God’s plan never returns void!
Jesus Christ will come again in all His glory as their King.
Jesus fulfilled everything promised to Abraham and David in His birth, death and resurrection. He will return as King.
John 19:14 | Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”
The Old Testament was written to Jewish believers. When Jesus returns as their King they will become evangelist to others who would seek Jesus. James preached the Gospel of the Kingdom. Unbelief in Jesus at His first coming as their Messiah stopped them from entering into their position. They had to believe that He was their promised Messiah King in order to fulfill Gods’ promises given to Abraham and David. In the end they will mourn their actions.
Psalms 2:1 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. 5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: 6 “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.”
In spite of their rejection of their Messiah God Jesus Christ their King will return to Jerusalem and He will be the salvation to all mankind, a gift, to those Gentiles and Jews who believe.
Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
Jesus asked His disciples “Whom does man say that I am?” Even then all did not recognize Him as Messiah. Peter saw Jesus in his deity recognizing Him as the Christ the Son of the living God.
Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.
At Pentecost where Jews gathered from all over the land Peter chastised them knowing that the very King that God brought to them they crucified. BUT God raised Him up. He will make His foes His footstool. They needed to repent of their unbelief and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ then they would receive the Holy Spirit.
Acts 3:11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. 12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
Mark 15:24 And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take. 25 Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. 26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
An allusion to Psalm 22:18, which describes the psalmist’s suffering at the hands of the wicked. Jesus’ experience of the Roman justice system is extremely fast-paced: The approximate time of the events are: The trial occurred at 6 a.m., His crucifixion at 9 a.m., and His death at 3 p.m.
“King of the Jews” confirms the Roman justification for Jesus’ death. Faithlife Study Bible
And they crucified Him was a terse summary for Mark’s Roman readers, for they knew quite well the horrors of crucifixion.
The inscription placed over Jesus’ head appeared in three languages (John 19:20): Hebrew (Aramaic); Latin, the official language of government; and Greek, the common language spoken by many. If we piece together details from all four Gospels, the complete sign must have read, “This is Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.” The NKJV Study Bible
The place where our Lord Jesus was crucified, was called the place of a scull; it was the common place of execution; for he was in all respects numbered with the transgressors. Whenever we look unto Christ crucified, we must remember what was written over his head; he is a King, and we must give up ourselves to be his subjects, as Israelites indeed.
They crucified two thieves with him, and him in the midst; they thereby intended him great dishonour. But it was foretold that he should be numbered with the transgressors, because he was made sin for us. Even those who passed by railed at him. They told him to come down from the cross, and they would believe; but they did not believe, though he gave them a more convincing sign when he came up from the grave.
With what earnestness will the man who firmly believes the truth, as made known by the sufferings of Christ, seek for salvation! With what gratitude will he receive the dawning hope of forgiveness and eternal life, as purchased for him by the sufferings and death of the Son of God! and with what godly sorrow will he mourn over the sins which crucified the Lord of glory. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Psalm 22:18
They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.
Mark 15:2 Then Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”He answered and said to him, “It is as you say.”
Matthew 27:37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS
Mark 15:33 Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
This week, let us embrace stories about the gift of connection, and the healing power in rebuilding.
Let us not use our energy to worry. Let us use it to draw on that reservoir of connection and rebuilding. To believe. To create, trust, love, heal and grow. Grace is alive in rebuilding. To mend broken places. It is the freedom (yes, permission) to embrace the life they find in the moment, even in the mess. Sabbath Moments
Proverbs 29:27 (ESV) "An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked."
Good leadership is godly leadership.
The overarching difference between the wise and the wicked is easy to recognize in how they lead or wield power over others. God desires that we operate in mercy, kindness, discretion and integrity. However, a lack of wisdom is revealed in actions such as accepting bribes for selfish gain, undermining one's government or community (Proverbs 29:4). An unjust authority's unethical deeds affect every person under their charge and cause discouragement (Proverbs 29:2). But there is wisdom in acts of compassion. Though the wicked cannot fathom helping those in need (Proverbs 29:7),
Wisdom is also evident in our words, as several verses in today's reading remind us. Flattery and scoffing, arguments, discord and strife are forms of foolish talk. Proverbs 29:5-6 teaches that flattering others for personal gain entraps the ouflatterer and the one who is flattered.
Proverbs 29:25-26 speaks about "the fear of man" and seeking justice. Theologian James Leo Garrett says, "The 'fear of man' describes any situation in which one is anxious about not offending another person. For example, someone might be afraid to oppose the unethical actions of a superior out of fear of losing a job." It's not that we have no concern for others, but to fear man means to act like humans are bigger than God.
Then we can aim to bless and bring joy to others as Romans 15:2 says: "Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” Therefore, our trust must be rooted in the One whose justice will never fail us. The answer is never to fear man; God is the solution. First5
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