Proverbs 2:1 says, My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;  Though written by Solomon, I believe that we can safely say that this refers to God.  We are God's children if we accept His gift of salvation.  After referring to us as His son, or child, there is a big if, stating that if we receive and live by God's commandments, then what is said next will be true.  God's promises are always based on our obedience to Him.  Verse two states, So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;  We are to listen for God's instructions and make them the basis of our actions.  The only way to know what God would have us do is to listen for His word to us.  We also need to understand that God's word to us will always be consistent with what His word has always said.  Verse three declares, Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;  I believe that this is the knowledge of God that we are to cry out for,, and that it is with an unwavering faith in Who He is that we are to lift up our voices.  We may have the greatest knowledge of how the world thinks, but without a knowledge of what God says it is worthless.  Verse four says, If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;  We are told that we are to seek the knowledge God as we would seek the riches of the world.  The truth of God is worth more than any treasure we might find in this world.  The question then becomes which do we seek most, earthly riches or the wisdom of God?  Verse five states, Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.  When we put searching for the truth of God ahead of material things, we are promised that we will fear, or respect, God and find His knowledge, which is the only true knowledge.  Verse six states, For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.  Once more, we are told that true wisdom comes from God.  The word of God gives us knowledge and understanding of how everything was created and is sustained, which is by the action of God.  We can either choose to believe this or not.  Verse seven says, He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.  This basically tells us that if we would be righteous, then we must believe God's word, because we can only become righteous through the grace of God.  Once we accept God's gift of salvation, of righteousness, then we must walk in righteousness in all that we do.  Verse eight says, He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.  God is the One Who keeps us on the path of righteousness.  After we become followers of Christ, we are not suddenly able to live by God's will by our own ability, but the Holy Spirit comes to live in us and to enable us to do so.  Verse nine declares, Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.  Only after we acknowledge that God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of everything can we understand His righteousness, judgment, and fairness.  When we do understand this, we will not ask how a loving God could send people to hell, but will understand that He did everything He could, short of forcing them to follow Him, to keep them from going there.

Proverbs 1:20 says, Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:  I believe that Solomon is telling us that even in all the evil of the world that wisdom will not be silenced.  Wisdom calls us to a better relationship with others, not based on our on greed for material things, especially those belonging to others.  Verse twenty-one states, She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,  Since wisdom comes from God, His wisdom can be found everywhere if we listen for it.  Verse twenty-two asks, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?  This is a warning to not rely on our own understanding or the power of false religions.  I believe that this knowledge that fools are said to hate is the knowledge of God.  Verse twenty-three declares, Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.  This was not a call for people to follow Solomon, but for people to follow God.  We are to turn from our wicked ways and follow God.  When we accept Christ, after acknowledging our own inability to save ourselves, then God does pour out His spirit on us. The Holy Spirit indwells, or lives within us.  Verse twenty-four says,  Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;  God says that even though He called them, people ignored His call and His hand stretched out to them in mercy.  This has not changed, even after the coming of Christ.  Verse twenty-five states, But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:  There are so many people in the world today who do not acknowledge God.  There are also those who claim to follow Christ who do not obey His teachings or follow His leadership.  Verse twenty-six states, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;  Though this tells us that God will laugh at the calamity of those who do not accept Him, I don't believe that God really delights in the suffering of those who will not put their faith in Him.  Verse twenty-seven states, When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.  Then continuing in verse twenty-eight, Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:  This is a warning that when the fear of God comes after everything in the world has failed, which will certainly be true when God's judgment comes, that it will be to late.  We are told to seek God when He can be found, and I believe this is a warning that some people will simply wait too long to respond to God's call.  Verse twenty-nine says, For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:  There are definitely many people today who choose to not fear the Lord.  They hate anything to do with the knowledge of God, which is the true knowledge.  Verse thirty states, They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.  God will make Himself known to people, but many will not listen to His counsel.  It is not enough to just acknowledge that there might be a god, but we must listen to what the only God teaches us.  Verse thirty-one says, Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.  I believe that this simply says that people who refuse to listen to God will be allowed to live their everyday lives.  God will not just strike them down immediately.  Verse thirty-two says, For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.  I believe that this teaches us that ultimately everyone will be judged by their actions, beginning with their relationship to Christ.  Those who have rejected God and abused the poor for their own benefit will find that their prosperity is the prosperity of fools.  Anything gained while denying God will be a foolish prosperity, since it will all pass away.  Verse thirty-three declares, But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.  God promises that those who follow Him will live in safety, free from the fear of evil.  Even if we are in a situation where our lives are threatened because of our faith in Christ, we should never be afraid of the outcome.  We are  secure with God for time everlasting.

Proverbs 1:1 says, The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;  First, we see that Solomon is identified as the author.  Solomon was known as one of the wisest kings of all time, and he offers us some good advice on how to live our lives.  Verse two states, To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;  Solomon gives us the reason that he was writing these proverbs, and that is so we can know wisdom and understand the words of instruction.  Solomon sought out the truth of the world, and concluded that the purpose of mankind was to serve God.  Verse three says, To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;  These are four very important reasons to receive these instructions.  If we want wisdom, justice, judgment and equity in the world, we can only find it by being obedient to the word of God.  This is what Solomon was really sharing with us.  In verse four Solomon continues, To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.  Solomon said he was writing this to help even the simple understand what life is really about, and to teach young people knowledge and discretion.  Too often, the young people of the world are caught up in whatever the latest fad is, but we as followers of Christ must teach them the knowledge of God and discretion in their actions.  Verse five states, A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:  Solomon tells us if we are wise, we will listen to what he has to say.  Verse six adds, To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.  It is not enough to just read these proverbs, but we must understand what they are really teaching us about men and women, and their relationship to God and others.  Verse seven declares, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.  Solomon declares that the fear, or respect, of God is the beginning of understanding.  I don't believe that fear of God means that we are afraid of Him, but means that we have an awesome respect for Him.  Verse eight states, My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:  This basically tells us that children are to respect their parents and follow their rules.  We could use a lot more of this today.  Verse nine says, For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.  I believe that this means that following the rules of parents make the children look good.  It also leads them to be better people, as a general rule.  While it is true that not all parents are looking out for the best interest of their children, almost all are.  Verse ten says, My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.  This sounds like it would be simple, logical advice to follow, but to often sin can be made to look desirable.  That is why Solomon advised us not to be enticed by sin.  The next four verses warn where this can lead.  Verse eleven declares, If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:  Then verse twelve says, Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:  Verse thirteen continues, We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:  Then verse fourteen concludes, Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:  This is basically a gang mentality.  Children are enticed to join in with the promise of gaining wealth by taking it from others and sharing it together.  There is also the lack of concern that those from whom the wealth is taken from may suffer, and maybe even the desire that they will.  We see or hear of this so often in the world today, but it is nothing new.  In verse fifteen, Solomon again warns, My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:  Solomon tells us to not follow the path of those who would steal from and harm others.  Verse sixteen says, For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.  We are warned not to be enticed by those who follow evil and have no respect for the lives of others.  Verse seventeen says, Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.  I believe that Solomon is telling us that if we could really see the trap of following those who live by the evil in their hearts that we wouldn't fall into their trap.  Verse eighteen concludes, And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.  I believe that this is a warning that ultimately those who follow after evil will pay with their own lives.  This may not occur in this lifetime, but it certainly will in God's judgment.  Verse nineteen declares, So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.  This is just a further statement that those who seek to profit from stealing and murder will one day pay for their crimes.

Another thing that we learned from the book of Matthew is that God expects us to use the things we have been blessed with, our talents, for His glory.  I believe this means abilities and resources.  God never intended to bless us just so we could keep His blessings stored away simply for our own use..  If we are to be good stewards of the things that God blesses us with, then we must use them for His glory.  We can never allow fear of losing something, whatever it might be, to keep us from using the things God blesses us with to accomplish the task He presents us with.  We are not to just sit and wait for the return of Christ, but we are to be at work for His kingdom until He returns.  We also learned that we are to be prepared for the return of Christ at any moment.  When Jesus returns, it will be to late to suddenly realize that we need Him.  We must make the decision to follow Jesus in this lifetime and before His return.  We also learn that bold professions of faith are not enough if we don't follow through with them.  We, like Peter, may claim to follow Jesus even if it cost us our lives, then fail to stay awake to pray for an hour.  I believe that most of our tests of faith will come in the little things, and if we fail there, we will most likely fail when the big tests come.  We also learn that the crucifixion of Christ was something that He willingly endured.  In spite of what some movies may depict, I do not believe that Jesus wavered on the way to the cross.  Jesus had already prayed that if there was another way, let it be shown to Him, and the answer was that there was not.  There is still no other way today.  Then, we learn that the cross and tomb were not the end.  The really good news of the book of Matthew is that Jesus arose from the dead and goes before us to prepare a place for us.  This is the message that we, as followers of Christ, are to proclaim to the world today.  Next, we will look at the book of Proverbs.

We also learned that many people followed Jesus simply because of the miracles that He performed, and not because they believed that He really was the Messiah.  It is not enough to follow Jesus because we have seen a miracle performed in someone's life, without accepting Jesus as the Messiah, the Savior of all who believe in Him.  It is easy to get caught up in the miraculous things that we see God doing in the world, but still have doubt about Jesus being the only way to salvation.  The crowds that enthusiastically followed Jesus were the same ones who said to crucify Him, and they were led by the religious leaders in calling for Jesus' crucifixion.  Being religious, following all the rituals associated with being a Christian, is not enough.  Being baptized and being in church is not enough without a spiritual relationship with Christ.  We also learn that we are to have compassion for those around us, especially those in need.  Jesus was never too busy to help those who came to Him in faith asking for His help and He didn't overlooked the everyday needs of people.  Jesus healed the lame, deaf, and blind, but He also feed the multitudes when He saw that they were hungry and had no where to get food.  We can rely on God to meet our needs.  I don't believe that means that God will heal all our illnesses in this life, but that as long as we reach out to Him in faith that one day all illnesses will be healed.  I also believe that sometimes our illnesses will be miraculously healed in this lifetime, but the main point is that our sins are forgiven if we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior and the Lord of our lives.  Some people lose faith because they say that they prayed for healing, or anything else for that matter, and they didn't get it.  As followers of Christ, we must have an everlasting point of view.  Whatever happens before the return of Christ, we are already a part of His everlasting kingdom, where pain and sorrow will be no more.

As we move past Christmas, we will continue to look at more of what we have learned from the book of Matthew.  We learned that just like John the Baptist, there are some great men, and women, who can point us to Jesus, but they cannot save us.  We can only point people to Christ, and as followers of Christ, this is our assigned purpose.  All that we do should point people to Christ.  We know that Jesus called twelve ordinary men to be His closest disciples.  This was not because they were more worthy than anyone else by their own nature or abilities, but they became more because of their relationship with Christ.  No matter how closely we walk with Jesus, we can never claim to be better than anyone else based in our own goodness.  We can also say that like Judas, not all who claim to be close to Jesus really believe in Him.  I know that we could say none of the disciples truly believed until after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, but the were not following Him simply for their own benefit, as I believe Judas was.  There are those today who proclaim that if we follow Jesus we will benefit materially, but all God's word ever promises is a cross and that our daily needs will be met.  Relying on God to meet our needs daily is not the same as relying on God to fulfill our wants daily.  The disciples left everything to follow Jesus.  They did this because Jesus asked them to do so.  Though I don't believe that as followers of Christ we need to leave our job, home, or family in order to follow Jesus, we must be willing to do so if He calls us to.  We must not allow anything to come between God and us.  We know that some of the disciples were more outspoken in their profession of faith than others, but their actions often failed to back up their words when their faith was tested.  We need to ensure that we are not the same way.

Christmas Gift

Laid in a manger,
When He was born,
His life was in danger,
That Christmas morn.
The miracle of His birth,
Was not yet known,
God come down to earth,
To redeem it as His own.
Though centuries have passed,
Since that first Christmas day,
The Good News will last,
'Til the world passes away.
Christ is still the reason,
To celebrate the season.
         25 Dec 18
           JBD

As we celebrate Christmas, we will continue to look back on that first Christmas, though not all will come from the book of Matthew.  The book of Luke gives us a more detailed account of that first Christmas, including why Mary and Joseph were in Galilee, by the order of the government, and the fact that there was no room in any inn for them.  We also learn about the shepherds being the first ones to receive the good news of the birth of Christ.  We might have thought that the announcement would have gone to the leaders of the world, or at least to the religious leaders, but it went to a group of lowly shepherds instead.  The message of Christ today goes first to an individual, or a group of individuals, who are just as lowly as those shepherds before God, no matter how much they may possess of the things of this world.  The gospel will never come from the dictates of the leaders of this world, but will always spread outward from individuals.  The shepherds believed the message of the angels and went to see this miraculous birth for themselves.  Ultimately, that is what each individual must do, and what better way to celebrate Christmas than to go see Jesus for ourselves.  We, as followers of Christ, must keep Christ at the center of Christmas.  As we celebrate Christmas, with our trees and decorations, gifts and dreams of snow, let us not forget that the day is a celebration of the birth of Christ first.  We need to still marvel at the fact that Jesus came to earth to die for the sins of all people.  The only gift we can really offer Him is our life in obedience to His will.  So, this Christmas, may those who are followers of Christ reach out to those around them with the gospel of Christ and the love of God, which is what we are called to do.

Since we are in the Christmas season, which seems to get longer and longer, but not from worshipping Christ more, we will spend a little more time looking at the events around the time of the birth of Jesus.  As stated, the wise men first went to Herod to inquire about Jesus.  I am not sure if the star stopped moving or if the wise men simply thought they must be close and decided to find Jesus on their own.  If we are looking for Jesus, God will lead us all the way to Him if we simply follow His leadership by faith.  The wise men had come out of curiosity about a star, but they left having met the Savior.  Herod wanted the wise men to come back to him and tell him where Jesus was, supposedly in order to worship Jesus himself, but really so that he might kill Him.  People have been attempting to destroy Jesus and His message since shortly after His birth.  Though Jesus was crucified, His message and purpose on earth, to be the only way to redemption, never will be.  This Christmas, as there always has been, there will be many who are attempting to destroy the message of Christ and those who follow Him, but they will never be successful.  Some of these attempts will come from individuals, and some will come from governments.  What we cannot afford to do is to allow ourselves, as followers of Christ, to destroy the message of Christmas.  If we fail to emphasize the day or season as being a celebration of the birth of Christ, then we help to destroy the real message of Christmas.  Christmas is a time to be thankful that Christ came to earth to restore all who believe in Him to a right relationship with God.  Now we, as followers of Christ, are to work to present the message of Christmas to the world, keeping Christ at the center of the celebration.

We will now review some of the things that we learned from the book of Matthew.  As we approach the celebration Christmas, the birth of Christ, some of the first things we learn are about the miraculous birth of Jesus,  He was of the lineage of David.  The promised Messiah was to be a descendant of David, and Jesus was.  Also, the birth of Jesus was miraculous because Mary was a virgin, which was also prophesied in the book of Isaiah.  We also have to acknowledge the faith of Joseph.  He was ready to put Mary aside quietly, but when the angel told him not to, he believed and obeyed.  That first Christmas was not about trees, presents, and decorations, but about the Savior of the world being born in a difficult situation in a difficult time.  We still face difficult times today when we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord.  This is especially true in some parts of the world.  Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem right before Jesus was born.  This was not an easy journey and was not to a luxurious hotel.  Though Matthew does not tell us all the conditions of the birth of Jesus, we know from Luke that there was no room for Jesus in the inns, so he was born in a barn, basically.  There is still no room for Jesus in many homes today.  We are told that the wise men came to see Jesus after following a star to where He was.  Wise men and women today still seek Jesus.  These wise men first went to the rulers to attempt to find exactly where Jesus was, but this was not successful.  I believe that we can say that in order to find Jesus in our life, we must come to Him by the call and direction of God.  The world will never lead us to Jesus.  Only faith in God's call will.  We often call them kings, some even name them, and we have them there that first night with the shepherds, though none of this is from the Bible.  Even the fact that their were three wise men is not stated.  As we celebrate Christmas, we need to make sure that the emphasis is on the birth of Christ, and not simply on all the traditions that may have grown up around it.  We can say that all wise men, and women, will seek Jesus and bring Him gifts when they find Him.  We can also say that God, and not earthly rulers, will lead us to God, and that there will always be those who want to destroy the message of Jesus.

Matthew 28:11 says, Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.  While the women were on their way to tell the disciples that Jesus had risen, the guards were on their way to tell the chief priests all that had happened.  When we see something miraculous happen today, there will always be those who will attempt to discredit it.  Verse twelve states, And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,  In this case, it was the religious leaders who were willing to pay to discredit the miracle of the resurrection.  The Bible says they paid the guards a lot to lie about what happened.  People today are still willing to pay a lot to attempt to discredit Jesus.  Some even go to war in order to do so.  Verse thirteen declares, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.  The chief priests, those who were supposedly the spokesmen of God, made up the lie for the guards to tell.  The guards were to say that the disciples stole the body of Jesus.  Since the responsibility of the guards was to keep this from happening, this put them in a bad position.  Anyone who attempts to add to or take away from the gospel of Christ is guilty of spreading a lie.  Verse fourteen states, And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.  The chief priests were even willing to lis to the governor if necessary.  The religious leaders said they would protect the guards by lying for them.  There are still religious leaders today, though hopefully not those who profess to follow Christ, who will go to any extreme to discredit the gospel of Christ.  Verse fifteen states, So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.  The guards did what they were paid to do and told the story they were told to tell.  This lie was believed by many Jews, God's chosen people, until the day this book was written, and they still believe it today.   Verse sixteen states, Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.  The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to a mountain that Jesus had appointed.  We are not told how they received these instructions from Jesus, but we can be certain that they did.  We do not always know how God is going to speak to us today, but if we are following Christ, we can be certain that He will.  Verse seventeen says, And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.  The disciples had scattered at the crucifixion, but now were gathered together at the instruction of Jesus.  When they saw Jesus, they worshipped Him, and yet some of them still doubted.  When people truly encounter Christ today, some accept and worship Him as their Savior and Lord, but many more doubt and refuse to accept Him.  Verse eighteen declares, And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  Jesus declared His divine authority.  He has power over heaven and earth.  Verse nineteen states, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Jesus gave the His disciples, those there that day and all who have come since, their commission.  We are to take the gospel of Christ into all the world, and to baptize those who accept Christ in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.   Then, verse twenty continues, Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.  We are not just to reach people with the gospel and forget them, but we are to teach them to live in accordance with the teachings of Jesus.  We can do this without fear, because Jesus has promised that He will be with us always.

Matthew 28:1 says, In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.  When they could come to the tomb, the two Marys came.  There were religious restrictions on the sabbath that kept them away.  Hopefully, there are no religious restrictions today that keep us from coming to Jesus.  The religious leaders and Pilate did not have to worry about the disciples of Jesus stealing His body.  They had not even come back to see if what Jesus had said was true, that He would rise again on the third day.  Though they might have come for the wrong reasons, these two women still came.  There are those today who come to learn about Jesus for the wrong reasons, but often they encounter the reality of Jesus as Savior and Lord.  Verse two states, And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.  Something miraculous happened at the tomb.  An earthquake occurred and an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled back the stone that was sealing the tomb.  The earthquake did not unseal the tomb, but the angel did.  There could be no doubt that God was behind the opening of the tomb.  The tomb was not opened so Jesus could get out, but so Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus could see in.  Jesus was already gone.  Verse three says, His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:  We are told what the angel looked like.  I am sure this was not what the women were expecting.  We will always get much more than we are expecting when we come to Jesus in faith.  The women were looking for a dead body, not an empty tomb, and the disciples weren't looking at all.  Verse four says, And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.  I am sure this really was a shock for those assigned the responsibility of keeping Jesus' body in the tomb.  Not only was the body gone, but there was an angel there.  I believe that they basically fainted.  Verse five states, And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.  The angel told the women not to fear.  We might say that would have been easier said than done, but then the angel told them he knew why they were there.  They were seeking Jesus, Who had been crucified.  We must seek not just the crucified Jesus, but the resurrected Christ.  We will never find Jesus still on the cross nor in the tomb.  Verse six declares, He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.  This is the good news, the gospel.  Christ is not in the tomb, but He has risen.  The women were invited to see where Jesus had lain.  I believe this was simply to show that they were in the right place and Jesus was indeed gone, in spite of the sealed tomb and guards.  Verse seven states, And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.   The two women were told to go quickly and tell the disciples that Jesus had risen from the dead, and were also told that He went before them into Galilee.  We today have the same instructions.  We are to go quickly and tell people that Jesus is risen, and can take comfort in the fact that He will always go before us.  Verse eight states, And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.  Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, did as the angel instructed them to do.  They did not just hang around hoping that the angel would return or that Jesus would come there.  We also have to go where God sends us to share the good news.  Verse nine declares, And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.  On the way to tell the disciples, the women met Jesus.  They fell at His feet and worshipped Him.  As we go to do the work that God calls us to do, the Holy Spirit goes with us.  We should worship God in everything that we do, because He is the One Who brings us forgiveness and gives us purpose.  Verse ten says, Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.  Jesus reinforced what the angel had said.  They were not to be afraid, and they were to tell the disciples to go to Galilee, and that they would see Jesus there.  We will not find Jesus in an empty tomb.  We will find Jesus alive and at work in the world today when we come to Him by faith.

Matthew 27:55 says, And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:   Many of the woman who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were still there, though not close.  We are not told how they ministered to Jesus really, but we are told that they did.  Not everything done for Jesus will be noted by the world.  Verse fifty-six states,  Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.  We are told who some of the women were.  Mary Magdalene, who had been forgiven for so much was there, as was Mary the mother of Jesus, who had been told that He would be the Messiah.  The mother of James and John was also mentioned.  She had high expectations for her sons in the kingdom of Christ.  Though we cannot say for sure how much faith they had left, they had not totally abandoned Jesus.  Even if circumstances in our life seem to be more than we can bear, we can never abandon our faith in Jesus, and we need to get closer to Him and not farther away.  Verse fifty-seven states, When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:  Among other things, this proves that it is not impossible for a rich man to follow Jesus.  This rich man, Joseph of Arimathaea, was a follower of Jesus.  Verse fifty-eight says, He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.  This man, Joseph, went to Pilate and begged for the body of Jesus.   We are not told where the closest disciples of Jesus were, but not everyone let the fear of being identified as a follower of Jesus keep them from going to the authorities about Him.  We cannot allow anyone or anything to keep us from identifying ourselves as followers of Jesus.  Pilate delivered the body to Joseph.  Verse fifty-nine says, And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,  Joseph wrapped the body in a clean linen cloth.  He may have felt that this would be his last act of service to Jesus, but whatever he was feeling, he still acted in the best interest of Jesus, and so must we also.  Verse sixty states, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.  The body of Jesus was placed in a new tomb and a a great stone was rolled in front of the door.  This would have seemed to be the end of Jesus, but we know that it was only a brief pause in His ministry.  Of course, from then on, the ministry of Jesus has been totally spiritual.  Verse sixty-one says,  And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.  The two Marys were there by the tomb.  We are not told where the mother of James and John was, but the two Marys were still there.  Verse sixty-two states, Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,  The next day, the religious leaders came to Pilate, not to show support for Jesus, but to attempt to make sure that He would not escape the grave.  They would not be successful.  Verse sixty-three says, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.  They told Pilate that they remembered Jesus' statement that He would rise again in three days.  Though they had Jesus crucified for His declaration being a lie, they hoped to make sure it didn't happen.  People who refuse to believe the gospel of Christ will always do everything possible to disprove it, even if it is only in their own rationale.  Verse sixty-four says, Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.  The religious leaders asked Pilate to secure the tomb so that the body of Jesus could not be stolen.  They said that if the body of Jesus disappeared, this would be an even greater problem than Jesus claiming He was the Son of God, so they wanted the tomb guarded.  There is no way that people will ever be able to seal in the truth of God.  All the religious, and government, officials really did was insure that the only way Jesus could escape the tomb was by the power of God.  Verse sixty-five declares, Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.  Pilate told them to go and watch and make the tomb as secure as they could.  Verse sixty-six then states, So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.  The stone covering the tomb was sealed and the guards were set to watch it.  The religious leaders had Jesus killed and now they had His body sealed in the tomb and guarded.  They likely felt that they were victorious, but they would soon see how wrong they were.  Anyone who feels victorious over the gospel of Christ today will one day see how wrong they are, if not in this world, then in the coming one when Christ returns.

Matthew 27:45 says, Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.  The earth was dark for three hours, and without Jesus' sacrifice, the world would be in complete spiritual darkness today.  I have heard some people say that if the earth was dark for this period that there must have been an eclipse, but the God Who created light certainly can control it without needing help.  Verse forty-six states, And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?  Jesus cried out to the heavenly Father asking why He had forsaken Jesus.  I cannot imagine how Jesus, Who was guilty of no sin, felt when He took the sins of the whole world upon Himself.  Since sin separates us from God, Jesus at that point would have indeed felt separated from God.  Still, when we are separated from God, it is we who have forsaken God, and not God Who has forsaken us.  Verse forty-seven states, Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.  Even at this point, those gathered for His crucifixion failed to understand what Jesus was saying.  I believe they thought Jesus was delirious and calling on Elias, or Elijah.  We must first understand Who Jesus is and what He did on the cross in order to understand what He is saying to us today.  We must come to God through the cross of Jesus in order to be restored to a right relationship with God.  Until we do, the Bible will never make sense.  Verse forty-eight says, And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.  Some took Jesus a sponge soaked with vinegar to drink from.  I don't believe that this was an act of compassion though.  Verse forty-nine declares, The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.  The rest of the people said to just let Jesus be and see if Elias, or Elijah, would save Jesus.  Not only did they not understand Who Jesus was and what He was saying, but they failed to understand who Elias, or Elijah was.  The prophets never had any saving power, but could only point people to God, Who alone can save anyone.  Verse fifty then declares, Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.  Jesus cried out once more, then yielded up the ghost.  Jesus' life was never taken from Him, but He willingly gave it up for all who will place their faith in Him.  Verse fifty-one says, And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;  The veil of the temple, which separated the people from God, was torn from the top to the bottom.  Now, instead of only the high priest entering into the presence of God on special occasions to represent the people, all people were given access to God at any time.  Jesus removed the need to go through anyone in the world to get to the heavenly Father.  The earth itself was shaken by the death of Christ.  Verse fifty-two states, And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,  Then verse fifty-three continues,  And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.  Many of the dead saints were resurrected and went into Jerusalem and appeared to many people.  I don't know who they were or how long they stayed, but we are told this did happen.  The death of Jesus was not just a quiet event.  The people of the world had to take notice whether they wanted to or not, and especially the religious leaders.  Verse thirty-four declares, Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.  We are not told how the religious leaders reacted, but when the soldiers watching Jesus saw what was happening, they declared that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.  After His crucifixion, people began to understand Who Jesus really is.  The only way that we can meet Jesus is after His crucifixion, and even without the earthquakes and the dead rising around us, we must accept that He is the only begotten Son of God and the Savior of all who believe.  We have no other High Priest but Jesus, and through Him we have direct access to the heavenly Father.

Matthew 27:32 says,  And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.  Though Simon of Cyrene was compelled to physically carry the cross of Jesus, that is something no one can do spiritually.  We are told to take up our cross daily, but we can never take up the cross of Jesus.  Jesus alone is able to bear the cross of salvation.  I believe that our cross is to simply put our lives in God's hands at all times.  Verse thirty-three states, And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,  They ultimately reached Golgotha, the place of the skull.  This was to be the place of Jesus' crucifixion.  Verse thirty-four says, They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.  They attempted to get Jesus to drink a drink of vinegar mixed with gall, but He didn't drink it after He tasted it.  I am not sure why they wanted Jesus to drink this.  It may have been just another attempt to mock Him, but for whatever reason, they were not successful.  Neither will we be successful in forcing Jesus to do anything that He does not choose to do.  Verse thirty-five states, And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.  People around Jesus were still attempting to profit from His crucifixion.  They divided His garments and cast lots for them.  This also fulfilled a prophecy about the Messiah.  Now, we can either believe that those crucifying Jesus felt the need to validate Him by fulfilling a prophecy about Him, or that even without their knowledge a prophecy was fulfilled.  I choose the latter.  Verse thirty-six says, And sitting down they watched him there;  After dividing His garments, they sat down to watch Jesus.  I believe that they were curious about what Jesus would do, but didn't think anything would happen except His dying.  It is not enough to sit and watch to see what Jesus is going to do.  We must accept Him by faith in what He has done and will do.  Verse thirty-seven declares, And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  The people were still trying to mock Jesus.  They placed a sign over His head boldly pronouncing Jesus as the King of the Jews.  Though placed there to mock Jesus, they proclaimed the truth.  No matter what we do, we can never change the fact of Who Jesus is.  Verse thirty-eight states, Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.  Jesus was crucified between two thieves, who were guilty of their crimes.  I believe this was another attempt to mock Jesus, making Him the center of the crucifixions.  Whenever we come to Jesus, we come as guilty people deserving of our punishment, and Jesus will always be in the midst of us.  Verse thirty-nine states, And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,  Then verse forty continues, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.  The people showed their contempt for Jesus by shaking their heads at Him and verbally abusing Him.  They did not understand Jesus's statement about the temple and attempted to use His own words to mock and discredit Him.  People today still take a passage of scripture out of context  and attempt to change what God has really said.  The context is really the whole Bible, and its message will never contradict itself.  Verse forty-one states, Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,  This simply tells us that the religious leaders were as bad or worse than anyone else.  Verse forty-two says, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.  The religious leaders, who should have understood Who the Messiah was to be, were still taking the words of Jesus to be about an earthly kingdom.  Until we see Jesus and understand His word from a spiritual, or heavenly aspect, we will continue to make a mockery of His message.  We cannot add material, or earthly, things to the promise of Christ.  Verse forty-three continues, He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.  Basically, the religious leaders were saying that in order for them to believe Jesus that He would have to come down from the cross to prove that God had delivered Him.  We still hear people today say that if God is real and is so great, then why do those that follow Him suffer.  Jesus did come down from the cross in accordance with God's will, and He was victorious even though the religious leaders thought they had defeated Him.  Though we may not be delivered from a particular situation in this life, if we remain faithful to God, we will be delivered in the everlasting life to come.  Verse forty-four states, The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.  Though we know that one thief eventually accepted Jesus as his Savior, at first both were evidently crying out against Him.  Even if we get to the end of our life, if we call out sincerely in faith in Christ, we will be saved.  It is always the sacrifice of Christ that saves us and never our own goodness or works.

Christmas Reason

The spirit of Christmas time,

Should be forgiveness and love,

Not filled with the crime,

Of give me and shove.

Can there really be peace,

Throughout all the land,

When greed will not cease,

As in humility we stand?

We look more to getting,

Than to Christmas giving,

Hoping what we are netting,

Makes the day worth living.

Remember Christ is the reason,

We celebrate the season.

      17  Dec. 2018

            JBD

Matthew 27:24 says, When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.  Pilate attempted to wash away his responsibility for Jesus' crucifixion, but it does not work that way.  We have to choose whether we accept Jesus or not, no matter how much tumult those around us may make in rejecting Him.  We can never wash away the responsibility.  Pilate proclaimed himself to be innocent of the blood of this just person, which he proclaimed Jesus to be.  To simply proclaim Jesus to be a just person or a great prophet is not enough.  We must accept the fact that we each individually are responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus, since He died for every individual.  We may attempt to wash away the decision about what we will do with Jesus, but there are really only two choices.  We either accept Jesus by faith that He is our Savior, or we reject Him as something less.  Verse twenty-five declares, Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.  The crowd of people told Pilate that the blood of Jesus would be on their hands and the hands of their children, and so it is.  We are those children, or descendants, of those who were there that day, and the blood of Jesus is still on our hands.  Jesus died in our place, and are each individually responsible for His death.  The fact that we were not there physically makes us no less responsible, anymore than Pilate washing his hands made him any less responsible.  Verse twenty-six says, Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.  Pilate had pronounced Jesus a just person, but he still had Him scourged and delivered Him to the crowd.  Again, believing that Jesus was a just person is not enough.  We in effect scourge Jesus when we attempt to send Him away because we refuse to accept Him as our Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-seven states, Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.  Jesus had done nothing to indicate that He was a threat, but He was delivered to the crowd by a whole band of soldiers.  They thought this made them in charge of Jesus, but it really didn't matter how many soldiers were there.  Had Jesus so desired, He could have walked away free.  Jesus went willingly to the cross, in spite of the physical abuse He suffered.  Verse twenty-eight says, And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.  Then verses twenty-nine continues, And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!   They stripped Jesus of His clothes and in mockery dressed Him as a royal person would be dressed and placed a crown of thorns on His head.  Some people are not satisfied to simply ignore Jesus, but they want to mock and discredit Him as well.  Verse thirty states,  And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.  After mockingly calling Jesus the King of the Jews, they then went back to abusing Him.  When a person encounters Jesus, and refuses to believe that He is the Savior, then I believe that person must do all that can be done to discredit Him and justify the choice that he or she made.  Verse thirty-one declares, And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.  These were God's chosen people who were doing this.  After they mocked Jesus for awhile, they put His own clothes back on Him and led Him away to be crucified.  Though they didn't know it, they were taking Jesus exactly where He needed to be.  People in the world today may think that that they have defeated Jesus, but He will always be exactly where He is supposed to be.  Rejecting or mocking of Him does not change that fact.

Matthew 27:11 says, And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.  When before the governor, Jesus was asked if He were the King of the Jews.  Pilate, the governor, was still looking at this as a worldly claim.  Jesus simply answered, "Thou  sayest."   This is the question everyone has to answer individually.  We either believe that Jesus is who He says He is or we don't.  Jesus will never force anyone to believe in Him as their Savior.  Verse twelve declares, And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.  The chief priests and elders were there to make their accusations, but Jesus did not respond to them.  Nothing Jesus said was going to make a difference to them.  They had not believed His words until now, and they certainly weren't going to believe them now.  When a person, or a group of people, harden their hearts against Jesus, nothing that is said or done is going to change their minds.  We just need to pray that it isn't those who call themselves God's people who act in such a way.  In verse thirteen Pilate asks, Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?  Pilate was basically asking Jesus if He was going to answer the many things that He was being accused of.  Jesus knew that there was no need to answer, since the people, God's chosen people, were determined that He be put to death.  There comes a point where no amount of stating the truth of Christ will change the mind of someone determined to discredit Him no matter what.  Verse fourteen states, And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.  Jesus did not answer, and Pilate was left to marvel at this fact.  Marvelling at the action of Jesus is not enough.  Pilate was at the point where he personally had to make a decision about Jesus, as is every individual at some point in life.  Verse fifteen says, Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.  Pilate released a prisoner that the people chose during the feast.  Verse sixteen states, And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.  Pilate was going to offer Barabbas a noted criminal as the other choice to Jesus for release.  I believe that Pilate thought that he had a way out of the situation, thinking that the Jews would certainly choose to release Jesus instead of Barabbas.  People today still choose the evil of the world over salvation through Christ.  Verse seventeen states, Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?  Pilate gave the Jews, God's chosen people, a choice of releasing Barabas, a known criminal, or Jesus, Who was guilty of being called the Christ.  Again, I believe that Pilate thought they would certainly choose Jesus.  We today have that same choice of whether we will choose the evils of the world, or Jesus, Who is not just called the Christ, the Messiah, but in fact is the Messiah.  Verse eighteen states,  For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.  Pilate knew that Jesus had been delivered for judgment simply out of jealousy of the religious leaders.  Jesus was becoming more popular and threatening their position.  We cannot afford to attempt to discredit Jesus out of fear of losing our position or status in the world.  Verse nineteen states, When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.  When Pilate sat down in his judgment seat, his wife came to him with a warning.  She told Pilate to have nothing to do with Jesus, whom she called a just man.  She had suffered  from a troubling dream about Jesus.  God sometimes works through non believers to point out His truth.  Pilate's wife did not say she believed Jesus was Who He said He was, but simply that she was troubled by His being on trial.  We cannot simply believe that Jesus was a just man, but we must accept Him as our Savior and Lord for His gift of salvation to have any real meaning.  Verse twenty says, But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.  Given a choice between a a known criminal and Jesus, the religious leaders persuaded the crowd to ask that Berabbas, the known criminal, be set free.  It would have been bad enough if the religious leaders had allowed the crowd to persuade them, but it was even worse this way.  The lost of the world are going attempt to get those who follow Christ to betray Him and choose the things of this world, but we certainly need to make sure that we never lead the lost to choose anyone or anything above Jesus.  Verse twenty-one states, The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.  The governor asked for their choice, and the people said Barabbas.  I believe that Pilate still expected the crowd to ask for Jesus and thereby avoid condemning Him.  We cannot pass the responsibility for choosing to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord off to anyone else.  Simply by the fact that Pilate attempted to avoid making a decision about Jesus, he really rejected Him.  Each individual ultimately must decide whether to accept Jesus or not.  The crowd chose Barabbas.  Verse twenty-two says,  Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.   Pilate then asked the crowd what he should do with Jesus, and they said to crucify Him.  Pilate was still attempting to pass his responsibility on to the crowd.  The crowd, or multitude, who had just welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with honor now called for His crucifixion.  Pilate could not really pass off his responsibility toward Jesus by offering alternatives nor by allowing the crowd to decide, and neither can we.  The crowd went from adoration for Jesus to calling for His crucifixion very quickly.  They didn't understand Who Jesus was in either case.  We cannot be saved by simply following the crowd.  We must accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord no matter what the crowd may be saying about Him.  It is always an individual choice.  Verse twenty-three states, And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.  Pilate asked the crowd what evil Jesus had done.  That was really Pilate's responsibility to find out.  If we are going to make a choice about whether or not to follow Jesus, we must first decide if we believe that He is Who He says that He is, and even if we are in a large crowd crying out against Him, we must choose Jesus.  The crowd, led by the chief priests and elders, had no answer about what evil Jesus had done, but simply cried louder for His crucifixion.  Those who reject Jesus today can never do so based on Jesus having done anything wrong, but must simply reject Him because they do not believe He is Who He says He is.

Matthew 27:1 says, When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:  The chief priests and elders were still conspiring against Jesus.  False religious leaders are still conspiring against Jesus today.  We can only claim to be justified by our faith in the things of this world if we can somehow discredit Jesus.  Verse two says, And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.  The religious leaders did not have the authority to put Jesus to death, so they took Him to the governor, Pontius Pilate, who did have the authority.  It is a very sad situation when those who profess to be God's people look to the government to enforce their will, instead of looking to God to enforce His will.  Verse three declares, Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,  Though I don't believe that Judas betrayed Jesus for any noble reason, when he saw the reality of what he had done, he repented.  He brought the thirty pieces of silver back to the chief priests and elders.  This is as all that Judas received for betraying Jesus.  No matter how much we may think we have gained by betraying or even not accepting Jesus today, we like Judas will ultimately end up with nothing.  I am not sure that Judas repented about not following Jesus by faith, or just for his actions in betraying Him.  Repenting for our actions without accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord is not enough.  Verse four says, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.  Judas confessed to betraying an innocent person, Jesus.  If he thought this would save Jesus,, he was wrong.  The chief priests and elders basically said to Judas, "So what?" They told Judas to see to the problem if he had one.  If we have betrayed Christ, we are the only one who can fix it, and the only way to do that is by going to Jesus Himself and asking forgiveness.  Neither government nor religion can make us right with God.  Verse five declares, And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.  Judas left the thirty pieces of silver in the temple, then he went out and killed himself.  Judas ended up gaining nothing from betraying Jesus but self condemnation.  Ultimately, this is all anyone can gain from betraying or denying Jesus.  I don't believe that Judas had asked Jesus for forgiveness but still saw the religious leaders as the ones who could forgive.  I believe that had Judas looked to Jesus for forgiveness, he would have been forgiven and could have gone on with his life witnessing for Jesus.  Judas had not seen Jesus for Who He really is, and then he looked to the wrong place for forgiveness.  No matter how bad something we did is, if we ask Jesus by faith in Him as our Savior, then we will be forgiven and can go forward in life.  Verse six states, And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.  The chief priests, who had given the thirty pieces of silver to Judas, now said they couldn't put it back in the treasury, because it was associated with the blood of Jesus.  If they chief priests had thought what they were doing was in accordance with the will of God, then they should have had no problem with the silver being returned to the treasury.  We cannot claim to be doing God's will and at the same time claim that the outcome of our actions is somehow tainted by the blood of Christ.  Verse seven states,  And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.   After discussing it in council, the chief priests decided to use the thirty pieces of silver buy a potter's field to bury strangers in.  We cannot justify bad actions by using what we gain, or in this case reclaim, for good purposes.  If the chief priests had not believed that paying someone to betray Jesus was wrong, then they would have had no trouble taking the money and putting it back in the treasury.  Verse eight says, Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. The field, now a burial ground was called the field of blood, since it was purchased by money gained from the betrayal and the shedding of the blood of Jesus, though this may not have been what was meant when it was named.  Verse nine states, Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;   This was the fulfillment of a prophecy.  I don't believe that the chief priests, who were attempting to discredit Jesus, decided that they needed to do something in order to fulfill a prophecy about the coming Messiah.  The prophecies about Jesus were not fulfilled simply to prove that He was the awaited Messiah, but were fulfilled because of the truth of God's word through the prophets.  We can be certain that God's prophecies always have and always will be fulfilled.  Verse ten says, And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.  Just as Jeremiah had prophesied, the potter's field was purchased from the thirty pieces of silver, the price that the religious leaders had valued the betrayal of Jesus at.  We can be certain that we will never ultimately profit from rejecting or betraying Jesus.

Matthew 26:69 says, Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.  Peter, who had followed the crowd into the palace, now sat outside.  He may have boldly claimed that even if everyone else deserted Jesus, he never would, but he was separating himself more from Jesus.  We cannot stand firm in our faith if we do not know who Jesus really is.  At this point Peter saw Jesus as a powerless individual under the control of the crowd, because he still did not understand Who Jesus really was and always will be.  A damsel, or young girl, said that Peter was with Jesus, and he couldn't even stand up to her.  Under his own ability, Peter was helpless to even stand up to a young girl.  That is the extent of our power today to stand for Christ without knowing Him as our Savior and Lord.  Verse seventy says, But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.  When given his chance to stand with Jesus, Peter lied.  No matter what bold predictions we may make about following Christ, if we are confronted with a hostile situation and claim not to know Him, then our faith is a lie and our actions if not our words prove it.  Peter had moved physically farther away from Jesus, and now he denied even knowing Him.  Verse seventy-one states, And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.  Peter moved a little farther away, and once again was accused by a damsel of being with Jesus.  Though Peter did not betray Jesus for money, he betrayed Him out of fear.  Spiritually, it does not matter if we attempt to discredit Jesus or if we simply deny knowing Him.  Even if we profess that Jesus might indeed be the Savior of others, those who put their faith in Him, but not for us, we are just as lost as those who actively work against Him.  Verse seventy-two declares, And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.  Peter became a little more firm in his denial of knowing Jesus.  I believe that the farther we get from Christ, the more firm we become in our denial of Him.  Verse seventy-three says,  And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee.  Peter was accused for the third  time of knowing Jesus.  Peter was told that the way he spoke betrayed him.  It is not enough to just sound like a follower of Christ through, if we do not know Him as our personal Savior and Lord.  Peter did not yet.  Verse seventy-four states, Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.  Peter went from simply denying knowing Jesus to denying knowing Him with an oath to denying knowing Him with cursing and swearing.  I believe that the farther we get from Christ the more sinful our behavior will become toward Him.  Verse seventy-five says, And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.  The cock immediately crowed, and Peter remembered Jesus' words, and he went out and wept bitterly.  If we have been fighting against acknowledging Jesus and then finally accept the truth of His words, we like Peter should be broken hearted for denying Him so long.  Peter realized that his bold words and actions before he was confronted with possible danger to himself for following Jesus did not matter.  Like Peter, we must accept the truth of God's word, then repent and follow Christ.  Though it doesn't say so at this point, we know that Peter did become a great witness for Jesus once he knew Who Jesus really was.  We cannot allow past failures, before or after we accept Christ, to keep us from boldly witnessing for Him.

Matthew 26:58 says,  But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest’s palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.  Peter did not totally abandon Jesus, but he followed from afar off.  Peter wanted to see what would happen to Jesus.  Peter had been following Jesus with certain expectations, but it seemed that things were not working out as he expected.  We cannot just follow Jesus from afar and wait to see what happens.  We know that Jesus died for our sins, so we must openly profess our faith in Him if we are to claim His salvation for us.  Verse fifty-nine states, Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death;  The chief priests and elders sought anyone who would bear false witness against Jesus.  It is indeed a sad state of affairs when those who are supposed to be the religious leaders of God's people resort to lies to discredit the truth of Christ.  Verse sixty says, But found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses,  The chief priests and elders could not find a credible false witness.  We are told that there were many false witnesses, but there was nothing to charge Jesus with worthy of His death until the last two came.  When people attempt to discredit Jesus, they want it to be based on something believable.  Verse sixty-one states, And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.  These two said that Jesus declared that He could destroy the temple of God and build it again in three days.  Evidently these two had been following Jesus and listening to His teachings, but they had no real understanding of what He was saying.  It is not enough to just know what God's word says, but we must understand what it means spiritually.  In order to do this, we must have a personal spiritual relationship with Jesus.  Verse sixty-two says, And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?  The high priest asked Jesus what He had to say in defence against this charge.  There was no way that Jesus could deny the truth of what He said, so He said nothing.  We can never change the word of God, even if we feel that it would benefit us materially or physically to do so.  Even if Jesus had explained what He really meant when He said this, the religious leaders were not looking for the truth.  They simply wanted to do away with Jesus.  People today who do not want to believe in Jesus still look for ways to discredit Him.  Verse sixty-three declares, But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus reminded silent.  The high priest then evoked the power of God to compel Jesus to answer.  Had the high priest really been acting under the power of God, he would have known the answer.  Physically being in a position of religious power is of no benefit unless the person in that position is there thorough the calling of God.  The religious leaders in Jesus' day were there through their physical birth and not by a spiritual relationship with God.  In verse sixty-four Jesus replies, Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.  Jesus simply answered to the high priest that the high priest had said Jesus made this statement.  Then, Jesus said that the high priest would one day see the Son of man, Jesus, sitting on the right hand of God in power and coming down from the clouds in heaven.  No matter how long Jesus tarries, there is coming a day when this will happen.  Even those long dead will witness this, since the soul never dies.  Verse sixty-five says, Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.  The high priest became very angry and accused Jesus of blasphemy.  He said they no longer needed a witness, but would use Jesus' own words against Him.  Jesus could not be guilty of blasphemy, no matter what the high priest said.  We cannot use the truth of God to convict God of lying.  Verse sixty-six states, What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death.  The multitude that had just welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with honor now turned on Him and said He deserved to die..  They may not have been all the same people, but some surely were.  Crowd mentality will never save a person.  Verse sixty-seven declares, Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,  instead of olive branches and coats, they now greeted Jesus with spit and slaps.  Even had Jesus been guilty, this would not have been acceptable actions from God's people.  We are to love everyone with a Godlike love and not to torture and abuse them.  Verse sixty-eight states, Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?   They not only physically abused Jesus, but they mocked Him as well.  The truth is that Jesus could have named each of them by name had He chosen to.  When we encounter Jesus, whether we accept or reject Him, He knows us each individually by name.

Matthew 26:47 says, And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.  Though the other disciples had been asleep, evidently Judas had not been.  Judas had been busy setting up his betrayal of Jesus.  Even when we as followers of Christ are asleep, we can be certain that the Devil is still at work.  Judas came with a bunch of armed people, who evidently thought that gave them power over Jesus.  Verse forty-eight says, Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.  Judas had set up a sign to betray Jesus.  Judas was going to kiss Jesus, a sign of greeting in that day and parts of the world today.  With a sign of friendship, Judas betrayed Jesus.  There are still people today who outwardly appear to be friends of Jesus, but who are secretly betraying Him to gain something from the world.  Verse forty-nine states, And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.  Judas was very hypocritical.  He hailed Jesus as Master, while at the same time betraying Him with a kiss.  We need to be aware that not everyone who professes to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord is sincere.  Verse fifty declares, And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.  Jesus referred to Judas as friend, and Jesus had been a friend to him, and still was if Judas had accepted Him.  Jesus asked Judas why he had come, but He already knew.  I believe that Jesus was giving Judas an opportunity to at least admit the truth.  We cannot hide the reasons behind how we treat Jesus.  We will never betray Jesus without Him knowing it.   Verse fifty-one states, And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear.  This one who drew the sword and cut off the ear of the servant is understood to be Peter.  He could not stay awake to pray with Jesus, but now he was ready to take action to defend Him.  We need to make sure that whatever we claim to be doing for Jesus is really what He wants us to do.  Verse fifty-two says, Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.  Jesus told this disciple, Peter, to put away the sword.  Jesus also warned that anyone who lived by the sword would die by the sword.  Jesus came to bring peace to those who follow Him.  Verse fifty-three asks, Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?  These people were not taking Jesus, even though they thought they were.  God never needs us to protect Him.  Jesus said that He could have more than twelve legions of angels to protect Him if He asked, but that would have defeated His purpose.  In verse fifty-four Jesus asks, But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?  Jesus knew that His life was a fulfillment of the scriptures, and so would His death, burial and resurrection be.  So, even though He could have called down twelve legions of angels, Jesus willing surrendered Himself to those who were there to arrest Him.  Verse fifty-five states, In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.  Jesus asked the multitudes, those He had sat teaching daily, why they were now coming after Him with swords and staves.  The crowds quickly turned against Jesus when the religious authorities came to arrest Him.  We need to pray that if it starts to look dangerous to follow Jesus today that we will not turn away from Him and begin to persecute Him.  If we have truly put our faith in Him and live under the power and authority of the Holy Spirit, we will not.  Verse fifty-six states, But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.  We are told that this was a fulfillment of the scriptures, and that even the disciples, those closest to Jesus, fled.  One, Judas, betrayed Jesus and the other eleven deserted Him and fled.  They had followed Jesus physically all this time, but they still did not understand Who He was.  Reading the Bible and being close to the church and Christians does not save a person.  Just like the disciples, we must come to a spiritual understanding of Who Jesus is or we will abandon Him when times get tough to be one of His followers.  Verse fifty-seven declares, And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.  Those who took Jesus to the religious leaders thought they were now in control of Him.  There will never be a time when the forces of the world will overpower Jesus, no matter how strong they may be.

Matthew 26:36 says, Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.  Jesus and His disciples came to the garden of Gathsemane, and He told them to sit, or wait, there.  Jesus was about to go and pray, not for deliverance but for the strength to fulfill His mission of salvation.  Verse thirty-seven states, And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.  Jesus took Peter, who had just declared his undying faith, and James and John, who had agreed with Peter and wanted to sit on either side of Jesus in His kingdom.  Jesus was giving them an opportunity to begin to show their faithfulness.  We should not be surprised if God asks us to show our faithfulness to Him in small, simple ways each day.  Verse thirty-eight says, Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.  Jesus told them that His soul was exceedingly sorrowful, and simply asked these three to watch, or stay awake, with Him.  I believe that Jesus is exceedingly sorrowful over the fate of the lost world today, and that He wants His followers to be awake and at work to help bring the lost to Him.  Verse thirty-nine states, And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.  The disciples could not go all the way with Jesus, because He needed time alone with His heavenly Father.  Jesus prayed that if there was another way to salvation than by His death on the cross to let it happen.  More importantly, He asked that the Father's will be done and not His.  As I have said before, I believe that this was the real example of the Lord's prayer.  Verse forty declares, And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?  Jesus returned to the disciples and found them asleep.  Jesus addressed His question to Peter, but it would apply to James and John as well.  Jesus asked Peter, who had just declared that he would die for Jesus, if he couldn't even stay awake with Jesus for one hour.  When Jesus returns, we need to pray that He won't find us spiritually asleep.  No matter how strong our declaration of faith may be, the question is how faithful are we in the everyday temptations we face.  Verse forty-one declares, Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.  Jesus told Peter and tells us that we are to watch and pray so that we do not give in to temptation.  Verse forty-two states, He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.  Jesus went alone once more and asked in prayer once more that if there was another way to salvation that the heavenly Father make it known.  Still, Jesus accepted the answer.  Verse forty-three says, And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.  Jesus came and found the disciples asleep again.  This further disproved their bold statements of faith made before they really understood Who Jesus is.  The only way we can be bold for Jesus is if we really understand Who He is and accept Him as our personal Savior and Lord.  Until then, we will be spiritually asleep, no matter what we may declare.  Verse forty-four states, And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.  Jesus went for the third time praying the same prayer.  Though Jesus already knew the answer, I believe that He was sincere in His prayer.  When we have a heavy burden in life, we are never wrong to ask God to lift it if it is His will to do so.  Jesus did not pray for His will but for the heavenly Father's will to be done.  Verse forty-five declares, Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Jesus had finished His prayers, so He left the disciples asleep.  It may be that if we sometimes fail to do what God asks us to do, and once the time to do it is past, He doesn't awake us for that purpose again.  Peter, James and John were still Jesus' disciples, but they had missed a great opportunity to serve Him.  Verse forty-six states, Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.  Then, Jesus awoke them because His betrayal was at hand.  We still cannot afford to be asleep while Jesus is being betrayed today.  As the world attempts to discredit Jesus, we must awake and stand with Him.

Matthew 26:31 says, Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.  Jesus warned the disciples that they would be offended by what was going to happen to Him that night, and they would be scattered like sheep without a shepherd.  If we are offended by the cross, then we will likewise be scattered about like sheep without a Shepherd.  We cannot remove the cross and the shed blood of Jesus from salvation.  In order to be His sheep, we must be born again through the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross.  Jesus said that even His closest disciples would be offended by His death before they understood the significance of it after the fact.  They were still looking for Jesus to declare His earthly kingdom.  I believe that unless we accept Jesus for Who He truly is, the Savior of all who believe, that the gospel will be something that we ignore at best or find offensive at worst.  Verse thirty-two says, But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.  Had the disciples been really listening and understanding Jesus, they would have recognized that the cross was not the end.  Jesus said that after He had risen again.  Jesus did not say that there was a possibility He might rise again, but that He would.  We can rest assured in that fact.  Jesus has already defeated the power of death over us if we accept Him as our Savior and Lord.  Jesus told the disciples after the resurrection that He would go before them in to Galilee.  Jesus will always go before us wherever we go as we follow Him by faith.  We cannot afford to be offended by or fail to share the gospel under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  In verse thirty-three Peter declares, Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.  Peter was very outspoken in his declaration of faithfulness to Jesus.  Peter said that even if all men should be offended by Christ, that he never would.  Peter made this statement based on his own power and before Jesus was arrested.  We may make bold statements about our faith, but until it is tested, we cannot really know how strong it is.  The test may not even be life threatening, but may simply be how we respond to any temptation.  In verse thirty-four Jesus answers Peter asserting, Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.  Jesus told Peter that before the night was over, Peter would deny Jesus three times.  Peter had great faith in himself, but Jesus knew him even better than he knew himself, just as He does with each individual.  If we are making bold statements of faith based on our own strength and ability, then we will often fail.  I believe even if we succeed, it will be an empty success if we aren't acting from faith in God, so that He alone will be glorified.  Verse thirty-five states, Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.  Peter basically said that Jesus didn't know what He was saying.  Peter said that even if he died, he would not deny Jesus, as did the other disciples then.  Peter was bold in his declaration, and I believe that the other disciples simply didn't want to be seen as less faithful than Peter.  Peter had yet to face the possibility of dying for his faith, and neither had the other disciples.  We may make the same statement in the security of our home or church, but how will react if actually confronted with death for our faith?  Hopefully, we will stand firm.

Matthew 26:20 says, Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.  At the time for the passover meal, Jesus sat down with the disciples.  We are not told where the man who owned the house was, but evidently the disciples and Jesus had a separate eating area.  When God is using us to accomplish His will, we may not always be in the center of what is going on, but we need to be obedient non the less.  Verse twenty-one states, And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.  Jesus had been teaching the disciples for a long time now, but He knew that one of them was not to really listening.  Just because someone is always around Christians does not necessarily mean that they are a Christian, even if they celebrate all the Christian holidays.  To be a Christian, a follower of Christ, requires a personal, spiritual relationship with Jesus.  Verse twenty-two says, And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?  Though this says that the disciples were sorrowful and asked if they were the one who would betray Jesus, there was one, Judas, who knew the answer.  We might question why the other disciples had to ask if one of them was the one.  If our faith is strong enough, we will not question our obedience to Christ, but the disciples were not at that point yet.  If Judas was really sorrowful, I believe that it was because he saw an end to the material benefit of following Jesus.  In verse twenty-three Jesus answers, And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.  Jesus did not name anyone by name, but He let them know that He knew who it was that was going to betray Him.  We can never fool God about our true relationship to Him.  Verse twenty-four declares, The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.  This was not just a warning to Judas, but to anyone who professes to follow Jesus and the betrays Him by their actions.  Verse twenty-five states, Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.  Judas didn't really have to ask the question for himself, but I believe asked it to see if Jesus really knew what he was going to do.  If we decide to betray Jesus, we can be certain that He already knows that we are going to do it.   This was not a case of Judas being selected as the one who had no choice but to betray Jesus.  Though Judas knew what he was going to do, he was not somehow forced into doing it.  He did so of his own free will.  Verse twenty-six says, And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.  This was the first Lord's Supper as we observe it today, and if it is to have real meaning then Christ does indeed need to be in the center of the observance and bless it.  Nothing miraculous happens to the bread changing it to something else, but it is simply symbolic of the body of Christ.  Verse twenty-seven says, And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;  Then continuing in verse twenty-eight, For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.  Jesus gave thanks for the cup and told the disciples to drink it all, as it was symbolic of His shed blood.  We are not covered with just a little of the blood of Christ when we accept Him as our Savior, but we are covered by all His blood.  There is no partial salvation, only complete through the death of Christ.  Verse twenty-nine states, But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.  Jesus told the disciples that he would not drink again here on earth.  Jesus' time to go to the cross was almost at hand, and He knew it and was attempting to prepare His disciples for it.  I don't believe that God will ever send us into a situation unprepared if we are following Him in total obedience and faith.  Verse thirty says, And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.  We are told that the sang a hymn and went out to the mount of Olives.  After we observe the Lord's Supper, we are to sing praises to Him, and then we are to go out into the world to do His work, and it means we must die to self will and live under the will of God.