Elliott's Muses

We just got home from our trip to England where we saw our daughter, Lindsay, son-in-law Pete, and our grand-kids, Raewyn and Theo. It's hard to say all that went on; but suffice it to say, we had a great time.  The kids are age 2+, which means they are energetic, emotional - able to go from happy to sad in a moment's time. NOW, their parents are phenomenal.  They do a great job of being parents to two highly energetic little kids. I think our grand-kids are amazing...but then I think all of our grand-kids are amazing! I just wanted to make a note to say we're back, and it was a great trip! Peac

To all of you who have journeyed with me during this Lenten season, we've come to the end...which ironically is the beginning for us. He is Risen... He is Risen Indeed Luke 24:1-12 (NIV) 1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they came back from t...

Each of the Gospels speak one or two sentences about what happened after Jesus' death on Friday afternoon before early Sunday morning. The first thing that happened was the body of Jesus was taken by two followers of Jesus - interestingly, neither of which was called a disciple.  These two were probably well enough connected that they could get Pilate's permission to take Jesus' body and prepare it for burial. John 19:38-42 (NIV) 38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucif...

It was prophesied of the Messiah that he would be a suffering servant who would be " numbered with the transgressors " (Isaiah 53:12).  Yet, in all of this, Isaiah prophesies that it was God's purposes that all of this occur.  That same verse in Isaiah makes it clear:  " for he bore the sin of many ". As Jesus hung upon the cross he spoke seven words/phrases...all of which revealed his character and his purposes.  We looked at the first three in yesterday's blog.  The final four were these: The 4th words were from  Matthew 27:45-46 (NIV)  45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" The saddest part of this whole crucifixion is this - Jesus' abandonment in this whole work by His Father...he was alone.  He had told his disciples that he didn't do an...

As the soldiers led Jesus away, he carried his own cross - until he could handle it no more.  Then they put it on another, Simon from Cyrene.  They laid the cross down and stretched Jesus' body across with arms stretched out wide.  They nailed the joint between the wrist and the hands - the pain must have been excruciating.  They nailed the joint between the ankles and feet, again with excruciating pain.  The place is called Golgotha,  the place of skulls.  Two others, robbers, are crucified alongside of him, and the witnesses include Soldiers, Jewish authorities, and his disciples. John 19:17-22 (NIV) 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 Here they crucified him, and with him two others--one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the p...

John doesn't record that Jesus was first sent to Herod, and Herod found no basis for Jesus' arrest, much less to crucify him.  The crowd had yelled for Barabbas to be released, and so Pilate presumed that if he just did something publicly to show the Jews that he was not going to tolerate anyone they despised, they would be mollified. John 19:1-16 (NLT)  1  Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. 2  The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. 3  “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face. 4  Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.” 5  Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Look, here is the man!” 6  When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify...

As the early morning light began to break, Jesus stood before the corrupt, but powerful, high priest, Caiaphas.  John has little to say about it.  According to John it was a short trial, and soon Caiaphas, knowing he could not order Jesus to be executed, sent him to Pilate - the Roman governor. John 18:28-40 (NLT) 28 Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn’t go inside because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover. 29 So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?” 30 “We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!” they retorted. 31 “Then take him away and judge him by your own law,” Pilate told them. “Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone,” the Jewish leaders replied. 32 (This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction about the way he would die.) 33 Then Pilate w...

It's Monday of Holy Week, and throughout the week we'll walk through the events that lead up to Jesus' death on the cross.  To get to the cross people had to look at Jesus and ignore his life.  Yesterday was Palm Sunday, and the crowds had welcomed Jesus as the "Savior"...their Savior.  The problem was that they were out for their own interest and had no desire to embrace God's purposes - that Jesus' death would be for the whole world. As the week went along Jesus had various interactions - but on Thursday evening he celebrated Passover with his disciples in the Upper Room.  He left that room with them to walk through the Temple area and head to the hillside outside of Jerusalem to a garden called Gethsemane.  There he is arrested as Judas leads the guards to the place he knows Jesus will be.  They bound Jesus, the others all scattered, and they led him through the same gate and then taken to the Palace of Annas...the real head behind the Jewish leaders. ...

John 18:1-11 (NIV) 1 When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. 4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?" 5 "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." 8 "I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men g...

At the end of Jesus' conversation with his disciples that evening of his arrest, he prayed.   I love reading this prayer because it is a revelation of what Jesus was thinking that night - knowing he was going to be arrested, and eventually die, that very next day. John 17:1-26 (NIV) 1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. 6 "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that eve...

As Jesus continued to speak to his disciples that night of his arrest, he told them to expect the work of the Holy Spirit in order for them to do what they were called to do. John 16:1-15 (NIV) 1 "All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you. I did not tell you this at first because I was with you. 5 "Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' 6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in reg...

John 15:9-17 (NIV) 9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other. Most of have aquaintances but few friends...pity the person who has no friends.  Friendship...

As Jesus continued his discourse with the disciples on that evening of his arrest, he makes it clear that he does not expect their growth and development to stop - but rather, just the opposite - that they will grow in their faith and in their work through the power of the Holy Spirit working through them. He said, John 14:12 (NIV) I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. It's hard for us to imagine doing "greater things" than what Jesus did.  Yet that is what he said. It is clear that two things work in tandem to make this happen. On the one hand, it is the Spirit of God that makes it possible.   John 14:16 (NIV)  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- It is the Spirit of God that comes to us and makes us possible to do the works of God.  In the Greek that this was written in, the...

While it was clear from Jesus' conversation with his disciples that he was going to be leaving, it was also very clear that he didn't want them to think they were on their own. And neither should we. We have this life in Christ, and we are doing this ministry of Church for the sake of God's Kingdom...but, we are not doing it alone.  In fact, when we attempt to do anything for God in the energy of our own flesh, we're bound to fail.  That's why the words that Jesus said to his disciples that last night are so crucial for us to hear again. John 14:16-29 (NASB) 16 "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. 18 "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 "After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see...

John 14:4-15 (NASB) 4 "And you know the way where I am going." 5 Thomas *said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" 6 Jesus *said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. 7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." 8 Philip *said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." 9 Jesus *said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12 "...

As Jesus talked with his disciples that evening before his arrest and crucifixion, he wanted them to gain understanding of why this was all happening, AND, where it was all going. It is the BIG picture that we often hear about.  A need exists at times for us to step back and gain a bigger perspective on what is going on around us. Lost in the hectic-ness of life with all of it's running around, dealing with difficult, as well as normal everyday stuff...we lose sight of where it is all going. Why are We Here? Where is this all going? God, what are you doing? What do you want me to do? Be? We don't stop long enough to ask the real questions.  Instead we stay occupied with the "little" things...the tyranny of the urgent some have called it.  It is those things that keep us occupied, while causing us to avoid "what's it all for, anyway?" Here comes Jesus into this last evening: Gathered for Passover as a community He gives them an example of ser...

It's the Thursday evening before Good Friday.  As the Upper Room dinner began to end, Jesus got up and washed his disciples feet, and then as we saw yesterday, he told them all, including Judas, that he knew he was to be betrayed.  Judas left the meal - the disciples unsure of why he was leaving - assuming that he was going out to buy something. With Judas gone, Jesus turns his attention back to the disciples.  He has some more to say and he begins this rather lengthy conversation (it's going to go on for two more of John's chapters) with an admonition on what is the real mark of his disciples - love. John 13:33-38 (MSG) 33 "Children, I am with you for only a short time longer. You are going to look high and low for me. But just as I told the Jews, I'm telling you: 'Where I go, you are not able to come.' 34 "Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. 35 This is how everyone will recognize th...

No one names their children Judas.  No other name is more recognized as anathema than his name.    It's hard to sort out what to do with Judas.  He walked with Jesus, learned from him, saw the miracles, knew what Jesus was up to early on.  Yet when it came down to it he betrayed Jesus. What's perhaps more amazing is that it doesn't surprise Jesus at all. John 13:18-32 (NIV) 18 "I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: 'He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.' 19 "I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He. 20 I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me." 21 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me." 22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know ...

As Jesus came to  his last hours on the earth, he spent them with his disciples - a show of his dedication to their special relationship with him.  If it were me and I knew this was my last night, I might want to take time to talk about what's important, and what they must remember....and perhaps it would be about doctrine, or beliefs, faith, etc.  Jesus goes a different direction: John 13:1-17 (NIV) 1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. 2 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured w...

As Jesus journey through his life, he certainly was aware of the earthly outcome.  He made it clear to his disciples that the outcome was to go to Jerusalem where he was to be arrested by the authorities and would be crucified. It's a strange thing to think about all of that and realize that in months to come this is where life is going to go.  Jesus knew his role was to be the Passover sacrifice. John 12:27-28 (NIV) 27 "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." Jesus knew the Father's will.  He knew that the sins of the world needed a solution that went far beyond yearly sacrifices.  Those, as important as they were, could not atone for the sins of the world.  So, his was to be that " Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world ...