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death and resurrection of Christ

What is the Significance of Palm Sunday?

To get a better context, let us consider what the Son of God taught His apostles on their way to Jerusalem. They were apprehensive about entering the city, wondering if any harm would come to them.

                  For the third time now, Jesus explains what’s coming, (see also Lk. 9:22 & 33 – 45):

… “Listen carefully: we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that have been written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled and completed. He will be betrayed and handed over to the Gentiles (Roman authorities), and will be mocked and ridiculed and insulted and abused and spit on, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and on the third day He will rise [from the dead].” Lk. 18:31 – 33. AMP

            And neither do the apostles understand Him now. What He is trying to get them to understand is that every event surrounding His impending death has been orchestrated and is totally under the control of the Father and the Son.

                  The apostle Matthew’s recollection of Jesus’ reply to His apostles was very similar:

“…the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” Mt. 20:18, 19. NLT

                  Christ was conveying to them that in this trip to Jerusalem, the culmination of all the prophecies concerning the Messiah, (which go as far back in time as the Garden of Eden), would now manifest, even His death and resurrection.

            Heretofore, Jesus had mostly behaved in a humble manner. It obviously did not rub off on His apostles, as during this same trip to Jerusalem, James and John beseech Him for seats of high honor in heaven.

                  Christ rebukes them:

“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism [of suffering and death] with which I am baptized?” Mk. 10:38 AMP

                  He is trying to prepare them for the horrific violence He must face, and they must witness. Moreover, instead of the ‘high honor’ that some of the apostles’ desire, He shows them a completely different road:

“You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them.

“But among you, it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” Mt. 20:25-28. NLT

            A crowd gathers, whereupon Jesus perceives omnisciently that many believe that He came as a ‘military’ Messiah, who would tear down Roman rule, making way for a ‘physical’ kingdom of God in present time.

                  Christ teaches them a parable, (Lk. 19:11 – 25.), where He is trying to impress upon them that He’s ascending to heaven to receive His kingship and that the kingdom of heaven will finally manifest when He returns from heaven.  

                  It is now time for the Passover celebration in Jerusalem and everyone is wondering if Jesus will show up; and the priests and Pharisees have spies in place to arrest Him if He does.

            This Sunday would forever be known as ‘Palm Sunday’, marking the beginning of Christ’s ‘Holy Week” before His ascension to His Father. Jesus is in town of Bethany, just outside of Jerusalem, to prepare for His holy entrance.

                  How? The Son of God sends two of His apostles to a nearby village, where they would find a colt that had never been ridden, tied to a post, and tells them to bring it to Him.

                  Jesus mounts the colt and rides into Jerusalem, publicly proclaiming His Messiahship – fulfilling another messianic prophecy (see Zec. 9:9).  

            A gathering crowd lays clothes and palm branches onto the path before Him, shouting as He passes by:

“Hosanna to the Son of David (Messiah); blessed [praised, glorified] is He who comes in the name of the LORD; Hosanna in the highest [heaven]!” Mt. 21:9 AMP

“Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the LORD! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” Lk. 19:38 NLT

‘Hosanna’ means save now; and ‘Son of David’ recognizes Jesus as the true Messiah. The Pharisees get upset, but Jesus tells them that the crowd’s worship was appropriate.

Still, Christ knows that many will not accept Him as Savior, and He weeps for Jerusalem’s inhabitants:

 “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes.” Lk. 19:42 NLT

“Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.” Lk. 19:43, 44. NLT

                  Jesus wept for those who would not recognize their King of Salvation (thus rejecting His Father as well). He entered the city as their King and left as their Prophet, telling them of the coming destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Roman general Titus in 70 A.D.

                  Christ and His apostles returned to the city of Bethany…

                  Goodnight and God bless.

The Superiority of the New Covenant 2

Last time, (see Part one), we began our study of the book of Hebrews. It is an epistle by an unknown Author, written to the Jewish Christians, just prior to the Roman destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. It was written to help bolster their waning faith in Christ. Why? Because He had yet to return. It was the Author’s intent to reveal the superiority of the New Covenant.

            So far, we have learned about the ultimate position that Jesus possesses, sitting at His Father’s right hand in co-rulership – an exact visible expression of our invisible God, the living Messiah. And we learned of Christ’s universal status, high above all things and persons – even over Moses.

            Now, we are going to focus upon Jesus’ representative status as our High Priest:

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.

There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Heb. 4:14 – 16. NLT

This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. Heb. 6:19, 20. NLT

            While on earth, Jesus was tempted by every form of unrighteousness that Satan had to offer; yet He, and only He, out of all of history, remained sinless. Therefore, He can both empathize with the suffering that we endure when we are tempted and show us the way to resist those temptations.

            We cannot, ourselves, persevere in faith in this Christ. Our physical / mental weaknesses, produced by the tug of worldly desires, must be vanquished by the formidable strength of the grace of the Son of God. And, our High Priest mercifully provides. 

            The Author then uses a description of the Temple priest liturgies, (something the Jews would be well-versed in), to illustrate how the consequences of Christ’s death and resurrection, covers those who follow Him, with righteousness. Then, they can enter the ‘Holy of Holies’ – into the presence of Jehovah Himself:

…Christ did not honor himself by assuming he could become High Priest. No, he was chosen by God… Heb. 5:5 NLT (see also Ps. 2:7 & 110:4).

While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.

In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. And God designated him to be a High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. Heb. 5:7 – 10. NLT

            The Father appointed the Son to be the High Priest over His children. Recall that Melchizedek was the high priest and king over Salem, during the time that God helped Abraham deliver his nephew Lot and his family from captivity (see Gn. 14).

            Christ too, holds the office of High Priest and King. However, His priesthood far surpasses any whoever wore that mantle before:

What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe.

This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. Heb. 7:14 – 16. NLT

            Jesus did not inherit His priesthood through having a Levitical lineage; He was appointed and prepared for His office by God Himself – set apart from the history of the office, to be set above and superior to the earthly version. How does that help us?

Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. For the law never made anything perfect. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God. Heb. 7:18, 19. NLT

This new system was established with a solemn oath. Aaron’s descendants became priests without such an oath, but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him,

“The LORD has taken an oath and will not break his vow: ‘You are a priest forever.’” Because of this oath, Jesus is the one who guarantees the better covenant with God.

There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. Heb. 7:20 – 25. NLT

But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.

If the first covenant had been faultless, there would be no need to replace it. Heb. 8:6, 7. NLT

When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear. Heb. 8:13 NLT (See also Jer. 31:31 – 34).

            God evolved the Mosaic Law, (because the people could not keep it perfectly), into His eternal salvation model – the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which, as the Son of God, brings with Him a much greater significance and authority:

So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. Heb. 9:11 NLT

            The Author’s focus now shifts from the New Covenant to a new sanctuary. Instead of the Temple (Tabernacle), where the high priest could only enter once a year, to offer an animal sacrifice for the sins of himself and the Jewish people, that only applied for the year that had just elapsed, Christ entered the heavenly Tabernacle to offer Himself:

With his own blood – not the blood of goats and calves – he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever…For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself as a perfect sacrifice for our sins…For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of sins they committed under that first covenant.  Heb. 9:12, 14 & 15. NLT

            Old Testament sacrifices only cleansed one externally (the flesh). Christ cleansed the heart, proffering eternal redemption.

He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf…once for all, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice. Heb. 9:24 & 26. NLT

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. Heb. 9:27, 28.

            If you accept Christ, your sins are dealt with for all time, as long as you remain with Him. When He comes back, He’s only coming to take you Home. (See also Jer. 31:34)

            Jesus went into the heavenly Most Holy Place, i.e., the throne room of God, for you. He rendered His own blood, from His one and only sacrifice, to bring you to sanctification (Heb. 10:14). It was the moment that Christ decimated the power of sin for all time.

            The Author then tells us why all these revelations should strengthen our faith:

…we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new life – giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him.

For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Heb. 10:19 – 23. NLT

            Amen.

            To be continued…

            Goodnight and God bless.

The Final Week of the Incarnated Christ 7

Last week, we followed Jesus’ arrest, the apostles’ desertion, Christ’s abuse at the hands of the Sanhedrin and from Pontius Pilate (see part 6).

Friday (cont.)

         When Pilate refused to continue to be a part of Jesus’ death sentence, the Roman soldiers took Him back into Pilate’s residence. There, they clothed Him in a scarlet robe, put a reed in His right hand and kept the crown of thorns on His head.

            Then, they ridiculed Jesus – bowing before Him and saying:

“Hail, King of the Jews!” Mt. 27:29 NKJV

            They spat upon Him and beat His head with the reed. Next, they made Jesus carry His own cross towards a place called ‘Golgotha,’ (meaning ‘place of a skull;’ also called ‘Calvary’).

            Along the way, Christ became too weary to bear the cross, so the soldiers forced a man named ‘Simon,’ to carry it for Him. A large crowd followed the procession, among them women who were crying over His plight. Jesus turned to them and said:

“Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’

People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’ For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?’ Lk. 23:28 – 31. NLT

            [The Jews had an expression that compared a good man to a green tree, and a bad one to a dry tree. Jesus is using it to get them to see that if God allows His sinless Son’s crucifixion, what kind of wrath will He send to this sin-ridden nation,) which did take place when the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D)].

            All the events that have progressed so far, happened in the early morning. It is now 9:00 a.m., whereupon Christ is crucified, along with two criminals on crosses of their own. Over the head of Jesus’ cross was written: ‘THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS’ (Mt. 27:37). Jesus speaks:

“Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.” Lk. 23:34 CSB

            At this point, the Jews and priests are walking past Him, mocking – saying that if He was the Son of God, He should be able to save Himself. Even one of the crucified criminals reiterated that opinion.

            However, the other criminal rebuked him, saying:

“Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Lk. 23:39 – 42. NLT

            Jesus replied:

“Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Lk. 23:43 NKJV

            Standing by the cross was Mary, Jesus’ mother, her sister, Mary Magdalene, and the apostle John. Jesus called out to His mother:

“Dear woman, here is your son.” Jn. 19:26 NLT

            Likewise, He cries out to John:

“Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home. Jn. 19:27 NLT

            From noon until 3:00 p.m., the sun darkened. Jesus knew His death was imminent. In this moment, He had to bear all the sins of humankind throughout time – taking upon Himself Jehovah’s wrath, that He would have hurled at all the perpetrators.

            He had to taste death and separation from His Father for the first and last time. In that moment, Jesus had to feel, with every ounce of His soul and flesh, what every condemned human being would feel. He cried out (from His flesh):

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Mt. 27:46 NLT

            And then:

Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” Jn. 19:28 NLT

(My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead. Ps. 22:15 NLT)

(…they offer me sour wine for my thirst. Ps. 69:21 NLT)

            Indeed, Jesus was offered a wine-soaked sponge to slake His thirst.

            Realizing His work was complete, Christ declared:

 “It is finished!” Jn. 19:30 NLT

            Jesus then uttered His final words as His incarnate self:

“Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last. Lk. 23:46 NLT

(Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last [absolute Deity, the Son of God], and the Ever-living One [living in and beyond all time and space]. I died, but see I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of [absolute control and victory over] death and of Hades (the realm of the dead). Rv. 1:17, 18. AMP)

            Simultaneously, the veil of the Temple in Jerusalem [the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies)], split in two. The veil was approximately 60 feet high, 30 feet wide, and 4 inches thick. Tearing it was beyond all human capability.

            The significance of the veil was that it separated humankind (represented by the high priest), who carried out his duties in the Holy Place) from God, whose Spirit resided in the Most Holy Place – where the priest was only allowed to enter on the annual Day of Atonement.

            Tearing the veil eliminated that barrier, because God and humankind were now directly connected through Jesus Christ.

(So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood – not the blood of goats and calves – he entered the Most Holy Place once and for all time and secured our redemption forever. Heb. 9:11, 12. NLT)

            There was also a great earthquake that unearthed many graves of believers, who were resurrected and went into the city.

            A Roman centurion, watching these events unfold, was filled with fear, as he exclaimed:

“Truly this man was the Son of God!” Mt. 27:54 CSB

            Pilate gave permission to a disciple of Christ, named Joseph, permission to bury Him. He was assisted by Nicodemus, (whom you might recall was the member of the Sanhedrin that came to Jesus, who laid the concept of baptism upon him). Obviously, he had a change of heart.

            Finally, the Roman soldiers sealed the opening of the tomb.

Saturday

         The chief priests and the Pharisees asked the Roman soldiers to guard the tomb’s entrance until the 3 days elapsed that Christ had claimed would culminate in His resurrection. They were afraid that Jesus’ apostles would steal the body and fake His revivification.

Sunday

            Early in the morning, Mary Magdalene, and Mary (the mother of the disciple James, not Jesus’ brother) came to the tomb:

Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.

Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.” Mt. 28:2 – 6. NLT

            (Easter Sunday is thought to have been celebrated as far back as the second century A.D. The word ‘Easter’ is said to be derived from Eostre or Eostrae, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility. Others claim it was derived from the Babylonian goddess Astarte, Ashtoreth, of Ishtar. Both claims are highly suspect.

            Nevertheless, if you are serious about evangelism, you need to meet your potential converts where they are at. They know Easter. Legalism just puts up barriers.

            Easter is the day of the highest significance for the followers of Jesus – the day that He arose to seal our salvation once and for all, redeeming us to God through forgiveness of our sins by His shed blood. Through this grace, we can take our promised place in eternity.)

            The angel continues:

“And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.” Mt. 28:7 NLT

            Filled with both fear and joy, the women run to tell the apostles, but along the way they run smack dab upon the resurrected Christ Himself, who simply says “Rejoice!” Mt. 28:9 NKJV

            They fall to their ground, clinging to His feet, worshiping Him. Jesus says:

“Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.” Mt. 28:10 NLT

            Jesus’ time on earth is limited – only 40 more days before His ascension. So, He gives the girls a little nudge to get them on their way:

“Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Jn. 20:17 NLT

            While the women were making their way to the apostles, the Roman guards at the tomb regained consciousness, and ran to the chief priests to report the empty tomb, who in turn bribed them into telling everyone that the apostles stole Jesus’ body.

            The women told the apostles the good news, but they didn’t believe them. However, Peter and John decided to go check for themselves – only to find the burial clothes. Hope began to take root.

            Sunday afternoon, two of Jesus’ disciples (not the apostles) were traveling to a village near Jerusalem. Along the way, they lamented Christ’s death. Suddenly, Jesus appears to them, but renders Himself unrecognizable. He asks them why they appear so sad.

            They told Him that He must be the only person that hasn’t heard about Jesus’ death. They said that they heard that He was risen, but they doubted it, beginning to think He was not the Messiah.

            Jesus admonished them for their lack of faith in all of what the Prophets wrote about His path that He had to take:

“You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” LK. 24:25, 26. NLT

            Christ then interpreted all the Messianic prophecies and accompanied them to their destination, where He broke bread with them. And at that very moment, He revealed Himself and vanished from their sight.

            That evening, these same 2 disciples went to the apostles, who, (except for Thomas), were gathered behind locked doors (being afraid of persecution by the Jews). Exactly when they received the news of the resurrected Christ, He appears in the room, saying:

“Peace be with you.” Jn. 20:19 NKJV

            The apostles panic, thinking they are seeing a ghost. Jesus allays their fear:

“Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” Lk. 24:38, 39. NLT

            Still not convinced, He shows them His nail holes from the crucifixion, and He eats in front of them. They finally believed and were elated. Jesus commissions His apostles:

“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” The he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Jn. 20:21 – 23. NLT

            Jesus is not saying that the apostles or any other clergy can forgive sins. What He is saying is that once you deliver the gospel message, the recipient can choose Him and receive forgiveness or reject Him and have forgiveness withheld.

            Eight days later, all 11 apostles gather, and Jesus appears as well. This time, Thomas is present and after handling His wounds, believes. Christ uses this juncture to give him a lesson on faith:

“You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” Jn. 20:29 NLT

            Christ spent another 40 days on earth before returning to His Father. During that time, there were approximately 500 sightings of our Lord. Within that time, 7 of the apostles were fishing all night with no luck. Debarking, they see Jesus on the shore, but don’t recognize Him.

            He tells them to cast their nets once more and the boat was overflowing with fish. They realize it is Jesus, and He had breakfast with them.

            Afterwards, He asked Peter if He loved Him. Peter affirms that He does. Jesus responds:

“Then feed my lambs.” Jesus repeats His question. Peter answers the same. He says, “Then take care of my sheep.” Jesus repeats Himself a third time. Peter answers the same. Jesus finishes with “Then feed my sheep.” Jn. 21:15-17. NLT

            (Remember that Peter had denied Christ 3 times. Here, Jesus is giving Peter 3 opportunities to recommit himself to His Savior and to spreading the Gospel.)

            Jesus then told the apostles to meet Him on Mount Olivet in Galilee, where He delivers His ‘Great Commission:’

“I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Mt. 28:18 NLT

“Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.” Mk. 16:15, 16. NLT

            Then Jesus opened their minds so that they each had a complete grasp of the Scriptures. And He told them to remain in Jerusalem until they received the ‘Promise of the Father,’ which would be the endowment of the Holy Spirit. He said:

“…in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:5 & 8. NLT

            Immediately after these words, Jesus was drawn up to heaven. While the apostles were watching the ascent, 2 angels appeared and said to them:

“…why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” Acts 1:11 NLT

            Jesus ascended for a temporary leave of absence. As He promised, Christ will return to usher you into eternity. Yet, He is with you even now, through the Spirit, when you invite Him in…

            Praise Jesus!

            Goodnight and God bless.

Are You Putting Christ First in Your Life?

Last time, (see Pharisaical Falsehoods and the Truth), we saw the apostle Peter identify Jesus as the Messiah.

         Now, Jesus reveals the imminent culmination of His earthly mission to the apostles:

From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead. Mt. 16:21 NLT

            Jesus knew this was coming; so, He is willing yielding Himself for you – as was prophesied by Isaiah 700 years prior:

He was despised and rejected – a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief…Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighted him down…pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. Is. 53:3 – 5. NLT

         He then divulges the cost of following Him:

“If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests] and take up his cross daily [express a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living, and if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me].” Lk. 9:23 AMP

“If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mk. 8:38 NLT

            Are you putting Christ first in your life? Obeying God’s will should always come first, regardless of what our personal interests or desires consist of. The God-walk is a road less traveled, because the path is difficult – opposed to the ways of the world and the yearnings of our flesh.

         Six days after that conversation, Jesus takes the apostles Peter, James, and John to go pray on a mountain. Whilst doing so, some of His heavenly nature is revealed:

And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Lk. 9:29 NLT

He was transfigured in front of them, and his face shone like the sun; his clothes became white as the light. Mt. 17:2 CSB

Suddenly, two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared and began talking with Jesus. They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem. Lk. 9:30, 31. NLT

            This transfiguration of Jesus (the appearance of Christ in His true Spirit form, as He was prior to His earthly incarnation and how he will appear at the end of time), really spooked the three apostles.

            In addition, they were amazed at seeing the divine transformed presences of Elijah (signifying the office of the Prophet) and Moses (the office of the Law). They were transferring the legitimacy of their offices to Jesus.

            Peter is so shaken that he begins to babble incoherently. And to make matters more challenging, the sky explodes with a booming voice:

…suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!” Mt. 17:5 CSB

            Nothing like receiving the ultimate stamp of authority.

…think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger and High Priest. For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house. But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses…Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant…But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. Heb. 3:1 – 3, 5 & 6. NLT

            When the apostles finally rise from the ground, they find that Moses and Elijah had disappeared. They join up with Jesus and return to the other apostles, whereupon they find some of them arguing with a few scribes in front of a large crowd.

         Christ asked about the nature of the argument, but before He could get an answer, He was approached by a man with a demon-possessed son, one that the apostles could not cast out. He pleads with Jesus:

“The demon has often thrown him both into the fire and into water, intending to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” Mk. 9:22 AMP

            Jesus responds:

“What do you mean, ‘if I can?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” Mk. 9:23 NLT

            The man answers back:

“I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Mk. 9:24 NLT

            Christ is once again pointing to the necessity of first having faith, before God can move on your behalf. The father had faith but declared that it was weak. Our ever-merciful Savior exorcises the demon.

         Jesus and the Twelve enter a nearby house whereupon the apostles asked Him why they could not cast the demon out. He answers:

“Because of your little faith [your lack of trust and confidence in the power of God]; for I assure you and most solemnly say to you, if you have [living] faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and [if it is God’s will] it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. [But this kind of demon does not go out except by prayer and fasting.] Mt. 17:20 AMP

            He is saying that they didn’t exercise the faith that they had in previous successful exorcisms. And Jesus is telling them even if they had a little faith, (a mustard seed is very small), but are actively cultivating it with a true commitment to God, nothing would stand in their way.

            Interestingly though, Jesus is revealing that some demons are mightier than others – as in this case, where prayer and fasting was also required.

         Christ and the boys return to the city of Capernaum, whereupon a tax collector approaches Peter and asks him if Jesus had paid the Temple tax. Peter answered in the affirmative. He goes to Jesus, but before he can ask Him anything, He had read Peter’s mind:

“What do you think Simon? From whom do earthly rulers collect duties or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?” When Peter said, “From strangers,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are exempt [from taxation].” Mt.17:25, 26. AMP

            What Jesus is saying, is that the Temple tax is for God, and that He, being the Son of God, was exempt from paying a tax to His Father. Yet, Christ is also a peacemaker. He says to Peter:

“However, we don’t want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay for both of us.” Mt. 17:27 NLT

Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. Rm. 13:1 NLT

            And it happened in exactly that way…

         Jesus never forgets anything. He now asks the apostles what they were arguing about when He had returned to them after His transfiguration. True to human nature, they were arguing about who was going to be the greatest in heaven.

            Christ teaches them a multi-faceted lesson:

“Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” Mk. 9:35 NLT

         He then placed a child in the center of the apostles and further expounds on His opening statement:

“…unless you repent [that is, change your inner self – your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Mt. 18:3, 4. AMP

            The message hadn’t sunk in yet for the apostle John, who approaches Jesus and boasts:

“Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group.” Mk. 9:38 NLT

            Sounds like the makings of a denomination, yes? The apostles were trying to stop a man from doing Jesus’ work because he wasn’t one of the ‘good old boys.’ That’s not going to fly with Christ. He gives them a small admonishment:

“Don’t stop him,” said Jesus, “because there is no one who will perform a miracle in my name who can soon afterward speak evil of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. And whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ – truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.” Mk. 9:39 – 41. CSB

            Jesus is saying that His ‘church’ consists of all those who follow Him – period. I personally believe that the concept of different denominations would have been abhorrent to Christ. He finishes His lesson to the apostles by returning to the example of the child:

“And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one these who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.

“What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.” Mt. 18:5 – 7. NLT

            Far better to stick by Jesus…

            Goodnight and God bless.

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