GuineaField

We cannot place ourselves in the sadness of Jesus’ intimate followers - His mother, Peter, James, John, and the band of 70 or so close associates who were eagerly anticipating His political kingship over Israel.   We live in a different time and place.   Many of you are Gentiles who can identify very little with anticipating a Messianic deliverer.   And none of us have experienced a monarchy.   But these 70 crushed individuals had such hopes – very high hopes!   These people gave their livelihood to pursue a monarchy, a just monarchy with Jesus as King.   They truly believed that Jesus would overthrow the Roman treachery and re-institute a thriving Israel in their lifetime.   We know that they were still anticipating this until the end because of one of the first questions the disciples asked Jesus after His resurrection. “So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom ...

Nothing would be good about Good Friday if it were not for the glorious victory on Sunday.   Because of Easter, Friday’s cross is actually good.   For you and me Friday’s cross is the greatest event of history.   Because it was on that cross that the punishment for our sin was paid.   Reading the events of the Friday of Passion Week brings to light a great diversity of characters.   Picture each one in your mind.   There is Pilate the politician who tries to please both groups, the crucifiers and the crucified, vainly washing his hands.   There is Pilate’s wife who warns her husband not to give Jesus up.   There is Judas who shows his true colors and dies a violent death.   There is Simon who helps bear the cross.   There are the Pharisees who are careful not to break their ceremonial laws while murdering the innocent Messiah.   There is Peter, warming his hands, who denies and cries.   There are the women who watch and ...

In our brief devotional survey of Jesus’ final week we have come to Thursday.   So many of Thursday’s events are recorded in the four Gospels that even a brief survey is beyond our scope.   Take the Gospel of John for instance.   If you sit down tonight and read from John 13-19, you will read the events that occur Thursday night into Friday morning.   Six chapters of John’s 21 chapters record this final day.   We can’t highlight everything, so I want to focus in on one devotional thought from all of these precious scenes.   I think if we look at the entire body of what happens Thursday there is an interesting contrast between Jesus and the Disciples. The final night’s meal with the Disciples was a meal between close friends.   It must have been a difficult meal for our Savior.   He gave them some intense training that night and the promise that more teaching was to come (The New Testament Scriptures through the Holy Spirit).   He washe...