February 6 2016

February 6 2016 Greetings My Friend Ash Wednesday is coming up soon and my mind is reflecting on Jesus, His gift to all who will receive His gift of salvation. I frequently take a deep look at the cross and the gruesome walk that lead to the cross and the horror of the cross itself. In deep sadness I begin the first steps of Jesus’ betrayal from a trusted and close member of His inner group. Jesus knows who is going to betray Him, He hints at it during the Last Supper. After the meal He goes to the garden and prays asking “Father take this cup of suffering from me, not my will but Your will.” As I read I see His anxiousness when he gets up and goes to the disciples, fuss’ at them because they are sleeping instead of praying. In His prayer time He sweats drops of blood. Our Lord knew what He was facing and was struggling. Lord Jesus prays His prayer 3 times when Father God sends angels to comfort Him. I believe He was comforted because when the soldiers came He went with them instead of running away. He allows Himself to be ridiculed, scourged ( the whip had various things tied to it) more times than allowed by the Jewish tradition my guess is at least 100 times. After Pontius Pilate tries to have Jesus released the Jewish people shouted to have Him crucified. So Pilate ordered that He be crucified. The soldiers played with Jesus by mocking Him with words and cruel acts. Shoving our Lord around screaming “if You are God save Yourself.” They put a set of royal robes on Him and gave Him a staff after the taunting Jesus was beaten with the staff, mostly on His face. The Bible teaches us that His face was disfigured. Next Jesus was ordered to carry His cross. He started out but due to the loss of blood and the great pain He was too weak to do so. A passerby was pressed into carrying His cross for Him. On the hill nails were pounded into His flesh. When I started this journey the nails are what my mind focused on and I cringed in empathy for Him. One time when reading the details of this last walk of His life I saw all the other horrible pain He went through before those nails. Even on the cross I saw more pain. There He is riding up and down on the cross struggling to pull air into His lungs and I see that already tender and abused back being ripped even more on the wood. The jaunts come again “If You are God save Yourself.” Up on the cross even one of the two thieves is jeering Him. The other senses that Jesus is truly Lord and asks to be in paradise with Jesus. Jesus tells him he will indeed be in paradise that very day with Him. There is that first sign of hope I have. This thief believes with all of his heart and he will be with Jesus. Our Savior eventually dies and I feel the moment of bitterness and pain from the followers. They leave, hide and are so confused. Three days later Jesus is risen. Here I am so joyous myself. The followers are shocked and surprised. After being with Jesus for 40 more days and watching Him ascend into heaven they go out and boldly proclaim the risen Christ. They will die to tell The Good News. This long and painful look strengthens my desire to do as Jesus told the disciples all those years ago, “Go forth making disciples of all nations.” This is my hope and my desire to pass the Good News to all and offer all people the chance of eternity in heaven. May God bless you and keep you and make His face shine on you. Love Janet