Who Killed Jesus? I Would Like To Know.

I got these lyrics of a song sent to me.  Food for thought!  The soldiers, Pilate, the Jewish leaders – they all had a hand in the dreadful act of the crucifixion.  But supremely it was God behind the scenes.  Aren’t these astonishing words? “It was the LORD’s (YAHWEH’s) will to crush him” (Isaiah 53 10)

 And why was it the Father’s will to do such a thing?  Because of the horrible reality of our sinfulness and there was no other way.  My sin, your sin led Christ to the cross.  His death was Vicarious – a just God transferred his wrath against moral offenders to his perfectly innocent Son, who was treated judicially as if he were guilty.

Who Killed Jesus? I Would Like To Know."
 
Who killed Jesus? I would like to know.
Who is guilty of a crime so low?
Why did He have to die? What is the reason why?
Who killed Jesus? I would like to know.

Was it Roman Soldiers, with their tools of war?
Pounding nails through hands that did no wrong.
Mocking and abusing, crowning Him with thorns,
All the evidence is very clear.

Was it Pontius Pilate, he was Governor,
Trying to decide the case that day?
Finding that the Saviour had no fault His own,
Was he guilty when he turned away?

Was it Hebrew children, proud of who they were?
Shouting "Crucify Him" to their King.
Rejecting their Messiah for a common thief
Turning down the Kingdom He could bring.

When I think of Jesus, and the way He died,
How upon Him all my sin was lain.
All the other people, fade away from view,
It's for me the Sacrifice was made.

I no longer wonder anymore,
I have found what I've been searching for;
My sin demanded Hell, on Him the Judgment fell,
I am guilty, now it's plain to see, that it was really me! 

Source(s): http://www.standingtogether.org

Judas and the Danger of a Double Life

In preparation for the sermon I preached last Sunday, I got thinking again about Judas and his part in the Easter drama.  He had everything going for him.  From Kerioth in southern Judea, the son of Simon Iscariot, a noted freedom fighter.  A loyal Jew, he would have been picked out from the disciples as “the one most likely to succeed”.  That was probably why he was made the treasurer of the group – the one to be trusted above the others.  Yet it all fell apart as he slipped out into the night to negotiate a deal with the chief priests and teachers of the law to betray Christ to them.  The price was agreed – 30 pieces of silver.  The very price placed upon the head of a slave in Exodus 21v32.

Certainly, that was not a sudden decision by Judas.  Gradually, his heart was becoming hardened, his disappointment with Christ growing more acute by the day.  He probably thought that Jesus would head up the political revolution.  But as it dawned on him that his kingdom was not of this world, he allowed his disappointment to grab and embitter his heart. Having become disillusioned, he started to steal (John 12 v 4) and covered up by pretending to be spiritual and genuinely concerned for the poor.  He was neither.

How delighted the enemies of Christ must have been by his offer of betrayal.  How thrilled they must have been to have an insider on their side.  How much easier that made their terrible work.  His double life though did not satisfy his conscience or give any pleasure and Judas died in ignominy and disgrace.  To this day his name has nothing but negative connotations.

Oh, this is a powerful lesson.  It is so easy to live a double life.  This is a theme I think about often and try to safeguard my heart against.  How easy our sinful hearts can slip into ‘spiritual’ mode when trying to impress others.  How easily we wear masks and put on the evangelical grin, when our hearts are really cold, dead and lifeless.  Beware the danger of a double life and heed these words “these people worship me with their lips but their hearts are far from me”. 

Ah Judas – what you could have been!

'Where the birdies is'

After my last blog I remembered “where the birdies is” – they’ve been building a nest above the rooftiles in my office.  I wondered what to do with them and finally the deacons came to the rescue.  But it reminded me of a story of 3 Baptist pastors who were having a problem with bats in their very old church buildings.  They were a real nuisance and they were each discussing what they had already done and any possible solutions (its amazing what pastors will discuss at conferences!!!) 

One of them said, “I even tried shooting at them but all I ended up with were large holes all over the roof and – THEY ARE STILL THERE!!”

The 2nd said, “Well I did something different.  I tried capturing them, driving them out into the country and releasing them.  But they just returned to the same spot and - THEY ARE STILL THERE. 

The 3rd pastor then confidently spoke up, “I got rid of them easily.” 

“How?”asked the incredulous and curious other two, “how on earth did you get rid of them?” 

“Easy,” he said, “I just baptised them, made them church members and then I never saw them in the church again, except twice a year at members meetings!!”

First Day of Spring

1st March and it’s springtime!  It just seemed to sneak up on us.  Suddenly the sun has appeared and everything feels better.  The crocuses and daffodils are starting to make an appearance and life seems easier somehow.  As a child I learnt this……

The spring has sprung
The grass is ris (?)
I wonder where the birdies is!

Ok not great but what’s your favourite spring poem?

Springtime means some spring cleaning.  Time to look in cupboards and get rid of some clothes you haven’t worn for some time and no longer need.  Where are the black bin bags?  Charity shop here we come!  What about under the beds?  Under the stairs?  In the garage?  In the roofspace?  At the back of the shed?  What stuff lurks in dark corners that suddenly needs attention now that the sun has come out?  What rooms need redecorated?  What windows need a good cleaning?  What needs changed?  Fixed?  Altered?  Improved? 

As in home.  So in life.  What needs spring cleaned and sorted out in your life now that spring is here?  What’s lurking at the back of the cupboards of your mind?  What sins have crept in unawares and have taken up unwelcome residence under the stairs or your thoughts?  What has slipped?  What needs fixed?  Has anger been simmering all winter?  Or resentment?  Or jealousy?  Or regret?  Or pride?  Or frustration? Or lust?  Or complacency?  Or greed?  Or covetousness? 

How about this verse for this first day of spring - “Forgive my hidden faults” (Psalm 19 v12).  This writer knew that there were ‘open’ sins that others saw but there also ‘hidden’ sins or secret sins that no-one but God knew, until they erupted in all their ugliness in the life. 

Take some time in the sun, dwell upon your life and get the spiritual black bin bag out.  We are all going to need it