"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you." (Isaiah 60:1-2)
Jesus cried out... "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." (John 12:44,46)
"God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." (I John 1:5)
Christ has come and He is our Hope in this hopeless world! Amen? Oh yes, we do have a Hope to look forward to and I can hardly wait for next week's devotional, for that is the subject matter - hope; BUT let me not jump too quickly over the "crux" of this Light. For it is the Light, Jesus, whom had to suffer first before the light could burst the seams of darkness right open, exposing for all to see.
Let us walk with Jesus, this morning, in the last days of His life as an onlooker of his suffering. This will be a difficult journey, yes, but it is a necessary one. For it is through his sufferings that He is able to identify with ours. It is through his sufferings that He has taken our burden of sin and placed it on His own shoulders to bear. Yes, Jesus was perfect in every way. He faced trials; but not only did He face them, He lived them.
The most shocking trial of all was that of the cross. Blameless as He was, an unblemished Lamb, He was taken to the "slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7)...if you don' t recall what this "lamb being slaughtered" is all about go back to the post Forgiveness part 2.
If you've decided to be a critic of Jesus (and by the way, I'm amazed you're still here! Thank-you for sticking with this ;o) allow me, then, to get a bit more graphic in detail describing what Jesus went through physically before being brutally nailed to the cross.
Twice He was placed in the middle of a group of soldiers only to be stripped of His clothing and mocked at, insulted, spit on, and laughed at. They intertwined a branch of thorns andpushed jammed it down into His head, in His scalp.
Imagine the piercing pain, the trickling of warm blood running down His forehead, burning His eyes and tasting bitter on His lips, leaving a bloody trail of remembrance in the dusty trail that led to His death.
The soldiers took a staff, or long stick, and hit His face and head again and again. They beat Him mercilessly, with, not only a staff, but a whip that was adorned with jagged metal (I imagine that it was probably rust infested as well) at the end of it (Luke 22:63-65; Matthew 27:27-31; John 19:1-3).
It doesn't take much imagination on one's part to think that a person be dead, if not unconscious by now...
However, Jesus.stood.and persevered.
Imagining the pain is beyond my limited mind. "How can our world be so full of hatred as to do such a thing as this?" might be the question running through your mind...critic or not. It was a tumultuous time in Jesus' day, even around the time of His birth. Herod, the king, had his grip on society and anyone that claimed to be king...or "somebody" that intimidated him for that matter...he, apparently, eradicated from the face of the earth. (Read Matthew 2, you'll get a glimpse of what I'm talking about.)
Let's move on. Isaiah, an ancient prophet, foretold what Jesus' appearance would be like after such brutality. Read this next sentence with an open heart:
"His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness." (Isaiah 52:14)
(Let me add, if you've watched the movie"The Passion Of Christ" produced by Mel Gibson...and I do recommend it if you have not (albeit it is rated R for graphic violence)...you should have noticed that the actor, playing Jesus, was still recognizable after the above said abuse...grotesque, but he still looked human. Now, mind you, it was a movie; but my point here is that not even Mr. Gibson could portray the reality of the "unidentifiable-human-likeness-Jesus" that Isaiah speaks of at this point of the story. It's hard to imagine without having been an eyewitness to this event.)
Do you imagine yourself looking at Jesus for just a moment? I do not think that we could stomach even looking His way at this point. He did not even look human. You might ask, "Why, if He is God, did He not save Himself?" Do you realize that was the very question the mockers, back then, were asking? So let me ask you a question:
Are you ready to hear that Jesus suffered this excruciating pain on our...your behalf?
Are you ready to accept that we are the one's...the sinners...who deserve this punishment of the cross?
Friends, the past few weeks questions were asked that have not been very encouraging or uplifting...on the contrary, they've been of the probing type, to set us up for examination of our hearts. I realize this; it had been difficult for me as well during the initial season of these writings. Nevertheless, they are crucial at this point...and in time will lead to much encouragement.
You see,
Jesus suffered for the anxieties that we go through, so that we might have peace.
Jesus suffered for the hopelessness that we experience, so that He may be our Hope.
Jesus suffered for the troubled and sorrowful souls within us, so that we may experience joy in abundance. I'm not talking about circumstantial happiness that comes to us temporarily; I'm speaking of a joy that comes from the depth of our soul as a result of the peace that we experience when we go through trials of any kind; and these things come when we put our trust in God fully to be in complete control of our lives.
If you are not a believer, but are feeling a tug on your heart and sense that something is missing in your life, that "tug" is likely to be the Holy Spirit calling you, urging you, gently knocking on your heart to open to His. Following Jesus is really a simple thing, but it will cost you laying down your life (your material things, all of you) and humbling yourself before your Creator, admitting that you are a sinner and asking God for forgiveness. You must believe that Jesus died for you and has forgiven you of those sins, and then believe that He arose from the grave the third day and is now preparing a place for you in Heaven. This laying-down-your-life is committing yourself to be a follower of Jesus Christ and putting your faith and trust in Him as your Lord and Savior...and nothing or nobody else. A "bending of the knees" is an act of humility...having a "talk" with God starts a life-changing relationship...and that's what this Christianity is all about...a relationship, not religion. He will come into your life if you ask Him. Will you let Him in? (Revelation 3:20)
Think about it...and if you are reading this as a believer already do you know someone that needs Jesus in their life? I encourage you to share with them these truths or refer them to this site to read for themselves.
Reflect on John 12:44,46...however, if you are a new believer or searching for the Truth start at the beginning of John. If you don't have a Bible go to www.biblestudytools.com and type in John in the search with a New International Version (that's what I use anyway, it's one of the easiest to understand.)
Enjoying My Kup...
Cindy
If you've decided to be a critic of Jesus (and by the way, I'm amazed you're still here! Thank-you for sticking with this ;o) allow me, then, to get a bit more graphic in detail describing what Jesus went through physically before being brutally nailed to the cross.
Twice He was placed in the middle of a group of soldiers only to be stripped of His clothing and mocked at, insulted, spit on, and laughed at. They intertwined a branch of thorns and
Imagine the piercing pain, the trickling of warm blood running down His forehead, burning His eyes and tasting bitter on His lips, leaving a bloody trail of remembrance in the dusty trail that led to His death.
The soldiers took a staff, or long stick, and hit His face and head again and again. They beat Him mercilessly, with, not only a staff, but a whip that was adorned with jagged metal (I imagine that it was probably rust infested as well) at the end of it (Luke 22:63-65; Matthew 27:27-31; John 19:1-3).
It doesn't take much imagination on one's part to think that a person be dead, if not unconscious by now...
However, Jesus.stood.and persevered.
Imagining the pain is beyond my limited mind. "How can our world be so full of hatred as to do such a thing as this?" might be the question running through your mind...critic or not. It was a tumultuous time in Jesus' day, even around the time of His birth. Herod, the king, had his grip on society and anyone that claimed to be king...or "somebody" that intimidated him for that matter...he, apparently, eradicated from the face of the earth. (Read Matthew 2, you'll get a glimpse of what I'm talking about.)
Let's move on. Isaiah, an ancient prophet, foretold what Jesus' appearance would be like after such brutality. Read this next sentence with an open heart:
"His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness." (Isaiah 52:14)
(Let me add, if you've watched the movie"The Passion Of Christ" produced by Mel Gibson...and I do recommend it if you have not (albeit it is rated R for graphic violence)...you should have noticed that the actor, playing Jesus, was still recognizable after the above said abuse...grotesque, but he still looked human. Now, mind you, it was a movie; but my point here is that not even Mr. Gibson could portray the reality of the "unidentifiable-human-likeness-Jesus" that Isaiah speaks of at this point of the story. It's hard to imagine without having been an eyewitness to this event.)
Do you imagine yourself looking at Jesus for just a moment? I do not think that we could stomach even looking His way at this point. He did not even look human. You might ask, "Why, if He is God, did He not save Himself?" Do you realize that was the very question the mockers, back then, were asking? So let me ask you a question:
Are you ready to hear that Jesus suffered this excruciating pain on our...your behalf?
Are you ready to accept that we are the one's...the sinners...who deserve this punishment of the cross?
Friends, the past few weeks questions were asked that have not been very encouraging or uplifting...on the contrary, they've been of the probing type, to set us up for examination of our hearts. I realize this; it had been difficult for me as well during the initial season of these writings. Nevertheless, they are crucial at this point...and in time will lead to much encouragement.
You see,
Jesus suffered for the anxieties that we go through, so that we might have peace.
Jesus suffered for the hopelessness that we experience, so that He may be our Hope.
Jesus suffered for the troubled and sorrowful souls within us, so that we may experience joy in abundance. I'm not talking about circumstantial happiness that comes to us temporarily; I'm speaking of a joy that comes from the depth of our soul as a result of the peace that we experience when we go through trials of any kind; and these things come when we put our trust in God fully to be in complete control of our lives.
If you are not a believer, but are feeling a tug on your heart and sense that something is missing in your life, that "tug" is likely to be the Holy Spirit calling you, urging you, gently knocking on your heart to open to His. Following Jesus is really a simple thing, but it will cost you laying down your life (your material things, all of you) and humbling yourself before your Creator, admitting that you are a sinner and asking God for forgiveness. You must believe that Jesus died for you and has forgiven you of those sins, and then believe that He arose from the grave the third day and is now preparing a place for you in Heaven. This laying-down-your-life is committing yourself to be a follower of Jesus Christ and putting your faith and trust in Him as your Lord and Savior...and nothing or nobody else. A "bending of the knees" is an act of humility...having a "talk" with God starts a life-changing relationship...and that's what this Christianity is all about...a relationship, not religion. He will come into your life if you ask Him. Will you let Him in? (Revelation 3:20)
Think about it...and if you are reading this as a believer already do you know someone that needs Jesus in their life? I encourage you to share with them these truths or refer them to this site to read for themselves.
Reflect on John 12:44,46...however, if you are a new believer or searching for the Truth start at the beginning of John. If you don't have a Bible go to www.biblestudytools.com and type in John in the search with a New International Version (that's what I use anyway, it's one of the easiest to understand.)
Enjoying My Kup...
Cindy
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