As i read about Palm Sunday and Holy week, i think about how someone wrote that "people hung on Jesus' words, and in few days, Jesus was hung on the cross on people's words." (of course we know it was God's divine will to have Jesus crushed so that he can pay the penalty for our sins but it was the people who shouted Hosanna on Palm Sunday, also shouted, 'Crucify Him' on Good Friday!
"Gethsemane garden is a wine press"...said Dr. Erwin Lutzer,.. ouch! and that really drove a point home. Wine press that crushes grapes so wine comes out to gladden us...Jesus was crushed and His holy blood that was shed cleanses us pure and makes us clean. i like what Max Lucado wrote also, "Jesus knows what it means to beg God to answer prayers and yet submit to His will." Jesus chose to humble, Philippians 2:13 says of Jesus, "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped," i like that 'grasped' part- i do not think we fully comprehend what it means to grasp the humility of Jesus! wrote Edwardo shilito: "The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak; They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne; But to our wounds only God's wounds can speak, And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone."
Luke9:31 "As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem." (NIV) Even Jesus' disciple Peter did not want Jesus to be tortured or killed, but Jesus was resolute, intentional, determined. He said, "No one takes it (my life) from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." John10:18. Pilate had no power on him, even though he said, don't you know, i have the power to crucify you and to let you go free. Jesus replied, Jesus answered, "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above...." (john 19:11) so wait it minute, Pilate! its not 'Jesus before Pilate' in reality it was 'Pilate before Jesus' and poor Pilate, he missed by inches, he was afraid to crucify Jesus and yet, when he asked Jesus, "what is truth?" without hearing the answer, Pilate walked out. like Dr. Lutzer says, 'Pilate if only you had waited to hear the truth, to hear from the one who proclaimed to be " the TRUTH, the way, and the life"!
Luke12: 37 "Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them."(KJV)
this blows my mind away! i can try and fathom Jesus washing Disciples' feet but this future event of Jesus dressing himself to serve and wait on his saints, those who have been washed in his blood! this knocks me out. i barely understand, when i read! However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"--1 Corinthians:9 (NIV) i cry in gratitude to God.
I read in a devotional book, called Today, "Maundy Thursday - The name comes from the Latin word “mandatum,” meaning “command.” On this night Jesus gave his disciples the “new command” to love one another as servants." wait a minute, i need to remind myself, like my biblical mentor kept pressing me on 2 years back, "Kalpna, we do not have a 'suggestion' to love others, we are commanded to love..its a command and commands are to be obeyed!" yes, we need to ask any military person what it means to disobey commands! yet this is a command to love...Lord teach us to love one another.
few years ago, i also used to think of love as a fairy tale and not really understand fully. Until i see the Cross of Jesus and submit myself to Him. He allowed a man to invade my life, who became my husband, over 2decades ago and still is! Bharat tried to show me what love was like; i kept rejecting love many times. Both Bharat and i came to realize, ours was a human love, bound to fail, bound to not last, until the Hero of Love, Jesus himself fills us with His divine love - to teach us to one another, and after 25yrs, we are now learning to practice 'Agape', the self-less loving one another. Then God put two beautiful daughters into our laps, and wow! what an example of love we learnt and continue to learn. "out of the mouth of the babes and nursing infants..." is what Bharat and i have experienced in our journey together. Even though we home school them, they teach us so much, God's tools are great. i am still learning to love these precious ones whom God has given me as per His divine rules.
Good Friday: it is said, "It was not the nails that held Jesus to the cross, it was His love for you and me. "
or as one of the songs says, "He could have called ten thousands angels to destroy the world and set him free, but he died alone for you and me" "Cross is LOVE at its best"
Saturday is quiet and day of rest - it is Sabbath; some people say Jesus rested on Sabbath but i say Jesus also did good work on Sabbath. So, it was not on that reason that he did not rise, but because of the divine will - that He was to be in the belly of the earth for 3 days; women were preparing spices to go and visit his tomb! and lo and behold what did they encounter!
Sunday: Resurrection day: since i have come to read some stuff about the name "Easter", i do not like to call this day "Easter", i like to call Resurrection Sunday. call it, spiritually or Biblically correct, yes, i prefer to be Biblically correct and call it a Resurrection Sunday. Jesus rose from the dead and its not about Easter bunnies or Easter eggs, this day is about JESUS and HIS power to rise from the dead. HE IS RISEN!!!!!!!!!
Jesus resurrects lives even today, He resurrects dead marriages, families and relationships, dead things, trees, jobs, businesses, living matters and if need be nonliving matters too, for His glory and our good! ask many, read and find that some of us are the living testimonies of that resurrection. I dare you to know this Jesus! HE is risen and "because He lives, we can face tomorrow".
His blood is able to cleanse any sinner, His grace is able to sustain us and protect us from falling and to present us faultless, His love is able to make a difference in the lives of people and His resurrection gives us hope that there is tomorrow, there is eternity, there is life after death, there is GOD that we will face one day. John11:25 says "Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;"
Happy Resurrection Sunday! Jesus conquered death! He is alive!
Dare to believe in the ONE who has conquered death and is living and is loving...yes, the Lord Jesus Christ!
My husband is touched and moved by this video for quite a few months now and so are we, all four of us would like you to be blessed watching this superb video of Hero by the group called 'Abandon' - you just cannot ignore this divine human!
from kalpna sharma and family (Bharat, narita and Stuti)
copy righted @ Kalpana Sharma (KC) Mrs.
