Epaggelia

Meet The People: Ephesians 1:1-14

Pray for wisdom and revelation while reading. Read slowly and then again read quickly (it helps if you can read aloud). There are peculiarities  about the people of Ephesus which may help us understand why the letter is written the way it is.

The origin of the Temple of Artemis (Diana) stems from a meteorite which landed in the area and people in Ephesus claimed they were in divine plans before the earth was formed to house and guard the Temple. This could effect why Paul wrote 1:1-14. Female citizens were held in higher esteem than foreigners from Italy to Lycia. There are women named as judges, and even admirals. This is very different from the way women were treated in Palestine which could effect Paul’s writing 5:22-33. Some manuscripts of Ephesians do not contain the title in verse 1, but only a deliberate space, as if it was originally written as a circular for Christians all over the world.

Getting to Know God’s View of His Children (ourselves)

Paul (small), God wanted to send (apostle) him representing Christ’s authority to Gentiles, Acts 26:16-18. Saints (a group of people set apart for God’s use), this word describes everyone that is a member of the church, it is always PLURAL, reminding us that we can not grow in holiness without fellowship in the church. ‘Believers’, this means they were made holy by God and maintained their sanctification by faithfully trusting God in their everyday life. In Christ, v1,3,4,6,7,9,10,11,13, (inside the Anointed One of God) This is a spiritual position, regardless of your physical location. It means that when God gives us His Spirit of Christ, Rom. 8:9, in our heart, that our bodies are encapsulated in Christ’s love, forgiveness, knowledge of the mystery and protection, we are sealed, v13. This phrase occurs at least 30 times in Ephesians alone!

Blessed v3, (Eulogy, high speaking praise), Matthew 10:32, Zeph. 3:17. This is towards us as well as towards God because of what He gives us and the position He puts us in. Revelation 3:5.

Chose v4, God’s choice is anyone who chooses to obey Jesus. If we choose to obey Christ, He puts us in Him, and the position makes us CHOICE. The gift of God’s righteousness and Holy Spirit in our life, is what constitutes our holiness. If we are placed in a holy position with Him, we should live holy lives, 1^st Pet. 1:16, 2:4-9.The Praise of His Glory  v6, 12,14. That God’s goodness & power will shape us into a more clearer image of Jesus in our lifestyle & attitude. If this is happening, we will openly give Him the credit.The Mystery v9, God’s goal through past centuries, finally revealed and made clear in Jesus Christ as Paul writes in Eph. 3:5-6.Predestined v11, (to know and make a precise decision beforehand), This means that God alone understands what choice we will make before we make it, regarding our decision of whether or not to express the faith He offers us through His message. His nature of being love allows us the power of choice.  He never makes a decision for us. His will is that no one should perish, but since He gave us our own power to choose, he predetermined that only those “in Christ” would have purity in eternity. 2^nd Pet. 3:9Sealed with the Promised Holy Spirit… A Deposit! v13-14, Security is only the beginning of a glorious and eternal future. Your identity is wrapped up in Him.

Ephesians 1:15-23, Meeting God’s Agenda for His Children.

God wants His children to know how to pray and what to pray for. If we are to grow in our discipleship, we must consider what kind of prayers are engraved into the eternal letters of God.  Facts we should always remember about talking to God.

He will listen to his children concerning anything, but He only answers our prayers in revealing His will, not our own, 1^st Peter 5:6-7.

Only people “in Christ” can have complete confidence in coming to the Throne of Grace and presenting ALL our needs, this means whatever we have to say to God, none of it can be heard without being sanctified by Christ our mediator, therefore we need to pray “in Christ’s Name”, that is by His authority not our own. Hebrews 4:16 & John 16:26.

Humility & Perseverance are paramount in prayer, no matter what kind of prayer we pray, be it intercession, thanksgiving, petitions or supplication, without humility in our prayers, we cannot be heard. Equally important is to maintain humility by demonstrating patient continuance in persevering with prayer until we understand what God’s agenda is, in this way we can prove what the will of the Lord is, Luke 18:2-8 & 11-14, 1^st Tim. 2:1, Rom. 12:2.

Getting to know God’s agenda in our rapport as disciples:

THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM & REVELATION. Christians have given into our heart, the Spirit of Christ through faith during baptism as a gift. Paul encourages us to pray that our Divine Guest living with us, will help us grow in knowing Christ in a practical and spiritual way, so that we can live like Him. When we first become Christians we do not have as much of the wisdom of God and knowledge of Christ as we should, so we need to pray for it, so that His Spirit sees and feels the cooperation and submission of our spirit, and knows that we want His help in growing into a living example of Christ. Then our discipleship can truly be experienced and shown. 

THE ENLIGHTED EYES OF YOUR HEART (mind or understanding). We may not realize it, but our facility of intellect needs light. Our imagination can be darkened or enlightened, and depending on your location spiritually, determines whether you are exposed to divine light or are cheated of it in the darkness of this world. Divine light was first introduced into our world during creation, Gen. 1:3, before the stars and sun was made by God, indeed He is called the Father of lights, James 1:17, and Jesus said “I am the light of this world”, Jn. 8:12, 12:35-36, wanting us to become children of light. When His light begins to shine brighter in our lifestyle, then our discipleship becomes real. Disciples should pray for a brighter life which exposes the dangers before us.

THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING (an invitation you are summoned to achieve) Are we all fully aware of God’s desire to receive us into His eternal habitation? How much does He want us to experience being like Christ and living with Him? Do we believe He is a rewarder? We can’t please Him if we do not believe this, Heb. 11:6.

THE RICHES OF GLORY, Oh to receive the full payment after our deposit! v13-14. Living on earth like you are actually already at home will help you pray for the riches of His glory to come.

THE SUPER POWER OF GOD, The Holy Spirit’s power is only measured by the immeasurable might of Divinity, therefore there are no limits! This power is not latent, but in action. How? By the resurrection and ascension of Christ, and that is where we are! Rom. 1:3-4.

Ephesians 2:1-10, Humans Discovering The Divine Purpose 

Jesus is The truth, The life & The way, (Jn. 14:6), and He told us that he came to give us life and live it more abundantly. (Jn. 10:10). This is the divine purpose for humans, but sadly most humans just survive in this life, only to die spiritually while pretending to be alive. Sadder still, many Christians are truly born again, and begin to really live, but end up struggling spiritually, only to give up their faith to the world’s definition of life. However, the good news is that every Christian has the opportunity to overcome spiritual death and live true life abundantly now and forever more in Jesus Christ.

KEYS TO LIVING TRUE LIFE:

Being Determined to Never Die Again! It is amazing how often the rescued Hebrews longed to go back to Egypt. Because of their complaining, many of them never made it to the Promised Land in Palestine. Christians can turn back on Christ and end up in this sin sick world, how do we avoid it? Sin always has a killing power, it kills innocence, no one is really the same after they have sinned, it kills ideals, at first we regard something wrong as horrible and then when we are personally tempted to do it, we curiously but uncomfortably explore, while being totally aware of it being wrong, then after we have done it, we find it easier the next time, eventually we are doing it without any shame. The fatal power of sin, is that it makes the next sin easier, sin kills our will to fight wrong.

Being Determined to Grow in God’s Love, Grace & Wisdom! The nature of God moved Him to make us alive, do we believe this? We cannot stop sinning enough to obligate God’s movement in rescuing, washing and sanctifying us.  His gracious nature should take over our life, but will we imitate it? His love is alive in the message of the cross & in the presence of the Spirit, Rom. 15:30, but can we feel it? His wisdom is shared in the work of the church and preaching of The Word, but can we accept it and try to apply it? Growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus is imperative, 2^nd Peter 3:18. How can we take greater faith in His grace? How can we feel the love of God affect us? How can we apply His wisdom to our everyday lifestyle? PRAYER is the starting point for these determinations.

Being Determined to Express Your Faith in Jesus! The way we are being saved, and the purpose for which we are saved, are both VERY important to understand. If we accept these truths, we will be compelled to rejoice and share this great gospel. Here are some key words to help us stay determined:

Salvation, the act of rescuing someone from danger and delivering them to safety.

Grace, giving divine blessings to sinful people.

Kindness, an appropriate act of fine gentleness, or a mellow effect on something  bitter.

Faith, the evidential substance of something yet unseen.

Gift, something given freely without any cost to the recipient.

Works, action or deeds performed for a wage.

Created, to establish a functioning home in barrenness, or to build lyrics from words.

Good, something which is inherently beneficial and practically useful.

Do you believe God’s graciousness is working through you in accomplishing or achieving good work?  In the subject of golf, if a novice as I had to complete an easy course like Palm Valley Lakes, for me, it would be an achievement, but if our accomplished golfer, Ray Miller were to complete the same easy course, it would just be a simple accomplishment. But on a higher scale, Tiger Woods could probably do it blind-folded! What if you had the strength, knowledge and attitude of Tiger Woods? The Course would be victorious for you, no matter what you thought of golf. God has set before each Christian a course to walk in this life and whether you are ignorant of it, or mature and wise about it, God’s grace, strength and wisdom will help you complete the course. Don’t stop, keep walking! Don’t be a coward and run away, keep fighting the good fight overcoming evil with HIS good. The Good News is that as our Christian life here on earth is finished, our final score is the score of Jesus if you just keep playing till the end. If at the end of a golf course, Tiger Woods gave you his score card, you would call that grace!

Ephesians 2:11-18, Disciples Growing into Friendship  One of the darkest descriptions of humanity is set beside the most beautiful descriptions of God. This great contrast is meant to help disciples yearn and enjoy friendship with God.

BEING BROUGHT NEAR TO GOD THROUGH BLOOD, FROM HAVING…

            …No Noble Title

            …No Holy Anointment

            …No Eternal Citizenship

            …No Guaranteed Promises

            …No Certain Hope

            …No Real God

MAKING BOTH JEW & GENTILE, ONE AND…

            …Tearing down the dividing wall of hostility

            …Doing away with the Law

            …Creating in Christ, one new person

            …Resulting in both having Peace with God

            …Having Access.

v11, Gentiles, Any race or nationality, even the nomadic alien & mongrel, EXCEPT Jews.

v11, Called,  In this context it is a term to denigrate character.

v12, Covenants of Promise, Abraham’s Circumcision & Moses’ Law.

v12,  Hope, The aspiration of a future CERTAIN positive goal. 

v13, Blood, What ran through the veins of Jesus was of divine origin, and was a divinely anointed price which was sanctified and proven powerful in the resurrection. See 1^st Peter 1:19. 

v15, 17, Peace, A friendly rapport between two characters who were formerly hateful. See Lk. 10:6, Jn. 16:33, Hb.7:2 &  12:14.

v14, 16, Enmity, not the expression of hate, but the core reason for bitterness between enemies, see Romans 8:7 & James 4:4.

v15, "Commandments Contained in Ordinances", Rules in Genesis through Deuteronomy.

v15, "One New Man", The spiritual body of Christ on earth, characteristically new, not necessarily chronologically new, see Jn. 13:34 & 2nd Cor. 5:17

v18, "Access", the legally acceptable means of being presented to royalty, see Romans 5:1-2. 

v18, One Spirit, God’s Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 2:19 – 3:7, Holy Citizens With A Message 

Something must be done before The holy and almighty God of the universe comes to live with humanity, taking up residence with people of all cultures. What is it? Several acts of Grace:

            1. People must be made citizens, v19

            2. People must be made holy, v19 (saints)

            3. People must be adopted into His family, v19. (household)

            4. People must be given a foundation, v20.

            5. People must be joined together, v21.

            6. People must be growing in holiness, v21.

            7. People must be educated, v4 (you may understand)

Then and only then, can people share the promise in Christ together, v6. What is this promise, and why is it so special?

1. A Christian’s citizenship is in Heaven, Php. 3:20

2. A Christian’s spirit has been purified and made holy, Heb.10:22

3. A Christian’s family is Christ’s family, Mt. 12:48-50.

4. A Christian’s life is based on the foundation of Christ’s work, Eph. 2:20.

5. A Christian’s purpose is serving together the God who put us together. Gal. 5:13-14

6. A Christian’s growth is in the fruit of the Spirit, Gal. 5:22-23.

7. A Christian’s greatest education is the good news of Christ & his mind, 1^st Cor. 2:16.

Today, The Holy Temple of the Living God is The Church. Inside Christ’s Body on Earth, we find that it has…

… a spiritual altar of sacrifice = the Blood of Christ, Hebrews 12:24

… a spiritual basin for washing = Baptism, 1^st Peter 3:21

… a spiritual table of showbread = the Communion, 1^st Cor. 11:24-27

… a spiritual altar of incense = the Prayers of Christians, Rev. 8:3-4

… a spiritual lampstand = the Word of God, Psa. 119:105 & Luke 1:79

… a spiritual ark  = The Spirit of Glory in us and Heaven, Eph. 1:3 & 1^st Pt. 4:14

…remember the veil in the old Temple was torn from top to bottom when Jesus died.

Where are you as a disciple of Christ in His Body, the Church? The answer will help you define your discipleship. A Living Stone has a place in this Temple which is growing, where are you and what are you doing? 1^st Peter 2:4-5

Ephesians 3:8-21, God’s Glory Affecting Disciples

God designed the church to be the pillar and ground of the truth, 1^st Timothy 3:15.  Once we recognize that all credit, praise and glory goes to God, then and only then, will we be delivering the truth. Disciples should be wanting a teamwork effort in making known the manifold wisdom of God to glorify Him before the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.  In other words, if we are helping each other work out and publicly express Godly wisdom in our lives, then the powers in the heavenly places will see that God is glorified today and sometime in the future the world will see it too! The world may ignore it, but those in the heavens can’t.  What means more to you?  What your neighbors think of God in your life, or what the angels think of God in your life?

The Effective working of God’s Power, v7….Enables disciples to make known God’s grace & wisdom, 2^nd Tim. 3:10-11

Infinite riches for the insignificant, v8

Spreading the Enlightening Message of Equality Everywhere, v9

Christians ARE the Media, v10,

God’s will in Jesus makes power and the work possible for us, v11-12

Taking Pride in Being a Part of the Family, v13,  see Luke 18:1, 2^nd Cor. 4:1,16, Gal. 6:9, 2^nd Ths. 3:13.

Praying like you mean it, v14-15. Perseverance is essential in proving your prayers are sincere, Lk. 18:1-8. This enables your faith to grow in the knowledge of Jesus and gives you His strength to live it and share it, Jude v3

Praying for Tomorrow, v16,  Power through His Spirit in the inner man, Jer. 31:33.

The Residence of Love, v17

The everlasting equality of His love, v18. If God in Jesus could die for you, would you die for a friend? John 15:13.

Growing in God is more of an experience than academic, v19

Having expectations of His power that is higher than your own, v20, His power is not limited to Paul’s miraculous works. Paul teaches that we should pray for God’s power to work through us. Is His power working through us? Is His power in us, used to experience miracles? Or is His power in us, used to experience Jesus and make known His manifold wisdom? Col. 1:28-29, Jude v24.

All praise, credit and glory goes to God the Father, v21, not the church!

Ephesians 4:1-16, The Real Reason We’re  Disciples ! 

Walking worthy, is hard and all of us fail from time to time. Even the apostle Paul couldn’t walk worthy of the gospel everyday in his calling to be an apostle, he calls himself a wretched sinner needing deliverance, Romans 7:13-25.   

            Who helps us TRY to walk worthy? The inner dwelling of God’s Spirit in our heart. Because of His presence and help, we are saved, in our feeble attempt to walk worthy.  If we do not try to COOPERATE with God’s Spirit of Christ, we do not really belong to Him, and forfeit the great gift of salvation we are in possession of, Galatians 5:16-21.

How do we cooperate with the Spirit of Christ and actually live worthy lives? By having…

Humility – “an attitude of modest thinking of others more important than yourself”

Gentleness – “an expression of humble thinking”

Patience – “being willing to wait beyond the other person’s expectations”

Love – “affectionate benevolence”

Nobody can show these qualities CONSISTENTLY, because of the devil’s influence on us through the world. Daily we may be dogged and cheated of gentleness, patience, humility and love, because we give more time to the world than we give to the Spirit of Christ.

No matter how hard it is to walk worthy, we should prayerfully TRY.  Since Jesus suffered for us to give us this calling invitation in the good news, we should at least TRY as an expression of our thankfulness for his sufferings and salvation. 1^st Peter 2:18-25

The 7 fold oneness of unity in the doctrine of Christ is The Spirit’s expression of unity.

The Body – “the churches of Christ”

The Spirit – “The Holy Spirit of Christ”

The Hope – “The Final Glorious Home of Christ”

The Lord – “The Christ in Jesus of Nazareth”

The Faith – “The Mind & Teachings of Christ in the New Testament”

The Baptism – “The Immersion for the forgiveness of sins by Christ”

The God – “The Father of Christ”

If we ALL  AGREE on the above definitions, then the Spirit can help keep us bonded together in peace to strengthen our expression of unity in Humility, Gentleness, Patience & Love. Peace is best shown in active fellowship, because the word points to friendship.  See Acts 7:26, “at one again” is the same Greek word for Peace in Ephesians 4:3. So if we are going to be disciples, we need to recognize our place in real teamwork, and where do we get the strength for that? What is this friendship in Christ for?  A good socializing? Or an honest attempt in evangelising?

4:7-13: The goal of maturity is for every disciple. The FULLNESS OF CHRIST is seen in each Christian being able to demonstrate His Character, that is the fruit of the Spirit of Christ, which humble thinking allows, including Gentleness, Patience and Love. The gifts of Christ are Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors & Teachers. All of them are still with us today and could not have been given to us, if Jesus had not come or left. The necessity of Christ leaving is best seen in John 16:5-15. Our benefit is exactly what God is determined to give Christians if we will be disciples and follow Jesus everyday. The purpose of God in EDIFICATION (v12) is to make suffering expedient or profitable, Heb. 12:10 = Jn. 16:7. Which is the reason Jesus teaches such drastic action should be taken against sin in our life, Mt. 5:29-30, which is for our benefit.

Ephesians 4:17-32, The Practicality of Discipleship ! 

v17, The Futility of our Mind is to be Rejected, as a Christian, it is the Mind of Christ we must adopt, 1^st Cor. 2:15-16, Php. 2:5-8. Jesus prayed that Christians would KNOW him, as well as a wife knows her husband! John 17:3. Too many Christians wear WWJD apparel and never know WWJThink, Feel and See.  The DOING, is impossible to know, unless you understand Him. Once we start understanding His mind, we truly become one in our fellowship, Gal. 3:28. This is when we start living the abundant life, Jesus came to give us, John 10:10.

v18-19, Alienated from the Life of God…to work all uncleanness with greediness. People who stay in the world and indulge in the world’s mind, end up getting worse and worse. This attitude causes blindness, John 12:39-40. God’s wrath rests upon them to one day be destroyed, 2^nd Ths. 1:8-9.

v20-21, IF, the biggest word in the dictionary! Learning about Jesus is not difficult, it’s done in numerous ways, but however you choose to learn of Him, you learn the truth.  We cannot live by bread alone, we need spiritual truths to truly live, Mt. 4:4. The Holy Spirit will always work to preserve the truth in the Bible about Jesus. His Deity, Love, Law, Wisdom, Passion and Power in Life are all here for us to realize. John 15:26.

v22-24, Putting off sinfulness and putting on True Righteousness & True Holiness. These are gifts from God, not our own righteousness or holiness, but His, Heb. 12:10-12, Rom. 5:17-18. Do gifts motivate you?

PUT AWAY…taking off our self, like dirty clothes, we feel ready for freshness, Mt. 5:3. How do we ‘put away’?   see Romans 8:13 &  Mt. 27:1, Living by the Spirit, you KILL your desires off. Crucifixion was normally a slow and painful death, Gal. 5:24

Lying, v25, this would include those deceitful lusts, bragging and rumours unfounded. Telling a half truth is really telling half a lie.

Uncontrolled Anger, v26, Be only angry with what God is angry with, and immediately ask Him to take vengeance on the problem or enemy.

Theft, v28, if you find a dollar on the sidewalk downtown, the one & only thing you know is that it’s not yours, give it to a beggar! Christians are never in need of more money than what God furnishes through our labor. The lottery is nothing but ‘robbery by mutual consent’.  Ex 20:1-17, Don’t Covet!

Rotten Words, v29, if you can’t say anything encouraging, shut up!

All Bitterness, v31, Sarcasm & name calling.

Wrath & Anger, v31, unbridled temper & vengeance.

Clamor, v31, throwing a fit of words.

Evil Speaking, v31, rude talk, which includes jokes & insults.

Malice, v31, criticizing and denigrating someone’s character, slander, etc…

Does this leave any room for constructive criticism in instruction? Only if you have the solution to the problem! If you can’t talk about the solution, don’t even mention the problem.

PUT ON…putting on Christ, like new clothes, He gives us dignity & security , Gal. 3:27.

Kindness v32,  Being gracious in your behaviour, including courteous & good manners.

Tender-heartedness v32, Being sympathetic and able to feel compassion.

Forgiveness v32, to give pardon without any dues.

How Did Christ do this? Freely for us, and at great cost to Himself. So if we are to forgive others, it should cost us some pain or price and it should cost the offender nothing. Read and practice 2^nd Cor. 2:8, your discipleship will actually bless someone besides yourself!

Ephesians 5:1-14, The Disciples Enlightened Lifestyle

v1, Little children are never expected to imitate their Parents really well. But they areexpected to learn and try, as they grow, more is expected of them. 1^st Peter 1:14-16. Why? Because Jesus died to make us holy, so it is apathy in an unholy lifestyle that grieves the Spirit of Christ, Eph. 4:30. God’s Spirit in us, can be quenched or stifled, 1^st Thes. 5:19. The work of the Spirit on our heart, can be neglected, 1^st Tim. 4:14, and the Psalmist points out that The Father can take His Spirit away from us, Psa. 51:11. But the beautiful and powerful goodness of God is in this truth:  God’s Spirit can never be extinguished, because He is the Spirit of Life & Light, 1^st John 1:5-7. The light still burns and brightens. Our sins, can diminish His brightness in our life, but He still burns, Heb. 12:29.

v2-3, Disciples should never be identified with sexual immorality, filthiness,covetousness, obscene behavior, foolish talk, and vulgar joking, none of these things should we even mention! What does our T-shirt say? What does our actions say?

v4, To give thanks, is God’s will for us, 1^st Thessalonians 5:18. How many ways can you say or show thank you?

v5, God’s wrath waits to be poured out on people who are rude, sexually immoraland greedy. His inheritance we have promised to us when we become a Christian, is  forfeited when we live selfish, rude or immoral lives. Why? Because our actions speak louder than words, and this tells God we don’t really want His inheritance He has promised us. Our actions say that His rewards are not worth living for, or thanking Him for.

v6, Have you ever had someone tell you what ‘rude’ is? Only to learn later that Godhas a different definition. The turning point in our faith is whether or not we are willing to accept God’s definition, rather than our own. Often times, it is the TV which deludes us into accepting the wrong definition. Be careful and do not rely on the V-chip. Gal. 1:11-12.

v7, Peter & Paul gave the same warning to 1^st century Christians which are just aspertinent and helpful to modern Christians, 2^nd Peter 2:3, 18-19. What fellowship does light have with darkness?

v8-9, The Fruit of the Spirit is not the fruit of your righteousness but His. As wefollow Him, we are enlightened to realize this privileged position. There are 12 Greek words which describe the fruit of God’s Spirit when you compare Rom. 6:21-22, containing, Holiness. Here in Eph. 5:9, there is  Goodness, Righteousness, Truth, and in Gal. 5:22-23 we have Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control. If we cooperate with God in growing these virtues, we will SHINE.

v10-13, Our enlightenment is not for ourselves alone of course, it is to help others seeclearly what is wrong and dangerous. How do we expose something, without talking about it? Actions speak louder than words. A life that is full of Goodness, Righteousness and Truth will show up a contrast against what is Bad, Wrong and Deceitful.

v14, Disciples that sing, shine brighter! This verse is a song from the point of  Isaiah26:19-21. With the Spirit of our resurrected Lord in mind, it is sung with victory in our hearts. 

Can Disciples Be So Heavenly Minded That They Are No Earthly Good?Ephesians 5:15-21 

v15, Wise People are only wise in God’s in view, if they love God’s wisdom, not the wisdom of this world. Many Christians are street-wise, but do not have the mind of Christ and are ignorant of God’s definition of wisdom. We can have it, if we want it and pray for it, James 1:5. Once we start praying for wisdom, we need to be alert to how we are behaving in our lifestyle. To walk “circumspectly”, means to keep an eye on your boundaries so that we can stay on the straight & narrow path which leads to life and all of God’s inheritance, Matthew 7:14.

v16, We know that when times are hard, we must make the most of every opportunity. Likewise, when days are evil, we must make the most of righteousness, Romans 12:11. Grasp every opportunity to do good, that you can, in this lifestyle, your making the most of your time here on earth. It doesn’t matter whether we are facing persecution, or living in luxury, our life is still just a vapour, and tomorrow is not a guarantee, therefore the Christian race must be ran, not walked! Although Paul uses the word, “walk” often in his letters, the word ‘walk’, never means to take daily life lackadaisical, “walk” simply means lifestyle, it is not a walk in the park, Jn. 10:10.

v17, How many times are we forced to collect pieces of a puzzle and work at fitting them together to get a picture? Ever been a new patient with no doctor? Ever tried to write a book? Ever put a budget together and use it longer than a month? Our life is full of ways we try to UNDERSTAND what to do, or how to do it. The Lord’s will is like that for each of us individually, we must personally put a diligent effort into learning God’s word, and then try prayerfully to put it into practice. This is why churches of Christ stress daily Bible readings and memory verse work. Now if only every Christian stressed applying what God says daily, the church would be so much more stronger, blessed, sacrificial and bigger!

v18, Drunkenness is like the abuse of anything, it destroys our better moments and weakens what goodness there is in us. Junk food, non-prescribed drugs, laziness in the sun, smoking tobacco and rude words, are all forms of abuse and work to our demise. God’s lifestyle works to our many benefits.  The way we prevent any kind of abuse, is to be busy growing in God’s Spirit, He will fill us with goodness. How? Daily sing, pray, read God’s Word, and make sure we are truly giving more in life than we our taking, Acts 20:35.

v19, Speaking to yourself and singing in your heart can be done without making a sound. So even if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket, you have no excuse for not obeying this command. There are 150 Psalms to choose from, anyone can find one. Hymns are religious or moral anthems, the Bible is full of them and they are good for memory work in the New Testament. Spiritual Songs are tunes which are associated with spiritual messages, a good way of reminding yourself of what is right, is to hum a tune, this is exactly what the Christian is instructed to do in Psalm 1:2, the Hebrew word for “meditate” means “sound out” the law. What kind of sound you make is determined by what tune you associate with spirituality! What exactly is Paul telling us to do here? Pluck your heart strings, not your guitar. This is to the Lord, and for your own benefit, it affects Him and He blesses you. It is interesting to note, that Paul is not giving them instructions here for congregational worship, he is simply telling them how to be filled with The Spirit.

v20-21, Telling God we are thankful is an act of gratitude which affects our attitude to deal with everything in a godly way. Accomplishing God’s will for you, 1^st Thes. 5:18. If you are thankful for your brother at church, you’ll be given the wisdom to humbly meet his needs, better than your own. SO therefore, you cannot be so heavenly minded, that your no earthly good. God can use you best in meeting the needs of others, when your consistently directing your hearts desires to Heaven.

Ephesians 5:22-6:4, Discipleship to Christ Is Very Personal

WIVES, v22 “as to the Lord”, This phrase should alleviate any fear of wives feeling like the Lord is asking them to become a ‘door mat’ and accept, without any reaction, a husband that is abusive or insensitive to her needs, or even unfaithful. Wives should be willing to look in the mirror and ask themselves, “in what ways does the church submit to Christ?” Is that submission allowing abuse? No. The church’s submission to God is actually a blessing, when we submit, we allow God to strengthen us and grow the fruit of His Spirit. He makes us one in all the virtues of Christ’s character. How can a wife emulate submission, the church has towards Christ, towards her husband? 1^st Peter 3:1-2. The word “submit” or hupotasso is actually in verse 21. Wives should try to understand the word “respect” towards their husbands, or  phobeo “to fear” in verse 33. This is also used in 1^st Jn. 4:18. Where we are told that ‘fear’ will not allow love to mature. Fear is a difficult word in the Greek New Testament, it is used in many different ways, and is always defined by the context, not by the dictionary. For example, if we are afraid (distrust) of God or a husband, we will never be able to feel our love for Him mature and grow stronger, but on the contrary, if we fear God or a husband in a way that shows respect (trust) for His role and responsibilities, then we will indeed be surprised at how much more stronger our love is for Him.  In what ways can a wife show genuine respect for her husband’s responsibility to provide spiritual food, cleanliness and protection in their life together? Does the phrase, “IN EVERYTHING” v24, help wives answer the question?

HUSBANDS, v25 “love” is a command repeated four times in this passage. Why would husbands need to be TOLD to love their wives? Because it is not a physical love. Agape is a decisive committed desire to do what is in the wife’s best interest, no matter how unlovable that wife is. Even when Christ’s disciples fled in the face of his death, He still died for them, and even for sinners, Romans 5:8. In every problem a couple faces, God expects the husband to persevere & initiate the process of reconciliation. This is love. Remember, as long as Christ’s disciples were reasonable, Christ was more than gracious to them. But when His disciples couldn’t be logical or were weak, Christ curbed His teaching and work on them, John 16:7-13. Husbands, remember and learn that there is a good time and a bad time to approach the work of reconciliation after problems have occurred. 1^st Peter 3:7. A Husband’s Headship is spiritual, not necessarily physical. Christ is the spiritual head of the church, not necessarily physical. This is why we have Elders to be head in physical matters for the church, Heb. 13:7, 17. Christ doesn’t command the Church to build it’s chapel in a certain fashion. But He does demand His church dress in a certain fashion, it’s called modesty, 1^st Peter 3:3-5. In what ways can a husband make sacrifices for his wife’s spiritual needs? Does the phrase, “AS HIMSELF” v33, help husbands answer the question?

CHILDREN, When does adulthood begin?  Is there any difference between obedience & honor?  John 12:26 is a promise closely attached to the promise in Ex. 20:12. Every child should understand the value of life and that value should be set by our parents actions. A child can not honor their parent while giving their bodies away before marriage, they must wait for their parent to give them away in marriage. Sex before marriage, turns boys into dishonourable thieves, and girls into rebellious hypocrites. Children are supposed to be ‘of the Kingdom’, Lk 18:16-17 & Jn. 13:33. Sometimes children get so calloused or apathetic, they leave Dads wondering where they went wrong, but if everyday, Dads will realize their responsibility to understand and show the following command, then children will grow into godly Christians, this is the command: Raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. What does this mean? It means,  Daily show them the nature and admiration of the Lord. Dad’s are you doing this?  BONDSERVANTS OF CHRISTWhat gives Christians Discipleship? – Ephesians 6:5-9 

BOND-SERVANTS verse 5,  We are saved to serve, John 13:1-17 & 34-35, Hebrews 9:14. The reason many Christians do not know this, is because, they want salvation for escaping punishment, not to become a servant, It is not God’s will that Christians be unemployed, 1^st Timothy 5:8, 2^nd Corinthians 12:14.  Christ turns work into a privilege instead of a punishment, Gen. 3:17-19. A Christian that relies on government grants instead of searching for employment or becoming self-employed, is not relying on God! Christians should trust God to provide for our needs and serve in whatever job we can find, in order to serve Him who helps us most!   It is not God’s will for Christians to be lazy in their retirement, Proverbs 21:25-26 & 26:16, Matthew 25:26, Galatians 6:10.

FEAR& TREMBLING Verse 5. When God’s word tell us we should fear someone, is God asking us to consider their personality, or their purpose? A divine perspective on the utmost respect being shown by Christians is seen in 1^st Peter 2:18-24. DOING GOD’S WILL, verse 6. This is a harder command for some of us, than showing total respect. How can our heart be driven to do God’s will and not our own? When faced with obedience that you know will bring pain, even Jesus struggled to obey, but by trusting God our Father in prayer, Jesus did it, so can we, Luke 22:39-44. This is where Jesus took on the form of a slave in the face of the cross, Php. 2:7. Can we take on the form of a slave in the face of Christ when going to work? If we can do this in prayer, it will stop us from being mere men-pleasers and turn us into God-pleasers.

SERVICE, verse 7. Turning physical work into spiritual work can not be done, unless we accept the truth of James 1:2. Attitude is all-encompassing. Paul urges Christians in Corinth that when slaves are “called in the Lord, they become the Lord’s freemen”, 1^st Cor. 7:22, and enter a service which is perfect freedom. That attitude, logically worked out through time, has ultimately destroyed slavery, but meanwhile, it gives to the abused employee in a bad job, lightened though not yet removed, a power of service with a good will, as to the Lord. This is good news!

RECEIVING ‘GOOD’ BACK FROM THE LORD! Verse 8. When we hear the words of God, “Well done, good and faithful servant”, we will be seeing all the good we have done come back alive and sit in your lap. Revelation 14:13. God wants us to think of our charitable deeds as living entities turning into eternal rewards. Do you believe this?

YOUR MASTER, verse 9. Jesus accepted the highest title on earth, John 20:16, 28, and heaven, Rev. 19:16,  yet served as the humblest of servants. We likewise should humble ourselves in daily calling Jesus “My Lord & God, King and Savior”, this will enable us to serve with the right attitude.

THE EMPLOYERS, Perhaps the hardest task for Employers to accomplish is emulating The Master in showing no favoritism to all your employees. Perfect justice and fair rules in employment is best achieved by daily practicing the golden rule, Luke 6:31. Doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, is exactly what gives Christians a discipleship to the Lord Jesus.  Do we live the ‘golden rule’?

Ephesians 6:10-24 – Disciples in the Army of God

Strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might, v10. When anyone enlists in the Army, we are given access and training in the Government’s panoply of devices. Why? Because the Government authorizes or empowers us to use them. Do you use everything God has authorized or empowered you to use as a Christian soldier? If you try, make sure you are using His power, authority & strength, not your own. The battle of overcoming evil with good should be fought with His wisdom and energy, not yours. Romans 12:19-21, 2^nd Tim. 2:1 & Php. 4:13.

The Whole Armour of God…against the Schemes of The Devil, v11. Christians cannot afford to be ignorant of what Satan uses against us, the Devil will take advantage of our immaturity and render us helpless to do what is right, if we do not put on every single piece of the armour God offers in his army. 2^nd Cor. 2:11, 6:4-7.

Spiritual Hosts of Wickedness, v12. These minions, demons and evil influences abound and are led by Satan described as the ruler of the sky’s domain, active in people who are living in rebellion against God, Eph. 2:2.

Stand, v13. We have not DONE ALL to stand, unless we are trying to put on, learn about and use, every item in this panoply given to us by His grace. The ‘evil day’, Paul refers to, could be any trial you encounter. Every Christian has spiritual valleys and peaks in their daily life, until the Lord comes. Make sure you DAILY follow Him, Luke 9:23.

The Belt of Truth & Breastplate of Righteousness, v14. The Roman centurion’s belt held the breastplate & sword’s sheath together, Isaiah 11:5 & 59:17. Truth is what makes the word sensible and useable. It is the summation of everything the word says, Psa. 119:160, 2^nd Thes. 2:10. Here we learn how inseparable God’s gifts/devices are. Righteousness is spoken of in 1^st Thes. 5:8, referring to faith and love symbolizing the breastplate. Practicing righteousness is vital to survival of life, it protects your heart, do what is right or die in the fight, 1^st Jn. 2:29. 

The Shoes of Preparation, v15. We can not begin to train as a soldier without shoes. Once you know the gospel, you must learn how to use it. This learning is your footwear and keeps the soldier standing to launch the gospel forward.  Isaiah 52:7 & Romans 10:15.

The Shield of Faith, v16. The 2 1/2 X 4 ft shield was soaked and mounted together, forming a wall of protection, or instant foxhole for soldiers to fight safely from. Faith is what we use to quench the fiery darts of Satan, and we should bond together in fellowship to ensure safety in the battles of temptation and trial.

The Helmet of Salvation & The Sword of the Spirit, v17. Knowing your salvation is protecting your thoughts from deception, and letting the world delude you into doubting your eternal hope, life and rewards. The hope of eternal life motivates us to purify ourself (1^st Jn. 3:3) and we thereby remain faithful to receive it (1^st Jn. 2:25), as the end of our faith, 1^st Pt. 1:9. The helmet is also a signature of identity to the enemy, from afar, they know whose Army they are fighting against. If God be for us, who can be against us? The Spirit’s sword is given to every trained soldier of the Lord to talk about Jesus and be able to converse about Scripture. Use it respectfully and correctly, as it is not your own, Heb. 4:12, Rev. 1:16 & 19:15-21.

All Prayer, v18. Without communication, no soldier gets anywhere. Every single thing a soldier does, is because he is in communication with his superior. Pray constantly, 1^st Thes. 5:17.

Boldly, v19. If you can’t speak the truth with confidence, then be quiet and live it, you still have more training to do. Sometimes actions speak louder than words.

An Ambassador in Chains, v20. Paul wrote courageously from jail, surely we can pray for confidence in our comfort.

Tychicus, v21. The words ‘beloved’ and ‘faithful’, give each of us a goal in our fellowship with one another. God will use our time spent together, if we will be genuinely concerned about the other person’s needs. The faithfulness of Tychicus qualified him to be a courier of the gospel letters of Paul, integrity was his middle name. If we can express the same kind of love and faith Tychicus did, we too will be equally eternally famous, Col. 4:7, 2^nd Tim. 4:12 & Titus3:12.

Comfort Your Hearts, v22. The strength of the Lord involves sharing the gospel with each other in fellowship. We are weak and immature spiritually, because we do not speak the truth in love with one another and spend too much time complaining.

Lord Jesus, v23. Our Commander is also are empathetic Savior, who better could we follow?

In Sincerity, v24. Love Jesus genuinely, and keep your love for Him alive, don’t let it grow cold, Rev. 2:4.

“….Darkness over the whole land…”, Luke 23:44

Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani ? Matthew 27:46 & Psalm 22:1. Feeling forsaken, yet still being God is a perplexing idea for every mortal. But Jesus was not just mortal, he knows better than all of us, what deep mixed emotions are.  His despairing loneliness was triggered by the 3 hours of darkness which surprised everyone. No astrologer predicted this phenomena and the documented rapport between Thallos & Julius from 50-160AD, in Egypt to Italy is evidence of this miracle of darkness. People witnessed the impossible, because the Passover is always during a full moon, making it impossible for an eclipse. The darkness was miraculous and Jesus understood it as being His Father’s absence, because God is light, 1^st Jn. 1:5, when He withdraws, we are left with TOTAL darkness, if everyone was as good as blind, we then understand feeling forsaken. The last time the world felt this was in Egypt, when He was demonstrating His power over evil Pharaoh.  Even though the world at times can be very dark and our lives can be full of evil, never forget that when God made it dark in Egypt, the Israelites still had a little light for 3 days.

I Thirst ! Jn. 19:28. This is said as He was dying, not before He was actually crucified, (Mt. 27:34). Before He was crucified he refused vinegar, when he tasted that gall (a natural anaesthetic ) was in it. But before He dies His mental faculties are quickly coming to an end.  His humanity is raw and his thirst is uncontrollable. Dehydration from his scourging and beating the night before is now taking full affect. Spiritually, there is now no more for Jesus to give humanity, at one time, Jesus could proclaim in the Temple courtyard, “If anyone thirsts, Let him come to me and drink freely” but for now this is impossible, He has done all He can for us. Jn. 7:37-38, He also taught on his ability to fill our thirst in Jn 4:12-14, 6:35. During his death, his ability to promote life-giving water is for a moment stopped, but Jesus re-affirms His ability for us today in Revelation 7:16-17 & 21:6. The resurrection enables Jesus to keep all his promises.

Father, into your hands I entrust My spirit. Luke 23:46 & Psalm 31:5. Jesus was an example to every one till the very end. What have we entrusted to God? Jesus entrusted his body, soul, spirit and mind, this is the epitomy of loving God with your everything, Remember His teaching on the Shema, Mk. 12:30 & Lk. 10:27. If we love Him, we will entrust everything to Him so that we can obey Him, John 14:15. If we don’t trust someone, we will not obey them. Whatever has been entrusted to us from God, is only accomplished in our life, if we believe God is able to guard it all our life. Paul explains this in 2^nd Tim. 1:11-12. Do you believe He can help you accomplish His will with whatever He has entrusted to you?

It Is Finished ! John 19:30. Even in his death, He exhibited control. He died when He WANTED to die. “He gave up His Spirit”, no one took it from Him when they wanted to,  John 10:18 states that He will lay his life down, this means that He will not die when others want to kill him, but only when He has suffered enough, He was in control of the timing. Not even the soldiers could take it from Him with a spear. He should be in control of our daily life. When His Spirit left this earth, He left to tear the Temple Veil from top to bottom for every Priest to know that now, the holiness of God was accessible to all Priests, and that Jesus in God’s view was now the High Priest, Mk. 15:37-38. His job of Redeemer was finished, now He is beginning the job of intercession for everyone that accepts the price of His life-giving blood. Hebrews 9:7-12.

 “…crucified with them, two robbers, one on the right and the other on the left… with Jesus in the middle”, Luke 23:33 & John 19:18. 

“Father forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing”, Lk. 23:34.

Ignorance does mitigate a crime, but it does not excuse it.  These intercessory words of Jesus show the godly attitude he could exhibit while suffering excruciating pain, but these words alone do not accomplish forgiveness, they merely make the request for The Father to forgive his enemies when and if, they learn about who they are actually crucifying and show remorse for their evil.  Isaiah prophesied intercession for the rebels against God, Isa. 53:12.  Jesus made it very clear that forgiveness is only assured and obtained, after repentance takes place, Luke 17:1-4.  The reason Stephen could show the same attitude and make the same request while being stoned, is because His Lord, practised what He preached even when being put to death, Matthew 5:44, Acts 7:59-60. It was only about 60 days between His crucifixion and Peter’s first gospel sermon, where we no doubt see many of His enemies confess, repent and are THEN given the privileged service of baptism wherein lay the venue for forgiveness, Acts 2:36-39.  Can we, like Stephen desire our enemies forgiveness and make intercessory prayer like Jesus? When we do it, our discipleship is genuine, and our intercessory prayer is answered in the positive.

“Truly I say to you, Today you will be with me in Paradise”, Lk. 23:43.

Both of the two criminals, indeed mocked Jesus, but one repented of his attitude and showed faith. Remember to actually speak while hanging from nails in your wrists takes great effort. To go through these agonizing words in expressing your faith, is much more than any immersed sinner went through to obtain forgiveness.  To make confession and pray for help to Jesus, when everyone else was against Him, is a BIG step of faith.  This unnamed criminal was instantly and fully forgiven for all his sins, just like many people who Jesus pronounced forgiven during his ministry, Lk. 5:20-23, 7:48. He could do this without the necessity of baptism, because His own baptism (the Baptism of Christ) was not authoritatively initiated until after his actual resurrection. The journey of Christ and the criminal into Paradise that day was part of the joy which was set before Jesus, Heb. 12:2. The repentant words of the criminal gave Jesus incentive to refuse the vinegar mixed with gall/myrrh enduring the full effects of pain, ensuing his death. God The Father gave Christ the Son an actual victory while undergoing defeat at the hands of Satan’s minions cruelly killing Him. Throughout history there are several eyewitness accounts of martyrs catching glimpses of glory while being tortured and meeting death. Stephen experienced this phenomena, Acts 7:56. Many of us go through trials for our faith and even some of us experience some type of persecution, but rarely do Christians today suffer a physical loss of blood, Heb. 12:4. However, if we ever do, and our physical life is on the line, do we believe God leaves us or accompanies us?

“Son, behold your mother…Woman, behold your son” John 19:26-27

All of Christ’s disciples are appointed to be protectors of the helpless. But of course John was appointed protector of Mary, who would truly be helpless as a widow with no eldest son. Why didn’t Jesus assume one of his younger brothers or sisters would take care of Mary, such as James? Mt. 13:55-56 Because Jesus knows the future, that John would be the only apostle which would live the longest in order to see Mary into her old age and take care of her. Even in the darkest moments of confusion, when everything in your life is going wrong, Jesus exercises control, and covers everyone’s needs FOREVER. Even when He can’t explain the WHY of life’s troubles, He still has the answer and gives it!

…Flogged…Crucified…Mark 15:15

No matter which version you read, Jesus knew about the scourging as well as the crucifixion before it happened, Matthew 20:18-19. The obvious pursuit of Pilate to enforce his authority in pronouncing Jesus innocent is best seen in commanding the scourge.  If Pilate could punish Jesus within an inch of his life, then surely The Jewish Sanhedrin would be content to believe Jesus would be silenced. Pilate had no idea how much the Sanhedrin hated Jesus, neither did Pilate understand the power of Jesus. From The Jews point of view, Flogging is truly senseless suffering which would accomplish nothing but more pain. But from The Lord’s perspective, this is the whole point of bearing the consequences of sin. The Cross accomplished an end to the job of sacrificing, however, the Scourge was truly furthering weight on to the burden of suffering as a sacrifice.

We have no idea how much our sins weigh. We think it is the immediate consequence, but we are too short-sighted to see what other pain or problems are caused from our sin. An obvious example is the teenager who causes an accident while drinking. The future problems are insurmountable in anyone’s estimation of the future. Does that teenager really want to pay for all the weight of his sinful action from one night of foolishness? No court or jail could truly make him, because no person alive can see the future problems that will arise from his crime.  We are aware of the consequences, we see it in songs like the old theme tune of Barretta, “Don’t do the crime, if you can’t do the time”. Yet we continue struggling with sin that lives in us, Romans 7:18-25. Only Jesus is able to bear the full weight of all our sins, and scourging was one of the many ways, Jesus demonstrated his ability to suffer and yet win. While in comparison, we lose. It is only his victory over sin, that gives us hope. This is why Jesus was ‘passionate’ about winning over the battle of sin & death. For this joy that was set before Him, Heb. 12:1-3 & 2:9-11.

Without Jesus bearing the full consequences of all our sins, The Father could never justify forgiving us. Forgiving us would never be the right thing to do, unless the wrongs were put right by God The Father. No matter how much we suffer for our own sin, it doesn’t correct the wrong we have done. That is why the word forGIVEness has the word GIVE in it. God gives up the right to take vengeance on us when he forgives us, and He can only do that, when looking at the blood of Christ, because that pain is what paid for our wrongs and makes it ‘fair’ for The Father to reprieve us of our punishment.  See Ephesians 1:7 & Matthew 26:28. This is trying to understand the idea of atonement.

What is truly amazing about the suffering of Christ is that His Spirit still feels our pain. Christ suffered more than even his enemies wanted him to. Paul teaches us that Christ’s sufferings are still ongoing in Colossians 1:24, because our Christian living brings us into suffering, 1^st Peter 2:20-21, and since His Spirit is with us, He does more than just see the sin committed against us, He feels it. The world sins against us, and we sin against each other. Therefore when Christians suffer because of sin, Christ’s Spirit is present and is suffering with us. In fact, the pain is filling the body of Christ up, and when it is full, God will end our struggle with sin and the Judgment will come. God will not tolerate persecution of His people forever. But we must thank Him daily for tolerating the violent abuse against His Son.

Jesus stood before the Governor, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Pilate asked him. Jesus answered, “You have said it”, and while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He didn’t answer.
Matthew 27:11-12

Legally, The Jews had authority in Moses’ law to enforce capital punishment in only three ways: Stoning, Decapitation & Strangling. Jesus knew he was to be crucified, (John 12:32-33), so he was aware of being handed over to Pilate before The Sanhedrin even did it. Why? Because only the Romans could crucify someone, and to get the Romans to do it, the Jews must charge Jesus of a crime only the Romans would take as capital. The idea of stoning upon the charge of blaspheming is mute because the Jews knew they had no way of practicing capital punishment in a corner, away from the public’s view and therefore must get concurrence from the Roman authority to execute the death penalty. See Matthew 26:66 & John 18:31. In this context, the stoning of Stephen, a few years later, was simply ‘mob rule’ action, Acts 7:54-60. The Sanhedrin did not, under any circumstances, want the massive supporters of Jesus to be rekindled and grow, and if they were seen to execute Jesus, that is exactly what would happen. Therefore it was essential to get the Romans to do it. Many political rebels were crucified by the Romans.

Legal Crucifixion: The Romans apparently learned crucifixion from the Carthaginians and rapidly developed a high degree of skill at it. A number of Roman authors (Livy, Cicer, Tacitus) comment on it, and several innovations are described in ancient literature. For example, the upright portion of the cross (or stipes) could have the cross-arm (or patibulum) attached two or three feet below its top in what we commonly think of as the Latin cross. But the most common form used in our Lord's day, however, was the Tau cross, shaped like our T. In this cross the patibulum was placed in a notch at the top of the stipes. There is archeological evidence that it was on this type of cross that Jesus was crucified. There is also evidence that patibulums were simply hoisted upon a tree and the victim’s feet were nailed to the trunk. Many painters and sculptors of crucifixion, show the nails through the palms. Historical Roman accounts have established that the nails were driven between the small bones of the wrists (radial and ulna) and not through the palms. Nails driven through the palms will strip out between the fingers when made to support the weight of the human body. The misconception may have come about through a misunderstanding of Jesus' words to Thomas, "Observe my hands." Jn. 20:27. Anatomists, both modern and ancient, have always considered the wrist as part of the hand. The victim crucified sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists sending pain shooting along the fingers and up the arms to surge in the cranium, the nails in the wrist are putting pressure on the main nerves. As He pushes Himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He places His weight on the nail through His feet. Again there is the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet. At this point, as the arms fatigue, waves of cramp sweep over the muscles, knotting them in throbbing pain. With these cramps come the inability to push Himself upward. Hanging by his arms, the pectoral muscles are paralyzed and the intercostal muscles are unable to act. Air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be exhaled. Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, he is able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen. In this state, Jesus could make short sentences, and we have the 7 sayings on the cross in the gospels. A crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart. At this point, Psalm 22:14 is fulfilled, “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels." It is now almost over. The loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level; the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissue; the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. The dehydrated tissues send their flood of stimuli to the brain. Death is ensued.

The Roman soldier would then drive his spear through the fifth interspace between the ribs, upward through the pericardium and into the heart. "And immediately there came out blood and water." (John 19:34). There was an escape of water fluid from the sac surrounding the heart, giving postmortem evidence that Our Lord did not die as usual in crucifixion by suffocation, but of heart failure (a broken heart) due to shock and constriction of the heart by fluid in the pericardium. How many forms of execution would bring about heart failure? God’s heart is in His work of atonement. Because blood is always at the heart of forgiveness of sins, Gen. 3:21. Is our heart cleansed by His blood?

The company of soldiers, the commander, and the Jewish Temple police arrested Jesus and tied Him up. First they led Him to Annas for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was advantageous that one man should die for the people John 18:12-14, Lesson Three, DVD C6-7  

The Binding: Jesus was bound and tied for a reason. The nature of sin, is that once we commit it, it enslaves us. The cords of sin are like the cords of rope that tied Isaac to the sacrificial altar Abraham had to build. In this act of obedience God was making a shadow of the reality in Jesus, when the soldiers tied him up. What do we feel like when we are bound? Helpless. The burden of sin makes us helpless, and Jesus took on that feeling for us, so that we never really need to suffer from helplessness. We always have help in overcoming sin because Jesus suffered, paying the price and giving us strength to overcome our helplessness.

The Leading: When John the cousin of Jesus was arrested, Caiaphas was high priest, Luke 3:2, but now the son-in-law Caiaphas is side-stepped and his Father-in-law the previous High Priest Annas is being consulted first. Their actions spoke like they were making excuses for the young Caiaphas’ plot of killing Jesus to be given clout from the older Annas. Historically, Annas had 5 sons, all of which took turns being High Priest. The real crime, Jesus must feel is that his “quasi-trial” starting here is really already finding him guilty before the actual trial takes place.  They and others had already conspired to kill Lazarus, Jn. 11:49-12:11, now they wanted Jesus dead. He had previously escaped a stoning, so now they would get the Romans to help them and kill him 'their' way.  The plot is in process and Jesus must feel fright in seeing it unfold. Jesus practiced what he preached. The pain of determination in the midst of fright. “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say to you, do not resist him that is evil: but whoever hits you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man would take you to court, and take away your coat, let him have your cloak also.  Mt. 5:38-40.  The hitting of Jesus in the presence of the High Priest was susceptible to a reverse charge against the injurious action, called “the zuzim”, Jn. 18:23. But his false-accusers had no interest in true justice.  “And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to slap him, and to say to him, Prophesy: and the officers received him with smacks of their hands. Mark 14:65. This is to take the weight of sin, and absorb the wrath of God against our sin, he was letting the burden of sin be placed on his face. God prophesied this: “I gave my back to the beaters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off my beard; I hid not my face from humiliation and spitting”. Isaiah 50:6

The Charge: Being arrested late on a Thursday night, Jesus had to be brought to a deadly conclusion by dusk Friday evening, the beginning of the Sabbath. Night time arrests, particularly ones involving capital offences were illegal.  But illegalities did not deter  the Priests, who had no qualms. The speed to have Jesus killed put illegality upon illegality. Perhaps one day, a Jew can explain why the initial verdict of blasphemy was allowed to become a charge of sedition, perverting the Nation and opposing Caesar. The Sanhedrinic law in the case of capital accusations allowed argument for acquittal to be aired, with the custom of younger members speaking first, so that they would not be easily swayed by more mature members, but that is totally ignored as Jesus is first taken to the murky character of old Annas before any kind of a trial begins. The pain of a false charge must hurt Jesus inwardly.

Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him."  Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him. (Mt. 26:47-49, Lesson Two, DVD C4, 9:15-11:15) 

The experience of betrayal for Jesus was first recorded, when his own physical brothers labelled him as ‘insane’ Jn. 7:5-10, Mk. 3:21. But when his own so-called disciple turns on him in front of Temple Security Forces, there must be a depth of hopelessness felt which is impossible to ignore. Jesus wasn’t the first King to be betrayed. King David’s life was filled with betrayal, he started his reign wrestling with it, he warns those who had deserted him for Saul: "the God of our fathers look thereon and judge" (1 Ch 12:17). Later still, the pain of betrayal was to come personally to him by his own son Absalom.  To feel the inward piercing of treacherous lies was the deep consequence of deception God warns us about in the Proverbs 25:9-10, and that Jesus felt before he was beaten, scourged & crucified. It’s worse to be tortured when you know that even a ‘friend’ is against you.

If we know the reasons for betrayal, we may avoid committing it ourselves. God pleads, do not grieve His Holy Spirit, Ephesians 4:30. In the betrayal, God’s Spirit in Jesus must have sunken to a depth unknown before. John 3:31-34.

Reputation: Judas was already known to be a thief. Why do people steal? Because they want to be something they are not, such as influential, richer or comfortable. Because Judas was chosen to be inside the circle of friends of Jesus, he may have wanted the leaders of religious society to recognize his advantageous position, and told them, whoever I “kiss”, He is the One. Consider this possibility, what if Judas believed that Jesus would use God’s power to overcome his captors? This would make Judas look more than knowledgeable. But Jesus would know Judas even better than Judas wanted to be known.

Money: 30 pieces of silver from the Priests would be shekels of the sanctuary, this would be equivalent to 120 denarius, which was the average of about three months wages. Today that would be appx. $12,000. Judas agreed to identify when and where Jesus was for the captivity in stealth. This would at first excite Judas enough to go through with what he thought was questionable. But afterwards of course, he realizes he betrayed an innocent ‘friend’(Mt. 27:4), and offers the money back, committing suicide. Jesus must have felt cheated and cheap, to know that Judas would just throw everything away, for what he had done. The idea of money was in Judas’ mind, but the exact amount was offered by the chief priests. What is amazing is that 30 pieces of silver is equivalent to the price of a slave, which is exactly what Jesus was to become, enslaved to the burden & consequence of sin, being prophesied of in Zec. 11:12-13, Ex. 21:32.  He certainly took on the form of a slave, Php. 2:7-8. So should we!

The pain of betrayal is felt in three ways by Jesus. Firstly from his own physical brothers calling him insane, Jn. 7:5-10, Mk. 3:21,31. Secondly by Judas capturing him for the Jews. Thirdly by the Chief Priests in encouraging the people to insist on crucifixion after Pilate had found no fault in him. It is asserted by Stephen that the “Jews” also betrayed Jesus, Ac. 7:52. Most of us would strike back when betrayed, but Jesus only said one remark recorded by Luke, “will you betray the Son of Man” (22:48), To the ears of Judas, the title Son of Man, must have smacked of the office of Royalty and Judge, see Daniel 7:13. This would have certainly got Judas’ attention, but what was the result?