Jesus Predicted His Own Death March 19, 2008
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“Jesus took the twelve aside and told them ‘we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” Luke 18:31-33, NIV
Jesus already knew how he would die. He would be tortured and be killed in broad daylight. His brief life was but a fulfillment of what was written in the scriptures. His life was not filled with “what if’s” but one patterned from the very beginning. It was patterned to the will of God the Father.
His death, according to his predictions, would include the following: handed over to the Gentiles, mocking, spitting, insulting, and flogging. All these came true. He was handed over (the death sentence was metted to him by a non-jew: pontius pilate) to the Gentiles, this is because the Sanhedrin (the jewish High Court) had no power to impose a death penalty on grounds no found in the statutes of the Romans. The Chief priest needed the death sentence from Pontius Pilate (Gentile) in order to carry out their plan of murder.
He was mocked, spat upon, insulted and flogged severly by the Roman soldiers. Pilate at first hesitated to hand down a death penalty for he found nothing wrong with Jesus. He thought that Jesus was just a hopeless dreamer. A penalty of flogging would serve the purpose to appease the hungry mob. He understimated the mob; they crave for more, they crave for the death of Christ. Little did Pilate know that with his decision, his name will forever be remembered through all generations.
Knowing all these in advance, Jesus felt everything as far as human feelings are concerned. He felt more alone knowing that through this death, He would be separated with the Father. This is why he said on the cross “Father, Father, why has thous forsaken me”. At the garden of Gethsemane, he poured his sweat like blood, yet his dedication to the Father’s will was unshaken – “let your will be done, not mine”.
Jesus knew how he would die – tortured and humiliated, nevertheless, he persisted in going to Jerusalem to fulfilled the what was written about him. This was the very purpose why he exist. For many of us, we immediately loose faith when something bad happens to us. We asks God why and turn cold to Him. We always expect that since we follow God, we are always safe. Life on the journey with Christ is not a bed of roses as they say. It is in fact a sharing in his suffering on the cross.
Revelry During The Lenten Season March 19, 2008
Posted by keeptheflame in Reflections.Tags: beaches, holy week, malls, party, repentance, revelry, sin
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More and more we celebrate the lenten season not by personal reflections but personal indulgencies. Like Christmas, we make the season an excuse to unbriddle ourselves towards the sumptious plunge to self gratification. It is a season no longer of consideration about life nor about penance for past sins. The lenten season has now become like a global fiesta; the beaches become the new sanctuary for our revelries.
The lenten season is about what Christ has done to us; by His death on the cross, we have the forgiveness of our sins. Sadly, many feel that they do not need forgiveness of their sins because they love to sin. Sin is their life. In fact, there would have been no “sin” if there was no God. That’s why for many, there must be no God.
The topic of sin is a taker of joy. In our self-righteousness, we totally dismiss God and say that whatever “evil” we are suffering right now are the by product of things we do to ourselves that are hurtful. A person who suffers aids from a promicuous sexual lifestyle will not readily admit that he suffers because of sin – sexual promicuity. He is ready and willing to admit that he should have been more careful. For him, to admit that he sinned, is a lame excuse. Yet in repentance from such sins is his healing, if only he realizes this.
Now in this modern age, the holy week is seen more like an event to party and hang out. It is no longer a reflection of the fact that of one man’s life and death, the world has never been the same. In this lenten season, we are more focused on the beaches, the malls, and resorts. Oh yes, we do say grace when we are dining. This is the least we do this lenten season.
God as the Source and End March 1, 2008
Posted by keeptheflame in Reflections.Tags: branch, end, existence, God, Jesus, life, meaning, purpose, source
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What is God? If one truly reflect on the answer to this question he will have to evaluate his own life. Such an evaluation, if genuinely and faithfully done, would lead to a life transformation. No one, who truly desire to know God, would remain the same. Change is the inevitable result of knowing God.
A.H. Strong defines God in his “Systematic Theology“(as quoted by Josh Mc Dowell in his book: More Than A Carpenter, p. 10, 1987 Ed.) as the “infinite and perfect spirit in whom all things have their source, support, and end”. From this definition, we could get two most important words, namely, “source” and “end”. God is therefore our source and end. As a “source”, He is our beginning, the reason and the purpose of our very own existence. As the “end”, He is the reason and the purpose of all our aspirations and pursuits. Hence, an honest and true consideration of who God is would lead one to a total change of his existence and purpose.
Paul said “in Him we live and move and have our being”. Being the most radical convert in the first century Paul summed up the purpose and meaning of his entire existence in the following “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20). This is the effect if one truly considers who God is in his life.
If God be the source and end of our life and of everything we do, we should only live the life and only do the things that will find their end in God alone. We must live in God and do all things for God. There can be no life and activity apart from this conclusion. A life that is not patterned to God is a life that is lost – lack of source and end. Jesus said “if you seek your life, you will loose it, but if you loose your life for my sake, you will find it”. He further said “apart from me, you can do nothing” with a warning that “you will be like a weathered rejected branch”.
What then is God? God is the source of our existence and the end of all the things that we do and pursue in this life.
