The 7 Un-noticed Things
For a number of days we were been listening to number of messages on the Passion and Death of Christ, every message is worth listening. In the heard messages we were been taken through the series or the process of crucifixion of Christ, through meditation on the word of God and as on. Here is a simple article that will speak to you differently. Go through the article and listen to what God is speaking to you.
The seven sayings of the Savior on the Cross is a series of sayings of our Lord, but here I tried to explain the seven things that were hidden in the series of numbers as like; where most of us do not give more importance to these small un-noticed things. I tried to focus on these very small things which gives us a deeper understanding of what God is, and we can see the finger prints of our Lord at every pause. Glory and Honor be to God for ever and ever.
One Kiss
Two Planks
Three Lies
Four Judging's
Five Wounds
Six Renewing of Man
Seven God is Working
Kiss - In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth. On earth He choose an appropriate place for man and his partner wife, called Garden of Eden. When it was all well with life, the created man and his wife both were been betrayed by satan with a word of his mouth and here at the Garden of Gasthemene this Son of man, God Himself was betrayed by one of His own men with a word of his mouth and a Kiss. As the thing that came from the mouth at garden of Eden placed man and his wife and his whole generations away from God, here at garden of Gasthemene, this same thing (word and a kiss) started a process of getting man near and much more nearer to God. The thing that created distance between man and God; now process of getting man nearer to God took an initiative. Lets thank the Lord for what He has done for us.
Planks - These are the two logs of wood that were dragged by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from Jerusalem to Calvary. The two logs as been said by some people that, it is as if striking of "I", if the vertical log is "I" and it is like striking away the vertical log by the horizontal log, that is like taking off the pride of "I" from yourself. Studies suggest that the vertical log is of 6ft to 7ft tall and weighs about 35kgs to 57kgs and the horizontal log is of 5ft to 6ft and weighs about 35kgs to 57kgs and the distance Jesus Christ travelled carrying and dragging the cross is of about 650m. In spite of His physical condition carrying this cross by Christ himself, takes not just to have spiritual strength but also a great deal of stubborn determination to fulfill the plan of God the Father for the sake of mankind (not giving up determination). It is like carrying away two key things that were involved because of satan in the life of mankind, one is eternal death and the other is judgment. Both these things were taken up by our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross to set us free from bondage of satan. Look what the Lord has done for us. Are we ready to take upon our cross and follow Jesus. Let's do it.
Lies - Every man and woman would have lied either to their parents, teachers, friends, relatives, co-workers, wife or children etc., It is the ultimate weapon of mankind to come out of that particular situation without getting hurt. It all started in the Garden of Eden by satan, it used lies in convincing humankind who doesn't know what lie would be like. After man was sent out from the Garden of Eden by God, man took up lies (as we can see it in Cain) as to escape from the hard situations. The same attitude is shown here by one of the elderly disciples of Jesus Christ in telling a lie. The person who has been with Jesus since not less than three years, who saw Jesus doing miracles, signs and wonders, who accepted Jesus as God Himself, now not at all ready to get into a situation like this. A person who always been in the middle of appreciation, because of being one of the disciples of Jesus (after seeing every miracle), who never been in want after becoming the disciple of Jesus (fishing in the boat for his livelihood or to get a doctor for his ill mother-in-law) is now not ready to fall into such a situation. May be his heart for his Master would have been troubled, but that timid heart wasn't ready to stand for his Master. He didn't keep up his promise that he made to his Master. Jesus had made up His mind to follow the plan of God and wanted to see, to how far are His disciples ready to take up the challenge. God wants those hearts who not just accept Jesus as Lord and Savior but to follow Him earnestly at every situation. God hasn't given us a timid heart but a heart full of courage that would not just stand but to take up every situation for the sake of His kingdom. That is why, in the later days when the Holy Spirit was given onto them, they never stepped back even to die for the sake of truth. So why should we be worried about, as like the birds which were fed, as like the wild flowers which blossom so are we in the sight of God, when we are ready to follow Him earnestly.
Judging's - After Jesus was arrested at Garden of Gasthemene by the temple guards and the roman soldiers, Jesus was taken first "to Anna father-in-law of the high priest as well as the head of the Sanhedrin" and then "to the high priest Caiaphas", from then on to the Sanhedrin early in the morning, from there "to governor Pilate" and from there on "to Herod Antipas the tetrarch" and then back to Pilate and from there to Calvary. These are the four judging's that Jesus has faced. None of these proved that Jesus was a culprit. Yes, with pressure and with a pre-plan the high priest and others brought forward some people as false witnesses to speak against our Lord Jesus Christ, but their plan was un-noticeable. So was HE judged to make us free of judgment before the sight of the Lord the Father. God the Father will let us sit on His right thigh because He sees the blood marks of His Son's crucifixion upon us. So are we free. Let's thank the Lord for this ultimate freedom.
Wounds - As we all know that our Lord Jesus Christ took two of His wounds on the hands one in the legs one stabbing and flogging on His back. To share some information the nails are of about 5 to 7 inches long and the head of the nail is of 1 inch. The wounds that were made by the nails will result in pain usually but much more when the culprit is inhaling and exhaling on the cross. The roman flogging is different with the Jewish flogging. Both of these floggings were given to a person who has done against the law. But there is a slight difference in process between these two. In Jewish flogging the culprit will be taken to the doctor first and been asked to how far or to how many floggings his health would permit. The whip is made of leather, the handle to the half of the whip is made out of Ox and the other part till the tip is made out of Ass. This is to say that the culprit has degraded himself lower than the Ox and the Donkey. One of the Rabbis will stand with the whip and the other Rabbi will be reading the scriptures regarding repentance for what he has done. This process will make sure the culprit that he has over crossed the law and the words of repentance will make the culprit ask for forgiveness for what he has done. In the roman flogging the culprit will not be taken to the doctor for advice. The whip will be made with both leather and metal and bones (sharp). While the flogging is in process, one will be scolding or cursing and showing all his anger towards the culprit by flogging. Just imagine how much pain and suffering Lord Jesus Christ could have gone through for our sake.
Renewing of Man - We are all aware of that God created man on the sixth day in the process of creation. As like we all know how he was created, how he came to life and his lifestyle. The man who was been created by God with a fist full of mud and who was been given independence in his life, committed sin and was ashamed even of showing his face to God. God sent away man and his wife from the Garden of Eden. Man who lost the communion with God because of his sin, came into restoration by the act of Atonement. This act only covered the sins man committed, but did not erase them away completely forever. Because of our Lord Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross of Calvary, we are free of sin and all of our sins are cleansed for the rest of our life (if we believe and accept the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ). This sacrifice was done on the fifth day of the week that is Friday and was been buried in a tomb on the same day. The sixth day Jesus was still in the tomb dead for the sake of our sins and curses. As we all know Jesus rose again on the seventh day. As Jesus was in the tomb on the sixth day it is like renewing our relationship with God Himself and making a covenant between man and God, like who was been sent away from the created Garden was now been given an access to dine with God at His own table, who was been ashamed of showing his face to God was now standing before God because of the sacrifice of Lord Jesus Christ as His children, who has lost the communion with God is now having a strong covenant with God Himself, whose sins were covered by the act of Atonement was now cleansed and is pure for his lifetime. This is the process, the renewing of man that was going on.
God is Working - We are all aware that God created everything within six days and God rested on the seventh day. As God rested on the seventh that day is called as Sabbath. Did God really rest on the seventh day ? Was God really without work on this day ? What would rest mean to God ? Lets find out. The Bible says that Our Lord Jesus Christ was there with His Father at the time of creation, and without knowing Him nothing was made. After this process, the Son was always with the Father and united with the Father. As we all know that the Almighty God was always watching over us from then on. Now, as we read above that God rested, Did God really rested or was He always at work ? He was and He will and always be. As Jesus Christ promised to His disciples, our Comforter descended over us, and now Jesus is at work as our Advocate, taking up our case before His Father, plea Him for our sins, the cause of His sacrifice for our infirmities. As Jesus was the only begotten Son to the Almighty God, so are we because of the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God is always at work, even as we rest, He is at work.
To me these are the 7 Unnoticed Things that go un-noticed while we meditate upon the Passion and Death of Christ, these are very tiny things but has a very broader meaning as like the others. Thank you for going through the article. I pray that this article would do something great in your lives, which would be a sweet smelling and an acceptable sacrifice to God. God bless you.
