John 20:22 says, And when He had said this, He breathed on them and saith unto them, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost."  The disciples had just been told they were being sent by Jesus as the Father had sent Him.  Jesus had come to redeem the world, and the disciples were now to be His representatives in this task.  We as followers of Christ have the same task today.  They were not being sent under their own power though, but under the power of the Holy Ghost.  We today go under that same power.  Once more, when we see the corruption and evil in the world, we do not need to fear, because God is with us since the Holy Spirit indwells us.  Wherever we go or what ever we do, the Holy Spirit goes with us.  The Holy Spirit does not just come to us in times of trouble and then leave, but is with us always to help us carry out our commission.  Verse twenty three says, "Whose so ever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whose so ever sins ye retain, they are retained."  This was Jesus talking, so we need to understand what He was really saying.  We do not have the power to forgive sins.  Only Jesus has this power.  What we have the power to do is present the gospel under the power of the Holy Spirit, and those who accept the gospel have their sins forgiven.  Those who do not don't have their sins forgiven.  As disciples of Christ, we are called on to present the gospel.  Those who receive it are forgiven.  No one can change the gospel and be redeemed.  Everyone who would come to God must come through Christ, and the first thing they must do is ask for God's forgiveness.  We cannot just learn from our mistakes and be a better person.  This would mean we redeem ourselves, and we can never do this.  Those who accept the message of Christ when we present it are forgiven.  The message cannot be altered or watered down.  Through Christ alone is forgiveness and restoration made possible.

John 20:19 says, Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were gathered for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, "Peace be unto you."  Mary had shared with the disciples that she had seen Jesus alive, and they locked themselves in a room.  Peter and John had gone to see the empty tomb, but they did not go back to look for the living Savior.  They were still afraid of the Jews.  Sometimes, our fear can lock us away from going out into the world with the gospel.  Other times, fear may keep us from seeking God's plan for our lives.  We need not worry.  If we are truly followers of Christ, He will come into our midst.  We cannot lock Him out, and He will come to bring us peace.  When we look at the world and see nothing but turmoil, we need to rest in the peace of Jesus.  Verse twenty says, And when He had so said, He showed unto them His hands and His side.  Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.  We hear the expression today that we were having a worship service and God really showed up.  The disciples were having a fearful gathering and Jesus showed up.  There is no barrier that can keep God out, except our own self will.  When Jesus was there in their midst, He left no doubt that it was Him.  He showed them the marks of the crucifixion.  When Christ comes to us today, He will leave no doubt that it is Him.  The only way to redemption is through the crucifixion of Christ.  We shouldn't need signs to prove Who Jesus is, but our faith should make His will known to us, then we need to throw open the doors and go into the world witnessing for Him.

John 20:17 says, Jesus saith unto her, "Touch met not, for I am not yet ascended to My Father: but go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God."  Mary was seeking Jesus and she wasn't going to be satisfied until she knew where He had been taken.  When we truly seek God through Christ, we need to understand that no one else will do.  We go to God through Christ alone.  If anyone else would tell us we must come through them, then we need to stay away from them and go to Jesus through the Holy Spirit.  She did not recognize Jesus, but He made Himself known to her.  God will never leave us wondering about Who He is if we are His followers.  Now that she recognized Him, Jesus told her not to touch Him.  She may have thought that Jesus was risen like Lazarus, and that wasn't the case.  He was no longer going to continue in His earthly role, but was going to ascend to the Father.  We do not need to look for the earthly Jesus.  He is not here, but He has arisen to His Father.  Notice that Jesus gave Mary a task.  When we find Jesus and accept Him as our Lord, we will be called to service.  Notice also that Jesus promoted Mary to the status of sister.  God was Jesus, Father and Mary's, because He was Jesus' God and her God.  When we accept Christ as our Savior, we become not only brothers and sisters to each other, but to Christ as well.  We become children of God, because we accept Him as our God.  There are no grandchildren of God or cousins of Christ.  We are either brothers and sisters of Christ and children of the heavenly Father or we are not a part of the family of God.  It did not matter who Mary once was, nor does it matter who we once were.  Through Christ, we are fully restored to the Father.  Verse eighteen says, Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things unto her.  Jesus told her to go, and she went.  When He tells us to go, we must go and do what He tells us to do.  We never go on our own power, but in His strength.

John 20:13 says, And they said unto her, "Woman, why weepest thou."  She saith unto them, " Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him."  They were the two angels in the sepulchre.  Mary wasn't afraid of them nor did she question how they got there evidently.  Peter and John hadn't seen them, and there was no mention of them walking past Mary into the sepulchre, but they were there.  I believe we can conclude they were sent to Mary.  She was very devoted to Jesus, even after His death on the cross.  She didn't know where His body had been taken, and she told the angels her concern.  Verse fourteen says, And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing there, but knew not that it was Jesus.  She was looking for Jesus in the wrong place.  He was no longer in the tomb, but was victorious even over death.  Mary did not recognize Him.  She was looking for a defeated Jesus not a victorious Christ.  We may be guilty of looking for God so strongly where we are sure He is that when He appears to us where He is at that we fail to recognize Him.  We may be looking at the world as if it is defeating God instead of looking to the victorious Jesus.  Verse fifteen says, Jesus saith unto her, "Woman, why weepest thou?  Whom seekest thou?"  She, supposing Him to be the gardener, saith unto Him, "Sir, if thou hath borne Him hence, tell me where thou hath laid Him, and I will take Him away."  Though she was respectful to the man she thought was the gardener, she was still looking for the body of Jesus.  She was still willing to take responsibility for it.  We need to be careful that we don't get so devoted to doing what we know God wants us to do that we fail to recognize Him when He asks us what we are doing.  Had Mary fully understood Who Jesus was, she would not have been weeping tears of sorrow.  Verse sixteen says, Jesus saith unto her, "Mary."  She turned herself unto Him and said, "Rabboni;" which is to say Master.  Jesus called Mary by her name, and she acknowledged Him for Who He is.  We may sometimes be lost in grief or doubt, but God will not leave us there if we only listen for Him.  When God calls us by name, we cannot doubt that it is Him.  We, like Mary, must acknowledge Him for Who He is.

John 20:11 says, But Mary stood without the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulchre.  The disciples came, looked and left.  Mary Magdalene remained outside weeping.  She had been given hope through Jesus, and she was not given up easily.  She wept for Jesus' death and His body not being there, but also because of her love and devotion to Him.  We today, if we find ourselves somehow out of the knowledge of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, should weep bitter tears until we know we are once again filled with His presence.  We do not really have to seek the Holy Spirit, but we have to acknowledge His leadership.  Mary was seeking answers, and we see God provided them.  Verse twelve says, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head and the other at the feet, of where the body of Jesus had lain.  Peter and John had looked in and saw only the grave clothes, but Mary saw two angels.  We might wonder why she saw them when they didn't, but must acknowledge that angels appear where God sends them.  There was not a multitude of angels, but two.  Two witnesses were required to prove the truth of testimony, and they were there to attest to the truth of the resurrection.  They were dressed in white, to attest to the purity of Jesus.  He was not decaying in the tomb but was resurrected in victory.  Jesus had fulfilled His mission, and the angels were again serving Him.  The had proclaimed His coming and now they were honoring His resurrection.  At any point in time between those two events, Jesus could have called on all the angels and have claimed a military victory, but He chose a victory based on humiliation and defeat.  We today need to realize that just because we have the power to do something doesn't mean that it is right to do it.  We must reach the world with a Christ like love, not and not a Pilate like power.  We must also realize that angels are but servants of God and never to be worshipped.  They appear where and when God sends them.

Since Christmas is now past, I thought I would share a few more thoughts about Christmas.  Many of the gifts that were received have already started to lose their appeal and have already started to wear out.  The gift that Jesus gave the world is just as new and powerful as it ever was.  Time does not wear His gift out, and if we are His followers it should never lose its appeal to us.  Many times, people, especially children, don't want to share the gifts that they received for Christmas.  We as Christians , God's children, should feel an urgency to share the gospel, the gift Jesus gave us, with the world.  Santa Claus has gone to the North Pole until next year.  Even those who weren't the real Santa will soon disappear.  Jesus does not disappear the day after Christmas.  He came to save all people for all time.  There are no stand ins for Christ.  If we accept Him as our Savior, we must go to Him and Him alone.  Then, He will not go away for a year or a day or even a second, but will indwell His followers always.  Santa has to go rest up and start getting things ready for the next year.  Jesus never runs out of strength.  He, through the Holy Spirit, is with us always to empower us.  We have received the best gift if we accept His gift of salvation, and no Dirty Santa can take it from us.  We don't need to try and hang on to salvation, but we need instead to willing share it.  Finally, Santa Claus is a mythical figure that has changed over the years and is not seen the same everywhere.  Jesus is a real person, the Savior of the world, Who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow and is the same everywhere.   We, as His followers, need to be sharing His message and His love with the world, not just Christmas day, but everyday.

Luke 2:7 says, And she brought forth her first born Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, for there was no room for them in the inn.  As we celebrate Christmas today, we often display nativity scenes to remind us of that first Christmas.  This has become a problem for many people, because, like that first Christmas, there is no room for Jesus in their lives.  They not only don't have room in their lives, but they don't want Jesus in anyone's life.  The question is whether we as His people have room for Him in our lives today.  The world today puts more emphasis on Santa Claus than on Jesus.  After all, Santa brings presents to all good little girls and boys, but when children get up on Christmas morning, what do they see that Jesus brought.  In the material world, we are more excited about things we can see, and on Jesus' birthday, we want to see what presents we got.  Now, I am not against Santa and presents, but wonder how much room we really have for Jesus.  That first Christmas, the angels appeared to the shepherds and verse ten says, And the angel said unto them: Fear not, for behold I bring to you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  Jesus was the source of the great joy.  The shepherds got no material presents, but they received the good news, the good tidings of great joy.  This news was not only for them, but for the whole world.  We need to make sure we share those good tidings today.  We need to share the news of Jesus' birth with the world, especially on His birthday.  Verse eleven says,  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.  This is the present, the gift, that Jesus gives, though it cannot be wrapped under a tree.  We must keep this as our focus on Christmas.  Jesus gives more than Santa ever can.  Jesus give everlasting life, and batteries are not needed.

I am going to leave the passage we have been looking at since it is Christmas eve and look at Christmas for a couple of days.  This will be my first Christmas without at least one of my parents alive since momma passed away July first.  Momma was always big on Christmas decorations, but she was even bigger on the Christ of Christmas.  When we were young boys, my brother and I went with daddy, mommy, and our sister, into the woods and cut our tree every year.  Some Christmases were not filled with lots of presents, but they were all filled with lots of love and the presence of God.  We didn't start thinking about celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving.  I once said I was a wiseman in a lot of Christmas plays, but I was actually a shepherd.  Daddy would make us shepherd staffs, hook and all, and momma would make our costumes.  I have been caroling a few times in my life, where I would at least make a joyful noise.  Today, Christmas seems to have become more about material things than the birth of Christ.  Thanksgiving has become more of a day to think about Black Friday than to celebrate blessings as we gear up for Christmas.  We are told we only have sixty something shopping days left until Christmas, as if we did not know what day Christmas is and shopping is our main priority.   We have Christmas in July for television movies, Christmas parades the first few days of December, and the worry about what gift to get for each person we feel the need to buy for.  By Christmas Eve, we are worn down with Christmas.  So, what was that first Christmas Eve like?  Mary and Joseph were still completing there journey to Jerusalem, and the world was continuing its normal routine.  Mary especially had to be tired, but not from shopping.  The world would not note the birth the next day, and they certainly didn't pay attention to Mary and Joseph.  Still, Mary and Joseph knew the promise of the meaning of the coming birth.  The world today still does not understand the true meaning of Christmas, which is why we as followers of Christ must point them to it.  This Christmas Eve, let's keep Christ first in our Christmas thoughts and let the material things come second.

John 20:8 says, Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.  After Peter had gone in, then that other disciple, John, went in.  He may have faltered at first, but he didn't stop wondering without seeing for himself what was true.  Peter saw and wondered and John saw and believed.  The cross had brought doubt and defeat to their thinking, being but the empty tomb offered hope.  Anytime we find our faith wavering, we need to remember the empty tomb beyond the cross.  Jesus is victorious, and we can be through Him.  Verse nine says, For as yet, they knew not the scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.  I don't believe this means they weren't familiar with the Scripture.  Matthew Henry says they just hadn't applied it to Jesus yet.  We may be familiar with a lot of scripture, but until we accept it as truth for our lives, it really has no meaning.  The scripture, the Bible, is not just a book of words to point us to how to live better, but it is the Living Word of God.  If the Bible doesn't come to life as we read it, then we are just reading words on the page.  The Bible needs to light up hope in our lives everytime we read it.  If we are simply reading it to feel that we have met an obligation as followers of Christ, then we are going to miss the truth it contains for us.  Until the tomb, the truth of the scripture had not really meant anything to John, but now the truth was beginning to come alive for him.  Verse ten says, Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.  They were now sure that the tomb was empty except for the burial clothes.  I would wonder why, if the body had been stolen, the burial clothes were still there.  Peter and John had seen all there was to see at the tomb, and they returned home.  At least John was thinking about the resurrection of Christ.  We as followers of Christ, when we have gotten all the facts we can about a situation, must just continue on with life knowing that God will reveal the truth to us.  There is never a reason to linger in doubt.  Peter and John went away with a little more hope than they had before.  They may not have yet understood the truth of the resurrection, but they knew the truth that Jesus's body was not in the tomb.  We today may not understand everything about God, but we can know the truth of the empty tomb and the resurrection that it signifies.  We can claim victory over this world because of the sacrifice of Christ.  Even when we do not understand everything, we just need to continue to live by faith.

John 20:3 says, Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.  They did not just take the word of Mary Magdalene, but went to see for themselves.  We cannot just take the word of others about Jesus, but must find out for ourselves.  Peter may have denied knowing Jesus during the crucifixion, but he was now going to the tomb which would again associate him with Jesus.  We can only wonder at the thoughts that had been going through Peter's mind.  He had denied Jesus as Jesus said he would, and now Jesus' body was gone. If we are ever guilty of denying Christ for whatever reason, we must seek His will again.  We, like Peter and that other disciple will not find Him in a tomb, but for us, within our heart.  Verse four says, So they ran both together: and the other disciple outran Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.  Whether Peter was just a slower runner, the other disciple, that everyone acknowledges as John, outran him.  We need to recognize that Peter was now running to where Jesus was last seen.  He may not have gotten there first, but that didn't matter.  Others may have gotten to Jesus quicker than we did, but it doesn't matter.  What matters is that we do come to find Jesus where He is.  He will indeed call us to Him, but we must respond.  Verse five says, And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying : yet went he not in.  Having gotten there first, the other disciple looked in and saw evidence that Jesus had been there, but for whatever reason, he didn't go in.  Some today may get to where Jesus is, but stop short of full commitment.  Verse six states, Then cometh Simon Peter, following him, and went into the sepulchre; and saw the linen clothes lie.  Unlike Mary Magdalene and the other disciple, Peter did not stop outside the sepulchre.  He went on in.  We must never let the actions of others determine our actions in relation to God.  We must let nothing stand between Him and us.  Matthew Henry says that we must be willing to go through the grave with Jesus.  Even death cannot separate us from Him if we are His.  Verse seven says, And the napkin, that was about His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.  Jesus had no need of the burial clothes.  We today have no need to look for them.  We do not need religious relics when we have a living Savior.

John 20:1 says, The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.  She was still expecting to find Jesus in the tomb.  Though John doesn't say it, Jesus had been sealed in the tomb and guards posted to keep Him there, but when the stone was rolled away, the tomb was empty.  We see that Mary Magdalene did not wait until daylight.  As soon as she could, which was after the Sabboth, she went to Jesus.  She may have gone for the wrong reason, but she went.  People today would always do well to go to Jesus early, even if for the wrong reasons.  Once they are seeking Him, they can begin to find the truth.  Mary Magdalene discovered the truth that Jesus was not in the grave.  When we as Jesus' followers have questions of faith today, we need to seek Jesus early.  There is no advantage to struggling along on our own.  He will give us the answer based on His truth.  In verse two, it says, And then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid Him."  She didn't wait around to try and figure things out on her own, but ran to two of the disciples, those closest to Jesus, looking for help.  When people have questions about Jesus today, would they feel that they could come to us for answers?  We, as His followers, should be not only able, but ready to help anyone looking for the truth about Jesus.  If they come to us running early in the morning or reluctantly at night, we should be ready to share the truth of the gospel with them.  Of course, the disciples should have been the first ones there, but even though they weren't, Mary Magdalene came to them.  We are commissioned to go into all the world with the gospel, but it is even better when the world comes to us.  We just need to be ready to meet them, even early in the morning.

John 19:38 says, And then, after this, Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave.  He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. We have to wonder why Jesus' closest disciples were not there to ask for permission to bury Jesus, but at least one of His followers was.  Sometimes, those who appear to be the closest to God may not be the ones to get done the things that need doing, for whatever reason, but God will have someone in place who will.  There are countries today where followers of Christ follow Him in secret for fear of other religious leaders, but Joseph was a disciple in secret for fear of God's chosen people.  Though he should have declared himself openly a follower of Christ, at least in the crisis he did, and so should we today.  We find no other mention of this Joseph, but he had an important role in the crucifixion of Christ.  Even after Jesus was crucified, Pilate still had to give permission for His body to be removed, but Joseph, if he had fear of asking him, overcame it.  Had the body of Jesus been removed by the soldiers, it would have been buried with the thieves and robbers.  Verse thirty nine says, And there came also Nicodemus, who came at first to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myhrr and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.  Nicodemus was another who had come to Jesus in secret, but he was now openly declaring himself a follower.  He was also supplying what was needed to care for the body of Jesus.  We need to be willing to give whatever we can to meet the needs of God's people as we openly serve Him.  Verse forty says, They took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.  They may have seen this as a normal Jewish burial, but it was far from it.  The body really did not need to be preserved, but it was good they were willing to do so, no matter the personal cost.  Verses forty one and two say, Now in the place where He was crucified was a garden, and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was no man yet laid.  There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jewish preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.  They needed to bury Jesus quickly because of a religious feast.  Again, the Jews were more concerned with rituals than with a relationship with God.  People today travel to see the tomb of Jesus, but it was never His.  The tomb, like the cross, was soon empty and the exact location is not really important.  It only matters that it was but a temporary place for the body of Christ.

John 19:32 says, Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs, of the first, and of the other that were crucified with Him.  As we know from scripture, one of the thieves was penitent and one was not, but both endured the same agony of having their legs broken .  When we accept Christ as our Savior, that does not exempt us from the consequences of our sins here on earth, but from the consequences in our relationship to God.  The one thief was forgiven and restored to God spiritually, but he still died just as painful of a death as the unrepentant thief.  We cannot expect to accept Jesus as our Savior and suddenly have all consequences of our sins removed in the world.  For example, if a person is in prison when they accept Christ as Savior, they are not going to be immediately freed.  Verse thirty three says,  But when they came to Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, they brake not His legs.  The Scripture said Jesus gave up the ghost, so we should not be surprised that He was physically dead.  They did not take His life, but He freely gave it.  We should be just as willing to freely give up this physical life for God.  As with Jesus, it is the spiritual, everlasting life that matters.  Verse thirty four says, But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.  They wanted to make sure Jesus was dead and not just pretending, so they pierced His side with a spear.  The blood and water are significant.  Blood brings atonement and water purification, and through Christ we have both.  The atonement is forever, but the purification is continual.  Even after accepting Christ as our Savior, we must continue to purify our lives daily.  Verse thirty five says, And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.  This was not something John had heard, but something he witnessed first hand.  When it comes to our relationship to Christ, it must be something we experience first hand.  Until we accept the truth of God personally, we cannot be saved.  Verses thirty six and seven state, For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of Him shall not be broken.  And again another scripture saith, They shall look on Him Who they have pierced.  Once more, we can be sure that the Roman soldiers were not doing these things to fulfill the scripture, but that the scripture was fulfilled by their doing these things.  They had no significance to to the soldiers, but did to one familiar with the scripture.

John 19:31 states, The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabboth day ( for the Sabboth day was a high day), besought Pilate, that their legs might be broken, and they could be taken away.  The Jewish leaders were not concerned about Jesus suffering on the cross.  They were even willing for Him to endure more suffering, having His legs broken, as long as it did not interfer with their worship service.  The Sabboth was a high day.  It was important to them, and they didn't want the Lord of the Sabboth to interrupt their rituals.  We can wonder how they could have been so blind, but do we ever want Jesus to hurry and get out of the way so we can get on with our rituals?  There is a difference between real worship and going through rituals, and the Jews that day were not concerned with real worship of God.  Had they been, they would have bowed at the foot of the cross.  We today, when we are truly worshipping God, must bow at the foot of the cross.  Some today see rituals, like taking the bread and the wine, as a saving action.  Some see the cross of Christ as an inconvenience to worship.  They do not want to believe that the shedding of the blood of Christ was necessary.  I believe that another reason the Jews wanted Christ dead and buried was so they could truly feel victorious. As long as Jesus was alive, even on the cross, if He was Who He said He was, He might still claim  victory.  We may attempt to leave Jesus on the cross today, but as the Jews, especially their leaders should have known, He was never going to stay there.  When we come to the foot of the cross today, it is an empty cross pointing us to a victorious Savior.  Though the suffering of Jesus was real, it is His victory we celebrate.  May we never allow the concern for rituals make us attempt to get Jesus out of the way.

In John 19:30 it says, When Jesus had therefore received the vinegar, He said "It is finished:" and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost.  It is finished did not mean Jesus' life and redemptive work.  His task, the earthly part of His ministry was finished, and by His death, so was redemption completed.  The suffering and humiliation were finished.  Jesus took all the pain and suffering, but now that was over and victory was claimed.  Jesus came to redeem mankind, and the redemption plan was finished.  Jesus would never again have to suffer like this for us.  He took all of humanities sin for all time with Him to the cross.  Our sins were paid for that day.  We, as His followers, have claimed the gift Jesus gave us that day, but too many in the world allow it to go unclaimed.  It is so sad that they are redeemed, but choose to remain lost.  God's chosen people, the Jews, even today see Jesus as having been defeated on the cross.  It says Jesus bowed His head and gave up the ghost.  He was not struggling for breath, and His life was not taken from Him.  Jesus submitted to the will of the Father and voluntarily gave His life.  Those looking on might have thought they were victorious, but they only played a part in redemption.  Often today, those of the world may think they can defeat God's redemptive plan that came through Christ, but they are as wrong as the witnesses to the crucifixion of Jesus were that day.  Like Jesus, we may one day give up the ghost, that is, die a physical death, but our spirit lives on.  This life with its pain and suffering will be over, but that is all that is finished.  Jesus was going to the Father, and if we are truly His followers, so will we.  We are called on to have that same faith.  Even in a situation that seems to bring nothing but humiliation and defeat, we must stand firm in faith so that we too can say that it is finished.  We need to be able to say as Paul did that we fought a good fight and kept the faith.  Jesus remained true to His task until He could truly say, "It is finished."

In John 19:28, we read, After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, "I thirst."  We do not read of Jesus saying anything while He was being scourged, but now He said He was thirsty.  That would be normal after all He had been through, but it was also a fulfillment of Scripture.  Again, though we can be certain that Jesus knew the scriptures better than anyone, I do not believe this was His checking off a list.  Looking back, John saw the scripture fulfilled by this request.  Psalms 69:21 says, They gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.  Verse twenty nine says, Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar,  and put it upon hyssop, and put it to His mouth.  Though Jesus may have known the scriptures, the Roman soldiers likely did not, yet by their actions, they filled the scripture.  They gave Jesus vinegar, not water to drink.  We can also know that the religious leaders would have also known the scriptures and would have done everything they could to keep them from being fulfilled by Jesus.  I believe we can also see another aspect to Jesus saying, "I thirst."  He was taking on the sins of the world and was being cut off from the very living water He came to bring.  Jesus thirsted spiritually.  I believe this was the greater thirst and implication of His statement.  Yes, scripture was fulfilled when they gave Jesus vinegar to drink, but I believe He was speaking of a spiritual thirst.  The beating and carrying the cross brought no complaint because Jesus was not being separated from the Father, and now He was.  We tend to complain more about the physical things in life, but we need to be in more distress about the spiritual.  When we are in a bad situation, we need to thrist for the Living Water.  When we are fully in the hands of God, everything will be ok.  Again, we cannot force the fulfillment of the scripture, but we can thirst after the knowledge of God.

John 19:25 says, Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and her sister Mary, the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. These three women were there at the cross with Jesus.  They did not let the threat of being associated with Jesus turn them away.  We can only wonder what must have been going through their thoughts.  Mary, the mother of Jesus, had been told she was to be the mother of the Savior, and now He was on the cross.  It would be a lot for any mother to witness, but it had to be especially hard on her.  She was not there as any sort of co-savior, but as a mother in anguish.  The other two Marys must have been wondering how this could be happening, but they did not abandon Jesus.  We today may not always understand everything that happens in our following Jesus, but even when things look hopeless, we must not abandon Jesus.  We must realize that His grace will sustain us.  The world was not defeating Jesus that day, no matter how it looked.  Verse twenty six says, When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the discipline standing by, whom He loved, He saith unto His mother, "Woman, behold thy son."  Jesus called her woman instead of mother, not out of disrespect, but to keep people from trying to elevate her to an almost God like status, which some have done anyway.  He was also meeting her needs.  We are not told where her other children were, but the disciple Jesus loved was there.  Had we been alive during the crucifixion, where would we have been?  Would Jesus have had enough faith in our devotion to Him to trust us with the care of His mother?  There were no governmental programs to take care of widows.  So, Jesus was entrusting Mary to the care of the disciple He loved, which most see as being John.  I have to wonder how John felt about this, but verse twenty seven says, Then saith He to the disciple,   "Behold thy mother!  And from that hour, that disciple took her unto his own home.  He had been following Jesus, Who was now on the cross and was entrusting John to make sure Mary was provided for.  His career for three years had been following Jesus, so what was he to do now.  We, like John, have to believe that if God calls us to do something, He will provide the way.  We might also wonder where Mary's other children were, but the fact of being born to one in a right relationship with God does not mean that we have the same right relationship.  Jesus knew John believed in Him, even if he questioned what was happening.  We can only hope God would have the same faith in us.  We are His, not by birth, but by acceptance of His call and through His sacrifice on the cross.  The only way to God is through the cross.

John 19:23 says, Now the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also His coat: now His coat was coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.  Jesus did not leave many earthly possessions, only His garments.  Jesus was stripped bare on the cross.  Until sin came into the world, being naked was not considered wrong, and now Jesus was bearing even this first symbol of sin on the cross.  Jesus died for all sins, from the beginning to the end of time.  Verse twenty four says, They said therefore amongst themselves, "Let's not rend it, but let's cast lots for it, whose it shall be:" that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted My raiment among them, and for My vesture they did cast lots.  These things therefore the soldiers did.  The soldiers were not concerned at all about Jesus on the cross.  Thay were only concerned with how much they could profit from His execution.  They were totally focused on material things, not the Savior on the cross.  Had they realized Who He really was, I think they would have changed their focus.  Some people today attempt to use Jesus only for their own gain.  They may attend worship services and religious events, but their eye is always on the garments, or how they can profit from their attendance.  Though, like the soldiers, Jesus was on the cross for them, they never look up to the cross.  When we are gathered in His name, we need to make sure that our focus is on Him.  As we go through everyday life, we need to make sure that we look to Jesus for salvation, not for material blessings.  The soldiers got a material blessing, but they missed the spiritual restoration that Jesus came to bring.  Even though they did not know it, they were fulfilling scripture.  This is another reason we can know that everything that Jesus did was not to cause scripture to be fulfilled, but that scripture was fulfilled because of what He did.  These soldiers were unaware of the scripture, but the scripture was fulfilled because of them.  We do not need to try to conform scripture to the world, because the world will be conformed to scripture.  All we have to do is keep our focus on Jesus, not the material things of this world.

John 19:19 says, And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross.  And the writing was, JESUS OF NZARETH, KING OF THE JEWS.  Pilate was still trying to placate the Jews and humiliate Jesus, but he published the truth.  Pilate may have also wanted to make himself look better to Caesar, but the inscription as written had no charge worthy of death.  All Pilate did was publish the truth for all to see.  When the world attempts to discredit Jesus today, it can never be done with the truth.  Any attempt to discredit Jesus must be made on lies.  Pilate, with his title written above Jesus on the cross was a witness to the world of Who Jesus really is.  Nothing that was written there brought any disgrace to Jesus.  Verse twenty says, The title then read many of the Jews, for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh unto the city, and it was written in Hebrew,and Greek, and Latin.  Jesus was not crucified in some remote location where few people would ever see Him.  Part of the purpose of a crucifixion was to put a certain fear into others, so the officials wanted it to be witnessed by many people.  Since Pilate had the title written in three of the everyday languages of that day, he became a witness to Christ not only to the Jews, but to nearly everyone else around. It is always ironic when in an attempt to discredit Jesus that people point others to Him.  Many of those passing by that day might not have known Who Jesus was had Pilate not told them.  Pilate also, by writing the title in three languages, implied that Jesus was the Savior, not only of the Jews, but of the whole world.  Pilate had acknowledged that any fault found with Jesus was with the Jews, but he proclaimed Him to the world.  Verse twenty one says, And the said the chief priests of the Jews unto Pilate, "Write  not the King of the Jews, but that He said I am King of the Jews."  They did not want the truth published.  They were trying to discredit Jesus, and Pilate was proclaiming Him to be exactly Who He said He was.  When God's truth is proclaimed, those who teach a false religion or those who teach falsely about the One God do not like it.  Verse twenty two says, Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."  Pilate may have wanted to put the chief priests in their place.  He had allowed the crucifixion based on their claim that Jesus was a threat to Caesar, and this would be a statement about what happened to those who opposed Caesar.  As followers of Christ, we a called on to present the truth of Who He is, no matter the situation.  His people that day failed, but His truth was still proclaimed.

John 19:17 says, And He, bearing His cross, went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha.  They had scourged and beaten Jesus, attempted to humiliate Him by dressing Him as royalty, and now the final humiliation before His crucifixion was to have to bear His cross.  The Jewish leaders, who were the leaders of God's people, thought they were finally to be rid of Jesus, Who was indeed the long awaited Messiah.  They were wrong.  We may sometimes say that we cannot do something that we feel God wants us to because it would be to embarrassing.  When we do, we need to remember what happened to Jesus.  When we think that God is just asking too much of us, remember Jesus carrying His cross to His crucifixion.  Though it may be portrayed otherwise in movies, I believe that Jesus' thoughts were only on the heavenly Father, as they were in the Garden.  For that reason, I believe that when we feel life has become to hard to bear, we need to turn our thoughts to the heavenly Father and focus only on His will.  If we do, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will never be defeated by the world.  The world may think it has defeated us, but if we are true to God's calling, it never will.  Even burdened with the cross, beaten and abused, Jesus was not on His way to defeat, but to victory.  We need to remember that God has assured us the victory through the cross of Jesus.  Verse eighteen says, Where they crucified Him, and two other with Him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.  The world saw Jesus as nothing special, even at His crucifixion.  He was just one of three being put to death on a cross.  As Jesus was hanging there, the religious leaders and the crowd must have felt victorious.  The religious leaders probably felt self righteous satisfaction.  The had preserved their status.  When the world sees the cross today, if it means anything, it means the defeat of a long ago person called Jesus.  To the leaders of some religions, it means the same thing.  It was nothing special.  To the Jews today, again it was nothing special.  As followers of Christ, to us it must mean everything.  There is no other way to God but through the cross of Christ.

In John 19:16 it says, Then delivered he Him therefore unto them to be crucified.  And they took Jesus, and led Him away.  Pilate had a battle raging in his conscience, and what was easier won over what was right.  He still had found no fault with Jesus, but he was turning Him over to be executed.  When we, as followers of Christ, begin to do what is easiest for us instead of what is morally correct, we are just as guilty as Pilate of rejecting Jesus.  That does not make us lost again, but it does make us guilt of following self will instesd of following God's will.  Pilate turned Jesus over to the Jews instead of His soldiers.  He was still trying to put the responsibility on others, but it was his alone.  We may attempt to put the responsibility for our actions on others, but they are ours alone.  If you have learned anything about what I believe the Bible teaches, it is that free will is always the determining factor.  Just as Pilate could not excuse his responsibility in the crucifixion, neither could any individual Jew who was a part of the crowd who led Him away.  We cannot excuse our actions just because everybody, or even most Christians, is doing it.  Not being Catholic, he is not my Pope, but the Pope just made a statement that Christians have a responsibility to make sure that any "news" they pass along is true.  In the age of social media, it is easy for a lie to be passed along as truth, and many times Christians pass these lies along.  Sometimes, if you attempt to correct them, they get angry at you, but as followers of Christ, we have a responsibility to seek the truth.  If we cannot verify that something is true, we need to not repeat it, no matter how many likes or comments it gets.  The Jews that day could no more excuse themselves for calling for the crucifixion of Jesus because everyone there wanted it than could Pilate for turning Jesus over to them.  They each had an individual responsibility, as do we today when it comes to the truth.  We, as followers of Christ, we cannot justify our actions based on anything except what Jesus would do.  We can never find fault in the will of God.  As I have said before, God's will applies to every decision we make.  If we do something wrong, we cannot just decide to do better on our own.  We must ask God's forgiveness if we are truly His.  We can neither excuse nor forgive ourselves.

John 19:14 says, And it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour:  he saith unto the Jews, "Behold your King."  The Jews had another reason to hurry.  It was almost Passover, and they needed Jesus crucified so it wouldn't intefer with their worship plans.  They were spending time persecuting Jesus when they should have been purging their lives of sin.  As followers of Christ, though not on the scale of what they were doing, we can be guilty of spending worship time thinking hatefully about others and doing anything but purging sin from our lives.  When we acknowledge it, all time should be a time to worship God, not to condemn and hate others.  Pilate told them to behold their King.  He was likely showing them how little of a threat Jesus was to Caesar, which showed the absurdity of their claim.  He was also saying that if they wanted Jesus as King, there He was.  Yet, though he didn't know it, Pilate was proclaiming the truth.  Jesus was their King, and all they had to do was accept Him.  Jesus may be presented to the world today by those who do not believe in Him with scorn or ridicule, but He is still King.  Jesus may not be the ruler in the sense that people think He should be, but He is still King.  The world may think that they have beaten Him, but Jesus is still King.   Verse fifteen says, But they cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him."  And Pilate saith unto them, "Shall I crucify your King?"  And the chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."  They did not want Jesus in their sight anymore unless He was on the cross.  They did not want to claim Him as one of their own, much less as King.  Until we see Jesus on the cross, we cannot see Him as our Savior and Lord.  We are not one of His until we accept what He did for us there.  When Pilate asked if he should crucify their King, they said away with Him and crucify Him.  May we as His people never choose the world, or even religion, over Jesus.

In John 19:12 we read, And thenceforth Pilate sought to release Him: but the Jews cried out saying, "If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever makers himself a king speaketh against Caesar."   Pilate was again ready to do the right thing.  He was going to release Jesus.  He had attempted to do it and still placate the Jews, but now he was ready to just do his duty and release Jesus.  When we attempt to justify doing right on the based on the actions of a mob, we are ultimately going to have to decide whether to do right or not regardless.  The Jews then accused Pilate of not being Caesar's friend if he released Jesus.  If they could not convince Pilate based on false charges, then they would appeal to him based on fear for his own safety.  If he released Jesus and a revolt broke out, he would be responsible.  If we deny Christ based on what the world may think of us or do to us, we are just like Pilate.  We are letting fear rule our lives instead of faith.  Though Jesus had said His kingdom was not of this world, His people, the Jews, were using the claim that He was going to establish an earthly kingdom to get Pilate to do what they wanted.  We need to ensure that we, as followers of Jesus, never allow fear to rule our relationship with Him.  Verse thirteen says, When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and set down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, or in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.  Pilate, having already having found no fault in Jesus, was ready to judge Him again.  Pilate was now more concerned with how Caesar would view his actions than he was the innocence of Jesus.  When people of the world today cannot convict Jesus on one lie, they will look to another.  When we as His followers allow the crowd to determine our faithfulness to Jesus, we will never be the witness we should be.  When we, like the Jews, actually work against Christ to be accepted by the crowd, there is something fundamentally wrong with our faith in Him.  We must stand for what is right, even if we stand alone.  Again, Christ is Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.  We cannot say that there are areas of life where morality does not matter and truly follow Christ.

In John 19:10, it says, Pilate said unto Him, "Speakest Thou not unto me? Knowest Thou not that I have the power to crucify Thee, and have the power to release Thee?"  Pilate was in effect telling Jesus that He had better answer him, if not out of respect, then out of fear.  Pilate, like so many leaders or rulers was full of self pride.  He had just declared that he found no fault in Jesus, but now said he had the power to crucify Him.  No ruler truly has the right to put the innocent to death, though they may have the authority to do it.  The more powerful the individual, the less the reason needed to put someone to death.  They, like Pilate, feel that everyone should be grateful to them for just allowing them to live.  Verse eleven says, Jesus answered, "Thou could have no power at all against Me, except it were given unto Thee from above: therefore he that delivered Me unto thee hath the greater sin."  That was most likely not what Pilate was wanting to hear.  He had just declared how much power he had, and Jesus said he only had the power that God gave or allowed.  Pilate had become arrogant, since he felt he was in a position to either crucify or free Jesus.  Jesus said he was guilty of sin.  This had to have made Pilate angry, I would think.  We may feel that the way we react to Jesus today gives us a certain power over Him, but this is never the case.  We do not have any power over God.  We are simply called to serve.  Jesus said Pilates sin was not as great as those who brought Him to Pilate.  Does this mean that some sins are worse than others?  In our separation from God because of the sin, I don't think so.  We can start to justify our sins as being less important than the big sins, usually those of others, if we start to classify some sins as greater.  Any sin is great, because it separates us from God.  When we start to feel God should forgive our sins, but not those of others, we have made ourselves more righteous than them.  This is not what we are called to do.  If we decide that we can be forgiven and restored to a right relationship to God, but that others may be forgiven but still not good enough to be restored to a right relationship to God, and to His followers, we are not following what God teaches. Sometimes, we might even feel that our sins make us unworthy, but again, this is not what God teaches.  We are either fully forgiven and restored when we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness, or we are not restored at all.  This is true for every person.  I think this means that they had a greater understanding of what they were doing than Pilate did.  We who understand the teachings of God and go against them have a greater responsibility than those who do not know.  Any sin brings with it the penalty of death, but Jesus provides forgiveness for all sins, if we accept it.  We need to remember that Jesus said that just the thought of sin is as great as the actual committing of the sin in the eyes of God.  Pilate, for all his feeling of power, was a secondary player in the crucifixion.  The Jews, God's people, were the ones who bore the main responsibility, so were more accountable for their sins.  We, as followers of Christ, bear a greater responsibility when we fail to follow Him than do those of the world.  God's people, then and today, should know His truth and follow in it.

John 19:7 says, The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by our law He ought to die, for He made Himself the Son of God."  They did not listen to the judgment of Pilate, but instead stated that they had a law that said Jesus must die.  We must be careful when we base actions on what the Bible says that we don't attempt to make it justify what we want to do.  The Jews did have a law to put to death those guilty of blasphemy, but Jesus was not guilty of it.  They also had scripture that said the Messiah was coming and how He would come into the world, but they did not apply these scriptures to Christ.  They were looking to carry out their will, and to do it in the name of God.  They in effect told Pilate that if he wouldn't crucify Jesus, they would.  Verse eight says, When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid.  Pilate had thought that Jesus was being accused of claiming to be royality, and now he understood he was accused of claiming to be a deity.  The people would not be easily persuaded to let Him go, but what if this were true.  We can understand why Pilate was afraid.  If we find ourselves in a position where we have to choose between the crowd and God, we do not need to be afraid.  We can never let fear overrule God.  Verse nine says, And went again unto the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, "Whence art Thou? "But Jesus gave him no answer.  Pilate was again wanting to find fault with Jesus.  He did not directly ask Jesus if He were the Son of God, but only where He came from, heaven or earth.  The Romans didn't fear any army, but they feared many gods.  If Jesus were a god, then Pilate didn't want to offend Him.  Jesus didn't answer because Pilate had no understanding of the Jewish Messiah, and if Jesus had pronounced Himself any god, Pilate would have likely freed Him.  People today may want to accept Jesus as some kind of god for fear of offending Him, but we must accept Him as the only true God.  He can never be anything less.

In John 19:4 we read, Pilate went forth again, and saith unto them, "Behold, I bring Him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in Him."  Having scourged Jesus and allowing Him to be beaten, Pilate said he was turning Jesus back over to the crowd.  Every individual is responsible for the crucifixion of Christ.  We cannot avoid this fact by saying that we find Him blameless, and then rejecting Him.  Pilate had to either acknowledge Jesus as Who He said He was, and then worship Him, or reject Him.  Pilate chose to reject Jesus.  He attempted to stay basically neutral, but there is no neutrality with Jesus.  We either accept Him totally as Savior and Lord, or we reject Him totally.  Those around us cannot make the decision for us.  Verse five says, Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe.  And Pilate said, "Behold, the man!"  Again, if Pilate thought he would appease the people by bringing Jesus out looking defeated and beaten, he was wrong.  Even when people today attempt to discredit Jesus, they are never satisfied with what seems to be a victory.  Pilate said in effect that Jesus was no threat, and the crowd still wasn't satisfied.  Verse  six says, Now the chief priests and therefore and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, "Crucify Him, crucify Him."  Pilate said unto them, "Take ye Him, and crucify Him: for I find no fault with Him."  Again, the mob mentality won.  How sad for Pilate to find no fault with Jesus but to hand Him over to a mob to be crucified.  Pilate may have thought himself blameless by his actions, but he rejected both his responsibility and the Savior.  The cries of the mob cannot sway us in our decision about Christ.  We either accept or reject Him.  There can be no neutrality.  We also need to remember that many of these same people had welcomed Jesus earlier proclaiming Him to be the Messiah.  It was only a superficial proclamation though.  Some today get caught up with the crowd a moment of excitement, and proclaim to follow Christ.  Soon, they find themselves back in a world that rejects Christ, and they join right in.  We must come to a real, personal relationship with Christ in order to be truly saved.

John 19:1 says, Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged Him.  Pilate had found no fault with Jesus, but he still scourged Him.  Whether he himself did it or had it done is not certain, but the fact remains that Jesus was unfairly scourged.  Pilate may have done it to placate the Jews.  Some think he may have thought that would satisfy the Jewish leaders.  Whatever his reasons, the scripture was being fulfilled before his eyes.  People today may treat Christians badly because they think it will impress the world.  I think of church burnings, or even shootings in churches.  Neither the church building nor those gathered inside were guilty of hurting the person burning the building or shooting the people.  When the hatred of Christians in the world becomes too strong, people lash out, whether in the name of another religion or just a hatred of Christianity.  Verse two says, And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe.  They were attempting to make a mockery of Jesus being the King of the Jews.  As Romans, they likely had no understanding of what this really meant, but since Jesus had been scourged, they may have just wanted to be a part of the action.  There are people today who really know nothing about Jesus, but if they are in a group that opposes Christianity, they will take an active role just to impress others.  I have watched parts of some movies where Jesus is portrayed as thinking of given up when the abuse starts.  We must acknowledge that this thought never entered His head.  He submitted to the Father's plan for salvation.  Had Jesus decided He wasn't going to the cross at any point, He had the power of the universe at His disposal to stop it.  We can begin to believe what Hollywood portrays about Jesus more than what the Bible tells us.  The emphasis here should not be on what Pilate and the soldiers did, but on the fact that Jesus willingly endured this abuse for us.  That is not to say that we discount the abuse, but that we don't start almost glorifying it.  What Pilate and the soldiers did was horrible, but we need to glorify the sacrifice of Christ for us.  The cross was the ultimate cruelty, and Jesus went there willingly for us, never faltering in His resolve.  Verse three, continuing to speak of the soldiers says, And said, " Hail, King of the Jews. "  And they smote Him with their hands.  The humiliation and suffering of Jesus was very real, but we must always focus on the cross.

John 18:38 says, Pilate saith unto Him, "What is truth."  And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, "I find in Him no fault at all."  The guestion what is truth is a valid question.  At one time in the history of the world, the truth was that the world was flat.  Today, two people can look at the same event and recount it differently and both know they are telling the truth.  Jesus did not say He was a truth, but that He was the truth.  We need to spend time daily searching God's word and praying to know His truth.  My feelings may lead me to believe that I know the truth in a particular situation, but I must make sure it is God's truth.  Then, Pilate went out to the Jews and told them he could find no fault at all in Jesus.  Pilate may not have accepted Jesus' claim, but he could find no fault with Him.  If those who oppose Jesus today were to really examine His teachings, His truth, they could find no fault with Him.  The trumped up charges didn't stand then, and they won't stand today.  In verse thirty nine Pilate continued, "But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the Passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the Jews?"  Pilate should have freed Jesus when he could find no fault with Him, but he attempted to pass the decision off to others.  Today, some people find no fault with Jesus, but they still refuse to accept Him for Who He is.  They basically say that it is okay what others believe, but Christ is not the Truth for them.  Maybe Pilate thought they didn't want Jesus condemned.  We would think religious leaders would want the Messiah to reign, but they had brought Jesus there to have Him put to death.  Then, verse forty says, Then they cried again, "Not this Man, but Barrabas."  Now Barrabas was a robber.  They chose to free a guilty robber over an innocent Jesus.  We today are faced with the same question.  When it comes time to choose, will we pick Jesus or the evil of this world?  The religious leaders that day chose the evil of the world.  We need to be in prayer daily that we don't make the same choice.  We must choose Jesus.

John 18:36 says, Jesus says, "My kingdom is not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered unto the Jews: but now My kingdom is not of hence."  Jesus did not directly answer Pilates question, but told him the kingdom He was King of was not of this world.  If Jesus were establishing an earthly kingdom, He would have His followers fighting the Jews.  We today spend a lot of time fighting the world, but is that what Jesus really wants us to do?  Just as His kingdom was not of this world, neither is ours.  Where do we draw the line between witnessing to and battling the world?  I am not sure exactly where the line should be drawn, but I am sure that God would never say, "Kill them all, and let me sort it out."  Verse thirty seven states,  Pilate therefore said unto Him, " Art Thou a king then?"  Jesus answered him, "Thou sayest that I am a king.  To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.  Everyone that is of the truth heareth My voice."  Jesus came for one purpose, and that was to redeem mankind.  He was not here to establish an army and a worldly kingdom, but to call the lost people of the world to Him, even those that professed to be following the Father already.  It is not enough to say we follow Christ without recognizing the truth of Christ.  If we are of the truth, that is, His followers, then we recognize His voice.  We should be attuned enough to God through the Holy Spirit to recognize what He is saying to us.  Christ's kingdom in this world is in the hearts of His followers.  It is not in a geographic location, but is worldwide.  His followers are not characterized by any dividing factor, but by the uniting factor of the Holy Spirit dwelling in them.  Sometimes, I believe that we live as though this world is the most important thing to us.  We spend a majority of our time and resources on earthly things when we are called on to lay up treasures in heaven.  Jesus said that His kingdom was not of this world and He wasn't fighting to claim it.  He laid down His life for the world.  What are we as His followers expected to do?

In John 18:31 we read, Then said Pilate unto them, " Take ye Him, and judge Him accordingly to your Law."  The Jews therefore said unto him, "It is not lawful for us to put any man to death."  Pilate, the governmental ruler, put the fate of Jesus back in the hands of the religious leaders.  Whether he did this to mock their power under Roman rule or to mock their law that they could put a person to death without real proof of the charges is unclear.  Either way, they could not accomplish what they wanted, the death of Jesus, without the help of the government.  They had gotten away from God once again and were under the control of another powerful government.  As followers of Christ, we need to be careful about looking to the government to solve disputes among believers.  If we are indeed subjects of the God of the universe, we should be able to resolve our own problems among ourselves.  Verse thirty two says, That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which He spake, signifying what death He should die.  When anyone, even religious leaders, is in conflict with the word of God, God's word will prove to be true. Verse thirty three says, Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto Him, "Art Thou the king of the Jews?"  If Pilate really thought Jesus was indeed the King of the Jews, it shows how little respect he had for them.  Here was a lowly man, bound by His own people, brought before Pilate for the express purpose of having Him put to death.  That is not much of a king in the eyes of the world, but Jesus came not only to be King of the Jews, but King of the whole world.  Though Pilate may have seen Jesus as defeated already, Jesus was really about to start His reign as redeemer.  The powers of the world today may mock the power of Christians, but we are living under the reign of Christ.  His kingdom started at the cross.  We as His followers are part of that kingdom, and we serve the most powerful, eternal King.  There really is never a reason to live in doubt and fear.  We know the outcome, and we are victorious through Christ.

John 18:28 says, Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgement hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the Passover.  They took Jesus to the Roman officials to be tried.  They could not legally put Him to death, since He had done nothing to warrant a death penality.  They also knew the Roman method of execution, which was crucifixion, which they probably thought would discredit Jesus.  They went early, possibly two or three in the morning.  They were in a hurry, but they didn't go in for fear of touching a Gentile and defiling themselves.  They were bringing Jesus to be tried and put to death on false charges, but were afraid touching someone considered unclean would prevent them from worshipping God.  We today need to make sure we don't allow rituals to get in the way of our relationship to God.  We cannot separate life into the secular and the spiritual.  If something is wrong, as followers of Christ, it is wrong.  There are not two realms where we can say that something is wrong in one but okay in the other.  We also need to make sure that we don't allow worship services to keep us from reaching out to the lost.  Verse twenty nine says, Then Pilate went out unto them, and said,  "What accusation bring ye against this man."  Pilate saw Jesus as only another man, not the Son of Man.  He also needed to know what Jesus was accused of, especially since He was brought in so early.  Pilate was following Roman law.  There had to be charges stated, if not written.  Verse thirty states, They answered and said unto him, "If He were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered Him up unto you."  They really didn't have any changes, but they pronounced Jesus guilty already.  We should not be surprised if we are condemned falsely today.  We, as followers of Christ, at are often said to believe things that are not true.  For example, if we stand against sin, we are accused of hating the sinner.  When there are no accurate charges, they are made up.  We can only stand firm in the truth.

John 18:34 says, Jesus answered Him, "Sayest these things of thyself, or did others tell it to the of Me?"  Jesus wanted to know why Pilate was asking the question.  Jesus had done nothing to imply that He was attempting to overthrow the government, as the question to Him implied.  Jesus wanted to know if others had brought these charges if Pilate had considered their motives.  We may be accused of many things as followers of Christ, and many times they are based on lies or rumors that have no basis in facts.  Verse thirty five says, Pilate said, "Am I a Jew?  Thine own nation and chief priests hath delivered Thee unto me.  What hast Thou done?"  Pilate did not want to be identified as a Jew, and certainly not as a follower of Jesus.  There are people today who may not really understand what Christianity teaches, but they would be very offended to be identified as a Christian.  Pilate then tells Jesus His own people brought Him to Pilate.  That was a sad estate for God's people to be in.  They were so caught up in religion that they did not recognize the Messiah.  We today need to be careful that we do not become the same.  We need to ensure that we know what God really teaches, and not what we want Him to teach.  We cannot wrap our own beliefs in Christianity and claim that is God's will.  We need to study God's word under the leadership of the Holy Spirit to make sure we do know what His word says.  We sometimes let tradition be more important than what the Bible, God's word, actually teaches.  For example, we have Christmas plays based on three wise men, but there is no mention of three wise men in the Bible.  Some even go so far as to name them, but again, there certainly are no names given.  Though numbering the wise men at three does not change the Gospel, when we become so caught up in the tradition that we will not admit that the Bible doesn't say this, then it is a problem.  We need to make sure that what we teach about God is what His word teaches.

John 18:25 says, "And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself.  They said therefore unto him, "Art not thou also one of His disciples?"  He denied it and said, "I am not."  Peter had moved away from the door of the palace where Jesus was taken to the fire to warm himself.  Peter may have been disappointed that Jesus wasn't fighting back.  He was ready to fight but not to ready to lay down his life for Jesus without trying to destroy those he saw as enemies.  We as followers of Christ may be ready to destroy His enemies physically, but we are called to love them.  This has not changed since Christ died on the cross.  Peter again denied being one of Jesus' disciples.  If we are confronted with a dangerous situation because we are followers of Christ, how will we react. Too often we deny, or at best just don't profess, being His followers if the situation just makes us uncomfortable.  Like Peter, we may look to our physical needs and deny our relationship to Christ.  Verse twenty six states, One of the servants of the high priest, being His kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, "Did not I see thee in the Garden with Him?"  Peter had confronted the man with a sword and physically harmed him, but now he was confronted only with words.  We may stand the test during times of a threat, but if we are acting on our own power instead of God's, we may falter at the least of threat.  Sometimes it is easier to make what we see as a heroic stand than it is to follow in sevice to God daily.  Then verse twenty seven says, Peter then denied again, and immediately the cock crew.  Peter had made a declaration of undying devotion to Jesus, but he was basing it on his own strength, still not understanding Who Jesus was.  If we may claims about our faith in God, it must be based on His strength and not our own.  Jesus told Peter he would deny him, and he did.  Unless we are fully committed to following Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, we too are in danger of denying Him, either by words or actions.

John 18:22 says, And when He had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand saying, "Answereth thou the high priest so?"  Jesus had told them the truth, and they were angry.  There was no law that said a person could not answer the high priest truthfully.  Jesus did not threaten him or even berate him.  Also, evidently the high priest had taken on a role of power instead of service.  If religious leaders today take on a role where they are worshipped as much or more than God, then there is a problem.  Verse twenty three says, Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou Me?"  Jesus was telling the man if He spoke evil, then he should address the evil, but there was no reason to hit Him.  This was true not only because Jesus had not said anything evil about the high priest, but also because He had only truthfully answered the question asked Him.  When people do not want to hear the truth, they often lash out and sometimes become violent.  We, as followers of Christ, need to simply make sure that we speak the truth and never lash out at others in anger.  Jesus did not retaliate when He was struck.  He simply asked why the man felt he had the right to do what he did.  The truth sometimes angers people, and they strike out at the one speaking it.  They may even physically attack the person presenting the truth.  As followers of Christ, that doesn't give us the right to strike back.  We simply need to continue to proclaim the truth.  If people don't want to hear it, we can do nothing about that.  In verse twenty four, we read, Now Annas had sent Him bound unto Caiaphas.  Even when Jesus was bound, the religious leaders still saw Him as a threat.  Of course, He was only bound because He chose to be.  When the world thinks it has bound up God, it needs to look more closely at what is really happening.  The world will never bind God.  We as His followers need to live in the power of that truth.

John 18:19 says, The high priest the asked Jesus of His disciples, and of His doctrine.  It would seem that the high priest would know the things if he was accusing Jesus of speaking against Judaism.  The fact is, many today speak out against Christianity without any knowledge of what Christ taught.  Verse twenty states, And Jesus answered him,"I spake openly in the world; I ever taught openly in the synagogue, and the temple, where the Jews always resort; and in secret I have said nothing."  Jesus was basically telling the high priest that if he wanted to know what Jesus was teaching, he simply had to come and listen.  If people today want to know what Christianity teaches, the simply need to come and listen.  Jesus went to where the religious leaders should have been, the synagogue and the temple, to preach.  The high priest should have been very familiar with what Jesus taught, but having arrested Jesus, he was still looking for something to charge Him with.  People of the world today attempt to discredit Christians without anything to charge them with.  They, like the religious leaders in Jesus' day have to make up things to try to discredit Christians.  Then, in verse twenty one, Jesus continues, "Why asketh thou Me?  Ask them which heard Me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said."  After telling the religious leaders they should have personally known what He was teaching, He then told them to ask those that heard Him.  They did not have to just take His word for it, though that should have been enough.  If people today want to know what Jesus taught, if they have not encountered Him personally, they should be able to ask Christians what He teaches.  They may not come to the church, but they should encounter Christians out in the world.  We must tell them and show them through our lives what Jesus really taught.  We cannot divide life into religious and secular.  The world may attempt to do this, but for the Christian it is impossible.  The teachings of Christ apply to every aspect of life.

In John 18:18, we read, "And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a
fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.  After being questioned by the damsel, Peter left the door and went to where others were who were not identified as being with Jesus.  He was further separating himself from Jesus.  When we are asked if we are a Christian, especially in a threatening situation, how do we react?  I have heard people say that they are Christians, but not one of those born again people.  They do not want the world to judge them as strange.  We can either profess to be born again through salvation in Christ, or we can attempt to hide in the crowd.  Peter, instead of standing with Jesus was warming himself at the fire of His enemies.  Verse nineteen says, The high priest then asked Jesus of His disciples and His doctrine.  The high priest had to have known that Jesus had disciples following Him, but now He stood alone.  We, as followers of Christ, need to ensure that the world never asks where His disciples are.  We need to stand with Him through all trials and threats in life.  We do not need to be looking out for our physical needs, but for our spiritual needs.  We need to stand with Christ and not attempt to hide with His enemies.  It is better to stand in the cold with Jesus than by the fires with His enemies.  Of course, had Peter gone with Jesus, he would have been out of the cold, and the high priest would have known where at least one of Jesus' disciples was. We need to never be too concerned about our own safety and comfort to stand away from Jesus to find comfort with the world.  When the people of the world wonder where the followers of Christ are, they should be able to identify us by our words and actions.  We have been promised that if we stand with Christ, all our needs will be met.  Yet, we often turn to the things of the world to find security.  We need to stand with Christ, no matter what.

John 18:14 tells us a little more about Caiaphas.  It says, Now Caiaphas was he, which gave council to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.  I think we can conclude from this that Jesus was never going to get a fair trial from the religious leaders.  The high priest, Caiaphas, had already determined it was better for Jesus to die.  Caiaphas did not understand that he was stating what Jesus was to do.  He wanted Jesus to die to keep things as they were.  Jesus was challenging the religious leaders actions and power, so He needed to be silenced.  If Jesus challenges some of our religious ideas or power today, it is the beliefs and power that need to die.  Then, in verse fifteen, we read, And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known to the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest.  Of course, we might ask why the high priest had a castle, but we know that at times today religious leaders want or have their own castles. This other disciple is not named, but Matthew Henry believes he was not one of the twelve disciples.  He was known to Caiaphas and accepted into his palace.  Peter, who said he would follow Jesus anywhere, did not go in.  We need to be careful when we tell God how faithful we are going to be when we are basing it on our own strength.  Peter I am sure believed what he said.  He was a man of action who believed in his own abilities.  Verse sixteen says, But Peter stood at the door without.  Then went out that other disciple, that was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.  We see that the other disciple did not stay with Jesus, but came back out.  Peter was at the door, but did not go in.  We may at times go where Jesus wants us, then falter if things go wrong.  Also, we may allow things going wrong to keep us from where Jesus wants us to be.  Neither the other disciple or Peter ended up where Jesus was.  In verse seventeen,  we read, Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, "Art thou not also one of this Man's disciples?  He saith, I am not."  Peter was confronted not by soldiers or religious leaders but by a damsel, and he faltered in his faith.  If we cannot stand in the face of the smallest threat, how will we stand at the greatest?  Peter failed Jesus then, and we may often do the same.

Today is Thanksgiving Day.  It is a day set aside to give thanks to God for keeping us safe another year.  It was a day the early settlers, undocumented immigrants by the way, celebrated with the now Native Americans.  They shared food and friendship.  They praised God.  What is Thanksgiving today?  People too often attempt to bar God from the celebration of the day.  Families still get together, but we seldom include others.  The day has been turned into a day of commerce more than a day of celebrating the blessings of God and reaching out to neighbors.  Some families don't get to celebrate together because someone has to work.  Others don't get to celebrate because someone has to shop for bargains.  We, as followers of Christ, need to make sure that we spend time thanking Him for His blessings.  If we refuse to shop on this day, then fewer people will have to work.  Some stores this year have decided to close again so their employees can spend time with their families.  We need to spend time with our families, but we need to also spend time praying for those less fortunate. Thanksgiving, like Christmas, has become too commercialized in my opinion.  We, as Christians, cannot control how the world celebrates the day, but we can control how we do. We need to make Thanksgiving Day a real day of thanks to God.  All that we have we owe to Him.

In John 18:10, we read, Then Simon Peter, having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear.  The servants name was Malcus.  The disciples had told Jesus that they now understood Who He was and why He came to earth, but Simon Peter did not react that way.  He was going to physically attack anyone that he felt was a challenge to what he thought Jesus should be.  We may at times be armed and ready for war when Jesus is calling us to act out of love.  Jesus did not need Peter to physically defend Him but to support Him with his prayers and obedience.  God does not need us to physically defeat the world today, but to reach out to the world with His love.  Anytime we act with hatred and violence, it is my opinion that we are not following God's will.  Peter thought he was doing the right thing, but he was acting on what Peter wanted.  We also need to realize the servant was not the one in charge.  Sometimes, we strike out at the wrong enemy.  Verse eleven states, Then Jesus said unto Peter, "Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?"  Jesus was in effect asking Peter if he understood why Jesus came to earth.  It was a time, not to battle the world, but to accept the will of the Father.  We need to ask ourselves the same question today before we act, especially if we say we are acting in the name of God.  We need to make sure that we are not trying to force God to comply with our will.  It seems to me that we often act out of selfishness or anger instead of love.  Jesus was not being taken by those sent to arrest Him.  He was going willing toward the cross.  Verse twelve says, Then the band and the captain and the officers of the Jews took Jesus and bound Him.  They thought they had won, but they were only fulfilling the will of God.  For religious leaders to think they can bind the will of God is really humorous.  We today may attempt to bind up what God's word says to make it conform to our will, but it never will happen.  God's word will always prevail.  Verse thirteen continues, And led Him away to Annas first, for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year.  They did not take Jesus to the governmental rulers, but to the religious rulers.  If there is opposition to the will of God today, we need to make sure it does not come from us, as His followers.  We have a call to reach the lost with the love of God, and that means everyone who is lost, and not just those we want to reach.

In John 18:4, we read, Jesus, therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth,and said, "Whom seekest ye?"  Jesus knew what He had come for and knew what He was going to do for humanity.  He was no longer withdrawing, but now knew the time had come.  As followers of Christ, we need the same commitment.  If someone came to threaten us looking for Christians, we should be able to ask who they were looking for, even if we knew it was us.  Then verse five states, They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth."  Jesus said unto them, "I am He."  And Judas also, which betrayed Him, was with them.  Sometimes, I think about the number of times Jesus started a statement about Himself with the words "I am."  I think of the Old Testament, when God said to Moses tell them  "I Am" sends you.  Jesus could truly say He was all the things He said He was, even Jesus of Nazareth.  We need to realize also that all things done against God in secret or in the dark will ultimately be brought to light.  Judas was no longer pretending to follow Jesus, because he thought he could profit from betraying Him.  Verse six says, As soon as He had said unto them, "I am He," they went backward, and fell to the ground.  They were looking for Jesus with armed men, but as soon as He told them they had found Him, they went backwards from Him and fell on the ground.  Even His enemies will ultimately fall at the feet of Jesus.  In the day of judgment, and in many was this was a day of judgment for Judas and his band, there will be no place to fall back to.  All will ultimately face Jesus.  In verse seven, we read, Then asked He them again, "Whom seek ye?"  And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."  He had just told them that He was the One they were looking for, but He asked again.  Jesus will always ask if we really know Who He is.  We cannot be His if we doubt Him when He tells us Who He is.  We need to run to Him not fall away from Him.  Verse eight states, Jesus answered, "I have told you I am He: if therefore ye seek Me, let these go there way."  The disciples could not go where Jesus was going, but they would later be called on to follow Him, even unto death.  Only Jesus could lay down His life for humanity.  He will always work to keep His followers safe if possible.  We will never be called on to do something of no benefit to God.  In verse nine, we read, That the saying might be fulfilled, which He spake, "Of them which Thou givest Me, I have lost none."  If we are His, we will never be lost to Him.  He will keep us by His power.

John 18:1 says, "When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the brook of Cidron, where was a garden, into which He entered, and His disciples.  Jesus had just spent time talking with the Father, and now it was time to move ahead.  We need to spend time in prayer to know God's will for us each day, but once we know what His will for is, we need to move ahead.  We can still pray as we go, but we must go.  Then, in verse two, we read, "And Judas, which betrayed Him, knew the place, for Jesus ofttimes drew thither to the place."  We see at least two things here.  One, Judas was no longer following Jesus.  As long as we are truly following Jesus, we will not betray Him.  This does not mean that we will never do anything against His will, but that we will never deny Him as our Savior.  The second thing is that just as Judas knew where to find Jesus, the Devil knows where to find us.  We go about life fairly routinely, and the Devil knows how to get to us.  When we are constantly in prayer to God, we are ready for his attacks.  When we are going along on our own power and abilities, the Devil may lead us into sin.  Being a Christian does not make us immune to temptation, and the Devil knows when and how to appeal to us.  In verse three, we read, "Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons."   We must remember that it was the religious leaders that were looking for Jesus to kill Him.  He came to be their Messiah, and they didn't want the salvation He offered.  Many in the name of religion today attempt to discredit the teachings of Christ.  If we ever say there is another way to salvation, we have followed the way of Judas, not the way of Jesus.  Judas had his own little army.  He went from follower of Christ physically, to a leader of men to oppose Him.  We need to be more than followers in word alone and make sure that we are following in deed as well.  We may become more important in the eyes of the world, but we lose everything important if we do not truly follow Jesus.  They came with lights and weapons to arrest the Light of the World and the Prince of Peace.  They really didn't need either.  They were not overpowering Jesus, but He was ready to go forward and finish His task.  We need to rest assured that the world or the Devil himself can never overcome us.  Because of the willing sacrifice of Jesus, we are set free from the power of sin.  The Devil cannot make us do it.

As Jesus continues His prayer in John 17:22, He says, "And the glory Thou gavest Me have I given them, that they may be one, even as We are One."  We as His followers live in the glory of Jesus.  We do not live for our own glorify.  We live in His glory so that we may be united in our service to Him.  If we begin to feel that we need more glory because we do more than other Christians, then unity will not exist.  In verse twenty three, Jesus said, "I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me."  Just as the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are one, so are Christians to be.  We are to do this so we can be made perfect in faith and effectively present Jesus to the world.  When we do this, the world will see the love of God for us and through us.  As long as we are divided and bickering with one another as Christians, we cannot effectively present God to the world.  In verse twenty four, Jesus says, " Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am;  that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world."  Jesus knew that when we are with Him in heaven, His glory will be manifested.  There will be no doubt.  Jesus also once again declared His eternal existence.  He was before the foundation of the world.  Many religions are based on the teachings of someone who came into existence on a certain day in history.  Christianity is based on One Who always existed.  This is the big divider.  Jesus always was, and He redeemed us, that we can be His forever.  Then, in verse twenty five, Jesus says, " Oh righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee: but I have known Thee, and these hath known that Thou hath sent Me."  The world still doesn't acknowledge that Jesus was sent by God to be the Savior of the world, but we as His followers do.  Then, Jesus concludes in verse twenty six, "And I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them."  If we are followers of Jesus, He lives in us through the Holy Spirit and the love of God is manifested in us.  There can be no greater reason to rejoice.

In John 17:20, Jesus continues, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also who shall believe on Me through their word."  The disciples were to reach out to the world with the message of Christ,and Jesus Himself was praying for their success.  Jesus wanted them to be successful, not in material things, but in proclaiming Him to the world.  In this verse, He included us.  We believe because the disciples were successful in reaching the world with the message of Christ.  This verse also includes the ones we reach.  We need to question daily how effective we are in reaching the lost.  Jesus prayed for them, but He also prayed for the disciples and us to reach them.  In verse twenty one, Jesus continued, "That they all may be one; as Thou Father art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me"  Jesus prayed that the disciples then, and the ones to come, would be as united as the Father and the Son, and though not mentioned here, and the Holy Spirit are.  I think too often we put qualifiers in front of Christian.  We see the world more from a materialistic view, dividing Christians by nationality.  Often, we seem to feel no real unity with Christians around the world, but see them as somehow less deserving of the things of this world than we are.  I have heard religious leaders, when speaking of Christians in the rest of the world say, "That is good enough for them."  This statement implies that we as followers of Christ should expect more than others around the world.  This is not the unity Jesus prayed for.  Even closer to home, we often do not want to be united with other Christians because of race or social standing.  We may occasionally get together with them at church for special occasions, but on a daily basis, we want to be separated from them.  We may occasionally do something to help them materially, as long as it doesn't cost us too much, but on a daily basis, they are on their own.  This is not unity in Christ.  We have to reach out to the lost, yes, but we also need to reach out to other Christians on a daily basis, so that the world may see Jesus in us.  As long as Christians do not embrace one another everywhere in the love of Christ, the world is not going to be reached.