The Word of Forgiveness - Seven Sayings of the Saviour - Part 3

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

All glory and praise to the Triune God. In Part 1 of this series where we started to delve more deeper into the meaning behind the seven sayings of our Saviour on Cross, we learned about the attitude of prayer that Jesus had, not only when He was having a quiet time with His Father in Heaven, but also at the time of His death. He taught us that no one is beyond the reach of prayer. In Part 2, we saw that His first saying or His intercession towards His persecutors was foretold by the Prophet Isaiah. We also learn that He identified with His people in His suffering on the cross and we also see the divine estimate of guilt and its ultimate consequence. Lets now carry on from there...

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. - Luke 23:34

• We see the blindness of the human heart

"They know not what they do." This does not mean that the enemies of Jesus Christ were ignorant of the fact of His crucifixion. They knew full well that they had cried out "Crucify him." They also knew that their vile request to kill an innocent and righteous person had been granted to them by Pilate. They did know full well that He had been nailed to the Tree, for they were eye witnesses to the crime. What, then, did our Lord mean when He said, "They know not what they do"?

He meant that they were ignorant of the enormity of their crime. They "knew not" that it was the Lord of Glory they were crucifying. And yet they ought to have known. Their blindness was inexcusable. The Old Testament prophesies found its fulfillment in Him and should have been sufficiently plain to identify Him as the Holy One of God. His teachings were unique, and even His critiques were forced to admit it (John 7:46). And He had lived a perfect life. Before men He had lived a life that had never been lived on earth before. He did not strive to please Himself. He was always available to do the will of His Father in Heaven. There was no self-seeking about Him. His was a life of self-sacrifice from beginning to the end. His was a life ever lived to the glory of God. His was a life on which was stamped Heaven's approval, for the Father's voice testified audibly "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

There was no excuse for their ignorance. It only demonstrated the blindness of their hearts. Their rejection of the Son of God bore full witness, once for all, that the carnal mind is at "enmity against God."

It is really sad to think that this tragedy is still being repeated! Dear reader, a particular question is placed before you, as it was placed before others in the times gone by, "What shall you do with Jesus which is called Christ?" for you have to do something with Him: either you despise and reject Him, or you receive Him as the Saviour of your soul and the Lord of your life. But, it seems, for many of us, it is a small matter, of little importance of what you do. For years, we have resisted the strivings of His Spirit. For years we have shelved the all important consideration. For years, we have steeled our hearts against Him, closed our ears to His appeals, and shut our eyes to His surpassing beauty. Ah! We know not what we do. We are blind to our madness. Blind to our terrible sin. Yet we not excuseless. You still have time to welcome the Lord into your hearts and believe in Him to be saved.

To be continued in the next session....

Do keep me in your prayers.

Your Brother in Christ Jesus

The Word of Forgiveness - Seven Sayings of the Saviour - Part 2

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

Greetings to all in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In the previous blog, Part 1, we learnt that the first of the seven cross sayings of our Lord presents an attitude of prayer. Prayer not for ourselves, but for His enemies and through this prayer He taught us not to regard any as beyond the reach of prayer. Now, lets come directly to our text:

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. - Luke 23:34

• We see fulfillment of the prophetic word

How much God had made known beforehand of what should transpire on that day of all days! What a complete picture did the Holy Spirit furnish of our Lord's passion with all the attendant circumstances! Among other things it had been foretold that the Saviour should make "intercession for the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12).

That Christ should make intercession for His enemies was one of the items of the wonderful prophecy found in Isaiah 53. This chapter tells us at least ten things about the humiliation and suffering of the Redeemer. It declared that He should be despised and rejected by men; that He should be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; that He should be wounded, bruised, and chastised; that he should be led, unresistingly, to slaughter; that He should be dumb before His shearers; that He should not only suffer at the hands of man but also be bruised by the Lord; that He should pour out His soul unto death; that He should be buried in a rich man's tomb; and then it was added, that He would be numbered with transgressors; and finally, that He should make intercession for the transgressors. Here then was the prophecy - "and make intercession for the transgressors"; there was the fulfillment of it - "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." 

He thought of His murderers; He pleaded for His crucifiers; He made intercession for their forgiveness.

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. - Luke 23:34

• We see Christ identified with His people

"Father, forgive them." On no other occasion did Christ make such a request of the Father. Never before had He involved the Father's forgiveness of others. Till now, He forgave others Himself. To the man sick of paralysis, He had said, "Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven thee" (Matt. 9:2). To the woman who washed His feet with her tears in the house of Simon, He said, "Thy sins are forgiven" (Luke 7:48). Why, then, should He now ask the Father to forgive, instead of directly pronouncing the forgiveness Himself?

Forgiveness of sin is a Divine prerogative. The Jewish scribes were right when they reasoned "Who can forgive sins but God only?" (Mark 2:7). But we say, Christ was God, true, but he was man also - the God-man. He was the Son of God who had become the Son of Man with the express purpose of offering Himself as a Sacrifice for sin. And when the Lord Jesus cried, "Father, forgive them," He was on the Cross, and there He might not exercise His divine prerogatives. How accurate were His words when He had said, "The Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins" (Matt. 9:6). But He was no longer on earth! He had been "lifted up from the earth" (John 12:32).

Moreover, on the Cross He was acting as our substitute: the just was about to die for the unjust. Hence it was that hanging there as our representative, He was no longer in the place of authority where He might exercise His own prerogatives, therefore He takes the position of a supplicant before the Father. Thus we say that when the blessed Lord Jesus cried, "Father, forgive them", we see Him absolutely identified with His people. No longer was He in the position "on earth" where He had the "power" to forgive sins; instead, He intercedes for sinners - as we must.

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. - Luke 23:34

• We see divine estimate of sin and its consequent guilt

Under the Levitical economy, God required that atonement should be made for sins of ignorance. "If a soul commits a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the Lord a rm without blemish out of the flocks,...and he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him" (Lev. 5: 15-16). We can also see in Num. 15:22-25 that even a sin in ignorance is displeasing to God and the Lord requires a sacrifice for the sin in ignorance. It is in view of such Scriptures that we find David praying, "Cleanse thou me from secret faults" (Ps. 19:12).

Sin is always sin in the sight of God, whether we are conscious of it or not. Sins of ignorance need atonement just as truly as do conscious sins. God is Holy, and He will not lower His standard of righteousness to the level of our ignorance. Ignorance is not innocence. As a matter of fact, ignorance is more culpable now than in the days of Moses. We have no excuse for our ignorance. God has clearly and fully revealed to us His will through the Bible. We can never plead ignorance of its contents except to condemn our laziness.

And yet the fact remains that we are ignorant of many things, and the fault and blame are ours alone. And this does not minimize the enormity of our guilt. Sins of ignorance need the divine forgiveness as our Lord's prayer here plainly shows. Learn, then, how high is God's standard, how great is our need, and praise Him for an atonement of infinite sufficiency, which cleanses all sin.

Dear brothers and sisters, please do uphold me in your prayers so that I could share these thoughts with you on a regular basis.

Your brother in Christ Jesus.

The Word of Forgiveness - Seven sayings of the Saviour - 1

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. - Luke 23:34

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus

Greetings to all faithful in the name of Lord the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. This blog is in continuation of the blog that was posted on May 2014, with regards to the Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross. You may refer to the previous blog by clicking on the link - Intro II. From this blog onward I will be focusing on the sayings of the Saviour. Praying that you all will be touched by the depth of the meaning of all the words said by Jesus even on the cross, on the verge of death.

We will now go to the site of the crucifixion of a person who was sinless and wrongly blamed. A death was given to a person who had done no wrong. Man had done his worst. The One by whom the world was made had come into it, but the world knew Him not. The God of Glory had resided among men, but He was not wanted. The eyes that sin had blinded saw in Him no beauty that He should be desired. At His birth there was no room in the inn, which foreshadowed the treatment He was to receive at the hands of men. Shortly after His birth, Herod sought to slay Him, and this intimated the hostility His person evoked and forecast the Cross as the climax of man's enmity. Again and again His enemies sought His destruction and now their vile desires were granted to them. The Son of God had yielded Himself up into their hands. A mock trial had been gone through, and through His judges found no fault in Him, nevertheless, they had yielded to the insistent clamoring of those who hated Him as they cried again and again, "Crucify him."

The worst deed had been done. No ordinary death would suffice His implacable foes. A death of intense suffering and shame was decided upon. A cross had been secured; the Saviour had been nailed to it. And there He hangs - silent. There we neither see any form of curse coming from the mouth of the Creator upon His creation. At the start of the suffering, we neither see any cries coming from His heart, asking Father God in heaven why He has left Him. But what are His lips saying while on the cross? He is praying, praying for His enemies... Praying for you and for me, for we continually crucify Him on that cross daily by rejecting Him and the eternal life He is offering - Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. - Luke 23:34.

The first of the seven cross sayings of our Lord presents Him in the attitude of prayer. How significant! How instructive! His public ministry had opened with prayer (Luke 3:21), and here we see it closing in prayer. Such a wonderful He has left for us to emulate! No longer might those hands minister to the sick, for they are nailed to the Cross; no longer may those feet carry Him on errands of mercy, for they are fastened to the cruel Tree; no longer may He engage in instructing the apostles, for they have forsaken Him and fled - how then does He occupy Himself? In the Ministry of Prayer! What a lesson for us.

Perhaps there may be among my readers who due to their age and sickness are no longer able to work actively in the Lord's vineyard. Probably, in the days gone by, you were a teacher, a Sunday school teacher, a preacher, or a person working in ministry; but now you are bedridden. Yet, you are still here on earth! I have seen people who are advanced in their age complain about how they are being treated, or their illness, but never consider why God has allowed them to live so long. Who knows but what is God is leaving you here a few more days? Why don't we try to emulate our Saviour in the Ministry of Prayer - and perhaps accomplish more by this than by all your past active service. If you are tempted to disparage such a ministry, remember your Saviour. He prayed, prayed for others, prayed for sinners, even in His last hours.

In praying for His enemies, not only did Christ set before us a perfect example of how we should treat those who wrong and hate us, but He also taught us never to regard any as beyond the reach of prayer. If Jesus prayed for His murderers, then surely we have been encouraged to pray now for the very chief of sinners! Dear brother and sister, never lose hope.

Another thing that we should remember about this prayer, is the efficiency of prayer. This cross intercession of Christ for His enemies met with a marked marked and definite answer. The answer is seen in the conversion of the three thousand souls on the Day of Pentecost. We can base this conclusion on Acts 3:17 where the Apostle Peter uses the word "ignorance" - our ignorance in putting Jesus to death, which corresponds with our Lord's "they know not what they do." Here, then, is the explanation of the three thousand being converted under a single sermon. It was not Peter's eloquence that was the cause, but the Saviour's prayer. And, dear reader, the same is true of us. Christ prayed for you and for me long before we believed in Him. Turn to John 17:20 for proof, "Neither pray I for these (the apostles) alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." Once more let us profit from the perfect Exemplar. Let us too make intercession for the enemies of God, and if we pray in faith, we also shall pray effectively unto the salvation of lost sinners.

From the next blog, in the series, I will be concentrating more directly on our text: Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

Hope you all had a wonderful time reading. Please provide me your inputs as comments and please do keep me in your prayers.

Your Brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin George

Do We All Worship The Same GOD??

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

I know it has been a long time since I took up my laptop to write something. I was under some trials and was not in a right set of mind to write anything. But I would like to thank you all for all the prayers which has kept me going and to stand firm in the faith. I know I have left one series incomplete, I will take that up as early as possible.

Today, the question that I will be asking you all is a question which would term me do we as a radical for my thoughts. Many people, which includes Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Jews and all the other religions say that everyone points to the same Heavenly Father. To increase the interactions between inter-Christian and inter-denominational factions, we say the we all are brothers and sisters. So the question is do we really believe in the same Heavenly Father? And are we all brothers and sisters?

In a country like India, where there are different religions and we have many non-Christian friends, including myself, it is difficult to be staunch in one's own faith and proclaim the faith to others. Proclaiming the stand, even in a loving manner, sets one apart from others. Even so, I do not want to hide the truth of the faith and the exclusivity of my faith from my Christian brothers and sisters and more so from my non-Christian friends, encouraging them to investigate the matter and come back with satisfactory answers.

Although the statements 'we all believe in the same God' and 'we are all His children' appear to be self-proclaimed truths, for us Orthodox Christians, they are full of error, outrageous and totally unacceptable.

Why do we say that our God is the only God and above all Gods? Because the Bible tells us so through the blessed Prophet Isaiah, "Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no Savior” (Is. 43:10b-11). What does it mean to us when we recite these words from the Holy Bible? Also in our divine liturgy, we pray along with the celebrant “You are our God, beside You we know of no other[God]” and in the final benediction, “May Christ our true God… save us…”?

Is it just a matter of name that we give to our God? Is it okay to call our God with any other name? Is it okay to associate our God with names of other gods as Allah, Supreme Being, Buddha, the Power and so on? NO! Our God is Christ and outside Christ all other gods are idols. "This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:20-21).

Why do we say that Christ is the only God? Because Christ claimed absolute exclusivity. Jesus said, "I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through ME." (John 14:6). No other teachings has proclaimed such. Christianity is also unique in other ways. The views of gods of other religions are very different to Christianity. The philosophical Hindu is either a monist (believing that ultimate reality is a oneness beyond differentiation) or a pantheist (believing that everything is God). The popular sects of Hinduism are polytheistic (worshipers of many gods).

Buddhist sects may hold a variety of views on God, including polytheism, pantheism, or usually, atheism. Classical Islam endorses the killing of infidels, but Christianity teaches to love your enemies. Islam also teaches that there is one unpardonable sin—to accept that God has a Son. Christianity teaches that one must accept Jesus as the Son of God to get to heaven.

As far as all of humanity being called the children of God... We are all His creation, His most loved creation at that. But God has only one Son and that is Jesus Christ. However, we have the potentiality to become His children - by adoption: "To all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God” (John 1:12). Therefore, unless we belong to Christ’s family (cf. Heb. 3:6), the Church, we are not His children.

In the early Church the Lord’s Prayer was not revealed to the Catechumens until immediately before their baptism, because no one that was not baptized could presume to say, “our Father who art in heaven,” not having yet received the gift of adoption. The Lord’s Prayer is introduced in the Divine Liturgy with the words, “and make us worthy, Master, with boldness and without fear of condemnation, to dare call You, the heavenly God, Father, and to say, ‘Our Father…’” Only those who have been united with Christ, God’s only Son, can call God “Father.”

I am deeply sorry to have hurt anyone by my words, but yes this is what being a follower of Christ means. One is to be enemies with the ways of the world and be friends with Jesus Christ. With an earnest prayer to our Father in Heaven that He help us realize that He is jealous God and that He has sent His Son to this world to reach out to us and save us and help us to love Him more and more and there be a revival of the true Christian spirit across the world, I end my words.

Your Brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin George

Source: http://www.orthodoxwitness.org/over-the-rooftops/do-all-religions-have-the-same-heavenly-father/

http://www.faithfacts.org/search-for-truth/questions-of-christians/arent-all-religions-the-same

The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross - Intro. II

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

In the previous session, we understood that the death of Jesus on the cross was natural, unnatural, preternatural and supernatural. We also learnt what we mean to say by the four adjectives related to the death of Jesus on the cross. You can read more by following the link here... Introduction

Now let us understand by a careful study of the Gospel narratives that describe His death and see a sevenfold proof and verification of His assertion with regarding to Jesus laying down His life of His own accord and that no man takes it from Him.

1. That our Lord "laid down His life", and that He was not powerless n the hands of His enemies can be seen clearly in John 18, where we have the record of His arrest. A band of officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, headed by Judas, sought Him in Gethsamene. When Jesus asked them who they seek, their reply was "Jesus was Nazareth", and then our Lord uttered the ineffable title of Diety, that by which Jehovah had revealed Himself of old to Moses at the burning bush - "I AM". The effect was startling. We are told that "they went backward, and fell to the ground." These officers were awestruck. They were in the presence of incarnate Deity and were overpowered by a brief consciousness of Divine majesty. How plain it is then that had He so pleased, our blessed Saviour could have walked quietly away, leaving those who had come to arrest Him prostrate on the ground! Instead, He delivers Himself up into their hands and is led (not driven) as a lamb to the slaughter.
2. Let us now turn to Matthew 27:46 - the most solemn verse in all the Bible - "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Why does the Holy Spirit, through the Bible say that the Saviour uttered that terrible cry with a loud voice? Most certainly there is a reason for it. It becomes apparent when we note that He yielded His ghost, again with a loud voice (Matt. 27:50). What do these words mean? Do they not tell us that the Saviour was not exhausted by what He had just passed through? Do they not intimate that His strength had not failed Him? that He was still master of Himself, that instead of being conquered by death, He was but yielding Himself to it? Do they not show us that God had "laid help upon one that was mighty" (Ps. 89:19)?
3. We will now look at His fourth utterance on the cross - "I thirst". This word, in the light of its setting, furnishes a wonderful evidence of our Lord's complete self-possession. The whole verse reads as follows: "After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said, I Thirst" (John 19:28). Prophets had predicted that the Saviour would be given vinegar mingled with gall. And in order that this prophesy might be fulfilled, He cried, "I thirst". This is a clear evidence of the fact that Jesus was in full possession of His mental faculties, that His mind was unclouded, that His terrible sufferings had neither deranged nor disturbed it. As He hung on the Cross, at the close of the six hours, His mind reviewed the entire scope of the prophetic word and checked off one by one those predictions that had reference to His passion. Excepting the prophesies that were to be fulfilled after His death, only one remained unfulfilled, namely, "They gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink" (Ps. 69:21), and this was not overlooked by the blessed Saviour. Again, we say, what proof is here furnished that He "laid down his life himself"!
4. The next verification that supplies to our Lord's words in John 10:18 is found in John 19:30 - "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost". What are we intended to learn from these words? What is signified here by this act of our Saviour? The implication is clear. Prior to this, our Lord's head had been held erect. It was no impotent sufferer that hung there on the cursed tree in a swoon. Had that been the case, His head would have lolled helplessly on His chest, and it would have been impossible for Him to "bow" it. Also note attentively the verb that is being used here: it is not His head "fell", but He - consciously, calmly, reverently-bowed His head. How sublime was His carriage even on the Tree! What superb composure was shown by our Lord. Was it not His majestic bearing on the Cross that, among other things, caused the centurion to cry "Truly this was the Son of God" (Matt. 27:54)!
5. Let us look now at His last act of all: "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave the ghost" (Luke 23:46). None one else had did this or died like this. How accurately these words agree with His own statement, so often quoted by us, "I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man takes it from me, but I  lay it down of myself" (John 10:17-18). The uniqueness of our Lord's action may be seen by comparing His words on the Cross with those of dying Stephen. As the first Christian martyr came to the brink, he cried, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59). But in contrast with this, Christ said, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." Stephen's spirit was taken from him. Not so with the Saviour. None could take from Him His life. He "gave up" His spirit.
6. The next verification is with regard to the action of the soldiers to the legs of those on the three crosses gives further evidence of the uniqueness of Christ's death. We read, " Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs." (John 19:31-33). We see in the Bible that Jesus and the two thieves were crucified together. They had been on their respective crosses the same length of time. And now at the close of the day, the two thieves are still alive, for it is well known that death by crucifixion, though exceedingly painful, was usually a slow death. No vital member of the body are directly affected and often the sufferer lingered on for two or three days before being completely overcome by exhaustion. It was not natural, therefore, that Christ should be dead after but six hours on the Cross. The Jews recognized this and requested Pilate that the legs of all the three be broken and thus death be hastened. In fact, that the Saviour was "dead already" when the soldiers came to Him, though the two thieves yet lived, we have additional proof that He had voluntarily "laid down His life of Himself", that it was not "taken from him."
7. For the final demonstration of the super-natural character of Christ's death, we turn to note the wonderful phenomenon that accompanied it, "Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised." (Matt. 27:51-52), That was not an ordinary death that had been witnessed on the summit of Golgotha's rugged heights, and it was followed by no ordinary attendants. First, the veil of the temple was rent in two from top to bottom, to show that a Hand from heaven had torn the curtain that shut out the temple worshiper from the earthly throne of God - thus signifying that the way into the Holiest was now made plain and that access to God Himself had been opened up through the broken body of His Son. Next, the earth did quake. Not an earthquake, but the entire earth itself was shaken to its very foundation and rocked on its axis, as though to show it was horrified at the most awful deed that had been perpetrated on its surface. And the rocks rent - the very strength of the nature gave way before the greater power of that Death. Finally, we are told that the graves were opened, showing that the power of Satan, which is death, was there shattered - all the outward attestations of the value of that astonishing death.

Putting all these evidences together, we can say that the Death of Christ, then was unique, miraculous, supernatural. In the following series, we will listen to the words of our Saviour on the cross - words that make known to us some of the attendant circumstances of the great Tragedy; words that reveal the excellencies of the One who suffered there; words in which is wrapped up the Gospel of our Salvation; and words that inform us of the purpose, the meaning, the sufferings, and the sufficiency of the Death Divine.

May the Lord Almighty open our hearts to listen and understand to those words that fell from the mouth of His Son.

The above excerpt has been taken from the book "The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross" by Dr. Arthur W. Pink.

Your brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin George

The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross - Introduction

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

Christ is Risen! Indeed He is risen!!

We all are now in the midst of enjoying fellowship with our risen Saviour after He defeated death and defeating man's greatest enemy and making us right in the sight of our Father in Heaven. In the days that led to the crucifixion and resurrection of our Saviour, I had determined to understand the sayings of our Lord, that He uttered while on the cross. For this purpose, I had made use of the book written by Dr. Arthur W. Pink, "The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross". It was a very enlightening read and opened my eyes to many things. I would like to share few of them here with you all during the consecutive weeks. Always praying that you all will be blessed by them.

The death of the Lord Jesus Christ is a subject of never-failing interest to all who study prayerfully the Scriptures. Its is not only because the believer's all, both for time and eternity, depends upon it, but also because of its transcendent uniqueness. Four words appear to sum up the salient features of this Mystery of mysteries: The Death of Christ was NATURAL, UNNATURAL, PRETERNATURAL, and SUPERNATURAL. A brief explanation seems to be called for by way of definition and amplification.

1. The Death of Christ was natural. By this we mean to say that the death was a real death. It is because we are so familiar with the fact of the above statement that it appears simple and commonplace, yet what we touch here for the spiritual mind is one of the main elements of wonderment. The One who was "taken, and by wicked hands" crucified and slain was none less than Immanuel. The One who died on Calvary's Cross was non other than Jehovah's "Fellow". The blood that was shed on the accursed Tree was Divine - "The Church of God, which He has purchased with HIS OWN blood" (Acts 20:28). As says the apostle Paul, "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself" (2 Cor. 5:19). But how could Jehovah's Fellow suffer? How could the Eternal One die? He who was in the beginning was the Word, who was with God, and who was God, "became flesh". He who was in the form of God took upon Him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men; "and being found fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8). Thus having become incarnate, the Lord of Glory was capable of suffering death, and so it was that He "tasted" death itself. In His words, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit" we see how natural His death was, and the reality of it became still more apparent when He was laid in the tomb, where he remained for three days.
2. The Death of Christ was un-natural.  By this we mean the it was abnormal. Above we have said that in becoming incarnate, the Son of God was capable of suffering death, yet it must not be inferred from this that death therefore had a claim on him; because, the very reverse was the truth. Death is the wages of sin, and He had none. Before His birth it was said to Mary, "that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). Not only did the Lord Jesus enter this world without contracting the defilement attaching to fallen human nature, but He "did not sin" (1 Pet. 2:22), had "no sin" (1 John 3:5), "knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21). In His person and in His conduct, He was the Holy One of God "without blemish and without spot" (1 Pet. 1:19). As such, death had no claim upon Him. Even Pilate had to acknowledge that he could find in Him "no fault." Hence we say, for the Holy One of God to die was un-natural.
3. The Death of Christ was preter-natural. By this we mean that it was marked out and determined for Him beforehand. He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). Before Adam was created, the Fall was anticipated. Before sin entered the world, salvation was planned by God. In the eternal councils of Deity, it was foreordained that there should be a Saviour for sinners, a Saviour who should suffer the just for the unjust, a Saviour who should die in order that we might live. And "because there was none other good enough to pay the price of sin" the only Begotten of the Father offered Himself as the Ransom. The preternatural character of the Death of  Christ has been well termed the "undergirding of the Cross". It was in view of that approaching Death that God justly "passed over former sins" (Rom. 3:25). Had not Christ been, in the reckoning of God, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, every sinning person in the Old Testament times would have gone down to the Pit the moment he sinned!
4. The Death of Christ was super-natural. By this we mean that it was different from every other death. In all things He has the pre-eminence. His birth was different from all other births. His life was different from all other lives. And His death was different from all other deaths. This was clearly intimated in His own utterance upon the subject - "Therefore does my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down myself. I have power to... take it again." (John 10:17-18). A careful study of the Gospel narratives that describe His death furnish a sevenfold proof and verification of His assertion.

This careful study I would like to continue in the next session. Kindly do keep me in your prayers.

May the grace of the Father, love of the Son and fellowship of the Holy Spirit be unto you all.

Your brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin George

Gospel Reading - Second Tuesday of the Great Lent (St. Mark)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

As we walk in faith and observe the Great Lent, of which we are now in the second week, I would like to bring your thoughts to the Gospel Reading of the day, i.e. reading from the Gospel of St. Mark 4:21-34. This passage is basically about the various parables that had been said by Jesus and if you read the whole chapter, we would understand some of the most well known and most taught parables that Jesus had taught. I would mostly be looking at the two parables that are in verses 21-25 (The Lamp under the Basket) and verse 26-29 (The Parable of the Scattered Seed).

The Lamp Under the Basket - St. Mark 4:21-25

Before we understand the passage, it is important to understand the image and purpose of the lamp. A lamp is a source of light in darkness to avoid stumbling. The Jews also understood that the "light" as an expression of inner beauty, truth and the goodness of God. 

In His light we see light (Psalm 36:9)

His Word is a lamp that guides our steps (Psalm 119:105)

We as followers of Christ Jesus have the Eternal Light shining in our lives. And His light, not only illuminates the darkness in our lives, but it also fills us with spiritual light, joy and peace. Jesus used the example of the lamp to describe how His disciples are to live in the light of His truth and love. Just as natural light illumines the darkness and enables us to see visually, so the light of Christ shines in the hearts of the believers and enables us to see the heavenly reality of God's kingdom. 

In fact, our mission is to be the light-bearers of Christ so that others may see the truth of the gospel and be freed from the blindness of sin and deception. Jesus remarks that nothing can ever remain hidden or secret. We try to hide the light of Christ from others and it is like placing a lid on the light of Jesus that shines in our lives. If a lamp doesn't help people on how to find the correct path, i.e. the path to find God and how to live for Him, then what use is the light in our lives? Do not hide your lights by the baskets of complacency, resentment, embarrassment, stubbornness of heart, or disobedience. Let your light shine forth and let the people know the True God.

The Parable of the Scattered Seed - St. Mark 4:26-29

This parable is very unique to the Gospel of St. Mark, for this is not mentioned by any of the other Gospel writers. This parable reveals about the how the Word of God - the seed, produces fruit and how it grows. The growth produced by the Word is a mystery, for the sower can sow the seed and see it sprout and grow, but the growth in itself is beyond his comprehension, and even the seed grows by itself. The growth is also gradual, it does not occur all at once, but step by step, first the blade, then the head, then the full grain. But through such growth, the harvest comes eventually. So the Kingdom of God, growing by the virtue of the Word of God being planted, is similar to the amazing growth observed in the sowing of grain.

In our mission to be light-bearers of Christ, we must be like the sower in the parable, sowing the Word of God in the lives of all those around us. We should share the Word of God with all expecting and praying for a plentiful harvest. The harvest will not be sudden and over-night, but it will take time for the "seed" - The Word of God, to sprout in the lives of the hearers and take root. But just like a sower, we need to water the soil and keep on giving nutrients by encouraging them and not lose hope when the seed takes time to grow in their lives.

May the Lord Almighty bless you and keep you and enable you to be the light-bearers of Christ and sowers of the Word of God in the lives of many people around you.

Your brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin George

Gospel Reading - First Friday of the Great Lent (St. Matt. 5)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

All praise and glory to the Triune God. As we continue our walk during this Lenten period, I would like to reflect on a small portion of today's evening Gospel Reading from the Gospel of St. Matthew 5: 17-26. From this section, I would like to ponder on our Master's Voice from verses 21-26, which is on Anger.

Robert Jones, in his book Uprooting Anger, wrote "Anger is a universal problem, prevalent in every culture, experienced by every generation. No one is isolated from its presence or immune from its poison. It permeates each person and spoils our most intimate relationships. Anger is a given part of our fallen human fabric. Sadly this is true even in our Christian homes and churches."

Adding on to Robert Jones' observation about our Christian homes and churches that our anger is often directed toward those we should love most: our spouse, children, parents, or siblings in human families, and those who are true brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus in our church families. What is anger? We will mostly say, "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it, especially if it's directed toward me." We can generally define anger simply as a strong feeling of displeasure, and usually of antagonism. It is often followed by sinful emotions, words, and actions hurtful to those who are the objects of our anger.

Some people may justify their anger as righteous anger. They feel that they have a right to be angry, given a certain situation. How, then, can I know if my anger is righteous anger? First, righteous anger arises from an accurate perception of true evil - that is, as a violation of God's moral law. It focuses on God and His will, not on me and my will. Second, righteous anger is always self-controlled. It never causes one to lose his temper or retaliate in some vengeful way.

In facing up to our anger, we need to realize that no one else causes us to be angry. Someone else's words or actions may become the occasion of our anger, but the cause lies deep within us - usually our pride, or selfishness, or desire to control. We may become angry because someone has mistreated us in some way. A person gossips about us, and when we hear about it, we get angry. Why? It's likely because our reputation or our character has been questioned. Again the cause is our pride.

We get angry because we don't get our way. We frequently see this in children, but it is true of us who are adults too. We get angry as a response to someone else's anger too. 

These hypothetical situations are not intended to justify our actions. Clearly they are sinful. But we can choose how we will respond to the sinful actions of others towards us. Consider Apostle Peter's words to the slaves in the first-century churches, who often served under cruel and unjust masters. According to much present-day thinking they would be justified in their anger, but here are Peter's words to them:

Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God." (1 Peter 2:18-20).

St. Peter's instructions to slaves are a specific application of a broader scriptural principle: We are to respond to any unjust treatment as "mindful of God". To be mindful of God means to think of God's will and God's glory. How would God have me respond in this situation? How can I best glorify God by my response? Do I believe that this difficult situation or this unjust treatment is under the sovereign control of God and that in His infinite wisdom and goodness He is using these difficult circumstances to conform me more to the likeness of Christ? (see Romans 8:28; Hebrews 12:4-11).

I have no doubt that in tense situations and in the emotional heat of the moment, we are not going to go through a checklist of questions. But we can and should develop that habit of thinking this way. Oftentimes, my response to someone else's unjust action is sinful anger. But in the after moments of a difficult episode, we can choose to continue to hold on to our anger, or we can reflect on such questions as above and allow the Holy Spirit to dissolve our anger.

There might be a myriad of other circumstances or actions of other people that can tempt us to be angry. But they can never cause us to be angry. The cause always lies within our hearts, usually as a result of our pride or selfishness. It is safe to say that all of us get angry from time to time. So how do we handle our anger in a God-honoring way? First, we have to recognize and acknowledge our anger and the sinfulness of it. Then we need to ask ourselves why we became angry. Was it because of our pride or selfishness or some idol of the heart we are protecting? If so, we need to repent not only of our anger but also of our pride, selfishness and idolatry.

After having dealt with the expression of our anger through recognition and repentance, we need to change our attitude toward the person or persons whose words or actions triggered our anger. If we have expressed our anger outwardly, we also need to seek the forgiveness of the person we have wounded by our anger.

Do remember our Master's Voice in St. Matt. 5:23-24

"So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer you sacrifice to God."

May the love of the Father, grace of the Son and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be unto you all and guide you to fight the issues of anger you might face in your life.
Please do keep me in your prayers.

Your Brother in Christ Jesus
Jobin George 

Gospel Reading - First Thursday of the Great Lent (St.. Matt. 7)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

As we observe the Great Lent, I would like to focus on the Gospel Readings on the daily basis. Today, I am concentrating on the readings from evening portion, St. Matthew 7: 1-12. I would like to point out one lesson that Jesus teaches us, and that we mostly forget.

Judgementalism (v. 1-5)

Jesus teaches us that we are not to meant judge others, so that we might not be judged. But today, judgementalism is one of the most subtle sins that we practice, under the guise of being zealous for what is right. It's very obvious that within our conservative circles, there are a myriad of opinions on everything from theology to conduct to lifestyle and politics. Not only are there multiple opinions but we usually assume our opinion is correct. That's where our trouble with judgementalism begins. We equate our opinions with truth.

We are judgmental on the people dress when going to church. Most people would think "Didn't they have any reverence for God? Would they dress so casually if they were going to an audience with an important personality?". Only such thoughts are wrongs. There is nothing in the BIble that tells us what we ought to wear to church. I have had such thoughts in my heart.

Finally, I decided that reverence for God is not a matter of dress; it's a matter of the heart. Jesus said that true worshipers are those who worship the Father in spirit and truth (John 4:23). now its true that casual dress may reflect a casual attitude toward God, but I cannot discern that. Therefore, I should avoid ascribing an attitude of irreverence based purely on a person's dress.

Apostle Paul faced the problem of judgmentalism among the people in the church at Rome. One was vegetarianism vs. an "eat whatever you want" mentality. The second issue was a matter of observing sertain days as holy days. In Paul's words, "One person esteems one day as a\better than another, while another esteems all days alike." (Romans 14:5). Apparently, both sides of the parties were judgemental towards the other. Similarly, we today are judgemental towards contemporary music tunes in our churches against traditional music tunes. The same is true with the issue of temperance versus abstinence.

The point that I intend to make here is, it doesn't matter which side of an issue we are on. It is easy to become judgmental toward anyone whose opinions are different from ours. And then we hide our judgementalism under the cloak of Christian convictions.

Apostle Paul's response to the situation in Rome was, "Stop judging one another regardless of which position you take." And then he added, "Who are you to pass judgement on the servant of another. It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make Him stand" (Romans 14:4). Basically, Paul was saying, "Stop trying to play God toward your fellow believers in Christ. God is the Judge, not you."

That's what we do when we judge others whose preferences and practices are different from ours. We are arrogating ourselves a role God has reserved for Himself. Perhaps this is what Jesus had in mind when He taught in the above said passage.

What I have written to this point does not mean that we should never pass judgement on the practices and beliefs of others. When someone's lifestyle or conduct is clearly out of line with the Scriptures, then we are right to say that the person is sinning. There are practices clearly condemned in Scripture. For examples, look for St. Paul's description of the moral slide into utter depravity in Romans 1:24-32, or at his description of the "works of the flesh" (Galatians 5:19-21), or the characteristics of the "last days" (2 Tim. 3:1-5). These practices are clearly sinful and when we judge them as such, we are agreeing with the Word of God. It is the Bible that is judging, not ourselves.

Having said that, though, we can still sin even when we judge accordance with Scripture. We can sin if we judge from an attitude of self righteousness or if we judge harshly or with a spirit of censoriousness. We sin if we condemn the obviously flagrant sins of others without at the same time acknowledging that we ourselves are sinners before God.

During this blessed Lent, may the Lord Almighty help us to find our faults and help us in not judging others, without first judging ourselves.

Your Brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin George

3 Day Lent - The Disappearance of Sin

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus

We are now observing the 3 Day Lent or also known as The Nineveh Lent. The Nineveh lent symbolifies the repentance of the people of the city of Nineveh and they coming back to God. As we come to the close of the first day of the lent, I would like to bring to your notice the mind boggling scenario of the disappearance of sin or the notion of it from our lives.

Author Peter Barnes, in an article titled "What! Me? A Sinner?" wrote,

In the twentieth century England, C. S. Lewis noted that, "The barrier I have met is the almost total absence from the minds of my audience of any sense of sin." And in 2001, New Testament scholar D. A. Carson commented that the most frustrating aspect of doing evangelism in universities is the fact that the students generally have no idea of sin. "They know how to sin well enough, but they have no idea of what constitutes sin."

In many of our cultures, we can see that the entire concept of sin has virtually disappeared and in most of our churches the notion of sin has been softened, to accommodate modern sensibilities.  Strong biblical words for sin have been excised from our vocabulary. People no longer commit adultery, instead they have an affair. Corporate executives do not steal, they commit fraud.

In many of the churches and conservative societies, the idea of sin has not disappeared, but in many instances, it has been deflected to those outside our circles who commit flagrant sins such as abortion, homosexuality, and murder, or the notorious white-collar crimes of high-level corporate executives. It's easy for us to condemn those obvious sins while virtually ignoring our own sins of gossip, pride, envy, bitterness, and lust, or even the lack of those gracious qualities that St. Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23).

Many a times, the attitude towards sin can be seen reflected in our prayers. Many of us appear to be concerned about the sins of the society than we are concerned of our own sins - sins committed by the saints, people sanctified by God, for God. Our gossip or unkind words about a brother or sister in Christ Jesus roll off our tongues without any awareness of wrong doing. We also harbor hurts over wrongs long past without any effort to forgive as God has forgiven us. We look down our religious noses at "sinners" in the society without any sense of a humble "there but for grace of God go I" spirit.

We are ready to cry out in anger and are incensed when something wrong is done in the society. But why do we not mourn over our selfishness, our critical spirit, our impatience, and our anger? We find it so easy to let off our sins from the hook by saying that our sins not as bad as the flagrant ones of the society. But God has not given us the authority to establish values for different sins. Instead, He says through the writing of James, "Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for (is guilty of) all of it" (James 2:10). That Scripture is difficult for us to understand because we think in terms of individual laws and their respective penalties. But God's law is seamless. The Bible speaks not of God's laws, as if many of them, but of God's law as a single whole. When a person commits murder, he breaks God's law. When a Christian lets corrupting speech (that is, speech which tends to tear down another person) come out of his mouth (see, Ephesians 4:29), he breaks God's law.

We all understand that some sins are more serious than others. I would rather be guilty of a lustful look than of adultery. Yet Jesus said that with that lustful look, I have actually committed adultery in my heart. I would rather be angry at someone than to murder that person. Yet Jesus said that whoever murders and whoever is angry with his brother are both liable to judgement (see Matthew 5:21-22). The truth is, all sin is serious because all sin is breaking of God's law.

The apostle John wrote, "Sin is lawlessness" (1 John 3:4). All sin, even sin that seems minor in our eyes, is lawlessness. It is not just breaking of a single command; it is a complete disregard for the law of God, a deliberate rejection of His moral will in favor of fulfilling one's own desires. The Bible states simply states that sin - all sin without distinction - is lawlessness.

In the Greek culture, sin originally meant to "miss the mark", that is, to miss the center of the target. Therefore, sin was considered a miscalculation or failure to achieve. There is some truth in that even today. A person, for example, when genuinely repentant over some sinful behavior and is earnestly seeking to overcome it but fails frequently. He wants to hit the bulls-eye every time, but he can't seem to pull it off. However, many a times it would seem that our sinful actions do not stem from a failure to achieve but from an inner urge to fulfill our own desires. As Apostle James wrote, "Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire: (James 1:14). We gossip or lust because of the sinful pleasure we get out of it. At that time, the lure of that momentary pleasure is stronger than our desire to please God.

Sin is sin. Even those sins that we tolerate in our lives are serious n God's eyes. Our religious pride, our critical attitudes, our unkind speech about others, our impatience and anger, even our anxiety (see Philippians 4:6); all of these are serious in the sight of God.

The apostle Paul, in stressing the need to seek justification by faith in Christ alone, quoted from the Old Testament, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them" (Galatians 3:10). That is the standard of obedience that is expected of us. St. Paul goes on to assure us that Christ has "redeemed us (that is, all who trust in Him as their redeemer) from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13). But the fact still remains that the seemingly minor sins we tolerate in our lives do indeed deserve the curse of God.

Yes, the whole idea of sin may have disappeared from our cultures. It may have softened in many of our churches so as not to make the audiences uncomfortable. Also, sad to say this, the concept of sin among many Christians have been redefined to cover only the obviously gross sins of our society. The result is that for many morally upright believers, the awareness of personal sin has effectively disappeared from their consciences. But it has not disappeared from the sight of God. Rather, all sin, both the respectable sins which are often tolerated and the flagrant sins of the society, are a disregard for the law of God and are reprehensible in His sight. Both deserve the curse of God.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, during this period of the 3 day lent season, let us remember and recollect all of the sins that we have committed against God, for no sin is worthy to be placed before God. Let us become clear in our consciences so that we can stand upright in the presence of God. 

May the Lord Almighty bless you and keep you in all your ways.

Your Brother in Christ Jesus

Jobin George

P.S. The above portion has been taken from the book "Respectable Sins" by Jerry Bridges