Whose voice will you listen? (Lk 23:13-25)

22 For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.”
23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.

Pilate couldn’t find any fault from Jesus so he wanted to release Him. However, the multitude shouted and asked to crucify Him.

Pilate greatly struggled between the voice of his conscience and the shouting of the public. If there comes a riot, his political position would be threatened.

Pilate who felt the political threat eventually decided to do what the people asked. The voice of the people triumphed.

In our hearts, there are some struggles between God’s word and the voices of the world. Whose voice would you listen to?

Listen to God’s voice and let the voice of the word triumph.

Shalom and God bless!

Pilate and Herod who were enemies became friends. (Lk 23:1-12)

11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate.
12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends–before this they had been enemies.

Pilate found no faults from Jesus and got to know that Jesus was from Galilee and send him to King Herod who happened to be in Jerusalem from Galilee.

Herod also couldn’t find any fault from Jesus. But he belittled Jesus, ridiculed him, and clothes him with a shining clothes and sent him to Pilate.

They who were enemies became friends at that day by exchanging Jesus. Because of Jesus, evildoers reconciled with each other and unified.

Because of Jesus who shed blood for sinners, there are people who reconciled and became friends, but there are people who opposed Jesus and reconciled and became friends.

I hope that we consider brothers and sisters preciously like Jesus and become beloved family of heaven.

Shalom and God bless!

The insult that the Creator received

Lk 22:63 The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him.
64 They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?”
65 And they said many other insulting things to him.

Those who were guarding hit Jesus and mocked him by covering his eyes and let him guess who hit him.

Imagine we were like Jesus covered our eyes and beaten by fists. That insult will be difficult for us to bear.

Why did Jesus need to bear that kinds of insult and humiliation? It’s because his love towards me

The one who has never committed one single sin, the Creator was insulted unbearably by the sinners who are his own creation, because of his love to save me.

If you realize that amazing love, only love him and only exalt him.

Shalom and God bless!

Peter’s repentance (Lk 22:54-62)

Lk 22:61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.”
62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Peter who even swore that he would die with Jesus denied Jesus.

And he heard the crows of a rooster. At that time, Jesus turned and looked straight at Peter.

Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.”

And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Judah who saw his own fault killed himself but Peter who saw Jesus and thought of Jesus words wept and repented.

We shouldn’t only look at our fault but Jesus and His word who recovers us.

Shalom and God bless!

No more if this! Lk 22:47-53

51 But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

When Jesus was sold to the religious leaders by Judah’s kiss, Peter struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.

But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.

Jesus was able to ask God to send more than twelve legions of angels. (Mt 26:53) However, in order to go to the cross, he didn’t use his authority, but turn himself over to the evil ones and the authority of the darkness. (Lk 22:53)

Those who have sword will be destroyed by swords. Therefore, we need to put our swords in our clubs. (Mt 26:52) A true winner is not the one who threatens or harms others with swords (weapons or authority), but does the will of God to the end like Jesus.

Shalom and God bless!

Pray very earnestly (Lk 22:39-46)

44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

On the Mount of Olives, Jesus gave a struggling prayer in front of the crisis.

He kneeled in front of God and cried out “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

In between God’s will to take the cross for human salvation and the unbearable physical pain, the agony was piled up. That agony became sweats and fall on the ground like drops of blood.

Eventually, Jesus was triumphed through prayer and overcame on the cross. However, disciples who failed in prayer became a failed life. The one who overcame in prayer becomes an overcomer in life.

When you face crisis, do not struggle with the problem, overcome in the struggle with God, prayer.

Shalom and God bless!

Training and management (Lk 22:35-38)

35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered.
36 He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.

When Jesus was actively did ministry and when disciples went to evangelize, they went empty-handed but they lacked nothing.

However, the Lord who knew that he would be numbered with the transgressors (verse 37) td his disciples to prepare a purse, a bag and a sword for the future.

Through this, we can see that we need to receive “faith training” to serve the Lord when we have nothing and when we have something, we need to “manage” them well and serve the Lord.

What do you have? Health, time, position, knowledge, wealth, children…

Though you might not have them, live with faith. If you have many, manage them well and use them for the kingdom of God.

Shalom and God bless!

There’s no trial that is meaningless!

Lk 22:28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials.
29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me,
30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

If we believe in Jesus, we get to have joy, peace, and new hope. However, if we try to live holily in Christ, we would face various trials and sufferings. (2 Tim 3:12)

Jesus and his disciples also faced many trials. However, because of Jesus who is with them, they were able to overcome.

When we are tested, trials look so large and we cannot see God’s will clearly. So we are often discouraged easily.

However, Jesus promised the disciples who pass the trials a heavenly rewards.

God only allows the trials that we can bear. Facing big trials means that we have characters like a big bowl.

Look upon God’s promise and overcome them with faith. Trials are not eternal.

Shalom and God bless!

Who is bigger? (Lk 22:24-27)

Lk 22:24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.

Beautiful archangel compared himself to God and wanted to be higher than God so he became fallen and became Satan. (Is 14:13, 14)

Adam and Eve who received Satan’s temptation wanted to be like God and ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which was a symbol of God’s authority and a symbol of human being a creation.

Worldly authorities want to reign over the world with more authorities. Jesus’ disciples also wanted to become a greater one in front of painful situation of Jesus facing the passion of the cross.

However, in order to save humanity, Jesus emptied the heavenly throne and came to the earth and lived a life of a servant and finally died on the cross. (Mark 10:45)

Satan encourages men to become higher. But Jesus commands us to be humble and be the ones who serve.

Be a servant who is reigned by God not Satan.

Shalom and God bless!

The eagerness of the Lamb of the Passover (Lk 22:14-23)

Lk 22:15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

In order to save all people, Jesus had to be the sacrificing Lamb of the Passover. That is the death on the cross.

Jesus had a great fear towards suffering of the cross but he also had a great hope that can offset it.

That is the last supper of the Passover. Through that ceremony, Jesus shared bread that represented Jesus’ flesh and wine which represented Jesus’ blood.

After that, all the believers would be moved by the grace of salvation through the bread and wine.

Before the suffering on the cross, Jesus saw how the descendants would be touched spiritually.

Therefore, he was eagerly desired to eat the Passover.

In front of our sufferings, think about not only the glory of resurrection but also its effects towards our spiritual descendants and run forward without any retreat.

Shalom and God bless!