Happy Passover and Temple Tuesday

What timing! Medical and essential services personnel are on their call of duty. The rest of us are all snuggled in at our homes. Those of us in Christ, don’t work the frontlines or snuggle in fear – we carry on into each other (while apart) and into our Lord – our Place of Refuge (“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are His everlasting arms” Deuteronomy 33:27) and our Hiding Place (“You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7) No fear – there!

I had seen the 1956 movie “The Ten Commandments” many times over the years. In fact, it was the first “theater” movie I ever saw. Of course, I remember it – it was scary – especially the part when the “death” clouds (or death angel) rolled in that killed all the firstborn children of the Egyptians after Pharaoh would not let God's people go. The movie was aired a few nights ago and I watched it again.

Tomorrow begins the Jewish holidays of Passover, April 8th -16th. This holiday is about the Passover sacrifice when God passed over the houses of the Israelites during the 10th plague on the Egyptians. God instructed the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb and put its blood on their doorposts. It represented the power to protect their families. And it did. In the movie you could hear the wailing coming from the Egyptian homes, but not the Israelites.

Amidst this pandemic, I somewhat followed applying the blood, by placing a picture of Jesus – Divine Mercy – that represents the blood and water poured out for us on Calvary – with the words: “Jesus, I trust in You” on my front door. Even more effective than a lamb's blood is my Lord's blood and I declare: “I am covered by the blood of Jesus, and 'no evil shall befall me or plague come near my dwelling.'" (Psalm 91:10).

I’ve seen where other Christians put red ribbons on the doorposts of their homes declaring the precious blood of Jesus to wash, purify, heal, guide, and protect them from evil, harm, sickness, and bless and make them holy. I love this symbolism – but more so, the faith in God’s Word and Christ’s blood that was as an atonement for our sins and our salvation.

Today is Holy Tuesday. We read in Matthew 21 how Jesus spent His entire day in the temple – teaching and using parables to make His points to religious leaders who doubted Him. Jesus knew this was His last week leading up to His death, so I suspect He was determined to leave an unforgettable “last impression”. He answered them so successfully that "no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions". Matthew 22:46

As we continue to journey during this Holy Week, on Thursday, we'll remember the Passover, the Last Supper and Jesus washing His disciples’ feet. Then on Good Friday, He was tortured, suffered, shed His blood for our healing and our redemption, and died. He was our Lamb that was slain. As despicable as it was....we can REJOICE! It is really good news! We know the end of the “The Ten Commandments” movie. God set His people free. And OUR movie expresses freedom, too!. DON"T lose hope! Just when we think the "movie" could get no worse, our Champion, Jesus Christ wins on Easter Sunday aka Resurrection Sunday……so, we win, too! So, why should we worry or fret? God has got this. God has got us!

Holy Tuesday -- Temple Tuesday

It’s Holy Tuesday also known as "Temple Tuesday" because we read how Jesus spent most of the day in the Temple in Jerusalem -- teaching and using parables to make His points about God’s great love for His people. Jesus knew this was His last week leading up to His death, so I suspect He was determined to leave an unforgettable “last impression”. And He sure did when He chased out the money changers and those buying and selling in the Temple. Of course, Jesus was angry with those who didn't respect this holy place of worship and prayer to our Holy God. Of all the questions Jesus confronted on this day, the one that most stirs me came from a scribe who asked, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:28,30). Jesus laid out the answer to our success in this life and hereafter.

Speaking of temples and places of worship during this Holy Week, I’ve been so caught up with the activities of my grandchildren here in Austin, that I didn’t hear about the horrific fire in the majestic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris until I read a friend’s Facebook post. I read another article that said the blaze was now largely extinguished. One official was quoted as saying the two iconic rectangular towers were saved. Of course, it touches home because I had the opportunity to visit this magnificent cathedral in 2016 and this photo was taken in front of the towers.

“The worst has been avoided, but the battle isn’t fully won yet,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement outside of the cathedral. He also expressed his sympathies to Catholics around the world, the people of Paris and the people of France. “We will rebuild the cathedral together,” Macron said, adding that France will start an international fundraising campaign to raise money for the renovations. I read this quote by Cardinal Daniel DiNardo: “We are a people of hope and of the resurrection, and as devastating as this fire is, I know that the faith and love embodied by this magnificent Cathedral will grow stronger in the hearts of all Christians.” I was inspired when I also read that some of the cathedral’s art may have been saved because of recent renovations. Last week, for instance, 16 copper statues representing the Twelve Apostles and four evangelists were removed with a crane so that the spire could be renovated. How providential it seemed that the four evangelists were the ones who detailed this Holy Tuesday in their Gospels.

As devastating as the Notre Dame fire was to a man-made structure and as magnificent and majestic it may have been, none compares to the Temple of the Holy Spirit that Jesus sent to reside in each of His followers when death couldn't hold Him and He rose from the grave. It is a Temple not made by human hands, but by a "God made flesh" Man -- Jesus Christ. Jesus promised He would send the Holy Spirit to live in us. "Do you not know that your bodies are Temples of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you, Whom you have received from God? You are not your own;" (1 Corinthians 6:19)

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for Temple Tuesday, for so greatly showing us LOVE and for sending your Holy Spirit to abide in us!

Holy Tuesday aka Temple Tuesday

Temple: a place regarded as the dwelling place of God; house of God, house of worship, shrine, sanctuary, church, cathedral.

Tuesday of Holy Week could be called "Temple Tuesday," because in Matthew 21 we read how Jesus spent most of the day in the Temple -- teaching and using parables to make His points. According to Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus had returned to Jerusalem to go to the Temple. As I mentioned in my post, yesterday, Jesus knew this was His last week leading up to His death, so I suspect He was determined to leave an unforgettable “last impression”. He was constantly confronted by religious leaders who challenged his authority to teach the people, and lambasted him with unreasonable theological questions. He answered them so successfully that "no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions". Matthew 22:46

Jesus was the master of story-telling using illustrations (parables) to make His point. He used parables on this day: the parable of the vineyard (Matt. 21:33-46); the parable of the wedding banquet, (Matt. 22:1); the teaching on paying taxes (Matt 22:15) and the rebuke of the Sadducees who denied the resurrection (Matt. 22:23). Then Jesus and His disciples left the Temple and went to the Mount of Olives where He delivered the prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem if the inhabitants would not come to faith in Him. He warned that not one stone will be left on another (Matt. 24). Jesus always "packed a punch" in delivering a message with authority and truth.

Sunday night my Frisco family and I went to see “Paul, an Apostle of Christ”. I don't like movies that leave you hanging, or have a disappointing ending. I LOVE the happy ending ones! Though the tragic state of Rome and the plight of Christians is portrayed in shocking reality, Paul dictates a letter to Luke to pass on to the followers of Christ that gives them hope. You and I were included in those writings. I felt it as I watched this compelling movie that in the worst of conditions and circumstances, our foremost responsibility is to LOVE. That’s what Jesus did for us.

As we continue to journey toward the ending of Jesus' life on this earth...on Thursday, we'll remember the Passover, Last Supper, and Jesus washing his disciples feet and then on to Good Friday, when He was tortured, suffered and died. As despicable as it was....we can still REJOICE. It is really good news! We know the end of the "movie". Our Champion, Jesus Christ wins on Easter Sunday aka Resurrection Sunday……so, we win!

Right now, life may be tough for you. You might have health issues or experienced the recent loss of a loved one. There may be strife in your marriage. You might not have enough money to make ends meet. But, DON"T lose hope! Just when you think the "movie" could get no worse, our Champion will be there because HE LIVES! And in the end, we win in a big way. There will be no more tears. No more mourning, or pain or even death, but life eternal. Everlasting. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah destroys the enemy once and for all. Just hang on. The end of the "movie" -- the last chapter recorded for all to read is such a "and they lived happily ever after" ending. No, actually, it is THE BEGINNING! God wins and those who love and believe in Him will live with Him forevermore! Oh Happy Day!