Passover lest they stir up the people during the Feast. Mark 14:2. The chief priests (the heads of the Cohanim) and the scribes sought how they might take him (Yeshua) by trickery and put him to death. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.” Yet, Yeshua is crucified during the Feast, and, in fact, the day of his crucifixion is on the Preparation Day for Passover: John 19:14. "Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover... But the Jerusalem religious leaders don't want to become unclean when coming into contact with Pilate and his ritual impurity in what they knew to be a "defilement of the deep." John 18:28. Then they led Yeshua from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. So, what is going on here? Can all of this be reconciled so that it makes perfect sense? Absolutely, one hundred percent! It all makes perfect sense.  With today's podcast program, you will discover, in part, how this "confusing" narrative conundrum is solved. To help you follow along with today's lesson, I encourage you to navigate my website and access a copy of the Chronology Calendar of Events on Exhibits "A" and "B." You will likely need this if you want to follow the biblical study material I'll share today. Here is a link to access the page where you can find the podcast study helps: www.cominghome.co.il/podcasts/general-5 Support the show

The four-gospel accounts of Yeshua's crucifixion and third-day resurrection do not seem to flow chronologically as we might like them to. Collectively, the gospel narratives inform us of the events of his last week in a rather disjointed and, in some cases, totally confusing way. Often, as we try to follow the events and make good sense of them, it brings up more questions than it does answers.With today's podcast, Episode 125, and Part 12, I will continue to analyze the final week of Yeshua's ministry week leading up to his crucifixion and third-day resurrection. For example, here is a comparison of statements as they appear in the gospel narratives.Mark 14:12. Now, on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?” Right. So, Yeshua's disciples are already slaughtering the Passover Lamb. Then, Yeshua sits down to eat the Passover, and firmly, it is at night. John 13:30. "...and it was night." So then, during supper, Yeshua said to his disciples Luke 22:15. "With fervent (a longing) desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer."Okay, I got it. Yeshua's disciples slaughter a Passover lamb, and they ask him where he wants to eat the Passover. Then, they eat the Passover at night, and during supper,  He tells them that He desires to do this BEFORE He suffers.  But then there is this statement about the religious leaders who would prefer not to get him crucified on Passover lest they stir up the people during the Feast.  Mark 14:2. The chief priests (the heads of the Cohanim) and the scribes sought how they might take him (Yeshua) by trickery and put him to death. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.”Yet, Yeshua is crucified during the Feast, and, in fact, the day of his crucifixion is on the Preparation Day for Passover: John 19:14. "Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover...But the Jerusalem religious leaders don't want to become unclean when coming into contact with Pilate and his ritual impurity in what they knew to be a "defilement of the deep."  John 18:28. Then they led Yeshua from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover. So, what is going on here? Can all of this be reconciled so that it makes perfect sense? Absolutely, one hundred percent! It all makes perfect sense.  With today's podcast program, you will discover, in part, how this "confusing" narrative conundrum is solved.To help you follow along with today's lesson, I encourage you to navigate my website and access a copy of the Chronology Calendar of Events on Exhibits "A" and "B." You will likely need this if you want to follow the biblical study material I'll share today. Here is a link to access the page where you can find the podcast study helps: www.cominghome.co.il/podcasts/general-5Support the show

The four-gospel accounts of Yeshua's crucifixion and third-day resurrection do not seem to flow chronologically as we might like them to. Collectively, the gospel narratives inform us of the events of his last week in a rather disjointed and, in some cases, totally confusing way. Often, as we try to follow the events and make good sense of them, it brings up more questions than answers.With today's podcast, Episode 124, and Part 11, I will continue to analyze the final week of Yeshua's ministry week leading up to his crucifixion and third-day resurrection. For example, it appears that Yeshua observed Passover with his disciples, as is recorded in Mark 14:12 (also in Matthew 26:17 and Luke 22:7).Yeshua and His Disciples:Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they killed the Passover lamb, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare, that You may eat the Passover?”Then, we learn about this timeline of events:The Judean Pharisees and Temple Authorities:John 18:28. Then they led Yeshua from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning. But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.Mark 14:2. The chief priests (the heads of the Cohanim) and the scribes sought how they might take him (Yeshua) by trickery and put him to death. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.”John 19:14-16. Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover and about the sixth hour... Then they took Yeshua and led Him away.In summary, we have this sequence of events to address:Judean Pharisees and Temple Authorities versus Yeshua and His Disciples:And it was early morning, but they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should be defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar of the people.Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover.Where do You want us to go and prepare that You may eat the Passover?Later on that night, Yeshua was betrayed by Yehudah, captured and arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, brought to face an all-night inquisition before high priest Annas, brought to Judean Governor Pilate for sentencing, and then on the Roman execution stake nearly all day.  How in the world does all this fit into the timeline so that Yeshua can eat the Passover lamb, and yet he is crucified as the Passover lamb?With today's podcast program, you will discover part of how this narrative conundrum is solved.To help you follow along with today's lesson, I encourage you to navigate my website and access a copy of the Chronology Calendar of Events on Exhibits "A" and "B." You will likely need this if you want to follow the biblical study material I'll share today. Here is a link to access the page where you can find the podcast study helps: www.cominghome.co.il/podcasts/general-5Support the show

Monday, 9 January 2023   “Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. Acts 13:29   In the previous verse, Paul noted that the rulers of Israel asked Pilate to have Jesus put to death even though they found no cause for death in Him. Paul now continues with, “Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him.”   This is an all-encompassing statement of what occurred. It includes Christ's rejection by the rulers, His being apprehended, tried, beaten, handed over to Pilate, scourged, offered gall, crucified, mocked, given sour wine, and so on. The Scriptures are filled with hints of these things. And even though some of them were written about the trials or afflictions of others, such as David, they bear a dual fulfillment in anticipation of Christ Jesus.   Of the words “all that was written,” Bengel rightly says, “They could do no more (nothing beyond what was written). In Jesus all things that were written were fulfilled.” All that was done to Jesus is just what was prophesied about Him. Without leaving anything out, and without their adding anything not recorded, what happened to Christ Jesus is the exacting fulfillment of what was written beforehand. After that, Paul says, “they took Him down from the tree.”   This was approved by Pilate once it was confirmed that Jesus was dead. The body was taken down by Joseph of Arimathea (Mark 15:46). Nicodemus joined him (John 19:39) and together they prepared the body for burial according to the custom of the Jews. After this, Paul says, “and laid Him in a tomb.”   This was also accomplished by Joseph and Nicodemus –   “Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.” John 19:41, 42   Even these actions were prophesied in advance. These things, recorded in the four gospels, exactly fulfill a vast array of prophecies found in Scripture. Paul carefully detailed all of this to ensure that those who heard it would be fully aware of things they may not have heard before. From there, it would be their responsibility to check out what was said. If they simply dismissed his words, or if they were just too lazy to determine if what he said was true, the responsibility for their failure would rest solely with them.   Life application: There are many who dismiss the things written about Jesus as fables, but it is beyond credulity to think that the Scriptures that were maintained and built upon for well over a thousand years were somehow not speaking of what the gospels later detail. Everything was written precisely and with the minutest detail to let Israel, and now us, know that Jesus Christ is the exacting fulfillment of everything that was written.   Each person is expected to check these things out. In accepting the word is what it claims to be, we should then be prepared to defend it and explain what we have learned. There are many who will simply refuse to believe. There are also people who have been told the stories aren't true, but who are curious to check them out anyway. It might be you who they come to to start that process, so be ready! Let us share all we can about this wonderful story concerning what God has done in the sending of Jesus to bring us back to Himself.   Thank You, Lord God, for the precision of Your word. It is so carefully structured and meticulously detailed that we have every assurance that Jesus is truly the Christ. And through tears of joy in our confidence of this fact, help us to share the good news with others as well. Jesus! Jesus has come! Thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Preparation Day

Pastor Derek discusses with Anne Dawson the issue of the 3 Days and 3 Nights between Christ's Death and Resurrection on Revelation TV's Speaker's Corner. Jesus rose 'on the 3rd day' 'and 'after 3 days & 3 nights.' How do we resolve this prophetic paradox? Derek gives proofs for the Crucifixion on Passover, Friday April 1st AD 33 (our calendar), and the Resurrection at Firstfruits, Sunday Dawn. But how can this be 3 days & 3 nights (Matthew 12:40)? See how God solved the paradox!

Mark 15:42-47 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body.  44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid. Mark 16:1-8 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 “Don't be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.  7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'” 8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Matthew 5:43-48 (NIV) Love for Enemies 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 27:62-66 (NIV) The Guard at the Tomb 62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.' 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

Matthew 27:57-28:7b 57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb. 62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.' 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. 28:1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead.... 1 Corinthians 15:20-27a 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”

Matthew 27:62-66 NIV - 62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.' 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mildred-kingsley-okonkwo0/message

This is Episode 490 of the My Morning Devotional Podcast Join me, Alison Elizabeth as we read out of Luke 23:52-56 which says "2 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body.Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment."Quick Links: @mymorningdevo on IG: https://www.instagram.com/mymorningdevo/@alisonelizabethco on IG: https://www.instagram.com/alisonelizabethco/Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/mymorningdevotional/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/mymorningdevo)

JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB – Jesus Walking in the Way of the Cross (VIDEO) LYRICS TO MUSIC: Go on brothers lay him down Go on brothers lay him down Wrap his body with a clean white shroud Roll that stone leave him in the ground Go on brothers lay him down Go on sisters cry for him Go on sisters cry for him But wipe your eyes and dry your skin The crying will be done in three mornings Go on sisters cry for him Hold on children wait and see Hold on children wait and see The death that's come is a death too weak Can't take my Jesus cannot take my King So hold on children wait and see Oh glory glory won't you come for me Glory glory won't you come for me I know your slumber is a momentary sleep I feel you rising up from the deep Oh glory glory you will come for me MESSAGE SUMMARY:      Some of the most expensive, elaborate, and impressive structures in history are tombs. Throughout humanity great energy has been spent constructing a final resting place for the prestigious and powerful. The Taj Mahal in Agra, India, the pyramids of Egypt, and the terra cotta army in Xi'an, China are some of the most notorious. They stand as feats of architecture, design, and craftsmanship - each fueled by countless hours of work by a vast number of humans. Some of these structures are still visited today by hundreds of thousands each year.   Jesus too was laid in a tomb. And though purchased by a wealthy disciple, it seems to have been no more than a small, man-made cave. When Joseph of Arimethea asked Pilate for Jesus' body, his request was surprisingly granted. After being wrapped in linen, Jesus was placed into a room ‘cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid' (Luke 23:53).   Today, there remains uncertainty as to which specific site held the body of Jesus. Notwithstanding this fact, many travelers still seek out Christ's tomb. Unlike many of the famous burial monuments however, those who make this journey do not come to be amazed by the architecture or awed by the craftsmanship. The spectacle itself is rather unimpressive - no more than a small hole cut into the side of a hill, void of any adornment.   Despite Jesus' position, despite his seat ‘at the right hand of God' (Mark 16:19), he was buried in a common tomb. Despite the ‘riches' of his glory and grace (Colossians 1:27, Ephesians 2:7), Jesus' body was laid to rest in a cave. How he continually clothed himself in humility!   So why then do countless Christians travel across the world each year to see where Jesus walked? Why spend the time and effort to visit a hole in the ground, that quite possibly Jesus' body never actually entered? People come because of who Jesus was, not any place where he may have laid. They come to gain perspective. They come to refresh their spirits. They come because Jesus was real, and most critically, that three days after his death, the tomb stood empty.   Hallelujah! Death was beaten as God's perfect plan for his Messiah was fulfilled. The tomb could not hold him. “He has risen, just as he said,” (Matthew 28:6), and he is alive now and forever! Written by Jesse Braswell Roberts / Poor Bishop Hooper golgothamusic.com // poorbishophooper.com // Second edition ©2022 Jesse Braswell Roberts / Poor Bishop Hooper   TODAY'S PRAYER: Praise Jesus for his death and resurrection. Ask Jesus for a fresh revelation of what the empty tomb means for you today. Thank him for how he has saved you. Pray for those who do not yet know the One who has conquered death, and do not understand what Jesus' resurrection means for their lives. Give thanks that God's perfect plan was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and that his love for you is unfailing and everlasting Today's Affirmation: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT: If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:13). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mark 15:42-47: “It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.”. Further Reading: Matthew 27:57-61; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Isaiah 53:9-12. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Contemplating the Mighty Acts – Palm Sunday and Holy Week”, at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB