Skip to main content

No other name

Many odd things have happened in the past and this has stood out for me.  A court of law is trying to protect the scriptures of a certain faith by judging a man for blasphemy who has quoted from it. I am reminded of the story of Gideon where the leaders were told that if truly Gideon has offended their god, their god alone will arrange to judge and punish him. Does a god need the protection of man?  Jesus was persecuted and judged for blasphemy as well in this chapter.

Matthew 27:28-31
And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.

Pilate as the Governor of Judea had to give judgement over the accusations of blasphemy. He recognized all the great things Jesus had done and he also recognized that the Jewish leaders were doing this out of envy. The accusations were just an excuse. Pilate threw the whole thing back to them and washed his hands off the matter. They proceeded to crucify Him and the centurion in charge recognized Jesus' greatness at His death on the cross.

Matthew 27:54
So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Josh McDowell in his book More than a Carpenter relates his quest to prove that Jesus was either a lunatic, a liar or He truly was who claimed to be. You can speak all you want against Him, and this started with the Jewish leaders in His time on earth, but He will continue to knock on the door of your heart to see you saved. Only He can do this because He is truly God.

Father, no other name but the name of Jesus.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

My Journey of Faith

Sreedhar standing to the left of his grandfather in the center Almost 55 years ago a son was born to a Hindu family.  The parents were 2nd generation Malaysians raised in a rubber estate near a small town called Sungei Petani in Northern Malaya at that time.  This first child was given much love and care by their parents and had the privilege of growing up in 3 different states of Malaysia, most of which was in Petaling Jaya.  He was blessed with his first domestic airplane ride when he was 10 years old, and made his first trip by airplane to Bangkok at the age of 11.  In the mid 1970's the family moved to a large house in a relatively exclusive neighborhood in Petaling Jaya. This was a result of the favor his father, aged about 35 at that time, had in the workplace,. As a result, this son grew up in a mostly multicultural environment with Indian, Chinese and Malay children.  In the process, his perspectives became cosmopolitan and racially neutral.  On...

I have decided to do right today

Have you been told off for something that you may or may not have done wrong?  How did you feel?  I usually feel rotten.  I get a mix of guilt and anger, but these situations have tremendously reduced with my growing relationship with God.  You want to say many things to justify your actions (or inaction), but it is usually of little value.  Accept everything said (or written) as good feedback, and do better the next time. Amos 1:2 And he said: “The LORD roars from Zion, And utters His voice from Jerusalem; The pastures of the shepherds mourn, And the top of Carmel withers.” Amos the prophet must have been in great fear as he spoke. So many negative things against so many people. The pronouncement of judgement can make you angry or repent.  I am reminded of King David's reaction to Nathan the prophet when he confronted him about his relationship with Bathsheba. He cried out to God and repented. Many of Israel's kings never repented and the Lord c...

Stand and raise your hands

I apologize if I offend anyone, but I feel free to lift up my hands when I worship the Lord.  I would do it while standing up.  It is only natural when you are worshiping the Almighty God, creator of heaven of earth.  He is after all the God loves me and redeemed me by dying on the dying on the cross.  The Psalmist agrees with me on this one. Psalm 134:1-2 Behold, bless the Lord, All you servants of the Lord, Who by night stand in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless the Lord. There are key elements to be observed here in this chapter being shared by the Psalmist. The familiar ones are us blessing God, doing it with hands raised, we doing this as servants of God. But a new element that I did not see before is doing all this at night, though it may have been said in other parts of the Word. The Psalmist ends with acknowledging God as the one who made heaven and earth. Reflection from 2016: Speaks to me about ...

A promise that demonstrates great interest and care in our well being

We commonly call someone who has helped us significantly with something or a good person, "You are an Angel".  I am reminded of the angels God sends to be around us for our protection and to carry out God's instructions for our well-being. Many of us may wish that our eyes would be opened to see the angels of God around us. Zechariah speaks of seeing angels over Jerusalem. Indeed Jerusalem has a special place in God's heart. Zechariah 2:3-5 And there was the angel who talked with me, going out; and another angel was coming out to meet him, who said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying: ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. For I,’ says the LORD, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’” Not only does Zechariah speak of angels and God speaking over Jerusalem, he also speaks of a crucial matter that will happen in the future.  It is a promise of...

Be unconventional

I may have said this popular quote before, insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. If our plan is for better success then the approach needs to be changed. Or perhaps unconventional. The old ways cannot remain. David did the unthinkable. 1 Samuel 27:1, And David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.” Desperate times called for desperate measures. He ran from Saul's persistent need to kill him by moving to enemy territory. While there he had good war campaigns and duped the Philistines into thinking that he was against the people of Israel. God is ready to give us new approaches for spiritual warfare for souls. Are we ready for unconventional methods and approaches? The challenge for us...

Great works coming, but are we ready?

Are you rushing somewhere? Perhaps you are leaving town and settling many things before you go. The most important thing is to ensure your household matters and things in the office are taken care of while you are away. You make all the arrangements with family, friends and colleagues and trust them to follow through. You give them the keys to your house, money for payments and authority to make decisions. You edit the automatic response on your email account(s) as well.  Jesus did the same (within His context) on His last night before His death on the cross. But he delegated more power than He had demonstrated. John 14:12 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. We have read all the great things Jesus had done and He is saying greater works than these we will do. Are we ready to process this from the one who says in the same evening, "I am the way, the truth, and ...