The Passion Week: Wednesday
“The Calm Before The Storm”
“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?”
Romans 8:32 (NKJV)
There is much we can learn from studying the chronological order of our Bible, just not much on the Wednesday of the Passion week. What began with the triumphal entry into Jerusalem will culminate with the empty tomb on what will be the first Easter morning. In between these two historical events in human history there is much taking place in public and behind the scenes. Confrontation, betrayal, instruction, love, prophecy, sorrow, and struggle fill each day and night.
Since the Bible doesn’t reveal to us what the Lord did on the Wednesday of the Passion Week, Bible scholars speculate as to what the Lord and His disciples might have been doing that day. Many agree that Jesus most likely spent the day and night resting in Bethany from the past few days of tumultuous opposition as the way of the Cross is near. Bethany would have been the perfect location as it was just a stones throw from the city but far enough away to experience some comfort in the home of Jesus close friends, Mary and Martha and Lazarus.
Jesus came to give life and life to the fullest can be completely understood by many. The life Jesus offers His followers is total life, both quality and quantity. Eternal life is something only Jesus can provide. This is what separates all other religions from Christianity. The life Jesus offers His followers is a life that rises above every situation and circumstance you could think of. Jesus had proven it days earlier when He raised Lazarus to life. You recall Lazarus had been in the grave four days and when Jesus arrived Lazarus body was already beginning to decompose and as the Bible says, he “stinketh.”
What an incredible miracle Jesus performed in raising Lazarus, a miracle that conquers our final enemy, death itself. To think, Jesus was promising His disciples life after death if they believed in Him. John 11:25-26 makes it perfectly clear as we read Jesus words to Martha as she spoke with Jesus about her brother Lazarus who had just died. Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
Jesus wasn’t asking her then nor you and I today to believe blindly. In just a few seconds after Jesus conversation with Martha Jesus stood outside the tomb of Mary and Martha’s deceased brother who at this moment in time now stinketh in the grave and said boldly and confidently as if He was calling a child in for supper, “Lazarus, come forth.” The Bible says without hesitation Lazarus rose from the dead and came walking out of the grave, fully alive like never before. And if that wasn’t enough proof for one to believe, Jesus Himself in just a couple of days after being beaten nearly to death was nailed to a Roman Cross in the most inhumane as a public spectacle, left to die out in the open for the world to see.
Again, as our bibles will make clear, Jesus didn’t just suffer and pass out due to the pain. Jesus died in our place, the sinless for the sinner. Jesus paid the ultimate price that day being guilty of only one thing, loving you and me to the point of death. We know that Jesus died because when the Roman soldier took His sword and pierced Jesus side we learn both blood and water came out. Medical examiners conclude this happens when the heart burst. It is right to conclude then the true cause of Jesus death was a broken heart. Sin breaks the heart of God and to provide the only remedy for sin, God sent His Only Begotten Son to come from heaven to earth and be born into this world and live a perfect sinless life then offer Himself up as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
For over two thousand years now people of all ages and from all walks of life have come to experience the gift of eternal life made possible because of the grace and love and mercy of God in Christ. Maybe today you don’t sense God’s presence in your life, you wonder what God is up to. May the Wednesday before Jesus goes to the Cross encourage you. Psalm 121:4 reminds us, “Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.” God is always working in front of and behind the scenes to bring us to a glorious future. Don’t forget that when you don’t see or feel God working, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
When you are under attack or overwhelmed in this life don’t try doing more, do less. Do what Jesus did. Get away from the crowd, surround yourself with people who love God and love you. Rest with them while seeking the heart of God. Let God strengthen you and prepare you for the next steps. Walking with God is not always easy as we see in following Christ but its always glorious. While you rest, rest assured knowing this…
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose…”
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:28, 35, 37-39 (NKJV)
I LOVE YOU!
“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?”
Romans 8:32 (NKJV)
There is much we can learn from studying the chronological order of our Bible, just not much on the Wednesday of the Passion week. What began with the triumphal entry into Jerusalem will culminate with the empty tomb on what will be the first Easter morning. In between these two historical events in human history there is much taking place in public and behind the scenes. Confrontation, betrayal, instruction, love, prophecy, sorrow, and struggle fill each day and night.
Since the Bible doesn’t reveal to us what the Lord did on the Wednesday of the Passion Week, Bible scholars speculate as to what the Lord and His disciples might have been doing that day. Many agree that Jesus most likely spent the day and night resting in Bethany from the past few days of tumultuous opposition as the way of the Cross is near. Bethany would have been the perfect location as it was just a stones throw from the city but far enough away to experience some comfort in the home of Jesus close friends, Mary and Martha and Lazarus.
Jesus came to give life and life to the fullest can be completely understood by many. The life Jesus offers His followers is total life, both quality and quantity. Eternal life is something only Jesus can provide. This is what separates all other religions from Christianity. The life Jesus offers His followers is a life that rises above every situation and circumstance you could think of. Jesus had proven it days earlier when He raised Lazarus to life. You recall Lazarus had been in the grave four days and when Jesus arrived Lazarus body was already beginning to decompose and as the Bible says, he “stinketh.”
What an incredible miracle Jesus performed in raising Lazarus, a miracle that conquers our final enemy, death itself. To think, Jesus was promising His disciples life after death if they believed in Him. John 11:25-26 makes it perfectly clear as we read Jesus words to Martha as she spoke with Jesus about her brother Lazarus who had just died. Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
Jesus wasn’t asking her then nor you and I today to believe blindly. In just a few seconds after Jesus conversation with Martha Jesus stood outside the tomb of Mary and Martha’s deceased brother who at this moment in time now stinketh in the grave and said boldly and confidently as if He was calling a child in for supper, “Lazarus, come forth.” The Bible says without hesitation Lazarus rose from the dead and came walking out of the grave, fully alive like never before. And if that wasn’t enough proof for one to believe, Jesus Himself in just a couple of days after being beaten nearly to death was nailed to a Roman Cross in the most inhumane as a public spectacle, left to die out in the open for the world to see.
Again, as our bibles will make clear, Jesus didn’t just suffer and pass out due to the pain. Jesus died in our place, the sinless for the sinner. Jesus paid the ultimate price that day being guilty of only one thing, loving you and me to the point of death. We know that Jesus died because when the Roman soldier took His sword and pierced Jesus side we learn both blood and water came out. Medical examiners conclude this happens when the heart burst. It is right to conclude then the true cause of Jesus death was a broken heart. Sin breaks the heart of God and to provide the only remedy for sin, God sent His Only Begotten Son to come from heaven to earth and be born into this world and live a perfect sinless life then offer Himself up as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
For over two thousand years now people of all ages and from all walks of life have come to experience the gift of eternal life made possible because of the grace and love and mercy of God in Christ. Maybe today you don’t sense God’s presence in your life, you wonder what God is up to. May the Wednesday before Jesus goes to the Cross encourage you. Psalm 121:4 reminds us, “Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.” God is always working in front of and behind the scenes to bring us to a glorious future. Don’t forget that when you don’t see or feel God working, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
When you are under attack or overwhelmed in this life don’t try doing more, do less. Do what Jesus did. Get away from the crowd, surround yourself with people who love God and love you. Rest with them while seeking the heart of God. Let God strengthen you and prepare you for the next steps. Walking with God is not always easy as we see in following Christ but its always glorious. While you rest, rest assured knowing this…
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose…”
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:28, 35, 37-39 (NKJV)
I LOVE YOU!
Recent
Archive
2021
January
Test PositiveHow Not To ForgetYour Best Year EverRelationship Over RulesKeep The Main Thing The Main ThingBonding FiresTake Me To ChurchWeight Gain Is GoodNot Seeing Is Believing Everything You Need To KnowLove Wins!Servants Not Slaves8 P's and 7 B'sWhat The World Needs NowThe World Is Falling... Into Place10 Minutes That Change The WorldHow To Kill A ButterflyWhat's The Score?You Can Know For SureWe Need A Good Wind StormThe Little Things
February
The Power of KindnessThe Cure For WorryThe Truth; The Whole Truth; And Nothing But The TruthGod UnderstandsDefining MomentsBetter Than NewLittle's Make Big'sOne Hour Could Change Your WorldInstructions With PicturesGrow Through ItFire and IceA Sweet Sweet SoundThe Way Up Is DownThe Gift of YouThe Cure For DepressionA Flower In Life's SidewalkLets Be FriendsOur Secret WeaponLove Win'sAll Gave Some, Some Gave All
2020
January
February
March
Why We Can Be FriendsBe What You Want Other's To BeThere Is A Song In Your HeartThe Afterward of FailureWhy God WhispersDon''t Worry, Be Happy!I Can See Clearly NowI'm In It For The Long HaulTrade In Your Fears For PeaceDaddy Hold YouThe EndA Guy Can't Just Sit AroundThe Birthday Boy!Worry Never WorksPromises PromisesTwenty Inches From BlissFit From HomeThe Silver Lining of SufferingThe Gift of PainDo Not Be Afraid
April
Two Tickets To ParadiseI'll Trade YouNo Substitute For TrustOur Greatest NeedHope DispensersYour Finest HourDreams Do Come True!How To Survive A PandemicFeeling ChippieThe Good In Good Friday!The Dark Before The DawnHow Stars Are BornOne A Day, And Leap Year Too!Please, Breathe On MeYou Can't Afford To WorryChristmas In AprilAre You Jesus?Comfort FoodSocial DistancingNew NormalThe Beauty of SelflessnessThrive Not SurviveDon't Ask Why Ask WhatEmpty Is GoodI Miss Your FaceGet Out Of Jail Free
May
Marriage IS WorkYou Are EssentialThe DestinationCourage Looks Like LoveLive The AmenRelentlessYou're Never AloneOpen For BusinessYour're ContagiousGod's Got Big EarsHigher EducationA Season, A Reason, A LifetimeTo Grope Is DopeYou PickWomen Like GodMaking A DifferenceOne Way LoveBlessed To BlessPeople God Uses
June
How To Defeat RacismDon't Be An AnimalJesus IS The AnswerBefore Not AfterDreams Do Come True!ImagineTell It Like It Can BePeace MakersHold OnThe Name Above ALL NamesThe Real You!Don\'t Lose Your PassionA Tale of Four Father\'sJust Do It For Jesus!IfIn or Out?Stay FocusedPriorities MatterGod's Green Thumb
July
August
Whistle While You WorkDon't Worry, Be Happy!Holy Moly, Just Look At You!You Can Do Hard ThingsJoy Is On The Way!Why Not Me?What's Your Backstory?ForgivenessJesus Is Our RainbowJesus In, Jesus OutThe 7 Factors of FriendshipBecause of YouLord, Teach Me To PrayHopeless End or Endless Hope?The Stress RelieverDefining MomentsA Supernaturally Scheduled DayWho's In Your Boat?
September
Hang In There 5 Minutes More!You Can Do It!What You See is What You GetMountains Were Made To ClimbLet Go, Let GodThe Third OptionWhat Will You Be?Better Than New!You Are A Best Seller!Heaven On EarthPray, Don't PreyTo love Is To ObeyIf I Could Live My Life Over AgainLet It Shine!Need A Hug?A Beautiful MessRun Through The TapeCause and EffectLife Is The PitsJust Say Yes
October
How To Have A RevivalLord, Teach Us To PrayBroken and BeautifulWhy God WhispersDig DeepThings Are Not As They AppearChildlike FaithGreat JobWhat On Earth Am I Here ForSafe In God's HandYou Be JesusYou Never Have To Advertise A FireRetraining ElephantsMission PossibleGo Nuts Today!Don't Hide The CracksOne Step AheadWho's Your Caddy?THINKPeter's Favorite PsalmFound Together
November
Success Through FailureNo FearAgainst All OddsGod Works For You But Not For YouThe Worship of TearsThank God For FleasHow To Thank A VeteranSoar Like An EagleOne Out Of TenHow To Get Through A StormCling OnKeep SwingingChoose Winning!The BlessingLessons From My Washing MachineHow To Put Happy Into Your ThanksgivingWe Exist To AppreciateThe Gift That Keeps On Giving
December
Peace On EarthHope In The DarkLessons From Long LinesHe's Making A List And Checking It TwiceKeep Rolling!You Have A ReservationWhen Heaven Met EarthThe Great Gift ExchangeA Thrill of HopeThe Real DealThe Perfect GiftFace Your FearsWinning Over WorryStability From A StableThe "awe" of HeavenJoy That LastsMessage From The MangerChristmas In Three WordsLook Up Not ForwardJust Because
2019
February
Heavenly RemindersThings Are Not Always As They AppearZihuatanejoSatisfied Wanting MoreGet In The Game!Always The Nails, Never The HammerA Four Footed EnemyAll InWhat's Love Got To Do With It?Lessons From A LeperLessons From A Former LeperNo MatchYour Mess Is Your MessageLessons From Your GPS"Ooooo ooooo ohoohohoo"Jesus MarveledShe Walks In BeautyShaken or Stirred?Bring The Rain
March
I Can't Love You AnymoreThe Gift of AttentivenessWha't Outside Your Tent?I'll Carry YouIt’s Worth The PainWorship On The BrainA Door of HopeGet Busy LivingHow Knowledge Becomes Power Please Do Not DisturbNew Normal5 Minutes LongerOur Conquering KingA Matter of PerspectiveAge Old WisdomFaith Your FearsThe Best Day Of Your Life… Starts Now!Who Grace Looks LikeHow To Have Lifetime JoyTo Know You Is To Love YouMistaken Identity
April
Life After The End Of The RopeLet's Get RealWhy God Made MountainsForgive And ForgetLoving You Is EasySweetly Broken Keep The Main Thing The Main ThingKnow God Know PeaceWisdom Never Gets OldOut of the WhirlwindMonday: A Pure and Holy PassionTuesday: The Passion Of JesusThe Passion Week: WednesdayJesus Love From Head To ToeFriday: The Passion JesusThe Ta-da of HeavenWhat's The World Coming To?A Love InvasionThe Gift of YouI'm With You AlwaysHow Is Your Balance?Bring The Rain
May
In Regards To HeavenHope WinsIshteeLove Is A VerbFinishing WellYour New Favorite BookGod Has No GrandchildrenCrossing GuardsYou Were Made For MomentsLiving Like A Rock StarA Wonder Filled DayLess is MoreAll Washed UpIf Your Child Goes Astray... Pray!Like Parent Like ChildBring Back The KingWith God You ARE The MajorityJesus IS EnoughWe Will RememberYou Are Stronger Than You ThinkEscape ArtistsYou Can't Back Into Your FutureThe Worship of Tears
June
For HankGod's 'GPS'A Friend Like YouDesire Discipline DelightDesire, Discipline, DelightYou Be JesusYour WorthA Living Love StoryThe Gift of GraceThe Power of AmenA Dad For All SesonsStuck On YouJust OneI Hope You DanceIt's Your Turn To ShineGlorious Day!Ancient Social MediaA Door of HopeLiving Like JesusPlease, Don't Shoot The Messenger!
July
Flawed Instruments Glorify GodHelp Is On The WayMay You Always Remain As You Are TodayOne Nation Under GodDivine AppointmentsDon't Trip Over Your PastWho's Counting?ShineLove Is A VerbBig Shoes To FillYou Never Have To Advertise A FireLet The Walls Fall DownOne Small Step, One Giant LeapOur God Rocks!Stirred To ActionThe Power of LoveTo Know Him Is To Love HimJesus Loves Pizza
August
September
October
Broken and BeautifulIn The Hands of The PotterRecognitionExtraordinarily OrdinaryBonded By A BonfireColor EverywhereWords To Live ByThe Best of MeJust Say YesChoose HappyThe Best Weekend Ever!Three Yet OneJust KISSGame ChangerHow To Beat An Escape RoomIt's What's Inside That CountsWhen Longer Isn't Long EnoughThe Whisperer
November
The Healing Power of a HugA Work In ProgressThe Best Day of Your Life Starts... NowYou Have Beautiful EyesLord, Teach Me To PrayFive Star FaithDebt Free LivingWhen Close Isn't Close EnoughHave I Got Something Just For You!Perfect In Any LightYour Strength Is Your WeaknessIt's Only A TestYou're Living An Adventure
Slow The PaceThe Art of AppreciationLasting MemoriesBlack Friday Saved My Life
Categories
no categories