Pierced for our Transgressions

Isaiah 53 1-12
He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.

Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants?

For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied ; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.

For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

All the above was written over 500 years prior to the birth of CHRIST. 

Don't think I need to add a thing more today.

As we mourn our part in His crucifixion and we await the LIGHT HE BRINGS as

HE CRUSHES DEATH.

I praise God for HIS PERFECT PLAN

and I PRAY for you and for me and we all pray for _____________

as the LIGHT SHINES UPON the DARKNESS.

LIGHT ALWAYS WINS, you know!

CRUCIFY HIM! We want to get to our Passover!

Before we get to the CROSS and the darknest moment of history, I want to take a bit of time on the events of the night before the crucifixion.  Jesus is paraded around and God, Himself is mocked.

After His arrest, Jesus faced three trials.

First, Jesus was led to the Sanhedrin – the Jewish council of leaders. He was accused of many crimes against God, but no two witnesses could agree on an accusation.

Finally Caiaphas, the high priest, asked him straightly, “Are you the Christ?” Jesus confessed, “Yes I am, and you will see the Son of Man coming in judgment”. The leaders were furious and demanded that He be executed for blasphemy.


Jesus was tried before Annas, the former high priest; Caiaphas, the current high priest; and the Sanhedrin. He was charged in these “ecclesiastical” trials with blasphemy, claiming to be the Son of God, the Messiah.

The trials before Jewish authorities, the religious trials, showed the degree to which the Jewish leaders hated Him because they carelessly disregarded many of their own laws. There were several illegalities involved in these trials from the perspective of Jewish law: (1) No trial was to be held during feast time. (2) Each member of the court was to vote individually to convict or acquit, but Jesus was convicted by acclamation. (3) If the death penalty was given, a night must pass before the sentence was carried out; however, only a few hours passed before Jesus was placed on the Cross. (4) The Jews had no authority to execute anyone. (5) No trial was to be held at night, but this trial was held before dawn. (6) The accused was to be given counsel or representation, but Jesus had none. (7) The accused was not to be asked self-incriminating questions, but Jesus was asked if He was the Christ.

Puts a new light on the term Jesus used to decribe religious leaders - hypocrites!  (makes me leary - I keep remembering that more is "caught" than "taught".)

They sent him to Pilate,   (John 18:23) after Jesus was beaten. The charges brought against Him were very different from the charges in His religious trials. He was charged with inciting people to riot, forbidding the people to pay their taxes, and claiming to be King.  Pilate found no reason to kill Jesus so he sent Him to Herod (Luke 23:7).

Standing before Herod found Jesus ridiculed, but Herod, wanting to avoid the political liability, sent Jesus back to Pilate (Luke 23:11-12).

 This was the last trial as Pilate tried to appease the animosity of the Jews by having Jesus scourged. The Roman scourge is a terrible whipping of 39 lashes.

In a final effort to have Jesus released, Pilate offered the prisoner Barabbas to be crucified and Jesus released, but to no avail. The crowds called for Barabbas to be released and Jesus to be crucified. Pilate granted their demand and surrendered Jesus to their will (Luke 23:25). The trials of Jesus represent the ultimate mockery of justice. Jesus, the most innocent man in the history of the world, was found guilty of crimes and sentenced to death by crucifixion.


reference Matthew 26:57 to 27:31; Mark 14:54 to 15:15; Luke 22:54 to 23:25; John 18:13 to 19:16 and Jesus the Greatest Life of all by Charles Swindoll.

So the rest of the world went on to their holiday feast preparations, Christ went to Calvary.

I could go on today about the road to Calvary, about the words spoken on the cross or about the many many prophecies that were fulfilled.  But enough for now -

we must accept that that RELIGIOUS LEADERS, GOVERNMENT LEADERS, and ALL OF THE ASSEMBLED POPULATION all wanted one thing

- Jesus out of the way -

so they could have their way.

but it's not just them,

It's US!

Everytime we claim Christ as Messiah,

 but ingore the hard teachings of obeying God's word -

we crucify HIM

Everytime we cling to our salvation, yet ignore the Holy Spirit

convicting us to CONFESS AND REPENT of our sin

we crucify HIM

Even we rush ahead of GOD's PLAN

certain that God will bless what we do

even without consulting or waiting on HIM,

we pile onto the CROSS...

as we ponder the next 3 days and nights many aspects of the darkness

I know I will face my own.....

I pray as Christ did in John 17

for my self - that I might hear and obey,

for those who profess Christ that we would pick up our crosses and follow HIM and

for the WORLD who still lives in that darkness but is waiting, just longing for the GOOD NEWS of this empty tomb!

How did ____________ respond to you?  KEEP PRAYING AND OBEYING!

Getting Ready for the Passover - for all HUMANITY

 Actually, today I am going to hit on this timing question again

about what happened when.

And the bottom line is that we weren't there

and many scholars who I respect for many reasons disagree strongly about all the timing.

So in the end - the timing really doesn't matter,

but as a friend told me today,

"it's important to look at and discover

what the text says

and doesn't say

because those who attack the gospel

are doing so as a reason

to tear apart faith."

I personally don't need to know,

but looking at Christ's atoning work on the cross as

fulfillment to many prophecies

lead me to this conclusion

Church tradition likes to make things

all neat and tidy

it fits so well on the church calendar.

We have Thursday Night Last Suppers

Good Friday vigils

just spend some time on filling those Saturdays

( and yes, I might add - LENT with it's neat 40 days with even 6 Sundays off)  OUCH!

and boom, Sunday Morning Early on we a re good to go!

That is less than 72 hours in the tomb.

This year for the first time - the mainstream media (is even addressing this) see the link.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42643674?GT1=43001

As I have been studying and researching all week, I keep finding more articles, primarily by Messianic Jews (Those of Jewish faith who have accepted Christ (Yeshua/Jesus) as Messiah.

The more I walk as a Christian and a Pastor, I have been burdened to understand Christ as a practicing and observant Jew.  For us to receive our salvation open to all, it is important to understand the context of the religion that Jesus was raised in and the meaning of the sacrifice that He became to so that all of us choose choose eternal life and be "PASS"ed "OVER" for eternal death.

So that being said - I am glad that churches have services on Thursday night (frankly, I wish more people would attend them.)  I do agree that the empty tomb and the discovery of the resurrection happened at dawn on Sunday Morning, but the more research I am doing, and the more I realize is not written in the gospels, but in tradition......I think we have our timing wrong.

It does say that the disciples asked Jesus where they should "make ready" the Passover meal (and thus he directed them to discover the upper room). Matthew 26:19  It also says that Jesus and the disciples later, "when it was evening, Jesus was reclining at the table with the twelve"  ate a meal Matthew 26:20.  We presume that it was their Passover meal, but  nowhere does it say that it was....

So why do I write this today?

I will take you to another passage in Matthew 12: 38-40

  ³⁸ Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
³⁹ But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

and also to the scheming of the scribes and pharisees in Matthew 26:1-5

 ¹ Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, ² “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”
³ Then the chief priests, the scribes,^[a] and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, ⁴ and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. ⁵ But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

So all that being said -

as I try to piece all this together

I think the crucifixion happened before the Passover Sabbath - which would have begun on Wednesday night as dusk.

Tuesday tonight, at dusk as the disciples had secured the upper room and were in the process of preparing the passover for an upcoming day...

The "last supper", the footwashing, the time at Gethsemane, the betrayal and overnight tonight the THREE trials began with the horrible beatings in between.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY the CALL OF THE NEW COVENANT THAT WOULD BE THE PASSOVER FOR ALL -

Not going to go deeply into this today - we will visit it as well after we understand how Jesus poured out his blood and sacrificed his body so that we would have this new covenant.

Wednesday morning as most of the city was preparing and milling about like our "Christmas Eve" making their last dash - preparations, the Pontius Pilate was showing the "good will" of the Roman government and those in the festive holiday crowd choose to free Barabbas and CRUCIFY CHRIST again BEFORE THE FEAST.... (more on that tomorrow :(.

With this time table, Jesus would be on the cross during the day Wednesday and be sealed with his physical body dead in the garden tomb by the time dusk fell and the passover feast was beginning that was also considered an extra Sabbath day - see Mark 15 :42

He would be in the belly of the earth

Wednesday night

Thursday all day and night (which was the Passover Sabbath)

Friday all day and night

Saturday all day....(which was the traditional Sabbath)

but as the Jews marked their days - the new day began at dusk -So on Saturday evening as the moon rose, that is what Messianic Jews suppose he arose and I will comment more on that as it draws near.

But back to Matthew 28:1 and we see that on the morning of the first of the week, Sunday - the women "went after the Sabbath (this the regular day of rest) to finally attempt to anoint his body for burial that they discovered the empty tomb".

So, that my friends is where I am at!  In the end does it matter when?

in a word

NO

I do not expect the world to conform to me

BUT

I do pray that we all ponder

what just happened -

Christ on the day of preparation for the sabbath that was the passover

was slain

and his blood

that knew no sin

covered our sins

so that we could be

 made to be in

HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!  (2 Corinthians 5:21)

So tomorrow we go to the cross,

brace yourself,

I am not even sure what we are in for.

Do you know what ____________ has planned for an Easter observance?  I think you should find out!

As you pray today remember ______________ and make it a point to include them in your life this weekend. God will lead you, if YOU LET HIM!

Thanks for taking this difficult journey with me!

This discipline is been both harder and easier than I thought it would be.

I will be relieved when I am released to go from teaching/investigation mode back to pithy devotional/testimony mode!


late today because this required much prayer and wrestling to communicate....

email or message me your feedback
I do not expect agreement - but I would hope for honest discussion!


Love and prayers to you all....

preacher on her hike o' life/lent

SO MUCH TO TELL....

³⁷ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁸ See! Your house is left to you desolate; ³⁹ for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’”   

^{Matthew 23; 37-39 (NJKV)}

^{Have you ever had so much to accomplish but seemingly so little time?  I can't imagine how our Savior felt as the scribes and pharisees kept trying to trap him and he had so much to teach and say to the diciples.}

This day for Jesus was a day of great disputations

-- a busy, stormy day of public debates with

They challenged the authority of Our Lord…

Our Lord toldthe thinly-veiled parable of the vine dressers…

He answered the question of tribute to Caesar…

the case presented by the Sadducees about the woman with seven husbands and the resurrection… the Greatest Commandment ….

Our Lord questioned them about the "Son of David."

He concluded the debates with a denunciation of the Pharisees and the "Seven Woes,"

He expressed an anguished lament over Jerusalem,

and commented on the widow's mite. Leaving the city,

He crossed over to Mt. Olivet and sadly predicted that there would be left "not a stone 

upon a stone."

Asked about the end of Jerusalem and the world He gave the

eschatological discourse, and told the parable of the virgins to teach watchfulness.

Are you tired yet?  I am!

There are many many scriptures listed below, all are placed in the timeframe of these few days in history!  I list them not because I expect you to read them all in one setting, but so that you can appreiciate the urgency Jesus was working under.  It all was taking place.  Just as God had planned, teaching us, warning us, loving us, making us ready to recieve the greatest love and gift of all....

13. The Final Ministry in Jerusalem

Pericope	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem	21:1-9	11:1-10	19:28-40	12:12-19
Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem			19:41-44
Jesus in Jerusalem (Cleansing the Temple), Return to Bethany	21:10-17	11:11 11:15-17	19:45-46
The Cursing of the Fig Tree	21:18-19	11:12-14
The Second Cleansing of the Temple	21:12-13	11:15-17	19:45-46
The Chief Priests and Scribes Conspire against Jesus		11:18-19	19:47-48
The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree	21:20-22 6:14-15	11:20-26
The Question about Jesus' Authority	21:23-27	11:27-33	20:1-8
The Parable of the Two Sons	21:28-32
The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen	21:33-46	12:1-12	20:9-19
The Parable of the Great Wedding Dinner	22:1-14		14:15-24
On Paying Tribute to Caesar	22:15-22	12:13-17	20:20-26
The Question about the Resurrection	22:23-33	12:18-27	20:27-40
The Great Commandment	22:34-40	12:28-34	10:25-28
The Question about David's Son	22:41-46	12:35-37a	20:41-44
Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees	23:1-36	12:37b-40	20:45-47
Jesus' Lament over Jerusalem	23:37-39		13:34-35
The Poor Widow's Gift of two Mites		12:41-44	21:1-4

14. The Olivet Discourse

Pericope	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
Prediction of the Destruction of the Temple	24:1-2	13:1-2	21:5-6
Signs before the End	24:3-8	13:3-8	21:7-11
Persecutions Foretold	24:9-14 10:17-22a	13:9-13	21:12-19 12:11-12
The Desolating Sacrilege	24:15-22	13:14-20	21:20-24
False Christs and False Prophets	24:23-28	13:21-23	17:23-24 17:37b
The Coming of the Son of Man	24:29-31	13:24-27	21:25-28
The Time of the Coming. the Parable of the Fig Tree	24:32-36	13:28-32	21:29-33
Conclusion. “Take Heed, Watch!” (According to Mark)	25:13-15 24:42	13:33-37	19:12-13 12:40
Conclusion. “Take Heed, Watch!” (According to Luke)			21:34-36

15. Conclusion of the Account before the Passion

Pericope	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
The Parable of the Flood and Exhortation to Watchfulness	24:37-44	13:35	17:26-36 12:39-40
The Parable of the Good Servant and the Wicked Servant	24:45-51		12:41-46
The Parable of the Ten Virgins	25:1-13
The Parable of the Talents	25:14-30	13:34	19:11-27
The Last Judgment	25:31-46			5:29
The Ministry of Jesus in Jerusalem			21:37-38
Greeks Seek Jesus; Discourse on His Death				12:20-36
The Unbelief of the People				12:37-43
Judgment by the Word				12:44-50

Have you made your Easter plans?  Have you included _________ in your day?

Lord we pray - guide us - lead us- put the desire within us to obey....

Amen.the scribes and ancients.