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timewithgod.blog-city.com — April 2008
John 18 -- Blind Leadership
My commentary really raked the Jewish leadership over the coals for their actions in this chapter. Jesus was taken before Annas, the former high priest, and Caiaphas for His religious trial prior to his civil trial before Pilate. James St
My commentary really raked the Jewish leadership over the coals for their actions in this chapter. Jesus was taken before Annas, the former high priest, and Caiaphas for His religious trial prior to his civil trial before Pilate. James Stewart had this to say about the high priest:
"This was the man who was the accredited guardian of the nation's soul. He had been set apart to be the supreme interpreter and representative of the Most High. To him was committed the glorious privilege of entering once every year into the holy of holies. Yet this was the man who condemned the Son of God. History provides no more startling illustration of the truth that the best religious opportunities in the world and the most promising environment will NOT guarantee a man's salvation or of themselves ennoble his soul."
He then adds: " ' Then I saw,' says John Bunyan, closing his book, 'that there was a way to hell, even from the gates of heaven.' "
When they took Him to Pilate, they wouldn't even enter into Pilate's home, wary of becoming ritually defiled by entering a Gentile's home. Yet they thought absolutely nothing about their trumped up charges and their plotting the murder of the Son of God!
Bishop Hall wrote: "Pilate hath more cause to fear, lest his walls should be defiled with the presence of such prodigious monsters of iniquity!"
Poole remarked: "Nothing is more common than for persons overzealous about rituals to be remiss about morals."
They probably prided themselves for "saving" Judaism from the heresy they thought was Christ. The guardians of the Jewish soul had instead condemned their own nation!
Father, please help me to never be so blind that I cannot see in my stubbornness when I am walking away from You and Your will. Let me never place ritual above relationship. Help me to remember that You are the ultimate source of truth for my life.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
John 19 -- Eden To Calvary In The Blink Of An Eye
God's love for us amazes me! For Him, it was just a blink of the eye between Eden and Calvary, and with His omniscience, we can know that, before He created Adam and Eve, He knew that they would choose to sin. He knew that this choice
God's love for us amazes me! For Him, it was just a blink of the eye between Eden and Calvary, and with His omniscience, we can know that, before He created Adam and Eve, He knew that they would choose to sin. He knew that this choice would infect all of mankind with the sin-virus and cause us all to be in need of a Savior. He knew that the resulting curse would grow the thorns that would one day pierce His Son's brow. He knew that He had planned before the beginning of the world to create the hands of the ones who would slap and beat His precious Son and nail Him to the cross. He knew that He'd also create on those same bodies the mouths that would verbally abuse Him. He knew that the iron ore He placed in the ground would one day be mined to produce the nails used to secure Him to the cross. He knew that, in creating trees, He was creating the instrument of His Son's death.
WHY, God?? Why do it? Why give us such a gift as free will, knowing there was a 100% probability that we would abuse it? Why even bother with a species that would become so wrapped up in themselves that they would turn their backs on their Creator?
I've read one man's interpretation. Max Lucado, in A Cosmic Christmas, said that all the rest of creation was made to worship God. There was no free will. Because it could do nothing else, worship was expected of all creation. When God decided to grant free will, the angels were almost appalled and couldn't understand -- a creature that might NOT worship You?? WHY?? God replied that making the choice to worship Him, when we could just as easily choose not to, made that worship infinitely special. And Jesus agreed.
Father, I know that I have probably fulfilled just about every potential for sin that You knew would occur when You chose to create me with free will, but I hope that my worship is sweet to Your ears. I thank You for leading me to Yourself, for I cannot imagine having to bear the thought that, had I not chosen You, everything You did would have been a waste, for I know that You would have done it just for one -- just for ME -- had I been the only one. Such LOVE! Such LOVE!
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
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