Jump for Joy!

Good Friday is the day many concentrate on the suffering of Jesus. However, we rarely stop and think for very long about those who caused His suffering.

When we do think about it, we may think, “How could they have done those cruel things to Jesus?“

Jesus answered in His prayer from the cross.  They did not know what they were doing.  

Did they really not know they were torturing and killing Him?  Yes, they knew that on a surface level, but they did not know the deeper implications of what they were doing.

We may think, “How could people in this world today be so cruel to do things they do?”  Same answer.  They do not know what they are doing.

Jesus pointed out people could do very unmerciful things because their “not knowing” went even deeper.

Jesus said,

“In fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known The Father or Me.”

John 16:2-3

Is it possible we ourselves do not know the wounds we cause through our words and our actions?

Do we know when we hurt others, we are hurting one who has Jesus inside them?

Jesus said, 

“If you have done it to the least of these, you have done it unto Me.”

Matthew 25:40

Would you cause Jesus to suffer?

Most of us would say no!

But then we have to consider a few important things Jesus taught us.

Jesus said, 

“I  am in My Father and you are in Me and I in you.   Whoever has My Commandments and observes them is the one who loves Me.”

John 14:20-21

Jesus said, 

“If you love Me, keep My Commands.”

John 14:15

Jesus said, 

“A new Command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

John 13:34

Jesus said, 

“I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Matthew 5:34

We did not physically nail Jesus to the cross, but what suffering have we brought to this world?  How many times have we hurt people, sometimes not knowing … sadly, sometimes not caring …

and never processing we were doing it unto Jesus Himself.

Acts of violence, even those we call “justifiable,” carried out in the name of discipline, war, etc.

Lying.  Shunning.  Denying.  Betraying.  Gossiping.  Accusing.  Judging.  Condemning.  Not Forgiving.  Even evil thoughts that never made it to actions.

All were done against Jesus Himself.

Why love one another?  We are not just loving the person.  We are loving Jesus Who is inside them, even if they do not know it.

Why love our enemies?  It is Jesus inside them, even if they do not know it.

Why love at all?  Because if we profess to love Jesus, we follow His Commands.

Hear Jesus’ Words again.

“If you have done it to the least of these, you have done it unto Me.”

Matthew 25:40

Today, as you reflect on the cross, think of all those you may have hurt in your life or are hurting right now.  

Ask God to forgive you.

Ask God to take away any pain you may have caused, even when you did not know what you were doing.

Commit yourself to changing hurt to love from this moment on.

And perhaps that journey will start by your being at the foot of the cross and asking Jesus’ forgiveness for ever causing Him pain through your actions against others.

You can do that.  The cross is actually God’s Throne of Grace and Mercy.

Paul said, 

Let us therefore come boldly to The Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

You will hear Jesus say, “I forgive you.  You did not know.  Now you do.  Go forth and love.  You will find Me everywhere!”

The story of Peter intrigues me.  Peter was a loose cannon.  He was more a collection of loose sharp rocks than a solid Rock.

Jesus, Who knew all, undoubtedly saw the future, including Peter’s temper tantrums and denial.

And yet Jesus chose him … fetched him out of a fishing boat … and trained him personally for the work to which God was calling him.

As much as Jesus saw Peter’s youthful arrogance, there was a moment when Peter understood he was powerless in The Presence of The One Who was All Power.

Perhaps Peter was caught off guard by Jesus’ question.  They were all just talking about who everybody thought Jesus was.

Jesus had said,

“But what about you?” Who do you say I am?”

Matthew 16:15

In that moment, Peter knew The Answer.  I can imagine the words just gushing forth from his mouth, perhaps even surprising him.

“You are The Messiah, The Son of The Living God!”

Matthew 16:19

And with that, Jesus told Peter who he was … why He had chosen him … who he would become when he was perfected in God’s Time.

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. 

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.”

Matthew 16:17-18

Peter followed Jesus.  His passion never wavered … but his passion was often not focused in the right direction.

He thought he could walk on water.  He couldn’t alone, but he could with Jesus.

He tried to dispute God’s Plan for Jesus.  He couldn’t.  Jesus identified satan tempting him.

He thought he could stop God’s Plan by force.  He cut off a soldier’s ear in what he thought was a defense of Jesus.  Jesus rebuked him and told him to put his sword away.

And then … Jesus was about to be killed.  And Peter was powerless to stop God’s Plan … nor did he understand it.  

He was confused and afraid.  And he did the unthinkable.  He denied he even knew Jesus.

Jesus had told him he would.  He was sure he wouldn’t.  He knew himself … or did he.

A rooster’s crow threatened to condemn him.  The anguish of sin engulfed him.   An empty tomb stunned him.  Peter did not know what to do.  He felt more empty than the tomb.

And then there was Jesus standing before him, His Arms open wide.  It is not recorded what they said to each other, but I think Jesus would have said to Peter what He said about those crucifying Him.

“Father, forgive him.  He did not know what he was doing.”

Peter finally understood what Grace felt like.  And he knew what he was called to do.  He was to teach his world the Joy of being forgiven.

His God given passion turned into passion for God … and upon that rock, God built His Church.

Think of your life.  Think of those times when Jesus said, “Father forgive him/her.  He/she did not know what he/she was doing.”

What has God called you to do?  Are you doing it?

When you know Who He is, you will know who you are and why you are here!

One way to truly experience the depth of The Bible is to step in and imagine yourself as the people in the stories.

As Easter approaches, I invite you to stop and fully meditate on how it would have been to live as each of the key players.

For the next few moments, see yourself as one of Jesus’ Disciples.

How do you respond to all you witnessed first hand?  The blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, those who could not speak speak, the mentally ill become totally sane … and more.

Fish practically jump into fishing boats.  Water is turned into wine.  Thousands of people are fed from almost nothing.  Stormy seas are completely calmed.  One of your friends walks on water.

And besides all that, dead people come back to life!  You witness it all.

So how do you feel when Jesus, your friend Who is responsible for it all, now tells you He is going to be killed soon?  

And beyond that, He says it will happen in part because one of your close knit group will betray Him.

Would you consider whether it could somehow be you?  Would you dare to ask Jesus if it was you?

Or would you be absolutely sure it would never be you?  

Would you start looking at your friends and judging who you thought was most likely the villain?

How would you react when you thought you knew who it would be?

What if Jesus confirmed who it would be?  Would your first thought be that you were glad it wasn’t you?  

Would you feel righteous anger when you did know?  Would you jump up and do something to or for the one who was about to fall?  

Would you shake your head and look the other way?  

Would you whisper to your other friends about him?  Would you say, “He is really messed up.  We need to pray for him.”  

Or would you look to Jesus for what He wanted you to do?

Points To Ponder

What miracles have you seen in your life?  Did you see Jesus when they happened?  How did it change your life?

What do you do when you know someone is on the verge of falling to temptation?

What do you do when you know someone has fallen?

Are you humble enough to ask Jesus if you have betrayed Him in any way?  

Could there be anything in you that is about to open a door for satan?

What if Jesus’ Answer is, 

“Yes, it is you.”  

What will you do then?

If you love Me, keep My Commands.

John 4:15

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24

As Easter approaches, we often focus on what Jesus said from the cross.  Those Words are very significant and give us a continuing, beautiful picture of Love.

However, it is equally important to notice what Jesus did not say.

Jesus did NOT say:

My goose is cooked now.  I’m a dead man walking!

This whole thing is a set up.  It’s not fair!  I know My Rights.

Do you know Who I AM?  I outrank every one of you!

We need to have a better system to keep all these murderers out.  I’ll make sure you and your family are all tortured before you are killed.

Everyone needs to get a sword and use it.  You can start by cutting off the ears of anyone who confronts you.

I’ll call Daddy and He’ll send down fire from Heaven.  I’m gonna fry you all!

Where is my so called friend, Peter?  He denied Me.  This is the last time I even say his name.  He’s dead to Me now.

John, why are you just standing there?  You implied you were the one I loved.  You’re going to stand here and watch and do nothing?

(To the thief insulting Him)  How can you say those nasty things?  You’re a crook!

(To the thief who asked to join Him in His Kingdom)  You want to go with Me now?  Where were you when I could have done something for you?  If you had asked me earlier, maybe you wouldn’t be here.  Now you want to cash in on what I’ve got?

Mama, come save me!  I wanna go home with you now.

The worst thing that can happen is for Me to die.  I’m going to hang on to this body at all cost.  I surrender to no one!

I hurt!  Can’t you all see how much I’m suffering!

What Jesus DID say:

I tell you, do not resist an evil person.  If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.

Matthew 5:39

Father, forgive them,

for they do not know what they are doing.

Luke 23:34

Jesus did not say anything to the thief who was insulting Him.

(To the thief, who sought to go with Jesus), He said,

“Truly, I tell you,

today you will be with Me in paradise.”

Luke 23:43

Father, into Your Hands I commit My Spirit.

Luke 23:46

For the joy set before Him,

He endured the cross,

scorning its shame, and sat down

at the right hand of the throne of God!

Hebrews 12:2

I AM The Living One; 

I was dead and now look, 

I AM alive forever and ever!  

And I hold the keys to death and Hades.

Revelation 1:18

Be sure of this.  I AM with you always!

Matthew 28:20

Which scenario sounds the most like what you would have said? 

Curious minds want to know.  Where was Jesus between the time of His Crucifixion and Easter morning?

One thing seems pretty certain.  He was not taking nap in the tomb. 

Sunday morning was not when He was resurrected.  Sunday morning was just when it was confirmed that He was not in the tomb.

The angel reported,

He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.

Matthew 28:6

So when did He rise?  

He rose at the moment He said,

“Into Your Hands, I commit My Spirit.”

Luke 23:46

Where did He go?

He told His Next Door Neighbor on the cross,

“Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Luke 23:43

Where is Paradise?  We get several indications.

God created Paradise in a part of the earth called The Garden of Eden.  It was a perfect world created out of the heart of God revealed on earth.

It was not referred to as Paradise then, but The Tree of Life was located there.  John saw The Tree of Life again in his Revelation of the new earth.  The Tree was identified as being “in The Paradise of God.”

To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from The Tree of Life, which is in The Paradise of God.

Revelation 2:7

Going back to where Jesus said He would be, He said,

“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Matthew 12:40

I believe “the heart of the earth” is Paradise.  Remember, Eden was not destroyed.  It was only closed to sinful people.

We will never know what process God used to eliminate or transform the old beat up, mangled body of Jesus.  We really do not need to know.

What we do know is Jesus took a former sinner Home with Him on the day they vacated their earthly bodies.  And Home was described as Paradise.

I like to imagine Jesus and the unnamed saved man picnicking under The Tree of Life before they got ready to appear again on earth.

Note — it was said in the time after Jesus’ Resurrection, 

The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

Matthew 27:53

Wouldn’t everyone have been surprised to find one they thought was a crucified thief among them?  

And what a testimony he must have had!

And that is the true Message of Easter.  Grace greater than all our sins!

For the wages of sin is death, but The Gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Romans 6:23

Simon of Cyrene was forced by the Roman soldiers to carry Jesus’ cross.

Why is this detail included in a story that had far more drama than one poor man struggling with a very unfair assignment?

Who does Simon represent?  

He is each one of us.  We are the one carrying the cross.  

We can imagine the thrill of riding into Jerusalem to the sounds of the cheering crowds and the feelings of the palms waving around us.

We can imagine the intimate supper with friends. We might be a bit puzzled at some of the things Jesus said, but then again, there had been other times when we didn’t quite understand what He meant.

But would we follow Jesus through all that happened after that memorable supper? 

Are we willing to be ridiculed and tortured? Are we willing to take up our cross and follow Him? Would He really expect that? 

Yes.

Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be My Disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.”
Matthew 16:24

You might be thinking, “Wait! I didn’t sign on for this! I mean I just wanted a cross pin or a necklace … or maybe a cross to hang on the wall to remember You. But not this!”

But you suddenly realize you are on the road to certain death … an ugly, agonizing death. The weight of your cross is unbearably heavy.

What was designed to be a Tree of Life for you is now covered with your sins … both the ones others have seen and the private ones you worked so hard to cover … now exposed, along with your suffering. How did you get here?

It’s pay day! 

And you earned every bit of what you now carry. 

But God didn’t do it to you. Satan did. He tempted you, watched with glee as you fell, accused you and then convinced you God would punish you forever for your sins.

“For the wages of sin is death …”
Romans 6:23

Shouldn’t someone have told you this is how it would all end? 

But wait! Someone is stepping out of the crowd. He is coming toward you.  It is Jesus!

You look up at Him through your pain. You hear Him say, “You’ve carried this long enough and far enough. I’ll carry it the rest of the way, if you’re ready to turn loose of it.”

You use your last bit of strength to release the cross to Him. And when you do, the weight is removed!

You discover in wonder The Truth of Peter’s Words.

“He Himself bore our sins in His Body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His Wounds you have been healed.”
1 Peter 2:24

As Jesus shoulders not only your sins, but also the sins of the whole world, you discover with Joy the rest of the story.

“The wages of sin is death, but The Gift of God is Eternal Life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in The Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Gelatians 2:20

You walk on, following Him.  You now know where you are both headed.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, 

and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 

looking to Jesus, The Founder and Perfecter of our faith, 

Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of The Throne of God!

Hebrews 12:1-3

Some people love being a part of a crowd.  They get energy from those around them.  And that energy fuels emotion which fuels action.

You can enjoy music together and be a part of a sing along.  You can cheer for your favorite sports team.  You can join together in praise and worship of God.

People being together in a common place doing common things can bring unity.  Unity is the very thing Jesus prayed for us.

It always touched my heart to know Jesus not only prayed for His Disciples, He prayed to God for those who would come after them.

I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.

John 17:20-21

It would seem the crowd listening to Jesus’ Sermon on The Mount was a good start toward that unity.

It seems like the crowd that welcomed Jesus on what we call Palm Sunday had potential.

Satan hates any unity with God.  Everything satan does is with the goal of separating us from God.  But unity?  Yes, he smiles and says, “I can work with that.”

Possibly some of the same people who welcomed Jesus on Sunday called for His crucifixion on Friday.

Crowds can become mobs.  Heavenly things can go to Hell quickly.  

Why?

Because once you as an individual stop listening to God and start listening to the buzz around you, your thoughts can shift.

What would seem very wrong if it was just you and God seems perfectly acceptable when you are in a crowd of people.  In fact, with just the right amount of crowd Adrenalin, doing something violent may seem not only possible, but necessary.

And then there is also the feeling that whatever direction the crowd is going, you cannot stop them.  To cast a dissenting vote in the midst of a crowd can seem like suicide.  Some decide it is better to keep quiet and go with the flow.

So what would you have done if you had been a part of the crowd on Palm Sunday?

And if you were also in the crowd who called for Jesus’ crucifixion, what would you have done?

Would you have spoken up for Jesus?

Or would you have joined the group call for His death?

Would you have denied you even knew Him?

Would you have quietly slipped away and tried to wash your hands of the whole mess?

And if you had been in the crowd witnessing  the crucifixion, what would you have done?

Every crowd is simply a collection of individual people, who whether they know it or not, make a decision to follow God or follow satan.

Remember Jesus’ prayer that we would be one with Him and His Father.

May our voices continue to be praises to our  King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

If you had a child who came home covered in mud, would you reject them?  Would you march them off to a dungeon, lock them in and throw away the key?

What if that child was so dirty they were hardly recognizable as your child?  What if the neighbors were whispering he was some kind of monster?

What if that child really did not want a bath?  What if he wanted to go back out and roll in the dirt some more?

As a loving parent, I believe you would look right through that dirt and see the wonderful child you know.  You would see how perfect he is going to be after his bath.

I believe you would take your child by the hand and lead them to the bath.  Yes, take their hand even if they are kicking and screaming.

You would lovingly wash all the dirt away and present the child to the mirror to remind him what he was created to be.

I like to think that child would laugh in delight as he looked in the mirror and discovered how much he looked like you.

I believe that is a picture of how God sees us and cares for us, even when we are so covered with sin that we are almost unrecognizable as His Child.

I believe He firmly guides us and takes away dirt we can’t.

I believe He cleans us up even when we don’t ask Him to.  He loves the children He created and He wants us to see ourselves that way too.

And if we arrive at the Pearly Gates covered with the sin of this world, maybe God in His Great Mercy will clean us up and still let us into Heaven!

 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness.

Ezekiel 36:25

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin… wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow!

Psalm 51:2 and 7

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known!

1 Corinthians 13:12

We sometimes put more emphasis on Jesus’ death than His Remarkable Life.

Jesus said more about Life than death.  With so much emphasis on Jesus’ death, I just had to ask Him about it.

I asked Him, “Why did You come?”

Jesus came to do his Father’s will.

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My Own Will but The Will of Him Who sent Me.

John 6:38

Jesus came to fulfill the law.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 

Matthew 5:17

Jesus came to divide good from evil.

Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.

Luke 12:51

Jesus came to call sinners, not to condemn them, but to rescue them.

Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.

Mark 2:17

Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

For The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Luke 19:10

Jesus came so no one need be in darkness.

I have come into the world as Light, so that whoever believes in Me may not remain in darkness.

John 12:46

Jesus came that the world might be saved.  He did not come to condemn.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.

John 3:17

Jesus came to serve and give his life.  Note, His Life is The Way.  Note, giving a Life is different from giving up a life.

For even The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His Life as a ransom for many.

Mark 10:45

Jesus came to bear witness to The Truth.

For this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to The Truth.

John 18:37

Jesus came to proclaim good news.

“The Spirit of The Lord is upon Me,

because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the year of The Lord’s favor.”

Luke 4:18-19

Jesus came to give abundant Life!

I came that they may have LIFE and have it abundantly!

John 10:10

Jesus added,

“I have told you this so that My Joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete!”

John 15:11

So much of what we believe is tied up with the belief we must do something to get something.

This is reflected most acutely in how we relate to God.

Some believe we must invite Him in for Him to be there.

Some believe, even if He is a Gift, they must receive Him before He is there.

Some believe they must pray for something to get it.  Name it and claim it.  

And some believe the more people who join a prayer petition, the more likely God is to give them what they want.

However, God does not do business on a transactional basis.  He is not an ATM machine.  He does not do what He does based on His poll numbers.

And thankfully God does not go away mad if we don’t gratefully accept His Gifts.

He keeps giving with His Inexhaustible  Love until we discover Him with Joy.  God created us all and gave us hearts, lungs, stomachs and a whole lot of other things.  He gave them freely as a gift.

The sunrises, sunsets, rains and more — all free gifts from The Father.  And too many others gifts to list here.

But when we discover God, He is delighted to receive our gratitude for all the blessings He has given us … yes, even the unclaimed ones.

And most of all, He is delighted every time someone wants to keep walking through life with the total awareness of His Presence and continued guidance.

He is delighted when we discover He is in our hearts and has been there from the moment of our creation.

Jesus said,

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.”

John 15:16

And Jesus said one day, we would realize what we already had.  He said,

“On that day you will realize that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.”

John 14:20

We don’t have to do anything to get Him there.  He created us with Himself tucked inside.  And then He faithfully knocks until we discover He is there.  Some call it our heartbeat.

Even if you don’t know God yet, He will never give up on you.  His Love has no limits.

I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

Jeremiah 31:3

I agree with Paul,

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, noranything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from The Love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39