It's Not Easter (6)

Mt 27:27-31 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

In the book of Exodus in the 29th chapter it talks about laying hands on the head of the animal as it is sacrificed. Notice what happened to Jesus? They laid their hands on HIS head when they were crowning HIM with the thorns.


The Crucifixion

Mt 27:32-44 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, s save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Of course they are mocking HIM. When Jesus was talking about the temple, HE was referring to Himself.

The Death of Jesus

Mt 27:45-56 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, a put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

Notice it says they put a sponge on a stick soaked with wine and tried to offer it to Jesus? Jesus said back in Mt 26:29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you i in my Father’s kingdom.” So it makes sense that HE would reject it. Also the verse above talks about the curtain in the temple splitting two. This curtain is what separated everybody else from the Holy of Holies and these are the measurements for it. The temple curtain was 4inches thick.(the length was 60 feet.The width was 30 feet.And the weight was in the region of 4 tons.It took 300 men to hold it.). And there are 2 main thoughts one why it split and both are very excellent. The first one is so that Man now had access to God since before that only the High Priest was allowed into the Holy of Holies and only once a year. the other thought is, now GOD was free to enter into Man and was no longer restricted. Here is an idea of what the Holy of Holies looked like and also a chart of what was in there.



The Burial of Jesus

Mt 27:57-61 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.


No they weren't trying to turn Jesus into a mummy, but they did have specific rules on burial and they had to hurry because the Sabbath was approaching and it wasn't permitted to do things like that on the Sabbath.


The Guard at the Tomb

Mt 27:62-66 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.




The Resurrection

Mt 28:1-10 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The Guards’ Report

Mt 28:11-15 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.


Notice the guards were bribed? Money sometimes can buy silence but if GOD wants the message out, it will come out no matter what happens.

The Great Commission

Mt 28:16-20 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, g baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”


I leave you with this video by Michael W. Smith. The song is called "Secret Ambition" and fits in nicely with all of this. I hope that this series has blessed you, if it has opened up more questions, good, One should always have questions so don't be afraid to ask. if I don't know I will find out.

It's Not Easter (5)

So how would you feel if a pastor or a teacher that you admired and followed, told you that after tonight you would fall away? Or even told you that you would deny HIM three times. Would that scare you? And this takes place even before Jesus gets arrested. What do you think was going through the Disciples minds? Could it be something like this?
"Look at all my trials and tribulations, Sinking in a gentle pool of wine. Don't disturb me now I can see the answers, till this evening is this morning life is fine. Always hoped that I'd be an apostle, Knew that I would make it if I tried. Then when we retire we can write the gospels, so they'll still talk about us when we've died." Somehow I don't think so but I am sure they were scared out of their wits. Remember, all this time, the people were expecting a "Human King" one that would drive out the Romans and they were in for a big surprise. Next we read about how troubled Jesus is through all this. Not just the fact that HIS close friends will fall away and deny HIM but HE knows what is going to happen, because it was prophesied long before HIS birth. He knows that HE is going to die but like any human being would, HE questions if it is really necessary. Then comes Judas with the Roman Guards to come and arrest HIM. Now we read in MT 26:57 where Jesus gets taken to Caiaphas the Chief Priest which in today's terms means you get taken to see the head of the Mafia. Now remember we read in Exodus 12:5 that the lambs need to be without defect and this is still going even after Jesus gets arrested because we read in verse 59 of Matthew that they are looking for false evidence against Jesus so they can kill HIM. And Lord knows they tried as the verses continue it says they even had false witnesses come forward but it wasn't until somebody came forward and testified that he heard Jesus say "I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days." But of course Jesus remain silent until Caiaphas challenges HIM and asks HIM if HE is the Christ, The Son of God. And Jesus replies in Mt 26:64 “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Which made Caiaphas angry and he tears his clothes (Note there is a rule or prophecy regarding the High Priest and the tearing of clothes, will post that when I find out). After Peter's denial's and the next morning, Jesus gets taken to Pilate who was the Governor

and he questions Jesus. Pilate questions Jesus and asks "Are you King of The Jews?" to which HE replies "It is as you say" and after that Jesus doesn't say anything else. The chief priests accused HIM of many things but he stood there silent and we read that Pilate knows Jesus is innocent and tries to release HIM but the chief priests want Jesus out of their way because HE was a threat to their lifestyles so they stir up the crown and demand to have Barabbas released. As for Judas? We know he hung himself afterwards. There is speculation that the reason is not because he handed over an innocent man to die but because as stated previously, the Jews hate the Romans with a passion and he and a lot of other people thought that's what Jesus was here to do was to become their earthly king and drive out the Romans but when Judas shows up with the guards he expected a big fight and that a lot of Romans would be killed but instead Jesus just quietly surrendered and as a result Judas lost everything he had worked towards and hoped for and couldn't take it anymore.

It's Not Easter (4)

So we are now up to what is commonly referred to as The Last Supper, but actually what they were doing was celebrating Passover which is one of the Feasts that God had given the Jewish people. Now most of you are used to celebrating "Communion" at least once a month in your church, but let's take a look at what really happened. First off I want to say that Da vinci got it wrong. The only thing he got right was that Jesus and the disciples were there. The biggest thing that Da vinci got wrong is that they were not "sitting" at a table. In MT 26:20 it says they were "reclining" at the table with the twelve. What's the difference? The actual word is "Triclinium" which is more like couches with the average of about 3 per couch and others would be sitting on cushions while slaves would bring in the meals. Now if you look at the image above, you will see Jesus On the left and that would be Judas leaning right by HIM. And I think Peter is actually sitting on the right side. Now we all know they had bread and wine and what the bible says. Ex 6:6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm w and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. During the meal, each participant drinks four cups of wine to recall the four expressions of redemption mentioned above.

But while they were eating and before they had the bread and the wine, he announces HIS betrayal. Once it is made known that Judas is the one who betrays HIM, he is sent off. Then we know Jesus took the bread and gave thanks and gave it to HIS disciples saying "Take and eat, this is my body. Then HE took the cup and gave thanks and offered it to them saying "This is the blood of the covenant." I never understood this until a few years ago but you have to understand what a covenant is. I looked up the word in Wikipedia and this is what it says " A covenant, in its most general sense, is a solemn promise to engage in or refrain from a specified action." So what is Jesus saying? HE is making a covenant with us right? The disciples got it when HE said this because to them a covenant is a marriage vow. When you married your spouse you entered into a covenant and that is the exact same thing Jesus is doing. He also says that HE is going to a prepare a place for you in HIS Father's house. Back in HIS day, right after getting engaged as you would call it, the bridegroom would leave and go and do exactly that. He would build a room off his parents house where they would live for at least a year.

It's Not Easter (3)

Ok we have already know that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a "Foal" (Matthew says Foal, Mark & Luke say a Donkey and John says a Donkey's Colt). Exodus Chapter 12 talks about the Israelites needed to take a lamb on the 10th of each month (Lamb Selection Day) and that they need to be without defect and they are to hold them until the 14th of the month when they are to be slaughtered. Let's focus on the inspections process. Exodus 12:5 says that they need to be without defect, blemishes, marks or disease. For the next several days we read about Jesus being in the temple and teaching others and answering questions put to HIM (examining the Lamb). One set of verses I want to focus on is MT 22 regarding paying taxes to Caesar.
Mt 22:15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away. There are a several clues in these verses that I have learned and I will show them to you.
#1. The biggest point here is that the Jews hate the Romans with a passion
#2. Caesar is considered God
#3. They are in the Temple Courts and Jesus asks them for a coin and what kind of a coin is given to them? A denarius, a Roman coin which is NOT allowed in the Temple.
#4. He asks them whose portrait and whose inscription? Notice how only the first question is answered. And what is Jesus' reply? "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." Jesus just declared himself to be God right there in that statement. And saying that anybody else is God is comparable to treason.

It is now Passover time


The Lord’s Supper

Mt 26:17 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’ ”

More on this next time, so stay tuned!

It's Not Easter (2)

Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. (Exodus 12:3-6)

Along with Sunday being the "Triumphal Entry" it was also "Lamb Selection Day". John 1:29 says "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! " And when Jesus comes riding on the donkey, he doesn't come through the main gate like they would expect HIM to. He enters through the "Sheep Gate" which is used only for one thing and that is to bring your animals in for slaughter (and they don't come back out). This gate is located on the north side of the city (See Image Below). Jesus says in John 10:7 "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. " Jesus declared himself to be the sacrificial lamb that day. Whenever a shepherd would watch his sheep, he would stand at the gate of the pen to keep his flock in there and to keep predators out. I will share more with you in the next few days the correlation between what happened in old testament days and new testament days

It's Not Easter (1)

The Triumphal Entry


Mt 21:1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”


Forgive me folks, I know on our calendar and in our culture it is "Easter" and you will probably hate me for this but I am going to destroy Easter and open your mind to something else that's been around for 2000 years.

While we know it as being "Palm Sunday"and everybody is waving their palm branches and singing "Hosanna Heysanna Sanna Sanna Ho Sanna Hey Sanna Ho Sanna Hey J C, J C won't you smile at me? Sanna Ho Sanna Hey Superstar (ok, ok I'm only kidding about the singing), in Jesus day it was know as "Lamb Selection Day"(more about this later) or Passover, not cute little rabbits or fuzzy little ducks and it certainly had nothing to do with colored eggs. Passover commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, as recorded in the Book of Exodus. On Passover, Jews also celebrate the birth of the Jewish nation after being freed by God from captivity. Today, the Jewish people not only remember an historic event on Passover, but also celebrate in a broad sense, their freedom as Jews. This is actually an eight day feast which is commanded by God and I will be writing more about this over the course of the week. So keep drinking that Ovaltine folks and stay tuned to this channel for more on Passover.