Sunday, April 12, 2020

He Has Risen (HW14)

              'Holy Week'

Mat 16:16,21  Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.".. From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
    It was only after Peter and His disciples believed that he was the Christ, the Son of God that He told them His real mission on earth as the Lamb of God.
    The Jews were expecting Him to come as their King to deliver them from the Roman rule.
    After His resurrection, He found that His disciples had not accepted His death for they were hoping that He was their King and Deliverer.
Luke 24:19-21  And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

Surprised of His Resurrection
Luke 24:22-24  Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."
    His disciples could not believe that He had risen even though He had told them many times that on the third day He would rise from the dead.

Gospel of Christ (Grace)
Luke 24:46-47  Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
    Whoever believes the gospel of grace that Jesus, the Son of God was made flesh, suffered, died and on third day He rose from the dead, is saved and then sealed with the Holy Spirit of redemption.

First Born Again Christians
John 20:19-20  Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
    When His disciples also believed that He had risen from the dead on the third day, they had believed the complete gospel of Christ or grace. Our Lord then gave each of them the Holy Spirit making their bodies the temples of God.
    Brethren, are you still worldly and carnal, grieving the Holy Spirit for living in the sinful temple, which is your body?
John 20:21-22  So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

Risen Christ Taught Disciples
Luke 24:44-45  Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
    Our Risen Lord was with His disciples for 40 days before he went back to heaven and He taught them the truth from the OT.
    He also showed them many signs and wonders so that they too will have the confidence to perform them according to His will.
John 20:30-31  And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Saturday, April 11, 2020

Pierced after His Death (HW13)

               'Holy Week'

John 19:33-34  But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
    Even after the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, his dead body was abused by the Roman soldier who used the spear to pierce the side of his body. Immediately, blood and water poured out of his dead body.

Most Wicked Persons
Acts 1:18-19  (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.)
    Judas Iscariot committed the worst sin, which is unpardonable, for betraying the Messiah Jesus. After his death his stomach burst open and poured out blood. Similarly with the death Queen Jezebel, the most wicked queen who massacred many prophets of God and also forced His husband King Ahad and the Jews to apostate by worshipping Baal.
2 Kings 9:33,35  Then he said, "Throw her (Jezebel) down." So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he trampled her underfoot... So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.

Precious Blood of Jesus
    The blood that poured out from Jesus' death body was able to cleanse even the worst sin committed by men. So all men can be saved by the grace of God.

Living Water
John 4:10  Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
    All those who thirst after God can come to Jesus for the living water.

John 7:37-39  On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
    All those who sincerely trust and believe Him (as God, Father, Saviour, Healer, Provider, Protector, Comforter, etc) will be blessed with the overflowing of the living water.
   Believe means walking out your faith in Him and His word. Eg. If you believe that Jesus is the Healer then you don't consult any doctor.
    All those who believe Jesus by keeping His word, the Father will give them the Spirit of truth, who will guide them into all truth and tell them the things to come.

Freedom with Truth
Heb 10:22-23  let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
    The pure or living water poured out from Jesus is His truth given to all Christians who abide in His word. The truth will set us free from the bondage of the flesh (washed) and the evil conscious of the soul.
John 8:31-32,36  Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free...Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

John 1:14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Blood shed on the cross was His Grace for the remission of sin.
The Water shed was His Truth for the sanctification and transformation into His image.

Death of Jesus (HW12)

            'Holy Week'

John 19:28,30  After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!".. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
    Jesus died at about 3pm as the sacrificial Lamb of God at the time of the evening sacrifice. He died very contented for He had accomplished His work as given by God the Father. Though He appeared to be suffering from the crucifixion, He was rejoicing for He knew that men would now be passed from death to life. He knew that His success was mainly due to His perfect love for the salvation of men.
    His death destroyed the devil who had the power over death and set Christians free from the bondage of the fear of death.
Heb 2:14-15  Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Heb 2:9  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
    Our Lord willingly suffered the taste of His death, godly Christians who keep His word will not suffer the taste of death on their beds or being martyred.
John 8:52  Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'

Painless at Martyrdom
Mat 16:27-28  For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. "Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."
    All His disciples will see our Lord Jesus coming for them before death set in.
   Stephen saw our Lord Jesus in heaven and the Lord protected him before the first stone hit his body. Because Stephen was not in pain but was rejoicing for being with the Lord, he was able to pray to God to forgive them
Acts 7:55-56, 59-60  But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!".. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Crucifixion of Jesus (HW11)

            'Holy Week'

Mark 15:25-26  Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
    Our Lord Jesus chose crucifixion the most painful death meant for serious criminals. He suffered being hung on the cross (tree) for six hours before His death to free us those were under the curse.
Gal 3:13  Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree")

Blessings and Curses
Deu 11:26-28  "Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.
    Most unbelievers who have committed abominations such as idolatry, adultery, sodomy, wickedness, covetousness, etc. were under the curse.

Horror under the Curse
Deu28:16-18,20-22  "Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks... The Lord will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me. The Lord will make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess. The Lord will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish.

Set free by Jesus on the Cross
    Thank God for Jesus who was hung on the cross (tree) to set us free from the curse caused by our abominations before our salvation.
Col 3:5-7  Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.

Carry the Cross (HW10)

             'Holy Week'

John 19:16-17  Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away. And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,
    Our Lord Jesus willingly carried His cross in His walk to His death to relief us of men's painful burden through life.

Mat 11:28  Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
   Men in this world are laden with lots of fear, worry and sorrows. When young they are fearful of failures in examinations, jobs, marriages, security and future. Majority are fearful of health, old age and death.
  Our Lord told us to carry His cross (yoke) which is light and easy, for He had already taken away the pains, worry and sorrows in life when He carried His cross to Calvary.
Mat 11:29-30  "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Luke 23:26  Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.
    Our Lord required man to help Him carry His cross. He needs His disciples to bring the gospel of the message of the cross to reach every human on earth for their salvation.

Mat 10:38-39  "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."
    Our cross will be based on that of our Lord's - the message of the cross. Just like Him, we must be prepared to lay down our lives for the sake of the gospel - to reach all men and to disciple all Christians to be His disciples.
Mat 28:18-20  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

Luke 23:27-28  And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
     Our Lord told us not to weep for Him. He took upon Himself all the sufferings meant for us. He enjoyed them because He knows that His children need not suffer.
    When we see our Lord suffering such great pains, we should be shedding tears of joy in appreciation of His great love for us.

Crown of Thorns (HW09)

            'Holy Week'

Mat 27:26-28  Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
    After Jesus was scourged, the soldier took Him to the Praetorium (general's tent) and there they dress him up with a scarlet robe instead of the king's robe.

Mat 27:29-30  When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.
    They placed the crown of thorns (instead of the royal golden crown) on Him and bowed down to Him (unknowingly) as the king of all sufferings (bloody robe and a crown of thorn)
    Once again before our Lord sacrificed Himself on the cross, He accepted the pain of the crown of thorns so that Christians do not need to suffer the pains from the thorn and thistles (reed).
    The thorns were so sharp that the Roman soldier was not able to press down the crown of thorns with their bare hands so he used the reed to hit the crown of thorns thus forcing the thorns to pierce Jesus' head resulting to blood oozing out from the head.

Gen 3:17-18  Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.
    The blood of Jesus caused by the thorns and reed (thistles) falling on to the ground, removed the curse on Adam by removing them from the lives of Christians.

Gen 3:18b.  Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.

Curse of the thorns
   In our everyday life we will always meet those who are jealous of our salvation, blessings, successes, statuses, good families, secured jobs and businesses and do forth.
    Some of these may even sow discords, doubts, reviling and even false accusations to upset, annoy and hurt us.
    Thank God for our Lord Jesus' love that we can forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. In fact we should pity and pray for them for they miss the love, joy, peace and comfort of God.

Curse of the Thistles (Reed)
    In life, we will find many obstacles blocking the path to our desires, ambitions and successes. These people may take away our future spouses, our businesses and contracts.
   Thank God for them for our Lord Jesus has used them to remove all those not beneficial to us for He prevents us from future sorrows and sufferings.
  Those future spouses will likely be incompatible, cruel, habitual sinners or even addicts thus causing untold sorrows.
    Businesses and contracts taken away may likely be losing concerns, deceptions or even corruptions, which will result to many sorrows and our damnation.

Friday, April 10, 2020

By His Stripes We Are Healed (HW08)

               'Holy Week'
Luke 23:22  Then he said to them the third time, "Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go."
    He offered Himself to be scourged to fulfil scriptures. Please note that no one can harm Jesus for He could easily call upon the angel to defend Him and kill all His persecutors and accusers.

I Pet 2:24  who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness— by whose stripes you were healed.
    Because of Jesus great love for His believers, He Himself wanted to be scourged so that by His stripes, Christians can be healed of their sicknesses and also their hurts, sorrows, fears, worries, doubts, bitterness, and insecurities
Isa 53:3-6  He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Mat 27:20-22  But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They said, "Barabbas!" Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!"
    The multitudes, who only a few days earlier had welcome Jesus as King of Israel while He entered Jerusalem on a donkey, were so quickly deceived by the priesthood to crucify the innocent Jesus against the judgment of the governor. They wanted to crucify their Messiah.
Mat 27:23 Then the governor said, "Why, what evil has He done?" But they cried out all the more, saying, "Let Him be crucified!"

Jews Condemned Themselves
Mat 27:24-25  When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it." And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children."
     The Jews condemned themselves by killing the innocent and putting the innocent blood upon themselves and their descendants. At the death of Jesus, the Jews (Israelites) were removed from being the people of God thereby ending the Mosaic law or Judaism.

Jesus Sweated Blood (HW07)

              'Holy Week'

Mat 20:18-19  "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again."
    After Passover dinner, our Lord Jesus knew that at any minute He would be arrested to fulfill scriptures. So He showed His disciples humility and love by washing their feet.
    Following after that he taught His last sermon, which will help every Christian to perfect their love for God and for another.
    Immediately after that He took them to the Garden of Gethsemane and showed them how He prayed for them.

Take the Cup Away
Luke 22:41-42  And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."
    For Jesus to inquire the Father of the possibility of not taking the cup, He must have realized that He would be going through intense and unbearable pain.

Jesus Sweated Blood
Luke 22:43-44  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
     When the angel came to strengthen Jesus, I had the feeling that no matter how much agony He went through, the angel could just remove His pains, without realising that He was flesh and blood just like anyone of us.

Gen 3:17,19  Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life... In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return."
    God cursed the ground after Adam sinned. Man have to toil until their face is covered with sweat to earn their bread. Men worries of their bread and  future.

Love of Jesus
    Our Lord was going to die for us soon, but before then, He offered Himself to bear our pains. He prayed in great agony until He was about to faint.
Note God has build within everyone of us a safety valve. When our pain is so unbearable, we will faint otherwise we will die from immense pain.
    He called on the angel to strengthen His physical body so that He would not faint nor die from the immensely unbearable pain. His pain must be a hundred times beyond the limit of fainting and dying until He sweated blood falling on to the ground to remove the curse on Adam. Even the rich worries about their bread and future and that of their children.

John 14:1  "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me."
    We thank God for our Lord Jesus in removing the curse, so that Christians do not have to worry of their bread and their future for He is their provider and loving Father.

The Day of Passover (HW06)

 'Compassionate or Holy Week'
Killing of Lamb at Twilight
Exodus 12:5-6  Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.
    The Passover lamb was killed at twilight (after 6pm)
    Israelites were to eat the lamb for supper and then stayed indoor.

First born killed from Midnight
Exo 12:29  And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock.

Dough were without leaven
Exo 12:33-34  And the Egyptians urged the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste. For they said, "We shall all be dead." So the people took their dough before it was leavened, having their kneading bowls bound up in their clothes on their shoulders.

Plundering of Egyptians
Exo 12:36  And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

Six thousand men left Egypt
Exo 12:37  Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children.
   It will take a long time to organize the departure of almost 2 million people including women and children. Many hours I presume.

Baking of Unleavened Cakes
Exo 12:39  And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they had brought out of Egypt; for it was not leavened, because they were driven out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared provisions for themselves.
    When they became hungry they then baked cakes from their unleaven dough.

All those events happened within one Jewish Day
Exodus 12:51  And it came to pass, on that very same day, that the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies.

Gen 1:5  God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
     Just as God starts the day from the evening to morning, we can safely conclude that the Israeli Day also starts from twilight till twilight the next day

If Passover falls on Friday, then
Passover will begin on Thursday evening at Twilight (6 pm) and end at Twilight on Friday.

So our Lord observed the Passover with His apostles on Thursday at Twilight.
    During supper He took holy Communion with them and told them the New Covenant would be established with His blood at His death on the same day of Passover.
    After supper He washed their feet and then taught and showed them how to love one another.

Jesus' Jewish Work (HW05)

             'Holy Week'

Mat 23:1-3  Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. "Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do."
    Our Lord knew that the Jews were faithless because their Jewish leaders were hypocrites (please read Mat 23). John the Baptist the last OT prophet was sent to bring these Jews back to God by getting them to repent of their faithlessness and hypocrisy for the kingdom of God was at hand so that they might believe their Messiah.
    He kept the Mosaic law by sending those healed to see the priest and offer sacrifices according to the law.

Mat 3:7-8  But when he (John the Baptist) saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,"
    Our Lord humbled Himself to believe and accept the message of John the Baptist. So He and His disciples preached John's message, and He even followed John in scolding the Jewish leadership as 'brood of vipers', those who destroyed the faith of the Jewish people.

Luke 1:16-17  And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
    John the Baptist was effective in getting the Jews to repent and come back to God because they accept him as a prophet of God
Mat 14:5  And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.
Jesus' Mighty Works
Mat 13:54  And when He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?"
    Similarly for the Jews to listen to our Lord, He had to show them that He was sent by God. He was able to perform signs and wonders were normally blessings to them that they appreciated His mighty works. Most of them accepted Him as the Messiah the King of Israel and many repented and were baptized.
John 4:1-2  Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples)

Jesus Observed the Passover
Luke 22:7, 15  Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed... And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat." Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;
    Our Lord observed this last Passover with all His apostles. During this last supper, the Lord instituted the holy Communion of the New Covenant, which would only be effective after His death.

Mat 26:27-28  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
    At His death on the cross, the Mosaic law or Old Covenant would be made obsolete, being replaced by the New Covenant of His blood shed for the remission of the sins of all believers.
    After supper He continued to prepare them to be transformed into His own image of love. He washed their feet, told them to love one another as He loved them (dying on the cross). His last sermon in John 14-16 will help every Christian to be overcomers.

Fig Tree was Cursed (HW04)

              'Holy Week'

Mat 21:19-20  And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither away so soon?"
    Just before our Lord Jesus exposed the plot of the priesthood and the Jewish leaders to kill Him for fear of the Romans, God told our Lord to curse the fruitless fig tree. This signified the end of the Israelites as His people and also the end of Mosaic law or Judaism.
John 5:19  Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

Mat 21:21  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done.
    If only the faithless Jewish leaders had only a little faith like that of a mustard seed, they could remove mountains. So then, what are the Romans in the eyes of God but just tiny harmless ants?

Scolded Jewish Leaders
Matthew 23:29-33 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.' Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?"
    Our Lord scolded the Jewish leaders as hypocrites! (please read Mat 23) for they claimed that had they been living in the days of their fathers they would know and accept the true prophets and would not murder them.
    However, these very same leaders were planning not only to kill just the prophet but their Messiah the Son of God sent by God to save them. They saw their many mighty works that even the whole Jerusalem welcomed Him as the Messiah.
Mat 21:9-11  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna to the Son of David! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' Hosanna in the highest!" And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?" So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."

Priesthood Killed Jesus
Mat 27:1-2  When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
    It was the Jewish leaders who plotted and succeeded in killing Jesus. Though at the beginning of the week, Jesus was proclaimed the King by the whole of Jerusalem, but by the mid week, the Jewish leaders were able to change their mind.

Luke 19:38  saying: " 'Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!' Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
   All those in Jerusalem acclaimed Him as the King of Israel, by strangely enough within three days, all of them were deceived by the Jewish leaders to deny His Kingship and also to crucify Him as a criminal.
Note False teachers and false prophets are very convincing.
John 19:14-15  Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" But they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar!"