Luke 23:44-46

Luke 23:44-46 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

Hebrews 10:19-22 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Acts 2:24-28 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him: “‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

The curtain in the temple that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was torn in two. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross ensured that all who place their trust in him may enter into the Holy of Holies. In the Old Testament, before entering the Most Holy Place, the priest had to sacrifice a bull in atonement for his own sin, and then sacrifice a goat for the sins of the Israelites. He sprinkled the blood of these animals on the atonement cover in the Most Holy of Holies. Then he could stand before the Lord with petitions on behalf of himself and the people. The blood of bulls and goats was necessary for him to stand in God's presence. Without the blood covering for his sins, he surely would die. Jesus paid the price for us to enter into God's presence by the shedding of his blood on the cross. His blood was sprinkled before the Father God evermore so we who believe in Jesus' works might stand boldly before God and call the Almighty, Abba Father. Jesus paid the price for our position with the Father as children of the Most High. He tore down the curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, making it possible for sinful man to inter the inner sanctum where God's presence dwells.

Jesus paid the absolute price of our redemption. He gave up his power to raise himself: into your hands I commit my spirit. He placed his spirit, his existence, his position, in God's hands. But in Acts 2 we see that God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death. Jesus understood the love of God; by faith, He knew, you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. God also will not abandon to the grave those who are holy in Christ Jesus, nor will we see decay, for we live IN HIM forevermore. This is our great hope, the hope of ALL WHO PLACE THEIR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST. Christ's love at the cross reveals God's love towards us. He will not abandon us because He loves our very essence and paid a tremendous price for our eternal salvation. He loves us not for who we are or for what we have done; He loves us because we are bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh. From the beginning, He breathed his life into us, made us a new creation in his image. He loves us JUST BECAUSE WE ARE.

Consequently, God asks us to love our brothers. Who are our brothers? Who do we love and not hate? Who do we forgive, serve, and not kill? When the disciples asked Jesus who they should love as themselves, fulfilling the second great commandment, Jesus responds with the story of the good Samaritan, a person despised by the Jews. He tells how a hated Samaritan loves a Jewish man lying injured on the side of the road. He says to them, love as this good Samaritan loved; otherwise, love your enemies as yourselves. If we do, we love as God loves. He sends the rain on the just and the unjust; He loves both. We do likewise. At the cross, Jesus gave himself not only for the "good," but also for the "bad." Through his sacrifice, He brought all of us into the most holy place, the inner sanctum. This divine love constrains our flesh and motivates our spirits. We no longer look at the speck in our brother's eye; we love him and look to our own faults. Because of God's great love for us, He will not abandon us to the grave, but He will raise us to everlasting life. As we wait for that glorious day, we have confidence that if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:7) We do not abandon our wives, our children, our neighbors, or our enemies. We love them, THE ESSENCE OF THEM. We love them just because they ARE and because God first loved us.

Luke 23:32-43

Luke 23:32-43 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals — one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Recognizing Jesus as the door to God's kingdom, the thief received Christ's blessing: I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. By acknowledging his guilt and Christ's innocence, he inherited the kingdom of God. What a wonderful story to see three men, dying on crosses yet conversing with each other. What a message of grace and mercy: facing imminent death, Christ blesses a condemned criminal, promising him eternal life. All three men hung in excruciating pain, with no hope of rescue or escape; nevertheless, one criminal thought about eternity while the other focused on continuing with this life: Save yourself and us! This scene accurately describes the plight of all mankind. Knowing this life passes quickly, we either look forward to a better life, eternal life, or we look out for ourselves, making the most of all this life can offer. Paul said grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:12-14) Because of God's grace, we are strangers and aliens: God-focused and heaven-bound, not self-focused and earthbound.

All of us have crosses in one way or another, and in view of eternity, we don't have much time to live. The Bible describes life as a wisp of smoke that disappears, a flower that blooms briefly and then dies. Our lives are brief, and they become shorter and seem to pass more quickly as we grow older. For children, summer seems too far away, but for the elderly, summer has passed and winter is here. Time marches quickly onward and reminds us we will die and turn into dust. The thieves on the cross faced the winter of their lives with no hope of more time, time to change, to repent, to live for God. Facing death's door, one man insulted Jesus while the other suddenly saw hope of death as a crossing-over point. Wanting something more than just a few more minutes of this life, he cried out for a future: Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. The other criminal could only look back, desiring more of his sinful existence. No words of faith or repentance sprung from his lips that day; only a sneer, a rebuke, a selfish desire marked his passing into eternity.

Recognizing Christ as Lord, brought salvation to the criminal. He said the most important word anyone can utter from the heart: JESUS. This honest utterance spoke volumes to Christ. He recognized in the criminal's voice that JESUS meant Lord. The thief placed himself into the hands of Christ simply by breathing his name: JESUS. God hears the sincerity of the heart, not just our words. Many people make long confessions and construct intricate covenants with God, but He listens to the heart, not the words, deciphering the spirit and motivations of the petitioner. The Holy Spirit saw this man's honest and sincere heart and forgave him, ushering him into eternity with Christ. My grandpa recounted three incidents of people he knew who were saved in a few nano seconds. I remember his story of a drunken woman driving into the Columbia River. People rescued her, thought her dead, but after some time she suddenly revived, speaking praises to God for her salvation. She entered the Columbia a sinner, without hope, but she came out righteous, washed in the blood of Jesus. From that time on, she lived for the Lord. She met the Savior and from her innermost being said, JESUS.

All it takes for salvation, all it takes for paradise is that recognition of JESUS AS LORD. We know Jesus said the first shall be last, the last first; in other words, heaven puts all on equal footing. We all receive the same wages: eternal life with God, acceptance as his children. The day Christ looked to the beseeching criminal and heard his brief prayer, He said, "CHILD, today you will be with me in paradise. This same Jesus said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:16-17) In simple, childlike faith, the criminal cried out, "Jesus." Each day, let us speak his glorious name with that same earnestness and faith. Peace on Earth and eternity with God will be our reward.

Luke 23:26-31

Luke 23:26-31 As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then “‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’ For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Matthew 23:37-38 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate.

Do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children: as a prophetic statement, these words indicate the calamitous events the Jews would experience in the immediate future. A time approached when they would want the mountains to fall on them, when the Romans would kill 1,200,000 of God's chosen people and disperse over 800,000 throughout the world. As the Romans smashed the Jewish nation, the people would experience an extermination beyond their imagination. Earlier, Jesus wept over Jerusalem, knowing they had refused to reconcile with God during the green wood, when they were safe and yet had strength, when the temple was still in existence. How would they do when annihilation came to them and the temple would be destroyed, when it seemed as if God's hand had left them? Jesus wept, for He knew they had rejected their God by persecuting and killing the prophets who brought the word of God to them. He wept for them because they did not recognize the deliverance of the Father was at hand. Instead, they killed Jesus, the door, the only way to God. By not recognizing the Messiah when He came, they would enter a time of dry wood too terrible to consider.

If we don't know and serve God in times of peace and plenty, how will we follow him when our lives are upside down, when nothing seems right? If we don't serve God when He obviously blesses us, how will we ever serve God when He seems to ignore our prayers? Jesus wept for the Jewish people because they did not recognize God in the good times, in the green times. Sometimes, well-intentioned Christians walk away from their dedication to God while experiencing prosperity and all the world has to offer. Although blessed with money, health, and time when the wood is green, they seek more things: RV's, all-terrain vehicles, the latest electronics, vacation cabins--whatever titillates their flesh. They spend their weekends and spare time in the woods, on mountaintops, turning to material things and selfish pleasures. As Christians take more vacations and buy bigger and better things, they spend less time with God and his people. Seeking a Shangri-La, the flesh tends to increase exponentially in times of prosperity. People often promise God that if He comes through for them, fulfilling their desires, they will gladly give him a tenth and more of their money and time. But when prosperity arrives, they forget their promises to the Lord, acting as if God forgets their covenants with him. But God hears; He knows every word we have ever spoken, and our promises are ALWAYS before him. He does not forget; He remembers!

Dry wood is lifeless. We do go through dry seasons, when the wood seems to lack life, but in Christ, believers are never dead. If we don't practice faith in the green wood, the dry wood times will seem extremely hard. If we do not build altars of faith in prosperity, we will struggle in the lean times. If we are not strong in our faith, when the dry wood comes, we might even question God's existence. I am sure the Jewish people struggled with such thoughts. Christians usually experience trying seasons in their lives; however, a dry wood experience should not bring defeat, for the Holy Spirit never leaves us. When our strength is dissipated, then we must rely more on the Holy Spirit and his Word and less on our feelings. Where we are most weak, He is most strong. The companionship and fellowship of believers also help us make it through life's difficulties. We depend upon Christian brothers and sisters to hold up our feeble arms, surrounding us with gifts of love and prayer support. Jesus wept over the Jewish people because a dry season was near for them, but IN CHRIST we always have access to the fountain of youth, the living water, the green wood of God's sufficiency. The one who makes all things new abides in us. IN HIM, we find daily strength, hope, new work, fresh reasons for living. So my children, praise God in the morning, at noon, and in the night; stay green in the Holy Spirit even through dry seasons, and you will overcome by the precious blood of the Lamb.

Luke 23:13-25

Luke 23:13-25 Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will punish him and then release him.” With one voice they cried out, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” (Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.) Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.” But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.

Today's passage reveals the Jewish people's culpability in Jesus' crucifixion. The pushing of Jesus from one ruler to the next shows very clearly it was the people who were responsible for Jesus' death, not the two rulers. In their humanity, the people Jesus came to save, to redeem, demanded his death. Both rulers washed their hands of Jesus, finding him totally blameless, not guilty of anything. Because of their anger about him not being the Messiah who would throw off the yoke of the hated Romans, they sought Christ's death. They were angry because Jesus was not the hero who would kill thousands of his enemies as David did. How could this man of peace, of inactivity, come from the lineage of David and be such a lamb. The above scriptures definitely indicate the people did not understand Jesus was God's own Son, the Messiah. They did not understand God sent him with the purpose of leading them into the kingdom of God for all eternity. For them, if he would not deliver them from oppression of this earthly kingdom, He was worthless. Away with this man! Crucify him!

In our modern day, how many of us want the Jesus we find in God's Word? Authors compose many promise books for Christians--books containing the numerous promises of what God is going to do for us today. From these promises, we assume He will deliver us from the hated Romans of our time, from the troubles, the sicknesses, the despair, and the vicissitudes of lives. Sometimes, people read a promise each day. We seek Jesus, as a child depends upon a parent, "Make it all better Daddy." What if God doesn't lead you out of the land of hardship, out of the land of troubles? Is He still alive in you? Does He still care for you? Of course He does, as your eternal Father with a plan for your life, He is leading you to the Kingdom of God. Yes, He answers prayers. Yes, He provides for us in a thousand ways. But He is not with you to establish a kingdom on Earth. His kingdom is in the Spirit, and His kingdom lasts forever and will defeat all foes. You always stand before the Father, cleansed and made holy, adopted into his family. The stars and the galaxies will seem as nothing compared to his magnificence, his glory. This is the kingdom Jesus died for on Calvary's cross, the kingdom of heaven.

The people said, if He is no good to us on Earth, then crucify him. When people face trials, we sometimes hear them say, Christianity just isn't working for me. They do not understand. Christianity works for all believers who trust in the Lamb and yield to the Spirit's leading. Yes, it is working as we love God with all our hearts and love our neighbors as ourselves. Child of God, lift up your head this morning; stand tall as a soldier of the cross. CHRIST HAS RISEN, AND YOU HAVE RISEN WITH HIM. Your name is written down in the Lamb's book of eternal life. You are no longer bound to this earth. Your being will not turn to dust and blow away into nothingness over the generations. NO, YOU ARE ALIVE EVERMORE, inheriting the blissful state of eternity with God. In God's domain, He wipes away every tear; every anxiety will flee; fear will not exist because in God's kingdom, perfect love casts out all fear. REJOICE MY FRIEND. Don't accuse Jesus or crucify him in your heart because you think your lack something you want. Don't turn him away from your life. Draw near to him with a repentant heart, and He will draw near to you. Praise God forever more!

Luke 23:8-12

Luke 23:8-12 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate became friends — before this they had been enemies.

Exodus 29:38-46 “This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old. Offer one in the morning and the other at twilight. With the first lamb offer a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with a quarter of a hin of oil from pressed olives, and a quarter of a hin of wine as a drink offering. Sacrifice the other lamb at twilight with the same grain offering and its drink offering as in the morning — a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the LORD by fire. “For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. There I will meet you and speak to you; there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory. “So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.

Herod treated Jesus as a new found gadget, a trinket, something he could use for his pleasure. When he discovered that Jesus would do no miracles for him, when he realized the gadget would not perform as he wished, then he and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. They belittled Jesus by dressing him in an elegant robe fit for a king. They were definitely not afraid of this man from Galilee, for they thought of him as powerless and delusional. At their hands, we see Jesus going to the cross as a harmless and innocent lamb. His enemies not only abused him, they killed him. “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. (Acts 8:32) However, this Jesus whom they abused and killed so easily would one day return in power and glory. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!" (Revelation 6:15-16) He would then no longer be considered a gadget, a trinket, an amusingly delusional man, He would be the eternal Lamb of God with power and authority to judge all of mankind.

We were not redeemed by perishable things such as silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter, chapter 1) Therefore, we should not use Jesus as something we add to our lives, but as life itself. Sometimes, we treat Jesus as Herod treated Jesus, as a possession, a servant who can do things for us. We use him to get ourselves out of problems such as sickness or financial hardship. We desire him to function as the miracle working God in our lives all of the time. In our estimation, if He fails to perform as we desire, we become troubled and faithless; for a while, we even push him aside in our lives. As Christians we often fall into the trap of thinking Christ is in us to make our lives better, easier, rather than knowing He is in us so that we might live his life, be his ambassadors, shining for him in the darkness. As Herod found out, Jesus does not perform for our interest or amusement; He performs for God's interest, his will. Jesus said, I always do the will of the Father.

Sometimes in our darkest moments, we assess our lives as no better with Jesus than without him. This is not true. In him and because of him we are new creatures, alive unto God, born into God's family that we might know him and share him with others. As we mature in Christ, we realize more and more that He alone makes our lives worth living. Jesus, the Lamb, created a new life for each of us, and because of his work, we are his new creation regardless of how we feel or what we experience. He is the Lord, the Redeemer who transforms lives for his eternal purposes. Therefore, live for him. This is a daily transaction, a daily surrender to him. When we get up in the morning, we give him that day; He reciprocates with his presence. As the redeemed, we live by faith; we live for his glory, his eternal purposes; and we have joy unspeakable and full of glory!

Luke 23:1-6

Luke 23:1-6 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.” So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.” On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. When he learned that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

Acts 2:29-35 “Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’ “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Since the Roman governor, Pilate, knew the Sanhedrin's charges against Jesus were false, he did not want to deal with this Jewish squabble. Therefore, he sent the whole matter to Herod, the Jewish king, who ruled under the auspices of the Romans. As a Gentile, Pilate felt no responsibility to involve himself with someone's claim to be king of the Jews. But he was wrong. Jesus was not a delusional man, claiming He was the king of the Jews: He was the Christ, the Messiah for all nations. On the day of Pentecost, Peter said, God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. (Acts 2:36) Jesus was the king of the Jews from the loins of David, fulfilling God's promise to David that one from his seed would rule forever. However, Jesus did not only fulfill God's promise to David; He completed God's covenant with Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” (Galatians 3:8) Pilate should have been concerned for the welfare of this man, Jesus, who was brought before him. In spite of finding him guiltless, Pilate thought Jesus just another man and eventually crucified him.

We who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are people of God's promise to Abraham. You (we) are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you (us) who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves (ourselves) with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you (we) are all one in Christ Jesus. If you (we) belong to Christ, then you (we) are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:27-28) As a Gentile, Pilate could have been part of Abraham's promise and received eternal life had he envisioned Jesus as the Christ. If Pilate had believed that this man who did miracles no other man did from the beginning of time was from God, he would have experienced salvation. Similarly, the members of the Sanhedrin could have attained redemption if they had allowed themselves to believe in this man of miracles. But the traditions of men and their own fleshly pursuits were impediments to these people receiving the Lord of grace and mercy. They understood too well that by accepting Jesus Christ as the Messiah, they would lose their positions of privilege within the Jewish community. Both the Sanhedrin and Pilate missed their chance for freedom in Christ; however, they fulfilled God's plan of salvation.

Is Jesus just another man or is He the Christ, the Son of the Living God? Everyone must answer this question. As a man of faith, Abraham believed in what he could not touch or know through the senses: HE BELIEVED GOD. As people of faith, we Christians trust in God regardless of our senses, our experiences. We believe the Word of God, the holy scriptures, rather than man's wisdom and knowledge. We know faith opens the door to the Kingdom of God, and salvation comes through uncompromising faith in him, not through intellectual endeavors. When we struggle, when things do not go right, we believe. When every experience seems to be a mountaintop experience, we believe. We believe in season and out of season. This is the life of a Christian. As men of this world concerned with earthly pursuits, Pilate and the Sanhedrin would not enter this faith realm. But as Paul wrote, “The righteous will live by faith.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles (and the Jews) through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. (Galatians 3:11 & 14) Praise God! He gives his Spirit to all who believe in the name of Jesus. He lives in us and we in him. This is the promise fulfilled in each of us who trust in Christ's death and resurrection. Today, listen to God's still small voice, follow his direction. Hear him and do his will, for we are people of faith, people of the Spirit.

Luke 22:63-71

Luke 22:63-71 The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” And they said many other insulting things to him. At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. “If you are the Christ,” they said, “tell us.” Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, and if I asked you, you would not answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.” They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied, “You are right in saying I am.” Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”

“You are right in saying I am THE SON OF GOD.” Of course, unbeknownst to the chief priests and teachers of the law, these words give life when said in faith, for faith in the Lord Jesus Christ unlocks the door to heaven. These people unknowingly were very close to the kingdom of God by inquiring whether He was the Son of God. They did not ask this question believing he was the Son, but if they had earnestly believed in him, they would have experienced new life right there. However, they were unwilling to regard him as the Lord, as the Christ. Instead, they mocked him rather than believe in him. They punished him rather than serve him. They killed him rather than accept his sacrifice for their lives. In their rebellion, they led themselves to the gates of hell. They were very close to the gates of heaven when they inadvertently implied Jesus was the Son of God, but instead of faith, unbelief inhabited and ruled their hearts.

There is no door to the kingdom of heaven other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God. All other ways to God are fraudulent. He is the "Good Shepherd." He alone stands as the door to eternal life, delivering us from the shroud of death. The ungodly find it difficult or even impossible to believe in God's gift. They believe Jesus Christ might have been a good person, even a loving person, but not God. Other religions acknowledge him as a prophet or a seer, but they will not accept him as the only door to the kingdom of God. However, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) His sacrifice alone purifies us, cleanses us from the smell of death. His sacrifice alone makes us acceptable to The Almighty. We are righteous because Jesus is our righteousness. Jesus, the propitiation for sin, makes us heavenly creatures, no longer bound by the traditions of men and the Law. Now we are free IN CHRIST, full of his mercy and grace. We are literally new creatures IN HIM, adopted into the family of God.

As members of his family, we are heaven bound where Jesus sits at the right hand of the mighty God. We can stand boldly before the Father because Jesus sits by the throne, telling him of our faith commitment. He relates his love for us and reminds Father God of the price He paid for our redemption. The Father sees the Son in us; we are secure IN CHRIST. Outside of JESUS, we would be open to judgment, standing alone in our sins. Jesus would say plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers! (Matthew 7:23) Clothed in fleshly garments with the old man permeating our souls, God would see us as corrupted beings. My breakfast partakers, each of us must believe wholeheartedly and declare in faith, "You are the Son of God!" This declaration activates the Holy Spirit within us, and out of our innermost beings will flow rivers of living water. Then we will be like Christ, displaying his nature instead of ours as new creatures, born again of the Spirit. Had Christ's accusers known how close they were to the kingdom of heaven with their question, they would have quickly bowed at his feet and accepted him as Savior. But blinded by the spirit of the age, they did not see Jesus as Lord; consequently, they missed their chance for eternal life. May we spread the light that reveals Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.