Passion Week

Passion week starts with Matthew 21 to 27th chapter. A "week" in bible sometimes, is a period of a time rather than a literal 7 day week. Some times I believe that the believers go through a passion week. The same things that happened in these seven chapters will show up in their lives in that particular time. What are those things? There are several things but I just want to share only three.

1. Cleansing the temple (our body)

Jesus was proclaimed as the king while he was on the donkey. He did not go straight away to the palace but to the temple. A passion week reminds us that we made our body a den of robbers. We start cleansing the temple of our bodies. There was no Ark of the Covenant in that temple at that time which, symbolizes the presence of the Lord. But still Jesus said that it is the Father's house.

2. Confrontation (our conscience)

All this week Jesus has been confronting the religious leaders and he answered those who confronted him. In chapter 21 alone i see many questions between Jesus and the religious leaders and reminding the OT scriptures very often. Whoever loves the scripture will be confronted by the conscience and will go for repentance. Unfortunately those religious leaders did not repent. Pharisees are same yesterday, today and forever.

3. Carrying the cross (our worship)

We do not look for making our bodies happy rather we try to make it an acceptable sacrifice. A sacrifice has no choice to escape since it was killed before it was burnt. But when it comes to our body, Paul tells us to give our bodies a living sacrifice. Jesus said to worship with spirit and truth. Paul tells us to give our body as a living sacrifice and that is what an acceptable worship. Our bodies being burnt while living, honestly, a hard thing. We live but burn. Worship God in the spirit, truth and also with your body that is continually burning.

Palm Sunday

When Jesus came to Jerusalem we see three towns there related to his triumphal entry: Jericho, Bethphage and Bethany.

He actually came from Jericho. (Matt. 20:29).
First he reached Bethphage. (Matt. 21:1).
That night he spent in Bethany. (Matt. 21:17).

In Bethphage donkey was tied. (Matt. 21:2)
In Jericho a man was beaten. (Lk. 10:30)
In Bethany Lazarus was dead. (Jn. 11:14)

"Tied, beaten and was killed." This is the fate of a man. This is the strategy of the devil for the man whom he caught into his net. When Adam sinned the whole humanity came before the judgment seat of the Lord. They are sentenced to death. But the Judge now wanted to take human form to pay the price to deliver him.

They sung a song. "Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the LORD..." (Ps 118:26). It sounds good but the very next verse says to tie the victim to the horns of the altar. "...bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.(Ps. 118:27). Who is that sacrifice? The same One who comes in the name of the LORD. Now it is his last visit to Jerusalem. He is going to be TIED, BEATEN and then will DIE. This is the payment. 

He is taking the place of the man to pay the price. In resurrection the devil will pay the price for all the things he has done.

In Bethphage donkey was delivered. (Matt. 21:3)
In Jericho a man was healed. (Lk. 10:34)
In Bethany Lazarus was resurrected. (Jn. 11:44)

Ex 26:31-33 My Saviour on the Vail

It reminds me the Sacrifice of my Saviour

Exod 26:31 

"And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet"

These colors came because they got to kill a jelfish and some worms. So it is a vail of sacrifice. ".... And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?"(Heb. 1:14)

Jesus was that worm and the fish. He was killed. He said, "But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people." (Ps. 22:6)

God wants to have the remembrance of Jesus on the vail of most holy place. Jesus was rejected by people like a worm and he also went through a painful thought of Father forsaking him. If someone looks us down like a worm or forsakes you, remember that you are nearest place to the Lord, near to his most holy place. He takes you to very near to him. 

It reminds me Faithful One

"with cherubims shall it be made"

Cherubims are the intimate angels of the Lord. They stand in the presence of the Lord. Faithful can watch the face of the Lord. Moses is a faithful man. The Lord said about him, "...and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold"  (Num. 12:8)

When Gabriel said "I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee" (Luke 1:19), it was like he was questioning "how come you dont believe me?" The question at the moses' incident was "wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"

The punishment to Zacharias was to be dumb and the punishment at the Moses' incident was Leprosy. If FAITHFUL can watch the face of the Lord its like a WARNING to us if we dont believe them. According to John 1:18 Jesus is the only one that saw the Father. He is named "...These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness..." Rev. 3:14 What if we dont believe this faithful Jesus?

He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Heb. 11:28-31

It reminds me my Saviour on the nails

Exod 26:32 And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver.

This remembers the Lord who hanged on the nails. It is a vail on nails. Jesus hanged on the nails. 

It reminds me my Savior who rent his body

Exod 26:33 ... and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.

The word for dividing here is "parochet". This is from the word paroch which means divide or rend etc. Jesus was that veil divided. By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; Heb. 10:20

Forgiven but not accepted

Two thieves got a chance to share their pains with the Son of God. Both tried to manipulate him by their old nature by challenging him to save himself and save them, if he is the Christ. (Matt 27:44).
Jesus wanted to save them but he does not have to save himself. Jesus, being a judge have complete rights to forgive.

Jesus FORGAVE them but could not ACCEPT them into paradise. But was waiting eagerly to see if they would take a further step. Somehow the one of them realized and said, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Jesus said, a big yes to him. This thief utilized the chance. It is not just a chance, it was the only chance. It was the last chance. He was ACCEPTED.The other one, "even seeing all this" happening before his very eyes, did not ask God to remember him, but was thinking, "Jesus, seeing all this pain i am going through, did not ask me to come." What a chance he missed out.

Sharing pains with Jesus will lead us to share throne with Jesus. If we die with him we live with him. But if we suffer with him, we will rule with him. 2Tim. 2:12.

John 1:35-51 Call

Jacob had a call on his life but he himself have to discover it. It took him a long time to meet the One who called him. The promise of the Lord was blocked in his line often time but he fought for it and won it. He understood that the promises of God do not come to manifestation easily and automatically.

Jesus directly did not call Andrew. Andrew heard John the Baptist was saying something about Jesus and he followed Jesus.

Andrew went and called his brother Simon.

Bethsaida was not a good town and more over, it is worse than Tyre and Sidon (Mat. 11:21). Yet Jesus had a person, Mr. Philip there to be his disciple. Capernaum is worse than Sodom and Gomorrah.(Mat. 11:23) Peter is from Capernaum and Jesus had a person to be his Apostle who will make the world upside down. Is it not amazing!

Philip called Nathaniel and it was not Jesus that directly called him.

Isaiah has been prophesying for five chapters until he sees the Lord of hosts, he did not realize that he had unclean lips and living among people of unclean lips. The Lord actually did not say, "Isaiah come", but said "who will go". Then, Isaiah volunteered.

To whom of the above you can relate? God wants you. You are more qualified than the people of Capernaum and Bethsaida. How much time do you want until you discover the call you have on your life? Are you interested to follow Jesuslike Andrew before Jesus actually calls you? Do you like to volunteer like Isaiah? Do you know that God can call you through other people? Mic. 4:2, Zec. 3:10. The problem is not that there are some closed doors for the gospel, the problem is that there are no one to go into the opened doors.