I met a certain man today when I was out in the town centre and to cut the story short, he got talking about a well known man whom his daughter worked for. the well known man told her about a position that was coming up and she asked do you think I could get it. He said you could get it and you should ask for this that and the next thing. If you do not ask, you will not get them.

There are things I should ask for and I will

The moral of the story is that we should ask our heavenly father for things. He has told us to.

John 19:25-37

• JOHN 19: 25 - 37

In verses 26 and 27 we read, Dear Woman, here is your son, and to the disciple, here is your mother. From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. The term, “The disciple whom Jesus loved” is one that John used of himself, so we can conclude that the cries from the cross that he has recorded in his gospel are ones that he actually heard, and this one was directed at him.

There is no mention of Joseph, Mary’s husband and it is supposed that Joseph was dead. A widow would need a means of support and that would come from her family. We know from other accounts that Jesus brothers ridiculed him; perhaps their mother was not in favour with them by supporting Jesus. As the oldest son, it would have been Jesus duty to look after her. (this is only my speculation) We are told however that John took Mary into his home. This cry was clear to both John and Mary. He was saying to his mother, go with John and to John, look after my mother, so when John took her into his home, it was an act of love and obedience. Even in his suffering, Jesus as a son, was still concerned for the welfare of his mother and honoured her as a parent. By saying to John, “Behold thy mother” he was saying to him, I want you to take on the duties of a son to my mother, and I think that by implication she lived in John’s house for the rest of her life.

Although Jesus knew he would rise from the dead, He would also have known that he was not going to be on earth to look after her and it is for this reason that I think she stayed with John until the end of her life.

It is also my opinion that there was a reason for choosing to give this duty to John. Jesus would know all things. He knew what manner Peter would die and presumably he knew in what manner the other disciples would die. John is the only one we who seems to have seen old age. He therefore would have been the one disciple who would live long enough to look after her.

2. Today we consider 5th utterance of Jesus' I am thirsty. At first glance this statement appears the least important of all Jesus sayings on the cross.

• It consists of three words in English but only one word in Greek.
• In contrast to My God, My God, it seems less weighted with truth.
• However, we'll discover that this word is as important as the rest of Jesus' words

What truths are discovered in this word from our Lord? Truth #1

I.'I AM THIRSTY' REVEALS THE HUMANITY OF JESUS

1. One of first tools of interpretation that Bible students learn is to look for plain meaning of the text. Don't get fancy. Look for literal meaning of a passage.

• The most literal way to interpret V28 is to see that Jesus was thirsty!
• Not surprising when you consider the last eighteen hrs of his life.
• In the garden he sweats blood. Then he was scourged, crowned and naked. He was certainly dehydrated. He asks for wine! Fever caused parched lips, eyeballs burned in socket, excruciating headaches, swollen tongue,

2. Why does John include this detail? When John wrote this gospel a heresy called Gnosticism invaded church. It taught that the spirit was good, and physical matter was bad.

• Jesus was good not bad, so Jesus was spirit, not flesh. He walked without footprints
• This meant that Jesus sufferings on cross weren't real. He was just acting.
• Jesus' death was faked since a spirit cannot die. This was Gnosticism.

3. Why was this heresy dangerous? Bible prophetically taught that the saviour would be born to the human race Is7,9. Is53, It taught that the saviour would be a lamb!

• For our sins to be forgiven required a perfect, sinless human sacrifice.
• If Jesus was a spirit and not flesh and blood then our sins are un-forgiven.
• And we are still under judgment of God. But the Christ was man, God man and lamb of God

1st truth we discover in Jesus' words 'I am thirsty' is his humanity which was necessary for redemption.

II.'I AM THIRSTY' REVEALS Jesus' SCRIPTURAL FOCUS IN LIFE and DEATH

1. Look carefully at V28. It says that Jesus knowing¡­that the scriptures might be fulfilled said. Bible tells us Jesus' mental focus was upon fulfilment of Scripture.

• John uses two important words in V28; NASB accomplished, bring to close
• To finish by adding last stroke with nothing more to be added.

To say, I thirst, shows that Christ was physical as well as spiritual and it fulfilled the prophecy of Ps69:21 “ and for my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink”. Jesus said this so that this scripture would be fulfilled.

Even in agony, his mind was clear and thinking about the fulfilment of scripture and in that short phrase, “I thirst” He did it knowing that he would be given wine vinegar to drink, and thus the scripture would be fulfilled. This would only have been seen as a sign of his messiah ship later, it would not have occurred to people at the time.

After all his suffering, it is likely that he would be severely dehydrated. So apart from fulfilling the scriptures, this would have been a practical move and it stands as evidence that Christ had a human body. His suffering was real

As and aside, to counteract Gnosticism, John also records that Jesus legs were not broken ( thus fulfilling prophecy and he also records that Jesus body was pierced with a spear producing a flow of blood and water and further more to make sure that this is not here say, John records that he was there. He saw it, and you only get blood and water flowing from a corpse.

IT IS FINISHED

This was a cry of triumph. He had obeyed his heavenly father in all things. He had accomplished his mission.

We saw that the curtain in the temple was torn, and Now Jesus says, “It is finished”. The ceremonial law was now abolished and we have access to the holy of holies. We because Jesus finished the task have access to the father in way that those in the Old Testament did not.

It is finished; the power of sin has been broken. The Lamb of God had been sacrificed and taken away the sin of the world.

It is finished, his suffering was over, the storm was passed and he was entering into the Joy before him.

Just like Luke’s Gospel we are told that he gave up his spirit. It seems to me that they saw something different in the manner Jesus died. He, unlike us, gave up his spirit to death. We are overcome by it.

In fact, it is far more natural for us to cling on to life with every fibre of our being. However that is not what Jesus did. WE are told that he bowed his head. It is as though he said, “It is finished”, then composed himself.

It is finished, the devil was defeated. The cross, the instrument of death has been used to bring about eternal life for those who are saved. ( there is an irony in this)

My Missionary Experienc

I am writing something on my missionary experience. I will print it as a booklet for friends and family, but I think that it should also be produced as a blog. It will not be the same as this blog. I will start another one. I have always kept this one as a journal. When I produce the next one it will not be a journal. It will all be written off line and I will not add to it unless in the course of time I get more missionary experiences in which case I shall update it.

MOT

MOT this week. I just hope that the car passes or if not that it only fails of fair wear and tear. I find that living in a rural district means that even if you live next to work, driving is not a luxury, it is essential if you are going to have any social life. It is also useful for holiday and trips back to central Scotland. Be it ever so humble a small car is still valuable transport.

Luke chapter 23 verses 26-49

LUKE 23:26-49

The Gospels record seven things that Jesus said from the cross

Three of them are found in Luke’s gospel, three in John’s gospel and the seventh is found in Mathew and Marks Gospel

The seven cries are

Father forgive them for they know not what they do.
2. Today you shall be with me in paradise.
3. Mother behold your son, son behold your mother.
4. I thirst
5. Father, why have you forsaken me?
6. It is finished.
7. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Today we shall look at the ones in lukes Gospel. They are “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do, I tell you the truth, Today, you shall be with me in paradise, and Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit.”

They are found in Luke chapter 23, verses 26 to 49

Note that Jesus said FATHER FORGIVE THEM. He did not say, I FORGIVE YOU.

In the past, he had demonstrated that he had he had the power to forgive sins. He had told the lame man that his sins were forgiven and those around rightly said only God had the power to forgive sins. He told the man to rise and walk and he did, thus demonstrating that his sins were forgiven, yet here he asks the father to forgive their sin.

He was being an intermediary between those who crucified him and the father. They deserved the fathers wrath ( as we do) but Jesus asks the father to forgive them. In this we see that he prayed for his enemies that their sins would be forgiven. We are told in other accounts that one of the soldiers who crucified him said, “Truly this was the son of God.” Surely the prayer of Jesus to forgive brought about that man’s salvation and possibly others. Those he prayed for were the baying crowd, Pilot, Herod, the conspirators, the soldiers and those who mocked him.

He is still our intermediary. He is the second person of the Godhead, and we are told that he prays to the father for us. It is his sacrifice that has bought our salvation and he is able to say on our behalf, Father forgive them.

For they know not what they do. What was it they did not know? They did not know that in their ignorance, God was using them to bring about the plan of salvation as it had been prophesied throughout the Old Testament, and Jesus himself had also prophesied of it.

The conspirators did not know what they were doing for they were jealous and did not know he was the son of God and many of the crowd would have believed that they were doing something for God by demanding and witnessing the execution of a blasphemer. They did not know that he had told the truth. The devil had blinded them to this.

We live in a world where people are blinded to the truth of salvation. I sometimes get the impression that in this country and throughout Europe, people are far more blinded to the truth now than they were 30 years ago. Jesus answer is Father forgive them for they know not what they do

I tell you the truth, today, you shall be with me in paradise

The second cry was addressed to one of the thieves on a cross. We are told in other gospel accounts that they to both mocked him, but in this account we are told that there was a notice put above him that said “This is the King of the Jews”. We know from other accounts that others said that it should say, “HE SAID he was the king of the Jews” but pilate refused to change it and said, “What I have written, I have written”. This notice stated a fact, even if some may have taken it in other ways. The thieves would have seen it and probably heard the cry forgive them and one of them sees the truth.

There are two ways to respond to Jesus the thieves represent those two ways. One rejected him and the other pleaded with him saying, Lord remembers me when You come into your kingdom. He knew that he was a sinner. He acknowledged it and did the only thing he could do in the circumstances that he was in. He turned to Jesus and pleaded with him. Jesus response was to give him a promise. “I tell you the truth. Today, you shall be with me in paradise”. That thief died having received that promise and could not have known that it would be recorded in God’s word for the whole world to read and to see the mercy that Jesus showed to him. It was cry of promise of salvation. “You shall be with me today. “The thief asked to be remembered, and his request was granted. He had learned the fear of the lord and had gone from reviling Jesus to knowing who he is and confessing his sin and receiving salvation. One thief was hardened to the end. He said to Jesus that if he were the Christ then he should save himself and them. He only wanted to be delivered from suffering and then go on in his sinful ways. The other did not. He wanted to be truly saved. When Christ said to him, Today, you will be with me in paradise, he meant today, not some far future hope. He gave that thief a certainty that in death, he would enter paradise and escape the wrath of God to come for his sins, for he Jesus was taking the punishment in his place. In that promise Christ snatched that sinful man like a brand from the fire. The thief was told that that he would not only be remembered by the lord, but that he would be with him and that it would be that very day. That man was a believer for less than one day and on that final day of his life, he repented and we all know about it, and who knows how many others down through the centuries have been saved because they turned to the lord through the testimony of that thief for they also wanted to claim the promise of being with him in paradise.

Our Lord was in agony. Not just physical agony. He was in great spiritual agony to as God’s wrath was being poured out on him on our behalf. Yet in the midst of that, he has comforting words for one sinful man. “Today, you shall be with me, in paradise.” The thief acknowledged him as king with a kingdom, and he was going to it.

Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit

As Christ uttered his last cry, “Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit” the curtain of the temple was torn in two. This curtain masked the holy of holies. No one who was ceremonially unclean could go beyond it. It denied access to the people. Yet as Christ cried out, that curtain was torn. No longer was god behind the curtain and the people shielded from him. The ceremonies would not be necessary any more for Christ had made the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus trust in the father was complete. In some accounts we are told that he DISMISSED his spirit. It is as though he chose that moment to die. We die, but we do not chose the moment. Instead, it overwhelms us. It did not overwhelm him. He had known the fellowship of the father not only for all the time that he was on earth, but for all eternity. We shall be looking next week, at one of the other cries that implies that fellowship was interrupted, but here in this cry, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit that fellowship is glorious and complete. There is no doubt at all in Christ’s mind in that statement that he was going to the father again. Nature testified to that. The sun stopped shining. WE British are brilliant at talking about the weather, but in all my years, I have never seen the sun stop shining. It was the sixth hour, when the sun should have been shining, but upon Christ’s words, it stopped. The centurion saw this. And we are told that he praised God and said surely this was a righteous man. This man was a commanding officer, one of the men who had just crucified him, and he heard this cry from the cross, “Father into your hands, I commit my spirit” and then the sun went out. I think the centurion could see what he and all those under his command had done. I think we can safely assume that he had been responsible for the execution of many people and yet on this one occasion he sees something very different to anything he had seen before. He realised that Christ was not guilty of any sin, and that hard centurion would have been cut the quick.

He had been one of those people who did not know what he was doing, Christ in his first cry had prayed for him, and now that Centurion knew what he had done.

For us the cross is central. To the world it is at best a symbol, or perhaps something insignificant and foolish, but to those of us who believe and will believe it is the power of salvation

Amen

Eagle or Chicken

We were told the following story today that challenges me as I look at my life.

An eagles egg was planted among chicken eggs. The eagle egg hatched and the eagle chick believed that it was a chicken. It scratched and pecked the ground like a chicken and walked around the farmyard. It lived its life like that and grew old

One day the old eagle looked up and saw a large gracefull bird flying overhead. What is that? he asked the chickens. "That is an eagle" they said, the "King of the air, We are birds of the ground". the eagle continued to live as he did, because he believed he was a chicken

What am I, a chicken or an eagle?

The seven cries from the cross

For the next three weeks I am going to speak on the seven cries from the cross, but not neccassarily in the order in which they usually come. Instead, I am going to take them in the order they come in the gospels. I have discovered that three of them are unique to Lukes gospel, three are unique to Johns gospel and the seventh is found in both Mathew and Marks gospel

So this week I am doing from Lukes Gospel
Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do
I tell you the truth, today you shall be with me in Paradise
Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit

Next week from Johns Gospel
Dear woman, here is your son. Here is your mother
I am thirsty
It is finished

And in the third week from both Mathew and Johns Gospels
Father, why have you forsaken me?

The seven cries from the cross

For the next three weeks on Friday mornings, I am going to speak on the seven cries from the cross, but not neccessarily in the order they usually come.

Radical Jesus

I read the following on facebook by a man I admire as a speaker

Speaking tomorrow. The title is 'Wild Jesus' from John 2. I think I am going to end with a sentence like ... 'Jesus is full surprise so keep your pants on tight. You really don't know where He will lead next or how fast it will happen'. Any good? Any better ideas?

Looking at the passage, the people of the time could not have predicted what Jesus would do. In one case he changed water into wine. In the other he drove out the cattle sellers and the money changers who would have argued that they must surely have been doing Gods work by selling animals to sacrafice to please God, or change money for offerings. They were in fact profiteering. Jesus was very angry and drove them out. They demanded to know if he had the autority to to this. He told them "Destroy this temple and I will rebuild it in three days." They thought he meant the building. In fact he meant his body. He would die and rise on the third day. Again the people could not see what he meant, or what he would do.

OFOTCN

I must say that I am enjoying my role as Mr Martini in "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest". It is thought provoking

A reflection

I read a letter today. It is a special week of prayer for Muslims, and it was written by a woman I know. She finds more time on her hands and wants to use it effectively. That will mean changes in her life and that is being discussed. She is praying about it.

I think that reflects my own situationa and it is a re assurance that God is watching out for me and that things will eventually happen.