Matthew 27 – The Final Hours: Trial, Execution and Burial – Bible Students Intro

Today we come to a chapter which should shed light to those who keep saying Jesus is God. God, namely, can not die, Him being an Eternal Spirit to Whom man can do nothing. Because there is no human being stronger than God or able to kill God, people should be aware the man they are claiming to be God is either a fraud or is really the one whom he is saying himself and who his disciples said he was.

Today there are still too many people who do not want to believe that Jesus is the sent one from God, a son of man and a son of God. They keep insisting that Jesus would be God, ignoring the Words God spoke Himself, declaring the man standing in the river Jordan to be His beloved son. In Matthew’s third chapter we can read:

16 And when Jesus was immersed, he went up straightaway out of the water. And lo, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and coming upon him.
17 And lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:17 ACV)

But the majority of people who call themselves Christian do not want to accept Jesus being the son of God and say he is “god the son” or “godson” (something totally different). Them saying Jesus is God forget that Jesus himself said he was the sent one from God, who could not do anything without his heavenly Father, the Only One True God Who is One. They forget by not honouring the son for who he is and for what he has done, they do not honour the Father Who has sent Jesus Christ.

19 Jesus therefore answered and said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of himself, except what he sees the Father doing. For whatever he may do, the Son also does these things in like manner.
20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does. And he will show him works greater than these, so that ye may marvel.
21 For as the Father raises up the dead and makes alive, so also the Son makes alive whom he will.
22 For neither does the Father judge any man, but he has given all judgment to the Son,
23 so that all would honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. The man not honoring the Son, does not honor the Father who sent him. (John 5:19-23 ACV)

The Lord Jesus Christ acted in what he did as a great public representative person, and his dying upon the piece of wood was the act of giving himself as a ransom for all sinners.

The Devil has not stopped planning to steal kill and to destroy people. He has not stopped doing that since the Garden of Eden 7,000 years ago. In our day he has set a trap and has surrounded the camp of the Lord as well as infiltrated it’s borders with double agents and sleeper cells. {That old ancient hatred is surfacing against the people of God}

That devil wants many to believe that there is either no God, or that Jesus would be God. That way the adversary of God pulls people away from the Only One True God of Israel, Who is a God above all gods. Jehovah God Himself proclaimed that He is One, though Trinitarians do not want to accept that and continue to say there is a three-godhead or Trinity.

4 Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.
5 And thou shall love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (Dueteronomy 6:4-5 ACV)

Several of them even claim that God would have a birth and also was killed and do not see that there is spoken about two seats in heaven, one on which Jesus sits and another on which God sits.

As in the days of Christ there is a similar hatred against the lovers of God who accepted Jesus as their master. Jesus already warned his followers and said:

13 Enter ye in by the narrow gate, because wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many are they who enter through it.
14 How narrow is the gate, and restricted the way, that leads to life, and few are those who find it.
15 But beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are predatory wolves.
16 From their fruits ye will know them. Do they gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? (Matthew 7:13-16 ACV)

All the time Jesus, who was chosen and appointed by God, when he preached he made it clear he came to declare his heavenly Father, the Good News, to heal people and to fulfil the scriptures and to tell people that the year, when Jehovah will help them, has come.

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to sent forth in deliverance those who have been broken,
19 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19 ACV)

Now we come to the period that all the chief priests and the leaders of the people made a plan against Jesus. One of the disciples of Jesus, Judas had helped them to take Jesus, but when he saw they had judged Jesus and were going to kill him, he was sorry for what he had done, so he brought the thirty pieces of silver money back to the chief priests and leaders.

In this chapter of Matthew, we once more find one of the ancient sayings coming true. What Jeremiah the prophet said long ago, then came true at that time. He said,

‘They took thirty pieces of silver money. That is what the people of Israel said he was worth. ‘

“And they took the thirty silver pieces, the price of him who was valued, whom they valued from the sons of Israel,
10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me. ” (Matthew 27:9-10 ACV)

When Jesus stood before the ruler, he was asked by him if he was the King of the Jews.

11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned him, saying, Are thou the king of the Jews? And Jesus said to him, Thou say. (Matthew 27:11 ACV)

Pilate knew that the chief priests did not like Jesus. He knew that was why they had brought Jesus to him. His wife also saw nothing wrong in this man and asked her husband, when he was sitting in the court to judge the case, not to do anything malicious to him.

19 And while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him, saying, There is nothing for thee and that righteous man. For I suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.
20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. (Matthew 27:19-20 ACV)

Pilate asked the people what wrong thing Jesus had done. But the agitated people were pushed to ask for his death. So he washed his hands in water in front of the people as a sign of him wanting to be innocent.

22 Pilate says to them, What then shall I do to Jesus who is called Christ? They all say to him, He should be crucified.
23 And the governor said, For what evil has he done? But they cried out even more, saying, He should be crucified.
24 And when Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather an uproar was developing, after taking water, he washed his hands in front of the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man. See ye to it.
25 And having answered, all the people said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
26 Then he released Barabbas to them, and having scourged Jesus he delivered him so that he would be crucified. (Matthew 27:22-26 ACV)

Man can do God nothing, but Jesus is a man of flesh and blood who could be beaten and scorned. The soldiers took Jesus to a room where they took off his clothes, and they put a red gown on him. They also made a big ring of thorns like a crown and put it on his head. They knew Jesus was often called the “King of the Jews”, and therefore they gave him the symbols of a king, mocking with him.

27 Then the soldiers of the governor, having taken Jesus into the Praetorium, gathered the whole band to him.
28 And having stripped him, they put a scarlet robe on him.
29 And having woven a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand. And having knelt down before him, they ridiculed him, saying, Hail, king of the Jews!
30 And having spat upon him, they took the reed and were striking him on his head.
31 And after they ridiculed him, they took the robe off of him, and put his clothes on him, and led him away in order to crucify. (Matthew 27:27-31 ACV)

Jesus as a real man had to feel all the pain, but at the same time, he had to trust God, that everything would come all right. Those who think Jesus is God forget that God is an invisible All-knowing Spirit Being, but Jesus did not know everything. Jesus even did not know when he would return or when the Last Days would be, or who would be seated next to him in his kingdom.

36 But about that day and hour no man knows, not even the agents of the heavens, except my Father only.
37 And as the days of Noah, so also will be the coming of the Son of man. (Matthew 24:36-37 ACV)

Can you imagine what must have gone on in the heart of Jesus when he came near Golgotha, that means, ‘The place of a head bone’, “the place of a skull”.  On that hill not so far from the city, he was nailed to a piece of wood and got put the complaint against him above his head.

35 And when they crucified him, they divided his garments, casting a lot.
36 And as they sat, they keep watch over him there.
37 And they set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. (Matthew 27:35-37 ACV)

At that time several people also had to laugh with the fact that Jesus would be God’s Son. Then too they thought he could do the same things as God could do. But nothing is so. Only what God allowed His son to do could happen. And now was the moment there that a man proved to God that man can be truthful and obedient to God. Because Jesus had done all the time what God wanted and not what he wanted. Naturally, in case Jesus would have been God, then Jesus would never have had any problem with doing God’s Will, because then it would also have been his will. But Jesus is not God and as such he could have chosen to do something else then what God wanted. Though Jesus asked that God His Will would be done and not his will.

40 And when he came at the place, he said to them, Pray ye not to enter into temptation.
41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw. And he knelt down and prayed,
42 saying, Father, if thou want, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless not my will, but thine be done.
43 And an agent from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him.
44 And having become in agony he prayed more intensely, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Luke 22:40-44 ACV)

Like there are many today making fun of Jesus, in his time the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders also made fun of him and did not want to believe in him.

39 And those who passed by reviled him, shaking their heads,
40 and saying, Thou who destroy the temple, and build it in three days, save thyself. If thou are the Son of God, come down from the cross.
41 And likewise also the chief priests, ridiculing with the scholars, and elders, and Pharisees, said,
42 He saved others, he cannot save himself. If he is the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in him.
43 He trusted in God, let him rescue him now, if he wants him, for he said, I am the Son of God.
44 And also the robbers who were crucified with him reviled him the same way. (Matthew 27:39-42 ACV)

Jesus trusted in God and never claimed to be God, but by others, it was made clear he was “God’s Son.”

About three o’clock in the afternoon, Jesus called out loud not to himself (in case he would have been God) but called to his heavenly Father.

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a great voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is, My God, my God, why have thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46 ACV)

It is not that the God of Jesus would have left him alone. Jesus might really have felt that God would have abandoned him. For him, the hour was near that he felt his life was coming to an end. He knew very well that it is only God Who can not die, and that for him, like any other human being, life has a beginning and an end. Now he saw the end of his life in front of his eyes.

Jesus called out loud again to his heavenly Father, his God. Then he died.

At that time the thick cloth that hung in the temple was torn into two pieces and the earth shook and big rocks broke.
The Roman captain and some of his soldiers who were guarding Jesus on the stake, when they saw the earth shake and the other things happen, were very much afraid and came to understand the particular special place this man had.

50 And Jesus, having cried out again in a great voice, yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom, and the earth quaked, and the rocks split,
52 and the sepulchers were opened, and many bodies of the sanctified who have been asleep arose.
53 And having come forth out of the sepulchers after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 Now the centurion, and those with him watching over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that happened, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. (Matthew 27:50-54 ACV)

They came convinced that this man hanging there was God’s Son.

There were also many women watching from far away. They had come with Jesus from Galilee and had helped him. Among these women were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

In the evening came, Joseph from the town of Arimathea, a rich man who also believed in Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate said that it should be given to him.
Joseph took the body and wrapped a clean linen cloth around it and put the body in his own new grave which had been cut in a rock. He rolled a very big stone to close the grave. Then he went away.

The next day was the Sabbath day. The chief priests and Pharisees who were afraid something might happen with the body of Jesus, went to Pilate together to ask him to have guards in front of the grave.
They remembered what Jesus had said when he was still living.

his sepulchre is sealed and watched
62 Now on the morrow, which is after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees came together to Pilate, 63 saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was still alive, After three days I am raised. 64 Command therefore to secure the tomb until the third day, lest his disciples having come by night steal him away, and say to the people, He was raised from the dead. And the last error will be worse than the first.
65 Pilate said to them, Ye have security. Go, make it as secure as ye know how. 66 And having gone, they made the tomb secure, with the security having sealed the stone. (Matthew 27:62-65 ACV)

The soldiers stayed to guard Jesus grave, to make sure it would stay shut and nobody could run away with the corpse.

In the next chapter Mattew reveals another important part to believe for the ones who call themselves Christian. (We shall see it later, after having looked at the different parts of Chapter 27).

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Preceding

Matthew 9:27-31 – What others are saying about the blind men recognising the son of David

Matthew 17:22-23 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Grief and Jesus’ Prediction of His Death

Matthew 21:10-11 Who Is This? – a Question still posed today #1

Matthew 21:10-11 Who Is This? – a Question still posed today #2

Left in the dark or being in the dark seeing light

Calvin commenting at Matthew 25:31: The Son of man shall come in his glory

Matthew 26 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Last days of Jesus Christ #10 Matthew 26:40-47 – Two More Prayers for the Cup to Pass

Matthew 26 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Last days of Jesus Christ #11 Matthew 26:48-56 – Betrayal by Judas and Arrest of Jesus

Matthew 26 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Last days of Jesus Christ #14 Matthew 26:69-75 – Peter’s Denial

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Additional reading

1. Truth, doubt or blindness
2. Thought for Wednesday Believe in the one God has sent
3. A god who gave his people commandments and laws he knew they never could keep to it
4. Not About The Name Of The Godhead Of Jesus
5. For those who believe Jesus is God
6. Do you believe in One god
7. Fully God Or Only A Part Of God?
8. For Getting to know Jesus
9. Jesus begotten Son of God #6 Anointed Son of God, Adam and Abraham
10. Jesus begotten Son of God #12 Son of God
11. Jesus begotten Son of God #13 Pre-existence excluding virginal birth of the Only One Transposed
12. Jesus begotten Son of God #15 Son of God Originating in Mary
13. Jesus begotten Son of God #16 Prophet to be heard
14. Jesus begotten Son of God #17 Adam, Eve, Mary and Christianity’s central figure
15. Jesus begotten Son of God #19 Compromising fact
16. Jesus begotten Son of God #20 Before and After
17. Who do you say Jesus is
18. Believing what Jesus says
19. Recognising Jehovah’s sovereignty
20. The meek one riding on an ass
21. The New Covenant Victim and Mediator
22. The New Covenant Intercessor
23. Three basic commands
24. Responsibility bigger than those who talk about worldly matters
25. Yeshua a man with a special personality
26. Sayings of Jesus, what to believe and being or not of the devil
27. Omniscient God opposite a not knowing Jesus
28. A voice cries out: context
29. Days of Nisan, Pesach, Pasach, Pascha and Easter
30. Getting out of the dark corners of this world
31. How do trinitarians equate divine nature
32. Today’s thought “nonsense surrounding the many gods” (July 28)
33. Blindness in the Christian world
34. Americans their stars, pretension, God, Allah and end of times signs #1 Abrahamic religions
35. That everyone may honour the Son and sent one from God
36. After darkness a moment of life renewal
37. If we, in our prosperity, neglect religious instruction and authority

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56. on God the Son… Jesus the image of the Father
57. The Invincible Invisible
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61. Seeing The Unseeable
62. The Visible Invisible God
63. Facing the Unseen

Matthew 26 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Last days of Jesus Christ #10 Matthew 26:40-47 – Two More Prayers for the Cup to Pass

Matthew 26:40-47 – Two More Prayers for the Cup to Pass

|| Mark 14:37-43; Luke 22:45-47a

MT26:40 When he returned to the disciples Jesus found them sleeping. Jesus said to Peter: “Peter, are you not strong enough to remain awake even one hour[1] with me?[2] MT26:41 Stay awake[3] and continue praying that you do not enter into temptation.[4] Of course, the spirit is eager but the flesh is weak.”[5] MT26:42 Now again for the second time Jesus went off [a distance] to pray. He said: “My Father! If it is possible allow this cup to pass me by so I do not have to drink it! Let Your will take place!” MT26:43 Now when Jesus returned he again found his disciples sleeping because their eyelids were heavy.[6] MT26:44 And Jesus left them to pray and repeat for the third time[7] the very same words again. MT26:45 Returning to his disciples Jesus told them, “At this final moment you [disciples] are sleeping and taking your rest. Look! The hour[8] has drawn near. The Son of Humankind is to be turned over to the hands of sinners. MT26:46 Get up and let us leave. Look! My betrayer is approaching now!” MT26:47 And while Jesus was still speaking, look! Judas, one of the Twelve, came with a large crowd having swords and clubs. They had been sent by the chief priests and elders of the people.

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[1] Even one hour: Could this reflect the length of time Jesus prayed? The term “hour” indicates a very brief period in contrast to a “day” or “year.”

[2] With me: The affect and impact of dear friends not realizing the danger the Nazarene faced must have hit him hard. The disinterest and desertion of intimate friends is a severe test for anyone.

[3] Stay awake: The warning and command to stay awake and watch is much repeated by the Nazarene. See notes on Matthew 24:42, 43; Matthew 25:13 (Mark 13:23, 33, 35, 37; Luke 21:36).

[4] Praying that you do not enter into temptation: See notes on Matthew 6:13.Compare 1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Timothy 6:9. Or, NEB: spared the test; GDSP: pray that you may not be exposed to trial.

[5] The spirit is eager but the flesh is weak: Or, WMS: man’s spirit is will but human nature is weak; WEY: the body is frail.

[6] Their eyelids were heavy: Mark 14:40 adds, “so they did not know what to answer him.” Luke 22:45 adds the reason, “… slumbering from grief.” Often sleep is an escape from fear, anxiety or grief.

[7] The third time: Luke 22:43, 44 adds, “Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. But getting into an agony he continued praying more earnestly; and his sweat became as drops of blood falling to the ground.” (NW) The night air must be crisp or frigid as later accounts indicate. To sweat in these conditions indicates the severity of the Nazarene’s concern. Sweating blood indicates a rare sickness (diapedesis) in fulfillment of Isaiah 53:10. Some see this only as a metaphor to describe the sweat.

[8] Hour: A word indicating a short time within only hours and not a prolonged period. Research the word hour.

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Preceding

Matthew 26 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Last days of Jesus Christ #1 Matthew 26:1-2 – Two Days Before Execution

Matthew 26 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Last days of Jesus Christ #2 Matthew 26:3-5 – Plotting to Seize Jesus

Matthew 26 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Last days of Jesus Christ #3 Matthew 26:6-13 – A Woman to Be Remembered

Matthew 26 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Last days of Jesus Christ #4 Matthew 26:14-16 – The Price of Betrayal

Matthew 26 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Last days of Jesus Christ #5 Matthew 26:17-19 – Passover Preparations

Matthew 26 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Last days of Jesus Christ #6 Matthew 26:20-25 – The Last Passover

Matthew 26 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Last days of Jesus Christ #7 Matthew 26:26-30 – Keep Doing This in My Memory

Matthew 26 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Last days of Jesus Christ #8 Matthew 26:31-35 – How All Will Be Stumbled This Night

Matthew 26 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Last days of Jesus Christ #9 Matthew 26:36-39 – Garden Prayer

Gates to different belief systems in this world

A housewife with four grown children and grandchildren looks at her blog at the many different systems of belief. She also knows that

Everybody knows  that there are people  in this world  whose word  simply cannot be trusted.     They might have attained the status  of top leadership  in the country,  they might be very wealthy,  they might be considered very intellectual,  they might be spiritual leaders — whatever the case may be,  it is noted,  often by their deeds,  that their word should not be trusted. {The Sum Of Thy Word Is Truth}

Everyday we are confronted with a lot of words, news-gatherings etc.. these days it is even fashion to have several people trying to manipulate others and spreading false accusations or what a certain American person would call real news whilst naming the other and real facts ‘fake news’.

Some people use their words  to gain political power over others;  some use words to illegally gain wealth;  some use words  to intimidate others  with their supposed  “knowledge”;  and there are false spiritual leaders,  who desire to rule  over others spiritually  with their words. {The Sum Of Thy Word Is Truth}

These days many people, certainly here in West Europe and in the Middle East can feel the damage which is caused by those who trap in the mousetrap of some of those false teachers who do more damage to the faith they are so called defending, than doing good to it are creating reasons for non-believers to come to believe in Allah/God or to get them converted to real Islam.

With the Internet,  TV,  radio,  books,  newspapers,  etc.,  each belief system  is trying to spread what they claim  is the absolute truth.     What in the world  should we believe  — if anything? {The Sum Of Thy Word Is Truth}

asks the American mother, adding

Most belief systems can almost be seen as  “agreeing”  quite a bit  on what is  “good”  behavior.     So, does it matter which one we  “prefer”?     Many will say it does not matter  what you believe,  just so long  as you are sincere  and  “try”  to be good. {The Sum Of Thy Word Is Truth}

Two symbols among more than 40 that are authorized for use in National Cemeteries on headstones and markers, symboling religious or belief systems of the deceased. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Several Christians will say that all people are saved now and that we do not have to do any works any more (And looking at some of this mother her writings we get the impression she thinks too.). They are either mislead by their leaders or just are not very well accustomed with the Words of the Bible (The Words of God). Those not knowing their Holy Scriptures, be it the Hebrew Bible, the Messianic Scriptures or Greek Bible or the Quran are an easy pray for false teachers and for faith groups which prefer their own dogmatic teachings instead of keeping to the Set-apart or Holy Scriptures.

The mother who wants her web site to just glorify God and the salvation He offers to all of us, does not want to debate anyone’s doctrinal beliefs or holding discussions on various subjects. Her web site just wants to give some quiet time to consider various verses in God’s word.

Writing

There are so many different belief systems in this world. It should be obvious that it matters which is the right way to go. Out of all beliefs, only the Bible has shown itself to be true through all the fulfilled prophecies written there. {The Narrow Gate}

she must come to recognise that we can not avoid talking about the doctrinal issues because

even within those claiming to accept the Bible’s teachings, not all will reach their goal of heaven. How can that be? {The Narrow Gate}

She too must know that not all those denominations are teaching “teachings from God Almighty” and has to see that even in Christian denominations there are those who totally ignore that history proves they are presenting not only teachings from sinful men but that many of them even do not live according to what they preach.

Many people are afraid of their neighbours and afraid of the traditions of the world. They want to “fit in with the rest of the crowd”.

They’re afraid of what their neighbours, family, and friends might say about them. And, you know what? Everybody’s afraid. We all want to “fit in”. {Far Away Hearts}

It is fine to see that the mother has seen what happened in history and that

Going back to Jesus’ statement in Matthew 15:7-9,  we need to realize that the church from 1500 years, or more, ago,  accepted these traditions of men, only because they wanted more heathens to join the church.    The church leaders were so intent upon adding numbers to their church enrollment,  that they condoned heathen influences,  in order to draw heathens into the church.

Those ungodly decisions have influenced us to this day.    So,  we don’t have to feel alone in our dilemma of dealing with the fears and superstitions we influence our children with.    This sort of stuff has been going on since the beginning of time.

That is why Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12,

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,  but against the rulers,  against the powers,  against the world forces of this darkness,  against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore,  take up the full armor of God,  that you may be able to resist the evil day,  and having done everything,  to stand firm.” {Far Away Hearts}

Looking at the world today, not much has changed between people. They still have many arguments with each other. They still fight against each other. But concerning faith and doing the works of faith we do see that these days there is less and less interest in the Divine Creator.

It is a pity the mother herself is taken into the trap of those who did agree with the Roman emperor to make Jeshua into the equal or similar person as Zeus, changing his name to Issou (Iessous/Ishi/Jesus) or ‘Hail Zeus” and making him into a three-godhead. She thinks Jesus to be God, though she says herself:

That very  “narrow gate”  “that leads  to life”  is a simple faith  in Jesus only  as our Lord and Savior.     We can’t add anything to that  —  or take anything away  from that. {The Narrow Gate}

We only can hope she shall come to see that she, like you and us shall have to come to believe in Jeshua, Jesus Christ, to be the only begotten son of God, the son of man, who is the sent one from God who got authorised to handle and to speak in the name of God and who was taken in the heavens to be seated next to God and not to replace God, and to be a mediator between God and man.

That belief in Christ is an essential part of salvation, too many forget. Lots of Christians do not come to see how important that is. Lots of Christians also do not recognise the grand effort Jesus had to do to bring salvation to mankind. They ignore that Jesus did not do his will but the Will of God. (Namely when Jesus is God, like they say, Jesus would always have done his own will.) They also seem to forget that Jesus gave his life and really died. Man can do God nothing and God can not die, but Jesus really did.

It is by ignoring the biblical facts that people exclude themselves from those who Jesus meant to be followers of him and to be the real lovers of God and not of the world.

Strangely enough the mother herself acknowledges

Jesus is pointedly showing us  that it is only faith  in Him  “that leads  to life”.     If we add  or subtract  from that simple truth,  we are widening  the “gate”  —  leading ourselves  and others  “to destruction”.      When describing the “narrow”,  “small” gate,   Jesus realized  that there would only be “few  who find it”.

We can only hope many more shall find the right road. it is even the task of believers in Christ to show others the Way (which is Jesus) to God. It are those believers in Christ and believers in God who have to show that

God’s word is the only “belief system” (if you will)  {The Sum Of Thy Word Is Truth}

English: Example of appendix from New World Translation of The Holy Scriptures, study edition, Danish Dansk: Eksempel på tillæg i Ny-Verden Oversættelsen af De Hellige Skrifter, studieudgaven, dansk (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is in the Word of God, the infallible Word provided by the Most High, namely the Bible (i.e. Old and New Testament) that we should go searching for the Truth, in the knowledge that That Word of God – The bible is the only Source of the Full Truth.

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Preceding articles

Matthew 7:13-14 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The True Disciple #1 The Narrow Gate and the way to destruction

Religious Theology – The wide gate!

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Additional reading

1. People Seeking for God 2 Human interpretations

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Further reading

1. Origin of Edom, Babylon, and Rome, or Christianity
2. Jews, God and History by Max I Dimont
3. History of the Christian Church: Schaff, Philip, 1819-1893
4. A History of the Inquisition of Spain by Henry Charles Lea, 1825 – 1909
5. You Gentiles by Maurice Samuel ~ 1924
6. Do You Believe? Why?
7. Truth and The Great Leap
8. The changing global religious landscape
9. Cult Mentality
10. How someone just accepted how completely unfathomable the Trinity is, by faith. Reflection: The Trinity
11. Faith Groups Urge Congress To Protect The Integrity Of Houses Of Worship By Maintaining Johnson Amendment
12. Trump Signs Executive Order Easening Tax Burden On Religious Groups
13. Bold Justice promotes civil citations
14. Sacred Arts Tour in Coral Springs
15. God vs Science
16. Quick Ordination to Perform a Wedding or Two
17. Will you see the glory of God?
18. Strange Teachings
19. Jesus’ Teachings were for Now
20. When Believing Can Be Futile… Sometimes.
21. Good Earth
22. Freedom Believing In Nothing
23. My Own “Perfect” Path
24. Dear God

+++

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Praying and acts of meditation without ceasing

Looking for solutions

In Natural inclinations and Praying and asking we saw that we are recommended to Pray without ceasing.
(1 Thessalonians 5:17)

With what may we not stop and what is that action of prayer all about?

We can see that in many religions the believers do take time to meditate and to go deep into themselves. It is like they are doing a sort of exercise to come into contact with themselves or with elements outside them. In many religions we can see that time spend in ‘prayer’ may bring pleasant thoughts into their mind.

Many do hope to find solutions for their many questions and for things that happened around them. They expect their prayer to be a way of miraculously solving impossible situations. For many prayer and meditation time is a religious ritual to become holy and to higher themselves above a previous situation.

What is general, is that their prayer is also a confession of their faith, and an indication of what they believe and whom they want to honour.

Not an innocent playful act

It is not such an innocent act as it may look at first sight. For the Divine Creator it is even a very important part of life of His creatures to show their awe and respect for the Most High Elohim. Truly followers of the Lord Jesus Christ must, like him, be guided in all matters of faith and practice by what the Bible teaches about this act of adoration, glorification and communication with the God of gods.

The Bible leaves us in no doubt that believers ought to pray:

“Men ought always to pray and not to faint” (Luke 18:1).

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

“In everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6, R.S.V.).

To fail to pray is regarded as a sin; Samuel the prophet declared:

“God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you” (1 Samuel 12:23).

Being conscious of inner needs

Today there are many who are afraid to show others their needs and even more afraid to let others know they would ask solace or guidance by someone Who can not be seen, touched or heard.

Nothing has changed with the past. All days there have been people with many questions, people having great difficulty in coping with life, facing seemingly insuperable problems. We may be conscious of our failings and desire some kind of spiritual cleansing; we may be trying to search out the meaning of life. In fact the very problems which confront us have a significance in emphasizing to us that for all man’s great achievements, we are frequently helpless in the midst of human failure. Failure is more often at the start of the road to God than success.

In the Gospels we read of men who commanded great armies, of people in high office in government, of mothers and fathers seeking the best for their children, of farmers and fishermen, tradesmen and craftsmen — people of all types and backgrounds who sought out the Lord Jesus Christ because some need or other could not be fulfilled elsewhere. And as we see Jesus always finding time to listen, to advise, to help, we see how he reveals to us the character of his Father:

“Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6, R.S.V.).

The Bible makes it clear that God wants to help us. We should never feel that it is only good people that He will hear. In fact if we think we are rather good and managing quite well on our own, the chances are we shall be less inclined to rely upon God.

With meditating we are not thinking of philosophical or Zen-meditation. We mean by meditating taking time to set yourself apart to think about matters of life and to think about what you have done, want to do, have read and how you are going to apply it with the knowledge you can get from the Holy Scriptures.

Meditation

Meditating girl on beach

Meditation is a means of transforming your mind, letting that what you have learned from the Holy Scriptures to work in you and to transform your character. It is making your mind free of the pollution this world brings every day to you. Meditating is the willingness to make time free for your own mind, letting God’s Spirit enter into your life. Therefore you can use different techniques that encourage and develop concentration, clarity, emotional positivity, and a calm seeing of the true nature of things. By engaging with a particular meditation practice you learn the patterns and habits of your mind, and the practice offers a means to cultivate new, more positive ways of being. With regular work and patience these nourishing, focused states of mind can deepen into profoundly peaceful and energised states of mind. Such experiences can have a transformative effect and can lead to a new understanding of life.

Meditation is making yourself prepared to go deeper in yourself and to examine your life-path. It is an exercise not to miss our experiences because we are somewhere else in our mind. It is a willingness to for a moment forget the daily worries, work or school, and to look at what really should be our main focus in our daily life. In ordinary life, we tend to equate focus with concentration. That’s like using the mind like a concentrated beam of light. But in meditation, that kind of mind isn’t helpful. It’s too sharp and edgy. To focus in meditation means to pay soft attention to whatever you place in the centre of awareness.

Conscious of a need

In the hectic life we get in this world it is our aim to take distance of the worldly matters and to get to know the more important spiritual matters.

As such we do need to take time of our daily duties to come closer to the Most Important person in our life. It is taking time for the Most High Elohim because we are conscious of a higher need and we recognize that God alone can meet that need. To accept that God can do what we cannot do is to bow to His greatness, to acknowledge His infinite wisdom. When we do set us apart from the worldly business, come close in our own cocoon, we open ourselves to the Only One God, who is our Maker but also our Protector. It is to Him we do want to give our soul, our spirit, our thinking and our handling. In the time we set ourselves apart, we want to come as close as possible to Him, or as close as possible we can get at the moment. To Him we want to give that special time and give our most valuable moment of the day.

In that time of silence and personal withdrawal of the world, we want to give our voice to God to let Him know how we want to be with Him and how we do know we need Him. Coming in seclusion we can find ways to have a conversation with that Most High Spirit. Then we can come to talk to Him and pray. Not only asking Him things for our welfare, but also thanking Him for what we had already and for what we still are going to receive.  This is praise. Praise, when it finds expression in words, is an attempt to describe the ways in which God is superior to man; it is to give God glory. Through praise we reflect on what God is, and what resources He has to meet our need.

Listening to God

Praying is not only speaking to God, but it is also opening up your mind to Him to listen to Him. Since God knows best, we must listen to what He says to us. In prayer we have a communication tool we can use every moment of the day. In it we do have an other means, next to the Bible, for God speaking to us.

We do have god’s Word given to us in the Holy Scriptures. The Bible should be our lead and most important guide through life. Through it we can hear God speaking to us in a Book of books given by inspiration of God, profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that we as children of God may be perfect. (2 Timothy 3:16).

How people like to turn it, prayer is inseparable connected with the Words of God, given in the Bible. Our prayer should be build on the knowledge we get from those Holy Scriptures. The Words of the Bible with our prayer, should be fused with our knowledge and understanding of the Word of God. For prayer is communication with God. The communication is two-way. It is not enough that we should speak to God. He expects us to listen to Him. In fact, we shall often be better occupied meditating on His Word than trying to talk to Him at great length. It is no use to over and over repeat the same words. The Bible itself warns:

“Let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few” (Ecclesiastes 5:2).

The Lord Jesus himself emphasizes this point:

“When ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking” (Matthew 6:7).

We should remember that silence is healing. Nothing beats simple silence. We do not need music background to drown out the chatter in our mind. When we sit in silence we actually get to experience what our mind is doing. There is steadiness and calmness that comes from sitting in silence. In time outer and inner silence meet and you come to rest in the moment. It is in such moments that we also can give way for God’s Spirit to enter our universe.

Coming to God

Jesus clearly knew Who was the Most High to give all honour of what he could do. Jesus was thankful and hopeful to His heavenly Father, which he recognised as the Only True God.

Praying should be a coming to God, not to put us in the forefront row, being full of ourselves, ready to tell Him what we think. That would be like the person who asks a question, not because he wants to know the answer’, but because he wants the opportunity to air his own knowledge. Our vanity and pride, we must put aside and we should be humble enough not to propose our thoughts as the best ones, but to allow God to see that we are really willing to hear what He thinks best for us. Like Jesus did not want to do his own will, which he would have done when he would have been God, we also like Jesus should know that we can not do anything without Jesus his heavenly Father. Jesus was well aware that he could not do anything without the Hand of God.  He too prayed to his heavenly Father, and not to himself. He too had questions about his relationship with his Father up high, and even at one moment dared to ask why He (God) had abandoned him (Jesus). Like Jesus not being afraid to ask such matters to the Most High, we too should dare to go to Him (Jehovah God). Jesus prepared the way to the Divine Creator and we should be thankful for that and use it.If we come to God as those who do not know the answers and believe that He does, then what folly if we ignore what He has already told us through the Scriptures! Rather we must read them regularly and reflect on them in order that we may attune our minds to the mind of God, as the words of a hymn direct us:

“Inspirer of the ancient seers,
Who wrote from Thee the sacred page,
A light for all succeeding years,
A lamp in this degenerate age:
Wisdom to us Thy words impart,
And with Thy comfort fill our heart.”

The many examples of prayer in the Bible make it clear that God responds only when man prays in accordance with His will. After all, God knows best what is in man’s interests and can control events accordingly.

Right Relationship with God

Jesus showed us how we should behave, live and pray. He gave the example how our relationship should be with other humans but also with God. We can only come to a good prayer and a fulfilling meditation when we open our hearts to God and our willingness to have a good relationship with Him.

First of all naturally we do need to know God, have to understand His position and should be willing to accept His position. In the bible we are told that there can be life eternal for us as human beings, but then we shall have to accept the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the son God so loved He has taken him with Him to sit next to Him to be the mediator between God and man. (John 17:3, 1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 12:24; John 3:16; Matthew 3:17). Many in Christendom do say to know God, but take also Jesus to be God and do not mind bowing down in front of pictures of their god, though God made it very clear that there is only One True God of Whom no pictures may be made and certainly may not be bowed down for. Such knowledge is to be found, in the first instance, in the inspired writings of the Bible-and nowhere else. But to know God is not simply to know about Him. When a husband and wife know each other, they do not just have in their minds a pen-portrait of their partner. Their knowledge is intimate and deep, because of the nature of their relationship. It depends upon continued, regular contact, the acceptance of responsibilities and the desire to grow in knowledge and understanding of each other.

To acknowledge one’s need as a sinner, whose imperfection is in marked contrast to the glorious perfection of God’s character; to develop that “poor and contrite” spirit, which desires to be moved by the power of God through His Word, as the leaves on a tree tremble at the passing of a breath of wind; to realize from the knowledge of God’s gracious dealings with men and women of past ages that the same grace can be extended to us today-this is to begin the process of praise and thanksgiving which marks the beginning of uttered prayer.

Commands to obey

It is all to easy just to want all our wishes to be fulfilled. Would that not be selfish? Would that be taking notice of the Will of God?

For many people prayer consists of asking God for favours. For some the proof of whether God is actually there or not consists of testing out whether God will grant a particular request. Did not Jesus say:

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find” (Matthew 7:7)

There is no room here for the casual or the careless. God is in heaven, man upon earth. We cannot assume familiarity or presume upon His loving kindness. It is God’s to command, ours to obey. We cannot call God “Our Father“, without at the same time hallowing His name. And we cannot do that unless we seek to do His will upon earth as it is done in heaven. If we are to benefit from the privilege of being called His sons and daughters, we must, after serious consideration, come within His family:

“Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments” (1 John 2:3).

We are told how Jesus welcomed little children and took them up in his arms. In this he reflected the character of his Father, who welcomes all who seek Him in sincerity and simplicity. But whereas the particular purpose of God at the time of the Lord’s ministry and during the subsequent establishment of the ecclesiae involved frequent miraculous signs that this was indeed the Lord at work, we shall be sadly misled if we expect God to work a miracle in response to every request we make.

This is not to say that God’s power is not demonstrated today, or to imply that God is not interested in us. There is a children’s prayer which simply states a truth:

“God always listens whenever we pray,
He’s never too busy to hear what we say.

No time to stop

The world goes on and the end-times come closer. This will not make it easier for believing and God fearing people. They shall be tested more.

It might be easy to say

“let go of your anxiety.” (Matthew 6:34)

Now the time is near it is even more important not to stop to study the Bible regularly and to spend time in conversation with God. “In everything” – without exception and at every opportunity – we should pray. Pray in supplication – humble in treaty – with thanksgiving! Knowing that the prayer will be answered according to His will and in His time.

Praying in the family

Most of us spend lots of time after daily work, in front of the television or enjoying themselves with lots of pastures time, giving enough time to the entertainment industry. Churchgoing has lessened a lot. Not many are spending time with the family together studying the Word of God and contemplating what the Most High wants from us.

Most of us do not take enough time to be on their own and to be with their Creator. When we do love Him, we should, like we do with our most beloved, spend enough time with Him.

We may not cease to pray earnestly and give our worries to Jehovah, our God. Our willing to be with Him should give or be the pulse of your life in Christ. If that pulse is weak or erratic then that life is ebbing away. We need to pray. Alone and in community, we need to pray. And so much the more as we see the day of Christ drawing near.

Cast aside anxiety about the things of this life and pray. Do this and rejoicing in the Lord will be as natural to you as breathing. You will be happy. Profoundly happy so that even in the most terrible affliction and sorrow there will remain within a vibrant core of joy and hope and faith that no circumstance can affect.

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Find our pamphlet to download in pdf: Does God Hear Prayer?

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Preceding articles:

1. Our openness to being approachable
2. Natural inclinations and Praying and asking
3. Always rejoicing Praying constantly Giving thanks for everything
4. Psalm 66 HRV
5. Psalm 66 OJB

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Additional reading:

1. Walking alone?
2. People Seeking for God 1 Looking for answers
3. Looking for True Spirituality 6 Spirituality and Prayer
4. Being Religious and Spiritual 8 Spiritual, Mystic and not or well religious
5. 7000 to 20000 words spoken each day
6. Do You Expect God’s Answer
7. Biblical Prayer at Tabernacle Site Shilo
8. Praying and thinking positively
9. Being sure of their deliverance
10. Genuine prayer
11. People who know how to pray to move God to take hold of our affairs in a mighty way
12. Does God hear prayer?
13. Does God answer prayer?
14. God doesn’t call the qualified
15. Work with joy and pray with love
16. Give your worries to God
17. Praise Jehovah
18. “Prayer 2″ – Child Abuse
19. If you think you’re too small to be effective
20. Quit griping about your church
21. What moves mountains? Trust!
22. A Living Faith #7 Prayer
23. God, my father, my closest friend
24. Prayer, important aspect in our life
25. Prayer has comforted us in sorrow
26. Prayer for the day
27. If we, in our prosperity, neglect religious instruction and authority
28. Change
29. Prayer has the power to change mountains into highways
30. Try driving forward instead of backwards
31. Preventing us from going window-shopping in prayer
32. He who kneels before God can stand before anyone!
33. Aim High: Examples of Godly Characters to follow
34. Sometimes we pray and pray and it seems like nothing happens.
35. If you do pray you shall not be disappointed
36. Self-development, self-control, meditation, beliefs and spirituality
37. Worship and worshipping
38. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #1 Kings Faith
39. rusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #2 Calling upon the Name of God
40. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #4 Words in Scripture
41. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #6 Words to feed and communicate
42. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #4 Transitoriness #1 Prosperity
43. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #4 Transitoriness #2 Purity
44. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #1 Listening Sovereign Maker
45. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #2 Witnessing
46. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #3 Callers upon God
47. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #6 Prayer #4 Attitude
48. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #7 Prayer #5 Listening Ear
49. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #8 Prayer #6 Communication and manifestation
50. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #9 Prayer #7 Reason to pray
51. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #10 Prayer #8 Condition
52. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #11 Prayer #9 Making the Name Holy
53. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #12 Prayer #10 Talk to A Friend
54. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #13 Prayer #11 Name to be set apart
55. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #14 Prayer #12 The other name
56. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #15 Exposition before the Creator
57. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #16 Benefits of praying
58. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #17 Sorts of prayers
59. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #18 Fulfilment
60. Praying For What We Want or Don’t Want
61. Continuing Paul’s Prayer Requests
62. Listening and Praying to the Father
63. Communion and day of worship
64. Funeral service only belongs in church building according to Catholic Church

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Related articles

• The rapture or end times is in virtually every book of the New Testament. (omharris.blogspot.com)
  being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ
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  That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ
• Scripture of the Day, 1/16 (sowegalive.com)
  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
• Five Believer’s Crowns: Heavenly Rewards (endtimesprophecyreport.com)
  The Bible declares that believers canobtain these heavenly rewards including five different crowns.What are these crowns and how can the believer qualify for them?The five crowns are:
  1. The incorruptible crown – Being disciplined [temperate] in all things.
  2. The crown of rejoicing – Winning souls for the kingdom of God.
  3. The crown of righteousness – All who love the appearing of the Lord.
  4. The crown of life – All who endure trials for Jesus.
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• Put First Things First (birdchirp.wordpress.com)
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• Listen: God’s Second Man, Part 3 (Onward Christian Soldiers #67 with Daniel Whyte III) (blackchristiannews.com)
  In part one and part two of this lesson, we contrasted the “first man”, Adam, with the “second man”, Jesus Christ. Adam disobeyed God and caused the entire human race which descended from him to be a race of sinners. However, when Jesus Christ came, the Bible tells us that He “became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Jesus Christ did what Adam (and none of us) have done — be perfectly obedient to God throughout our entire lives. Because Jesus Christ is sinless, He is the perfect sacrifice for our sins. On the cross, Jesus paid the price for our sins so that we would not have to. Today, there are two races of people in the world — Adam’s sinful race, and Jesus’ righteous race. As Romans 5:19 says, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” Of course, we who are in Jesus’ race are only righteous because of what Jesus Christ did for us.
• Excuse My Scepticism (pastorcharleschipere.wordpress.com)
  In our Christian Faith, we are taught to believe rather than to be a doubting Thomas. We are taught to trust rather than mistrust. We are taught to give a person the benefit of the doubt before we dismiss them. But my journey of faith has had some encounters with reality leading me to embrace some sceptical attitude towards some things I have observed in the land of the living.
• A Prayer of The Heart (supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com)
  About 45 years ago, I learned the Jesus Prayer, which has its roots in the Philokalia which was popular then. This prayer is a blessing to me now more than ever. The point of the prayer is twofold. The first to create a pattern of silence no matter where one is, walking down the street, or cleaning the house, or driving.
• Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul (emmanuelchatham.typepad.com)
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