Thoughts for another day

April 17, 2014.

Today's verse:  Lk. 22:67, 68. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go.   (KJV)

(Pls. read the above before you read further.  Thanks)

Jesus knew the ways of man well; and at the time he says the above Word, He is aware His time for going from this earth is nigh.  He is conscious of the fact that the time has now come for Him to go through the worst phase of His plan of coming to earth.  He knows of the sham that’ll be played out before Him even as the elders and seniors of the council, assemble to judge Him.  He is fully aware that it’s according to the Divine plan and that nothing or no one apart from Him can thwart what is about to happen.  He is ready to meet the odds for it has to be done so that man may be saved; but right now it is the very men He came to save who will decide His ‘fate’ as they think they’re doing, not even conscious that Jesus is allowing it all and that it’s not by them that it is happening.

A look at His Word tells us a great deal of the weakness or lack of understanding of man toward God.  God gives so many signs of His being and yet we don’t want to believe.  We’re content to ignore the huge amount of natural data signaling God’s existence and latch on the paltry stuff learned scientists provide to signal God doesn’t exist and Jesus was just a figment of the imagination. And, in His time, despite the work He did, they didn’t even consider them to know He was the righteous Lamb of God, rather they ganged up against Him and wanted to destroy Him.

Their hearts were so hardened toward Him that He had to tell them, ‘If I tell you that I AM the Messiah, you’ll not believe!’  Not only did they not believe, they also thought of erasing His Name from the face of the earth by executing Him in the cruelest way of that time.  Now what about us?  Do we believe in God the way we ought to?  Do we consider everything as an act of God and that God is in control.  It may be easy for us to castigate the Jews responsible for the passion and death of Jesus, but aren’t we like them in all ways?  Do we not malign His Name when we do all kinds of nonsense and sin grievously?  In the brief time we have before Easter, it would be right for us to think of our own lives vis-à-vis what our Savior wants from us and do what He says.  After all, eternal life depends on it.