Don’t Forget

Luke 24:5-10

“The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.” (Luke 9:22). “Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.” (Luke 9:44). “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that were written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.” (Luke 18:31-33).

On multiple occasions, Jesus warned His followers of the horrible things that were destined to happen to Him. He made mention that He would be rejected by those who were supposed to support Him, beaten, mocked, bruised, scourged, and even put to death. But, He never left out the most fascinating of all prophecy; He would rise again, after death!

Our text references the tail end of Jesus’ brief, yet impactful ministry, and also rings some very alarming bells. Following His death, Jesus was taken from the cross and placed in Joseph’s unused tomb. Days following the Savior’s death, the women who had followed Jesus and witnessed His burial, had prepared spices and ointments to use on the body of their loving teacher, while the disciples were keeping themselves out of sight. Ding! Ding! Ding! Helloooooo! Did these folk forget what Jesus had told them, time and time again? Apparently so. But, how could they be in the very presence of Jesus, witness miracles done by His hand, yet forget the most important message He ever told them; “and the third day, He shall rise again.” What purpose was there to prepare spices and ointments, if the Son of man would rise from the tomb? Why hide yourselves from those who were responsible for the death of Jesus, if you knew He would be dead only three days? The disciples and those who followed after Jesus weren’t distracted by Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or any other media source, but were fully focused on the prophetic events that took place during their time. I can understand if they were with Jesus during the 21st century, when men are so easily beguiled, but there was hardly anything happening to take their focus off Jesus’ words (that’s just my opinion).

How could they so easily forget that Jesus would rise again? Maybe they thought it was a fairytale, or that Jesus meant something else, or they possibly just didn’t believe. For this reason, God already had a someone in place to remind the people, His Son was indeed raised from the dead. Do you believe what the Bible teaches, or do take in some parts, and disbelieve others? All verses of Scripture are interconnected, and the root of every text is Jesus. The Words of God were written for our instruction, whether we think they are fairytale or not, but despite what we believe, all Scripture will soon be fulfilled.

Honor your elders

1 Timothy 5:17-22

Of all the things in life young people should keep in mind, but many often neglect is, the fact that one day they’ll get old. I remember a time when I could count on one hand, the gray hairs on my head and face, but finding them now is as easy as eeny meeny miny moe! Time stops for no man, and the world will continue to turn, despite how we live our lives, so it’s of great importance that we utilize the time God gives us to do good works, and give honor to those who have withstood the tests of time.

Without proper training and upbringing, children have the tendency to develop bad habits, one of which includes disrespecting adults. Gone are the days when the younger generation would use words like “yes sir”, and “yes ma’am” when engaging in conversation with their elders. Children today seem to have little, to no respect for adults, or any other authority for that matter. The Bible teaches clearly that we are to respect those who have lived long enough to gain experience, that can even help us live better lives. It annoys me when I see children who try to out-talk their parents, assuming their own knowledge is superior, when they’ve only been in existence five to ten years. God gives wisdom and understanding to parents to help them as they train up their children in the ways they should go, so the skills they’ll need when they get older can develop and mature over time.

The body of Christ should be a community where respect for elders is the norm, because many have ruled well, and worked hard, so that the people could grow spiritually, mentally, and possibly financially. It’s not an easy assignment to teach, preach, and try to consistently oversee countless men, women, and children, while also maintaining your own family and life affairs. In our text, Paul’s advice to Timothy was, to show honor and respect to the elders of the church, especially to those who rule well. That’s important, because some rule, and deserve respect for their position, but not for the way in which they rule. In the previous chapter, Paul prophesied that in the last days, some would depart from the faith, giving in to the persuasions of evil spirits, and doctrines of devils (1 Timothy 4:1). It’s evident we are living in this time, by the way in which many who were once firm believers in God’s Word, have been deceived, and joined allegiance with doctrines of devils.

Churches are being overrun by men who claim to be prophets (profits), Shepherds (wolves), and Apostles (pedophiles), who have been hired by satan, to tear up what God built up in the lives of many members who faithfully attend. We can show respect to a man for the title he bears, but if we discern his works are not aligned with holiness, the honor and respect he could attain, should be directed to those who rule well.

Times today are different from the past, yet the same. Although we live in a time where technology seems to be booming, the same evil spirits that roamed the earth in the days of old, continue to manipulate men today. Let your good works shine brighter than the evil the world promotes today, and take time to give honor to those who have lived long lives, working diligently to fulfill God’s Word. Always remember, one day, we’ll stand in the same place our ancestors once stood, and how we treat our elders now, will determine how the next generation will treat us.

Walk in love,

Ell

Jesus betrayed and arrested

Mark 14:43-50

Have you ever been arrested for a false accusation? I’m certain most of us haven’t, but the mere thought of being accused, arrested, and punished for a crime you didn’t commit can cause all sorts of feelings and emotions to run through the mind, from fear and confusion, to anger and rage. Living outside of the standards of holiness, can cause men to act in ways that are unpleasant, and exhibit inhumane behavior to innocent people. In the words of Bishop Earl Carter, “sin makes you stupid.” This is 100 percent accurate, as the purpose of sin is to turn men away from God, and follow paths of evil and wickedness.

Judas, one of the original 12 disciples, was never fully sold on Jesus and His ministry. This is true based on his pattern of selfish behavior and motives as he and the eleven apostles followed Jesus during His ministry. Although Judas was continuously doing things undercover that may have been hidden from his brethren, Jesus was fully aware of all his wicked actions, no matter how cunning he was. I often wonder why Jesus didn’t replace Judas from the beginning, or even leave him out of the original selection process when gathering disciples altogether, but in the words of Jesus Himself, “but the scriptures must be fulfilled” (vs. 49). God has His reasons for doing things certain ways, and it’s unwise to question His authority, but there are many lessons that can be learned from the lives of Jesus and the disciples, even though one betrayed Him.

In this lesson’s text, the final chapter of the life of our Savior had began to unfold, as the betrayal of Judas was brought into full manifestation. After an agonizing moment in the garden of Gethsemane, and being left to find strength in the only One He could trust, because His disciples were too sleepy to offer any sense of encouragement, Jesus woke up the heavy-eyed disciples and exchanged words with them. As He spoke, Judas, along with a gang of men composed of chief priests, scribes, and elders, surrounded Jesus and His disciples, carrying swords and staves (wooden clubs and other weapons). One thing that’s interesting to note is, the men who sought to kill Jesus didn’t even know what He looked like. How can you seek to murder someone whom you can’t even recognize? Judas told the men that the one he kisses, “the same is he; take him, and lead him away safely” (vs. 44). Had they known who they had come to take, there would be no need for a sign of identification. As I mentioned, sin makes you stupid. In any case, after the kiss of betrayal, the men took hold of Jesus and attempted to take Him away, but He presented them with a thought-provoking question, as He often does. Jesus asked the men, “Are ye come out, as against a thief, with swords and staves to take me?” (vs. 48). Jesus continued to remind them how He would teach daily in the temple with them, but they didn’t take him then. I guess they felt better doing their dirt outside the sacred walls, than within them…smh. The level of humility Jesus portrayed was unlike any other, in that He could have easily called down legions of angels to rid Him of all those who opposed His ministry, but because of His unending love for you and I, He endured unimaginable torture, pain, and persecution, so that we could be saved from the judgment of sin, and one day live in eternal glory with the Father, and the Son.

Walk in love,

Ell