A little old lady finally realized her dream to become a United States Citizens. As she stood at the swearing-in ceremony the Judge said. “Raise your right hand, please.” Then he asked her “Do you swear to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, domestic or foreign?”
The sweet little lady’s face turned pale, her voice trembled as she responded, “Well, I guess so, but… will I have help, or will I have to do it all by myself?” Continue reading
Filed under Cross, It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!, Uncategorized
It was Friday. And the Jews were preparing for the Passover feast. Behind the scenes their rulers had captured Jesus. Tried him at night and pressured Pilate to sign the death sentence.
For the Roman soldiers it was another day at work. Standing guard. Keeping peace. Carrying out orders. And executing criminals.
The Roman army was composed of 25 legions of soldiers with 6,000 men in each legion. These were broken down into cohorts, maniples and centuries. This Bible says he was a centurion, a commander of a 100 man division.
For this Roman soldier his assignment on this Friday began like any other. But ended like no other. Either in his life. Or in history. He had the responsibility of guarding Jesus. Most likely he was given charge of overseeing and executing the crucifixion. Continue reading
Filed under Cross, It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
Several years ago I engaged in conversation with a man who I thought because of his questions had an interest in learning about Jesus. My hopes were quickly dashed when he said, “Religion is a hobby for me.” So I learned that his questions were not born out of a sincere desire to know more about Jesus, but out of curiosity.
So it was when Christ was brought before Herod. Luke records that “when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him” (Lk. 23:9). Continue reading
Filed under Cross, It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
Everywhere I have ever preached there have been more women than men. I don’t think that’s because women live longer! It just seems that women in general are more spiritually minded than men.
In fact a 2009 study by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life concluded women are more religious than men: Continue reading
Filed under Cross, It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
He was not a major character around the cross. His place in sacred history is reserved for Bible trivia. His name is only mentioned once in the Bible. In the History Channel’s movie, The Bible, we see his face quite often. He is correctly pictured as the servant of the High Priest. Ironically in one scene Caiaphas, The High Priest, requests that the servant keep his ears open for any disruption caused by this man Jesus.
The servant’s name? Continue reading
Filed under Cross, It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
“In looking at the faces around the cross, which do you think was the most sinister? On whose shoulders above all others rests the responsibility for this supreme crime of history? Whose hands are the most stained by this innocent blood? ”
These questions raised by Clovis Chappel, a preacher of the early 20th century, are interesting and intriguing.
Was it the betraying Judas? The denying Peter? The cowardly Pilate? The clamoring Jewish crowd? The suborned witnesses? The brutal Roman soldiers? Continue reading
Filed under Cross, It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
In the Louvre Museum in Paris there is a painting depicting Jesus on the cross. The world is engulfed in darkness. The stars are dim. And in the shadows there is the form of a woman kneeling. Her hands are caressing and her lips are pressing against the bloody, mangled feet of Jesus.
That woman is Mary Magdalene. Continue reading
Filed under Cross, It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
•He is an infamous face.
•He’s mentioned by name in all four gospels.
•Thirty-eight verses in the New Testament tell his story.
•Yet he never speaks a single word.
•We know nothing about his family. His Age. Or marital status.
•He disappears from the Bible record as quickly as he appears.
•Yet movies have been made about him. Books have been written. Sermons have been preached.
Can you guess who he is? Continue reading
Filed under Cross, It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
Max Lucado calls it “the most famous trial in history.”
And the Judge? A man unqualified for the job. His position was the result of the right connections. And a fortuitous marriage to Claudia Proclua, whose father was Tiberius, the Roman Emperor.
So in A.D. 26 Pontus Pilate was appointed governor of Judea. He was responsible for maintaining law and order in the raucous land filled with Jews that hated Rome. He handed out justice. And collected taxes.
Historians describe him as tactless. Stubborn. Cruel. Censorious. Demanding. Self-justifying. Tyrannical. And disrespectful of religion. Pilate was everything that Jesus wasn’t. Continue reading
Filed under Cross, It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
He was a transgressor. A thief. A loser. He deserved to die. And so on that fateful Friday he and his comrade in crime would be executed. They would die alone and unknown. Except for an unexpected intervention in providence.
Between the two thieves would be an innocent man. A good man. A blameless man. Actually, a sinless man. It was the man called Jesus. It was the day Christ was crucified between two outlaws. Continue reading
Filed under Cross, It's Friday. But Sunday's Coming!
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