Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.He
Hebrews 13:2
Touched by an angel
Many years ago, I visited Vienna and joined an early morning coach tour to Salzburg. Our tour guide led us on a walking tour from the Salzburg city center toward the site where the film, the Sound of Music, was shot. Sixty minutes, several turns, and many gardens later, we arrived. The scenery was spectacularly amazing. After guiding us through the movie site’s intricacies and explaining the location’s mysteries, the guide told us we could start our free time to enjoy lunch and explore further on our own. Before he took leave, he told us to make our way back to the city center by 4 pm sharp for our return to Vienna, or risk being stranded in Salzburg.
After everyone left, I found myself alone since I was a lone traveler. After a sumptuous lunch, I walked around the site until it was time to leave. By then, I lost my orientation and could not find my way back. I had no access to Google Maps, Waze, or GPS because I did not have data for a Wi-Fi connection. I became worried as I was in a deserted place and the clock was ticking mercilessly. I bowed my head and lifted a simple prayer, asking God to guide me back to the city center.
As I opened my eyes, a beautiful young European lady stood before me and spoke to me in perfect English. This was rare in Salzburg for the locals spoke German and broken English with a strong accent. She asked me politely whether I needed help. I replied, “I’m trying to find my way back to the city center.” She told me to follow her. We walked through the many turns and wonderful gardens. She pointed out the way I should take near the city center and disappeared.
I reached our tour coach just ten minutes before 4 pm. In my heart, I thanked God for answering my prayer. I believed that I was touched by an angel in Salzburg. God sent a stranger to rescue me from an impending disaster that day. I could not fathom what would have happened if I was stranded in Salzburg. Nowadays, I will not leave home without my data plans and Wi-Fi connection. I also realized that God is just a prayer away, and His loving kindness and faithfulness endure forever.
Has anyone experienced an angel encounter? Please share your story in the comment section.
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12 Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh in the day when Yahweh delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel. He said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still on Gibeon! You, moon, stop in the valley of Aijalon!” 13 The sun stood still, and the moon stayed until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Isn’t this written in the book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky and didn’t hurry to go down about a whole day. 14 There was no day like that before it or after it, that Yahweh listened to the voice of a man; for Yahweh fought for Israel. (Read the whole chapter of Joshua 10 on your own).
Joshua 10:12-14
Commentary
When Adoni-Zedek, the king of Jerusalem heard about the conquest of Jericho and Ai, and the Gibeonites’ surrender to Joshua, they were afraid. Adoni-Zedek in Hebrews means lord of righteousness. This is the first mention of Jerusalem in the Bible. Gibeon was a great royal city, and its inhabitants were warriors. Adoni-Zedek formed a confederation with four more kings to attack Gibeon. This five city-king confederation and their fighting men surrounded Gibeon and attacked her. The Gibeonites reached out to Joshua at Gilgal and pleaded for his assistance to rescue them.
Without any hesitation, Joshua obliged and gathered his fighting men. The LORD reassured Joshua to be strong and courageous because He would ensure his victory. Joshua and his fighting men marched the whole night from Gilgal to Gibeon. The LORD confused the fighting men of the five city-king confederation until they could not wage war effectively. Joshua defeated them at Gibeon and chased them all the way to Beth Haran, Azekah, and Makkedah. The LORD rained hail hailstones from the sky which selectively landed on and killed Joshua’s enemies! Even the hailstones have eyes to see and log on to its target!
After defeating the Amorites, Joshua sought counsel from the LORD. In front of all the Israelites, Joshua commanded the sun to stand still in Gibeon and the moon to stand still in the valley of Ajalon! This was certainly a tall order! Immediately, the sun stood still over Gideon and the moon stood still over the valley of Ajalon until Joshua defeated all his enemies! The LORD gave Joshua one extra day to do battle. Wow, this is mind-blowing! One day became 2 days. God stood outside of the time-space domain and stopped the clock!
Application
Earth stopped rotating
Joshua wanted more time to fight his battle and God stopped the clock for him! Isn’t this amazing? A 24-hour day became a 48-hour day.! The earth rotates around the sun once every 365 days. The earth also rotates on its own axis relative to the sun once every 24 hours. When the sun stood still, time was frozen, and the earth stopped rotating on its axis. God stopped the earth’s rotation for 24 hours.
How big is your God?
We serve a great and mighty God who created the heavens and the earth in six days. Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man, fed thousands with 5 miserable loaves of bread and 2 tiny little fish, calmed the storm, walked on water, changed water into wine, healed the sick, and raised the dead to life. Our Almighty God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. There is nothing that He cannot do to the universe that He created. He is beyond time, beyond space, and beyond matter. He is the name above all names. All glory, honour, and praise belonged to Him.
How big is your faith?
Do you believe in the God of the Bible? Joshua had faith when he commanded the sun to stand still in front of all the Israelites. Imagine what would have happened if the sun did not stand still after his prayer! Faith is the key to unlocking the power of prayer. If you have faith as small as a tiny mustard seed, you can even move mountains, Matthew 17:20. Without faith, it is impossible to please God, Hebrews 11:6.
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Matthew 17:20, He said to them, “Because of your unbelief. For most certainly I tell you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you
Matthew 17:20
Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:6
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we acknowledge that You are a great and mighty God and there is no other God apart from You. We acknowledge that You are the only true and the living God of the Bible. We believe that You created the heavens and the earth in six days. We believe that nothing is impossible for You. We bring all our needs before You for healing, restoration, and a miracle. We bring all our battles before You and seek victory over them. We pray that You will increase our faith, subdue our enemies, and train us up to be prayer warriors, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Even as it is written, “For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”, Psalm 44:22. 37 No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from God’s love which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8: 36-39
Devotion
Paul formulated and answered his own rhetorical question and for our benefit. He asked his audience and us, can anything separate us from the love of Christ? What things? He went on to name some of the things, oppression, anguish, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and even martyrdom. These are the trials and sufferings we faced in life as Christians. What about wars, accidents, and natural disasters like landslides, floods, earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes, cyclones, volcano eruptions, etc? When such things happened to us, does it mean that He did not love us? These are the things that Paul himself went through in his life. He was persecuted mercilessly by the Jewish leaders from day one and eventually faced martyrdom at the hand of Nero, yet he never even once doubted the love of Christ.
Paul went on to name even more things. What about death, life, angels, demons, present things, future things, powerful things, heights, depths, or any other created things? Can these separate us from the love of Christ? Paul’s answer? Nothing! No way! By no means!
For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life
John 3:16
Go back to the cross whenever you begin to doubt the love of Christ for you. Jesus died for you and me on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins for us. This is how much Christ loved us. He died so that we can live. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s for another. Yet, Jesus died for you and me when we were still sinners and did not love Him. God loved you and me with an everlasting love.
Yahweh appeared of old to me, saying, “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore I have drawn you with loving-kindness”
Jeremiah 31:3
Application
Right now, we are witnessing a brutal war in Ukraine, entering into its ninth month. Does this mean that Christ do not love the Ukrainian Christians? By no means! Christ loved the Ukrainians just as much as He loved everyone everywhere in the world. He died on the cross for everyone irrespective of race, religion, custom, creed, geography, or pedigree. God is a God of love.
Be careful of what you hear on the pulpit or read from the internet. Countercheck everything you hear or read with scripture and come to the correct and balanced conclusion.
Do not blindly believe and follow someone’s opinion hook, line, and sinker, without counterchecking with scripture. I was once following a Bible teacher on the internet, but when he kept on saying that God is not a God of love, I stopped following him!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for speaking to us today right out of scripture. Thank You for your agape love for us. Thank You that while we were still sinners, You died for us. Thank You for doing something for us that we will never be able to do for ourselves. You paid the debt of sin for us on the cross which we will never be able to pay. Thank You for the truth that nothing can ever separate us from Your love, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
A rhetorical question is a question that requires no answer. The question is asked in order to make a point rather than to get an answer. Paul’s favorite way of teaching is by asking and answering his own rhetorical questions. In this passage, Paul asked an imaginary opponent four rhetorical questions and answered all of them.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
Romans 8:31-34
The first question is found in verse 31, ”what then shall say to these things?”
What things was Paul referring to? All the things preceding Romans 8: 31, for example, the wrath of God, the grace of God, and so on. How do we respond to these things? We must take heed and do what is required.
The second question is found in verse 32, ”If God is for us, who can be against us?”
God is for us. He does not condemn us. He justified us by grace through faith in Christ. He adopted us into His family as children of God. He sanctified us.
If God is on our side, then we have nothing to worry about at all. Martin Luther said, ”with God, one is a majority”.
The third question is found in verse 33, ”who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?”
If we ever start to doubt the love of God, we must look back to the cross again. On the cross, God did not even spare his One and Only Son whom He loved. Paul’s argument is this, if God gave us His very best, He cannot give us anything less. If God gave us His Only Son, He can give us anything.
Our hearts can condemn us, but God promised no condemnation for those who are in Christ.
The fourth question is found in verse 34, ”Who is he who condemns?”
there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
Romans 8:1
because if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God
1 John 3:20-21
Satan can condemn us, but God justified us. John Newton said,
I am a great sinner but Jesus is a great Saviour
John Newton
for the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down
Rev 12:10 b
The final answer is found in verse 34 b
Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead so that we can live. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven to make intercession for us.
Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 7:25
Application
Do you have trials and temptations? Do you have troubles anywhere? Are you discouraged?
You can carry everything to Jesus in prayer. He gives you peace and bears your sorrows. He knows all your weaknesses. If Jesus is for you, who cares what others think?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus, Your final answer to Paul’s rhetorical questions. You gave us Your Son to die for us on the cross to give us eternal life. Thank You for salvation by grace and justification by faith in Christ. We claim the promise of Ephesians 2: 8-9,
for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast
Paul described the armor of God in Ephesians 6. This armor is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul used a Roman soldier’s uniform to illustrate the armor of God because he was chained ta a Roman soldier 24 hours a day under house arrest. The armor of God is a six-piece comprehensive uniform comprising a belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet, and sword.
Paul exhorts his audience and us to put on the whole armor of God not only to protect but also to attack the enemy of our souls. We are not fighting against human beings with flesh and blood. We are fighting against evil spirits in the spiritual realm of the unseen world. Our enemies are the hierarchy of evil spirits called principalities and powers, rulers and authorities, and spiritual wickedness in the high places, We must win the war through prayer in the spiritual realm first, before we can see a breakthrough in the physical realm. In this war, we do not use physical weapons but spiritual ones to demolish strongholds, 2 Corinthians 10:4.
for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds
2 Corinthians 10:4
Ephesians 6:11-17
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God
Ephesians 6:11-17
Jesus is the belt of Truth
Jesus sets you free from bondage. He is Grace and Truth.
and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free
John 8:32
I am the way, the truth, and the life
John 14:7
Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is the truth
John 17:7
Jesus is the breastplate of righteousness
Jesus is the righteousness of God.
For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith”
Romans 1:17
2 Cor 5:21, For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Jesus is the gospel of peace
Jesus is the prince of peace. We must wear the shoes of Jesus to share the gospel of peace with others.
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.
1 Peter 3:15
preach the word; be urgent in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all patience and teaching.
1 Timothy 4:2
Jesus is the shield of faith
Faith protects us from the fiery darts of doubt.
Contend, Yahweh, with those who contend with me. Fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help.
Psalm 35:1-2
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen
Hebrews 11:1
Jesus is the helmet of salvation
The helmet protects the mind from anxious thoughts. Salvation gives us the hope of eternal life.
But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation
1 Thess 5:8
Jesus is the sword of the Spirit
Jesus is the Word of God, a double-edged sword that cuts in both ways. Jesus quoted the Word of God when He was tempted by satan in the wilderness. The sword of the Spirit is prayer, fasting, intercession, and the Word of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth
John 1:14
For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart
Hebrews 4:12
Application
Put on the full six-piece armor of Jesus before you even go to work. Then, you will be able to stand firm against the demonic spirits. If you kneel down before God in prayer, you will stand firm before men at work. Jesus covers you from head to toe with a helmet, breastplate, belt, shoes, shield, and sword. The helmet protects your mind. The breastplate keeps you righteous before God. The truth sets you free from deception. The shoes enable you to preach the gospel of peace The shield protects you from the flaming doubts of satan. The sword enables you to defend yourself and attack for deliverance, and demolishing of strongholds.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus Christ, the armor of God for spiritual protection and spiritual warfare. Teach us how to pray with perseverance, watchfulness, and supplication. Teach us how to cultivate the discipline of intercession. We claim the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14,
if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land
2 Chronicle 7:14
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. on Palm Sunday, seven days before Easter Sunday. Palm Sunday or the triumphal entry is recorded in all four Gospels.
29 And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. 31 And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’ ”32 So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them. 33 But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?”34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 Then they brought it to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on it. 36 And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road. 37 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, 38 saying: “ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” 40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.
Luke 18:29-40
On Palm Sunday, Jesus descended the Mount of Olives and entered the temple complex on a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, spoken 500 centuries before Christ! The Mount of Olives directly faces the temple complex but on a higher level. If you visit the Mount of Olives today, you get a panoramic view of the Temple Mount, the site where the second temple previously stood. You can walk from the Mount of Olives down the Kidron Valley to the Lion Gate passing through the beautiful garden of Gethsemane. You can do this thirty-minute Palm Sunday walk to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
The disciples brought to Jesus an unbroken donkey. Meanwhile, a huge multitude was following Jesus to welcome Him. The disciples threw their clothes on the unbroken donkey and Jesus sat on it. An unbroken donkey will never allow anyone to sit on it but Jesus sat and rode on it without any difficulty! The multitude threw palm branches and their clothes on the road to welcome Jesus as Messiah, the King, who came in peace in the Name of Yahveh, Matthew 21:8, Mark 11:8. The multitude spontaneously acted out the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, and proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah. The multitude rejoiced, praised God, and recited Psalm 118:26, a messianic Psalm.
By this time, some of the Pharisees were offended. They demanded that Jesus rebuke and silence His disciples. Why? Because they could not accept Jesus as the Messiah claiming blasphemy. Jesus replied that if His disciples kept silent, the stones on the roadside would immediately cry out! During my visit to the Mount of Olives many years ago, I walked the Palm Sunday walk. I took many stones and brought them back as stones of remembrance to memorialize my trip.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey
Zechariah 9:9
And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road
Matthew 21:8
And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road
Mark 11:8
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord
Psalm 118: 26
Application
Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday seven days before Easter Sunday. This is recorded in all four Gospels.
He is the Passover Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world, John 1:29.
The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
John 1:29
He is the Jewish Messiah, the King of Israel, and the Saviour of the world. He died on Good Friday as a substitutionary atonement for your sins. He rose from the dead on Easter Sunday to prove that He is God. He is alive today, interceding for you in the throne room of the Father in heaven. Prophet Zechariah prophesied Palm Sunday 500 years before Jesus was even born! Wow, this is incredible! And this is just one prophecy out of at least 300 prophecies that Jesus fulfilled in His earthly ministry! For this to happen by random chance is a statistical impossibility.
Do you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God?
Do you believe that Jesus is the Passover Lamb of God?
Do you believe that Jesus died to pay for the penalty of your sins?
Apostle John wrote his gospel so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in His name.
but these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:31
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb of God, and the Savior of the world. Thank You Jesus, for coming to earth 2000 years ago, to live a perfect life, and died a cruel death on the cross for our salvation. Thank You for salvation by grace and justification by faith in Christ. Thank You for Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. Help us to understand scripture and develop a love for your Word, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming
Matthew 25: 1-13
The context of this parable is the Jewish wedding. A typical wedding feast in first-century Israel involved the whole community and lasted for 7 days. The bridegroom will lead a procession from the brides’ house to his father’s house accompanied by the bridesmaids to attend the wedding feast. This is a tale of five foolish and five wise bridesmaids who waited for the bridegroom to come and take them into the wedding feast.
The bridesmaids carried olive oil torches and waited for the bridegroom to arrive. The five foolish bridesmaids carried very little olive oil. The five wise bridesmaids carried a lot of olive oil. The bridegroom took a long time to come and all the ten bridesmaids fell asleep. All of a sudden, the bridegroom finally shows up at midnight with a loud cry. The five wise bridesmaids who carried a lot of oil immediately light up their torches, joined the the procession, and attended the wedding feast. The five foolish bridesmaids who runs out of oil pleaded with the wise bridesmaids to lend them oil but they refused. There are shut out from the wedding feast.
The foolish bridesmaids begged the bridegroom to let them into the wedding feast but to no avail. Jesus issues a warning to be vigilant because He will come back at an hour that no one knows. Son of Man is a messianic title of Jesus Christ, signifying His messianic identity.
Interpretation
Every character in a parable represents something. The bridegroom represents Christ. The bride represents the church. The bridegroom showing up suddenly at midnight represents Christ’s second coming at an hour that no one knows except the Father. Olive oil represents relationship with Christ. The foolish bridesmaid represents people who do not have a relationship with Christ. The wise bridesmaid represents people who have a relationship with Christ.
When Christ, the Bridegroom, comes back to earth on His second coming, those who have a relationship with Him will be accepted, but those who do not have a relationship with Him will be shut out.
Application
Are you the wise or the foolish bridesmaid? Are you ready to meet Christ when He returns? Do you carry a lot or very little olive oil?
Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, Hebrews 3:15. Do not put off a decision to accept Christ today. Life is so unpredictable. Yesterday is forever gone, tomorrow may not arrive, but today is here, and this is why it is called today.
while it is said, “Today if you will hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts, as in the rebellion.” Psalm 95:7-8
Hebrews 3:15
Do you have a relationship with Jesus? Have you accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior? Do you read, study, and meditate on His words? Do you pray, worship, fellowship, and obey Him?
Christ, the Bridegroom, promised that He will be coming back soon and we have waited 2000 years. Will you fall asleep when He comes? Do not let your oil runs out. Keep your oil burning until He comes.
You cannot buy or borrow someone else’s olive oil. You cannot buy or borrow someone else’s relationship with Jesus. This is a case of “to each his own”. You cultivate your own relationship with Jesus through spiritual formation. Start cultivating a relationship with Jesus today. Do not wait until the very last moment. It will be too late.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for speaking to us today through Your Living Word of eternal life. Give us the wisdom to know You in grace and truth. Fill us the oil of joy that only You can give. Help us to cultivate a relationship with You. Help us to walk with You in this journey called Life. Give us this day our daily Bread. Give us this day, Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
The last supper account is recorded in Matthew 26:17-29, Mark 14:12-28, and Luke 22:7-20. This was Jesus’ final meal on earth with the apostles. This event took place on the evening before Good Friday. when the Jews celebrated the Passover meal.
a painting of the last supper
Luke 22:14-20
14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
Luke 22:14-20
Commentary
Jesus converted the last Passover Meal or the Last Supper with the apostles to the Holy Communion. Paul called this the Lord’s supper. The Roman Catholics’ equivalent of Holy Communion is the Eucharist.
At the start of the Passover meal, Jesus took a cup of wine, prayed over it, and gave it to the apostles to drink, saying that this will be His final drink on earth before going to the cross. During the meal, Jesus took an unleavened bread, prayed over it, broke it and gave them the apostles to eat. He explained that the bread was symbolic of His body crucified at the cross on Good Friday for them. After this, He took a second cup of wine, prayed over it, and gave it to the apostles to drink. He explained that the wine was symbolic of His blood of the New Covenant, shed at the cross on Good Friday for them. Jesus commanded the apostles, and us, to celebrate in this manner is often as possible.
The first-century church of Acts celebrated Holy Communion together with a full meal. Christians today celebrate Holy Communion by eating a small piece of bread or wafer with a sip of wine or grape juice during worship, conducted by a pastor, elder, or priest. There is no meal involved.
For Jews, Passover looked backward to commemorate Exodus. To Christians, Holy Communion looked backward to commemorate Good Friday and forward to anticipate Jesus’s second coming.
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
1 Corinthians 11:26
Application
This passage of scripture spelled out for us the basis of Holy Communion that Christians around the world celebrate. Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb of God that took away he sins of the world . Jesus Christ shed His sinless blood at the cross on Good Friday to be a substitutionary atonement for us, 2 Corinthians 5:21.
Substitutionary atonement or vicarious atonement refers to the theology that Christ died on the cross as a substitute for our sins. His death substituted for our death. His death atoned for our sins.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Cor 5:21
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for Good Friday. Thank You that Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday to be a substitutionary atonement for our sin. Thank You that Jesus rose from dead on Easter to prove that He is God. Thank You for salvation by grace and justification by faith in Christ. Thank You for Your mercy and grace, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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