His Burial

His Burial

Luke records,
“Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God.  
Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body.  
Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.  
It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. 
The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.  
Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.” 
                                   Luke 23:50-56
  Matthew records
“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.” 
Matthew 27:57-61
I have no doubt that this was the lowest point in the lives of the believers.
They had sat under the teachings of Jesus for the better part of three years yet they still didn’t understand the full ramifications of what he had said.
They were human and at this point in time had no comprehension about the resurrection.
They were in deep mourning for the lost of a friend and a teacher.
Sometime ago a man wrote the following. I think is sums up the life of Jesus and  what Joseph and Mary the mother of Christ who had been with him from the beginning might have felt.

Images of Love

Mary
What would she do now?  Her mind vacillated, uncontrollably between joy and uncertainty.  She could hide it, at least for a while.  But, then tongues would wag.  It was a small village.  Everyone knew everyone.  Word of her condition would spread along the gossip highway.  She’d be disgraced!  
Still she knew it was of God and deep inside she knew it would all work out.
Then she thought Joseph! ... what of her fiancé?  He’d have no choice, but to let her go.  He hadn’t done a thing, yet, he’d get the blame.  Just for the sake of his reputation, she’d have to go. She’d have to face this alone. For a moment, her racing mind slowed, as she thought about what she’d been told.     ELIZABETH! Elizabeth.  The angel had said Elizabeth was with child.  She would understand, she would know what to do.  She’d go to Elizabeth.

Joseph
PREGNANT.  What has she done!  How could she have done such a thing!  He loved her.  He thought she loved him...
For a moment, his mind became a whirling dervish of thoughts and emotions out of control.
How could she bring such a disgrace down on both of them, like this.  How was it possible...
Then as suddenly as it started, the tirade in his mind abated, allowing the love he felt for her to surface.  Despite what she had apparently done, he still loved her.  Yet, her condition seemed to say, she did not love him.  
Perhaps, by divorcing her quietly, it would make it easier for her.  Joseph lay back on his bed and fell asleep.
O what joyous night!  What blessed revelation!  What blessed assurance!  He would make  Mary, his wife!  Just as the angel had commanded.  Together, they would rejoice that Mary had been chosen to give birth to the Messiah.
Together, they would rejoice with the shepherds, as they told of the visit from the heavenly host.
They would give praises to God with Simeon and Anna, as they gave thanks for the fulfillment of His promise to Israel!
They would make haste fleeing along the dusty roads to Egypt.
Mary, would feel the anguish of a mother  watching her own son die in agony on a Gentile cross under a blackened sky.
She would also experience the elation of the empty tomb, the resurrection of her LORD and the love of her God.
Have you?
Think about it.

The Death of Jesus

The Death of Jesus

“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, 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.” 
                                   Matthew 27:26-51
Here we have the death of Jesus. Jesus calls our “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
On that moment on the cross Jesus became the perfect sin sacrifice for all mankind. For that moment he was separated from God.
But that separation would be brief. He would descend into hell and conquer death and sin and rising again to this world going on to ascend into heaven. Allowing salvation to come to all who would believe in Him.
The crucifixion also highlights the choice for mankind.
In the two criminals that were put to death with Jesus, Luke records,
“Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.  
When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.... 
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?  
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’” 
Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” 
Luke 23:32,33, 39-43  
Each criminal on that day had a choice. The same choice we have today.
One rejected Jesus mocking him. Not believing He was the Messiah.
The other confessed his sin to Jesus even confessed his belief that Jesus was who he said he was and asked that Jesus forgive his sins. To which Jesus replied,“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Jesus made it clear when he said,
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
                                        John 14:6
To all mankind Jesus calls out saying,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28.
  As a Christian I can honestly say that, those words are true.
No matter what I have gone through in life from my deepest valleys to the highest points of my life. God has always been with me.
I am certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am redeemed of God. That one day I will stand before God and he will accept me as one of His own.
My prayer for you dear reader is that you will come into that peace only Jesus can give.
Please think about letting Jesus into your heart and life this day.

The Crucifixion

The Crucifixion

“At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.  
And at 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 near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” 
One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. 
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 
The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  
And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” 
Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.  In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.” 
Mark 15:33-41
The Crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus is the most holy moment of the Christian faith.
At this moment in time we Christians believe that Jesus took upon himself the sin of the entire world.
It is a seminal event in the history of the world. John the Baptist said of Jesus,
...“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” 
                                                                                        John 1:29b.
Jesus showed in human terms how far God would go to reconcile fallen mankind to himself.
Yet some today would deny that this happened. However there is proof outside the Bible in none other than the Jewish Talmud,
The Talmud makes note of Jesus' crucifixion. It is dated as "on the eve of the Feast of the Passover" in agreement with the Gospel (Luke 22:1; John 19:31). Similar again to the Gospel (Matt. 27:51), 
 Flavius Josephus in his book, The Jewish War, also confirmed these events.
Although not explicitly referred to by name, later rabbis identify the person as Jesus. These references to Jesus are neither sympathetic to Him or His Church. Also these writings were preserved through the centuries by Jews, so Christians cannot be accused of tampering with the text.
   Flavius Josephus, who lived until 98 A.D., was a romanized Jewish historian. He wrote books on Jewish history for the Roman people. In his book, Jewish Antiquities, he made references to Jesus. In one reference he wrote:
“About this time arose Jesus, a wise man, who did good deeds and whose virtues were recognized. And many Jews and people of other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. However, those who became his disciples preached his doctrine. They related that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive. Perhaps he was the Messiah in connection with whom the prophets foretold wonders.” [Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, XVIII 3.2]
Note what Josephus states, “They related that he had appeared to them three days after his crucifixion and that he was alive. Perhaps he was the Messiah in connection with whom the prophets foretold wonders.”
Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the suffering Messiah spoken of by Isaiah in chapter 53 of his book,
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” 
                                                                     Isaiah 53:3-6.
Jesus said,
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” 
                                                                                                      John 10:10,11.
Jesus laid down his life for you and for me. He became the ultimate sacrifice that we may have eternal life. A life with God.
Think about it.

A Note on Christians

A Note on Christians
Easter is almost upon us and over the next few blog entries I will be writing about it. I however thought it interesting to, for just a moment to point to a quote from outside the Bible about Christians. A quote from Pilny the Younger a non-Christian.
Piliny the Younger was a Roman governor of Bithynia in Asia minor writing to Emperor Trajan he wrote,
"They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food--but food of an ordinary and innocent kind..." 
The book of Acts comments on what the early believers did, noting,
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  
Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  
All the believers were together and had everything in common.  
Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” 
                                                               Acts 2:42-47.
The early church seems to be a together thing. They looked after each other and met together to break bread, the praised God and enjoyed favour of all the people.
Additionally as they continued in this unity the Lord added to their numbers.
People seen in those early believers something they wanted to be a part of. They seen the reality of Christ in the life of those early Christians.
It is something the world needs to see in believer today.
It is something I believe true believers still show today.
Francis of Assisi wrote, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
I believe this is what the early church did. I believe also that this is what true Christians today are still doing.
Think about it.

Passover

Passover
“The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt,  
“This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.  
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 neighbour, 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.  
Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses where they eat the lambs.  
That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.  
Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire—head, legs and inner parts.  
Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it.  
This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD'S Passover. 
“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.  
The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. 
“This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance.” 
                                                                                   Exodus 12:1-14.
Yesterday as I write this our Jewish friends started to celebrate Passover. The time when the death angel passed over the children of Israel and struck the first born of Egypt.
Egypt can be looked on as the symbol of oppression for all generations.
Over the centuries the Jews have been oppressed by it seems like an endless stream of tyrants. All of these oppressors have come to a sorry end.
Hitler the worst in recent memory killing six million men women and children. Their only crime being born Jewish.
The Jewish people are a remarkable people.
Leo Tolstoy wrote,
“The Jew is the emblem of civil and religious toleration, ‘Love the stranger a sojourner,’ Moses commands, ‘because you have been strangers in the land of Egypt.’  And this was said in those remote and savage times when the principal ambition of the races and nations consisted in crushing and enslaving one another. 
 As concerns religious toleration, the Jewish faith is not only far from the missionary spirit of converting people of other denominations, but on the contrary the Talmud commands the Rabbis to inform and explain to everyone who willingly comes to accept the Jewish religion, all the difficulties involved in its acceptance, and to point out to the would be proselyte that the righteous of all nations have a share in immortality.  
Of such a lofty and ideal religious toleration not even the moralists of our present day can boast.  
The Jew is the emblem of eternity.  He whom neither slaughter nor torture of thousands of years could destroy, he whom neither fire nor sword nor inquisition was able to wipe off from the face of the earth, he who was the first to produce the oracles of God, he who has been for so long, the guardian of the oracles prophecy, and who transmitted it too the rest of the world—such a nation cannot be destroyed.  The law is everlasting as is eternity itself.”
I am a firm believer in blessing Israel when ever possible. In Genesis God made a promise to Abram,
“The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 
“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
                  Genesis 12:1-3.
Today the 15 Nissan 5754 (April 15th 2014) take time to pray for Israel, the Jewish people throughout the world and the peace of Jerusalem.

Giving to the Poor

“Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” 
Matthew 5:42
 Here Jesus point to people in need.
We need to have compassion on the poor. It’s easy in our society to look down on a poor person especially someone on the street that may be panhandling.
We have no idea why that person is in the position they are. But if we can afford it, it never hurts to give something.
I heard not to long ago a preacher on television condemning people on welfare calling them “lazy bums.” telling them to go out and get a job.
I know a lot of people on welfare.
Most of those I  know are not in the system by choice. Some were laid off from their jobs. Others are on it because of medical reasons.
None of these people like going to the government cap in hand asking for a hand out. It frankly is demeaning. And welfare where I live at least pays far below the poverty line. Making it hard sometimes impossible to make ends meet.
True there are a some who play the system but there not as many as one would like to think.
Most people want to work and many poor people do. The minimum wage where I live is ten dollars an hour a subsistence living at best. Well below the poverty line.
The provincial government realizing it is too low is raising it much to the displeasure of some business groups.
I’ve read that in the United States the basic minimum wage is in some places below five dollars an hour.
This in a country that can’t even offer its citizens a good government health insurance as is done in all other western democracies.
The bottom line is no one in North America can live on five dollars an hour or ten dollars an hour.
       Sadly many business groups complain about giving more to those on welfare or raising the minimum wage.
The same business groups that think its fine to allow multinational corporations to go to the government for grants and tax incentives to place their factories in a particular jurisdiction.
What one politician in Canada in the seventies called “corporate welfare bums”.
We as individuals, particularly we as Christian businessmen and women need to be benevolent towards the poor.
The Talmud tells a story that goes like this,
“Rabbi Akiba was asked by a Roman general, “Why does your God who loves the needy not provide for their support Himself?”  He answered, “God the Father of both the rich and poor, wants the one to help the other so as to make the world a household of love.”
Now I know there are many Christians out there that give a lot to the poor. Both domestically and to international aid. Christians are for the most part a giving people.
Still we as Christians need, I believe, to look at how we see those in need. We need to reach out to them and help them in any way that we can.
Christian businessmen and women need to look at what they are paying their employees and ask themselves is this enough for them to live on.
         We should be lobbying our government to help the poor more.
         I’m not saying here we should encourage people who are able bodied to sit around and collect a check.
What I’m saying is we should be helping the poor. If they need a few bucks fine. But if they need training to start earning a good living then companies and the government should be stepping up and offering it.
The old saying “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day teach him to fish and you feed him for life.” is very true.
We’re always going to have poor among us. But it is up to us as a society to help those we can particularly the sick, the disabled and those who cannot truly help themselves.
Keeping them on a subsistence living simply because it’s going to cost the government more money is not a good excuse.
If these persons were captured and in danger of dying at the hands of terrorist the same government that gives little to help the poor, would spend whatever it took to rescue them.

We as Christians should be leading the way in benevolence. The Jews have a word for it its called Tzedakah

Philip Bernstein explains it this way,
“If there is one area that identifies and unites Jews, no matter what their personal beliefs and practices, it is Tzedakah.  Tzedakah is more than charity or philanthropy, noble as they are, more than man’s humanity to man, exalted as that is, more truly it is righteousness and justice.  Without these qualities civilization would perish.
It is the highest ideal in Jewish teaching—for it is the highest application of Jewish ethical values.  It is Judaism in action—and Judaism is inherently and deeply a religion of action, a way of life, a way of living.”
Jews are encouraged to give ten percent of their income to helping the poor. Even someone who is poor themselves is asked to give although they may give less than ten precent.
And there is an admonishing not to give so much as for you to become a burden on society yourself.
One Jewish teacher gave the levels of Tzedakah
1.Giving begrudgingly
2.Giving less that you should, but giving it cheerfully.
3.Giving after being asked
4.Giving before being asked
5.Giving when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows your identity
6.Giving when you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know your identity
7.Giving when neither party knows the other's identity
8.Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant
I think the above list is something Christians need to look at carefully.     Christianity came from Judaism. We share common values. I believe the spirit of Tzedakah should be one of them.
Think about it.

Treasure

Treasure

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  
When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” 
Matthew 13:44-46
Unfortunately many people in the world today particularly in North America are failing to see that the Bible and Jesus are indeed treasures of great price.
They see a material world only. Their only goal in life is to gather as many toys as they can before they die.
I once heard a very rich businessman say “the pursuit of wealth is the most noble of pursuits one can do in this life.”
He dose not believe in anything beyond this life.
My brother an atheist is fond of saying “the one who has all the toys at the end of life is the winner.”
Trouble is at the end of life the toys go to someone else. Materialism is ultimately useless as we come into this world with nothing materially and cannot take any of our material possessions with us.
Ask the Egyptian Pharaoh’s. They were buried with riches but the riches remained in this world while they are long gone to stand before God.
Take a look at particularly the rock stars over the years who have had fame and fortune only to die by their own hand in hopelessness.
A minister friend of mine many years ago sat at the bedside of a very rich man. He’d spent a lifetime accumulating wealth and little else.
He told my friend that while he admitted he liked the fun of acquiring the wealth, it meant nothing to him now as he prepared to enter eternity.
He only wished he’d got to know Christ sooner.
Materialism and for that matter atheism is in the end an empty cup.
The author of Ecclesiastes states,
“ I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
                  Ecclesiastes 1:14
The book of Ecclesiastes concludes with,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” 
Ecclesiastes12:13,14
There is an old saying that still rings true. “Only one life will soon be past only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Where will you be at the end of your life? Will you stand before God as a pauper and here him say I never knew you, or will he welcome you as his child? The child of a king with all the rights there of.
Think about it.  

The Mustard Seed

The Mustard seed

“He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.  
Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.” 
He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
                         Matthew 13:31-33.
Here Jesus uses a parable to explain how His kingdom will grow.
At the time the mustard seed was the smallest seed used by farmers. Yet it could grow up to three meters or more under good conditions.
This is how the Jesus’ kingdom grew.
It started out under humble conditions. From a stable in an insignificant town in a back water of the mighty Roman empire. Yet it has grown over the centuries to reach into every country in the world.
At approximately 2.2 billion believers it is the largest religion in the world today.
Why? Because the hand of God is upon it and nothing man can do will stop it. The proof is as they say in the pudding.
Christianity today is the most persecuted religion in the world one statistic I read was that one Christian dies every eleven minutes for their faith somewhere in the world.  Meanwhile others languish in jail for their beliefs.
Yet despite all of this our faith is still growing.
The reason it’s growing is that it truly brings hope to all who embrace faith in Jesus Christ.
Christianity in it’s purest form is a faith of mercy. It shows God’s mercy toward mankind.
Jesus said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” 
            John 3:16,17.
The Apostle Paul reminds us,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23,24.
He also states,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” 
                                                                                                   Ephesians 2:8,9.
Christianity is God reaching down to man and saying, I love you. Despite your short comings and problems I love you.
He calls out,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Matthew 11:28
Think about it.

Weeds

Weeds
“Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.  
But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.  
When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 
“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ 
“ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 
“ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.  
Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ” 
Matthew 13:24-30
Here Jesus talks about the good seed and the bad seed and how its hard to tell them apart especially when they are just sprouts.
He again give an explanation for this parable Matthew recoding,
“Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 
He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.  
The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,  and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 
“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.  
The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.  
They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”
Matthew 13:36-43
Often in this world we cannot tell who is telling the truth about God and who isn’t.
We look in the churches and at those who claim to be Christians in the media both evangelist, pastors and others and they all look alike. It can be very hard to tell the real Christian from the fraud.
We have to look carefully at what is being said and evaluate it in accordance with God’s word the Bible.
It all comes down to what Jesus said,
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’        Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ 
         Matthew 7:22,23.
This is what Jesus is saying in the parable of the sower.
Think about it.

Seeking Meaning

Seeking Meaning

“The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” 
He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.  
Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.  
This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 
In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 
For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’  
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.  
For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” 
Matthew 13:10-17
  Kenneth L. Barker in the Zonderban NIV study Bible copy right 2002 states,”Jesus used parables more extensively as a means of teaching. They were particularly effective and easy to remember because he used familiar scenes. Although parables clarified Jesus’ teaching, they also included hidden meanings needing further explanation. These hidden meanings challenged the sincerely interested to further inquiry, and taught truths that Jesus wanted to conceal from unbelievers. From parables Jesus’ enemies could find no direct statements to use against him.”
It’s interesting that today many hear and read the Bible but the majority of people fail to understand fully the truths therein.
I have spoken to many very well educated people who have read the Bible and know it’s content yet fail to fully comprehend the deep meaning inside. They see the Bible as a combination history and philosophy book and Jesus as a good moral teacher.
Most of these people are more interested in trying to find fault with the Bible than the truths it has for them. So called mistakes.
If there are mistakes with the Bible they are of man’s own doing.
When someone tells me the bible has mistakes or contradictions for the most part they can’t show them to me.
I do recognize that over the years so called Christian groups have interpreted the Bible with their own particular bent.
They have misinterpreted words and whole passages to conform it to their way of thinking. Such things are the only errors that occur. Man made errors.
The Bible interpreted correctly and in context has no contradictions or errors.
I have found over the years that those who truly are seeking God. Who are seeking a meaning for life do indeed search for the hidden truths in the Bible and ultimately find them.
They find the truths God wanted them to.
Being a Christian is a lifestyle. A way of life one cannot enter into half heartedly. It is a daily walk of faith. The writer of Hebrews noting
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
          Hebrews 11:1 
Think about it?

The Sower

The sower

“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.  
Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.  
Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.  
As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  
But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.  
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  
He who has ears, let him hear.” 
                              Matthew 13:1-9.
Jesus seldom interpreted his parables but he does this one and as he does it better than me thus I give you his interpretation,
“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:  
When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.  The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  
But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.  
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.  
But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” 
Matthew 13:18-23.
This interpretation is very typical of what happens in our churches today. There are those who hears the message but fails to fully understand it and quickly falls away without trying to look deeper.
There are others who receive the word out of the emotion of the moment only to fall away when the emotion dies off.
Then there are those who receive the word but have a lot of earthly baggage. They fall pray to the worries of the world. And fall away as their worries in this world take precedent over the word of God.
Then there are those who truly believe who go forth and take the gospel to those around them producing more believers.
Where are you in this spectrum of hearers of the word?
Think about it.

Who are brothers of Jesus

“While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.  
Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” 
He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”  
Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.  
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” 
                                                                                                   Matthew 12:46-50
Here Jesus family, his mother and his brothers, approach him.
Much is made of who they are in the early church, according to Epiphanius they were children of Joseph from a previous marriage. Jerome said they were cousins, while Helvidius gives the most logical conclusion. They were half brothers of Jesus the younger sons of Joseph and Mary.
Jesus however makes and important point here, Matthew recoding that Jesus, “Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
Paul writing to the Glatians states,
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” 
                      Galatians 3:26-28.
According to what Jesus said and what Paul writes all believers in Christ are sons of God.
Think about it.