From biblical accounts in the Gospels the number is not that important but who was there is. There were many there witnessing the brutality of such a thing whose names we will never know. We know from the Gospel of John 19:25…  Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene.(NLT) Luke 23:27…  A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women.(NLT)  We sometimes tend to forget the concern Jesus had caused among the Jewish leadership but also the hope his ministry was bringing the people…all people. There are writings that put it this way. This man from Nazareth never traveled alone, besides his 12 loyal disciples there were a caravan of faithful adherents to His message of salvation. I like to see it as their leaving a dust trail of faith clearly visible and easily seen in the lay of the land. So on this day of the crucifixion we know many who knew of Jesus. There were among them these four women standing as close to the cross as they could. Of course we know the Roman Soldiers, the two criminals who would die that day with him and the Roman Centurion of whom Matthew, Mark, and Luke drew special attention to. All three of these gospel writers refer to his remark as the end came. I will use Matthew as an example…Matthew 27:54…The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”(NLT) The disciples were there and John stands out because he is standing close to Jesus’ mother. John 19:26-27…When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.”  And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.(NLT)  If this were a movie script a notation would be made to start the villain music now. We now encounter the Chief Priests and Jewish Leaders. Now we have scribes, elders, or rulers, comprising the Sanhedrin. Then follows a series of disparaging remarks towards Jesus as he hangs on the cross. What a sad picture of that day…if we had been there we would have seen “the women, the soldiers, the malefactors, the centurion, the chief priests, the members of the Sanhedrin, the group of His own disciples, and in addition to these, the vast multitudes of people from the whole surrounding country.” In my research for this blog this is the clearest picture that I can visualize. I must give credit to its author Campbell Morgan from his book “Crises of the Christ.”

I am publishing this today and as I tie the bow on this my mind cannot give up this thought. According to timelines established by theological writers over the years, on this day at 9am they nailed Jesus to the Cross…He gave His last breath and spoke His last words at 3pm that afternoon. Today here at my computer looking out the window…the sun is bright and it is a beautiful. His Glory can never be put away.

Thank You Jesus

jk

Rain most of Tuesday but I did manage to get in some porch time. Don’t know if I have shared with any of you this “great knee adventure” I am now on but it is taking a toll on my ability to get around. I did at one time share with you that there will come a time we old dogs need to sit on the porch and let the young dogs run. Here is an update on that ponder… seems I have somehow reached the point that I now need help getting on the porch. While on the back porch yesterday I spent time pondering how old do you have to be to be a member of this old age group or category? We Americans like to, well really it is an obsession with most folks, to put everything in a group, category or under a label of some kind. A good example of this is we used to refer to a citizen of this country as an American… not anymore. Now that blank has several sub-categories. African American, Asian American, Native American… just to name a few. We have even gone as far as to add categories to what used to a reasonable thought thing, you know you could identify by looking and if that was not good enough, DNA was available. Not anymore… what was decided by our creator at our very inception was no longer binding. We have now had to expand our record forms to several categories. A few examples…we added to the usual boxes to be checked off…Male, Female, Trans-sexual,  lesbian, gay, bi, ace and straight and of all things non-binary. Not sure what that means but could be they aren’t fully committed yet. Just something to ponder about…which brings us back to an earlier question. How old do you have to be to be a member of this old age group or category? The answer to that after some research on my part is much like a lyric from a song from back in the day… “the answer my friend, is blowing in the wind.” Most official accounts say 65 years old but there are those, mostly from Kansas, having spoke to the Wizard would advise it is an in your Heart thing. I think I will go with nature on that. We start growing old at our first breath, just as our creator intended. From a medical point I give you this to consider…

“People 65 years old and older take prescribed medications more frequently than any other age group in the United States. Most older adults take several …” 

The above nails it down for me. If you don’t start your day with at least a brisk walk and good cup of coffee, instead it is an energetic shuffle and a cup of Ovaltine… and a regimen of  prescribed medications, welcome to the old age group. I got to get off the porch now and get ready for my bed time rituals… I will have to apply that topical medication jell to both knees after I remove my knee braces, take my evening meds and hopefully complete my nightly ablutions, allowing me to sleep through the night. Good Grief …it is almost nine o’clock!

jk

Consider this…a purely secular view of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. We as Christians believe, accept and give thanks that as was the will of our Father God, his only son would die on the Cross that our sins might be forgiven and we should have life everlasting in Heaven… with all the Saints and our Father and his son and our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. So…for your consideration the other side, “the rest of the story”. 

The rest of the story occurs well before the crucifixion of Jesus but is really the reason for my view. In today’s “speak” there is in this time before the entrance of “Politics Of The Cross” a developing story we just skim over. Of course there was before, during and after an uncertainty about this man from Nazareth. But make no mistake he was beloved by the people, Jews and Gentiles alike and even some Romans.There was the Roman Government which was not tolerant of anything that might lessen the “the power of Rome”. Here also we must include the Pharisees and the Sadducees.They were a big part of those who planted this seed of organized opposition to Jesus. It was planed, planted and nourished buy these three very powerful factions who had as their only goal to squash this “Jesus” who threatened their power and influence. I believe that the Sadducees and the Pharisees were in many ways the driving force in this triumvirate of power that Jesus was facing. The Sadducees were a religious group that held a great deal of power among the Jews in Israel and worked with Rome to keep the peace. Sadducees confronted Jesus on many occasions which are documented in the New Testament. They were members of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jewish people. The Pharisees were influential within Judaism in the time of Christ and the early church. They were a minority in the Sanhedrin but seemed to to somewhat control the decision-making of the Sanhedrin because they were popular among the people. I share this with you by using an excerpt from Got Questions because of its clarity. “The Pharisees were an influential religious sect within Judaism in the time of Christ and the early church. They were known for their emphasis on personal piety (the word Pharisee comes from a Hebrew word meaning “separated”), their acceptance of oral tradition in addition to the written Law, and their teaching that all Jews should observe all 600-plus laws in the Torah, including the rituals concerning ceremonial purification.”

So there you have it Rome, Sadducees, Pharisees, a triumvirate of power upon which I rest the reason for my view “Politics Of The Cross.” The road to Golgotha was laid out by the actions, lack of actions and the pursuit of power and influence coupled with Romes determination to maintain its power over their  territories. These three things are there in the background of the greatest story ever told. I have never been particularly fond of that “story thing” which might put me a little in the Pharisees group. The story here is that there is no story here…It is a record of oral and written history…real places and real people. Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, in the secular view you might say this is the day that “Jesus was on Parade”.

Life is Good

jk   

It’s Porch “Sitting Time In Tennessee”. You may have picked up on something different this time…I have never added a tag line to the “Back Porch” but this week’s time on the porch to ponder is kinda personal. I am eighty, soon to be eighty-one and after my doctor’s visit yesterday I have discovered a new part of our daily lives that is often overlooked. Some years back Alabama had a song out “Angels Among Us”, me, I have no song…just a thought to ponder. How about Heroes And Heroines Among Us. As we age as a country this becomes more visible. They are truly among us everywhere. We don’t always see them but they are there and they also have a purpose, let me explain. The song writers of that Alabama song were Don Goodman and Becky Hobbs. (lyrics © Sony/atv Tree Publishing) I did not know which way I was going to go with this but after a couple of days I decided to turn to the lyrics of this song to make a point. These angles do come to us in our darkest hours, show us how to live and guide us with the light of love. They can show up in the strangest places and just because they are there as we walk a dark and uncertain road they light that road with a ray of hope. I have had a few days to ponder over this…we see them every day, everywhere and they are different in one way. Age is no respecter of these Angles. You will recognize them because they are of all ages and are easily recognized. I have come to refer to them as “The Cane, Crutches, Walkers, Wheel Chairs, Scooters, Brigade”.  I have been in a great deal of pain not able to get around well, in short…I am losing my mobility. This ponder is not a “pity me” time. In every trial in life or situation there is a purpose and a lesson, or from my view…a revelation. Now that I am having to deal with this demon of old age I am more aware of these Heroes And Heroines Among Us. I thank God for them and say a little prayer for them. They encourage me to keep going and I admire their grit. Things will change for me in the weeks ahead…don’t move around as well or fast as I once did and one change is I don’t do Taco Bell anymore. Take a moment and give them a nod, a smile and a kind word…open a door for them. They are everywhere… a mass of hope and determination and with God’s help they will persevere.

Kurt 

I am spending Lent exploring how vast the story of the time and events leading us up to the story of the cross and the Resurrection of our Lord is more than a one day thing. Last week we included in “The Rest Of The Story’ a quick look at Resurrection Day, also known as Easter. We acknowledged some of the church rituals or holidays along the way. Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and here we are now in the season of Lent. Another event I would like to add to “The Rest Of The Story” is about that Donkey. One thing I have learned from the Bible is that God has a plan and He is always in charge. Some of the time, well actually all of the time… like His disciples we miss the significance of Jesus’ instructions or the parables he often used to teach the Fathers’ will. 

Like all good stories this one continues to grow. As the scripture  shares with us Bethany is mentioned frequently in the New Testament. It was the home of Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. We know from previous scriptures that Jesus often visited there. It is from this place that Jesus sent his disciples to find a colt upon which he would ride into Jerusalem. The Synoptic Gospels mention it as being close to Bethany, it was here also that the miracle of Lazarus’s resurrection took place, right under his enemies noses. Something that is not mentioned to often is the fact that at this very time Jesus is a wanted man. (John 11:57) I will share this as written in a commentary by William Barclay…  and I quote him:

“It is a breathtaking thing to think of a man with a price upon his head, an outlaw, deliberately riding into a city in such a way that every eye was fixed upon him. It is impossible to exaggerate the sheer courage of Jesus.” 

What About That Donkey?

There is a lot of symbolism and allegory in the Bible, sometimes it can be confusing and sometimes there is a practical reason for it. The best example of this is the frequency and richness of such in  the Book Of Revelation but that is another direction to go and at another time. There is a time and a place for everything a great teacher once said. The Jews had been expecting a warhorse, ridden by a warrior ready to do war. It was a prevailing thought of that time, it was the mount of a King…and the Jews were expecting a Messiah, a king that would make things right again.  

To me this is just another example of a parable which has gone visual. Here is a visual of the description of a king who would be “righteous and having salvation, gentle.” Rather than riding to conquer, this king would enter in peace and in that day and time those who saw and heard this story unfold would understand what was being put before them. There is one other thing…The mention of a donkey in Zechariah 9:9-10  Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey — riding on a donkey’s colt. Bethphage and Bethany were located on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem.

God has a plan for his people…all people. Consider this…a Donkey, a two mile ride and a Cross…simple but it changed the world and is still reconciling God with his people to this day.

Life Is Good

jk

What a perfect evening to be on the back porch. There is a lot to Ponder about this time we are living in and that is just one of the reason to find a way to clear your mind. Have you ever tried to just sit and think about nothing…I mean absolute nothing. Try it…you can’t do it. On the Porch tonight I challenged my self to think about nothing. I cleared my mind of the news, any plans for the rest of the week and joyfully put aside my to do list. Like an inbox on a desk, there is nothing better than an empty one. But the human mind being what it is I soon found myself finding something to Ponder. Sound… I will repeat that and I pause a bit to allow you a moment to think about it. S..O..U..N..D . It is a typical early spring night, everything tuning up for natures burst of renewal. My opinion is that the air here on the plateau is some what thiner than in the valley. That is a perfect example of a real ponder… I have no scientific proof that this is a fact and in the world of pondering that is good enough. They say that sound travels farther in thin air. I could give you a sound reason for that but that would be another post but it does make for a good pun. Back to that sound thing. The birds are active this evening and if you listen carefully you can hear the movement of their wings as they search for a place to build a net or just seeking a place to rest for the night. Highway 231 is to the east of me and is one of the secondary roads that emergency vehicles travel to Vanderbilt Hospital here in Lebanon TN. It is interesting to me that I can tell by the siren sound the difference between a firetruck, ambulance or police car. At my previous home there were rail tracks just a short distance from my back porch there. At the crossing just below the house were lights, bells and cross bars to keep folks safe. On either side of that crossing left or right at least a mile apart from mine one had only a sign, the other a sign and lights. It took me a while to discover but there was a different series of horn blasts for each one. If I listen carefully I can tell the difference between an 18 wheeler, or just a plain ole dump truck. I know the sound of a motorcycle as opposed to the screaming of a dirt bike or crouch rocket… Trucks… Pick-Up trucks, I call them Red Neck Cadillacs. Here in Wilson County they all have duel exhausts that roar like a car at the Daytona 500. So what am I rambling about and why? To me it is a miracle what God has created and there is scripture that addresses what I am saying. I use the NLT bible and it speaks to the point I am making. You can’t always see everything or hear everything. In the quite of the early evening, about dusk, as you get older you don’t see as well. The scripture I am recalling is from 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. Consider this… these gifts of sight, hearing, smell, touch all work together to allow the body to serve the whole. When my sight is obstructed or naturally impaired those other parts become stronger to compensate for the weaker. When I can’t see my hearing is sharper, if when we don’t hear as well our eyesight becomes sharper.

I am so grateful to have been created so wonderfully. I have trouble now days losing my mobility bit by bit, that is not unusual for my age. As my lower body loses it ability to stand up for long periods of time or needs help to stand, my upper body has grown stronger. I don’t know if any of this makes sense but here again a good Ponder doesn’t  have to.

Kurt

I thought it might be helpful to tell “the rest of the story.” I believe one of the motivating factors that contributed to the crucifixion of Jesus was the disturbance caused by the leaders of the Jews who despised and feared the message of this man called Jesus…the one who many were referring to as the Messiah, the King of The Jews. Their position of power was being threatened and for the Romans civil order and subjection to Caesar and Rome was expected from everyone. So in my view the main problem was that disturbance of the public civil order created by the Jewish power structure could no longer be ignored. The story has been told many times but it can never be told enough. Easter, also called Resurrection Day and is a Christian holiday celebrating Jesus Christ returning from the dead. Christians believe that it is the holiest day in the year. Some people who are not Christians celebrate it as a cultural holiday. A host of people we refer to as prophets, disciples, followers and saints have traveled the world sharing the good news for over 2000 or more years. I look at Easter as that day that became more than just one day, over time it has become not only an event of the highest significance, the reason for the “good news”… the promise of the forgiveness of sin, resurrection of the body and life everlasting, because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is more than Easter bonnets, hats, egg hunts or cute bunnies. In some ways it suffers the same treatment given Christmas, by the  secular world…secular things first. In the mist of all those things   we lose sight of the cross. I see it as an inclusion of convenience, less we offend anyone. Harsh but that is the way I see it.

The depth and meaning of Easter is of course found in the resurrection of Jesus. This is not one of those “reason for the season” things. With the cross came the long awaited fulfillment of God’s promise to the Jews and often overlooked the “way” to God’s reconciliation with mankind. A promise kept that would require something from us… that something would be repentance. Without the  resurrection the promise is only words. The significance of that day, the power of the cross as a reminder of it is made even stronger with the symbol of the empty grave. One Day is not enough to tell the story…it is true, it is…“The Greatest Story Ever Told.” What about the rest of the story? Well, I will start off by listing two days that occur before Lent, more about that later. The first day is Shrove Tuesday and occurs before Ash Wednesday. It was originally observed as a day of confession and penitence in preparation for Ash Wednesday and Lent. Consider this… the Bible does not even mention Ash Wednesday or the 40 days of Lent, Shrove Tuesday is not a biblical observance, either. Now another consideration to be made. There is certainly nothing wrong with Christians eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. I will go ahead and write that Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and Lent are amazingly not observances God requires of Christians. Observance of these days is entirely a matter of personal conviction. So why have these three days become such a large part of the Church calendar? I will answer that in a moment. Now let’s move on to 

Ash Wednesday. 

Remember Ash Wednesday is not in the Bible but it does record accounts of people in the Old Testament using dust and ashes as symbols of repentance and mourning.  2 Samuel 13:19 (NLT)… ^“ But now Tamar tore her robe and put ashes on her head. And then, with her face in her hands, she went away crying.” Two things about Ash Wednesday … It is a time of repentance which is a good thing for Christians and really we should be doing it every day, repenting from sinful activities. It is also a good thing to work at identifying every day as being a Christian. We should also remember that no ritual can make one’s heart right with God. Therefore in the Christian vocabulary repent is a verb spelled with a capital R.

We are not to Easter yet…first there is Lent.

“Lent is a period of fasting, moderation, and self-denial traditionally observed by Catholics and some Protestant denominations. It begins with Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter Sunday.” The length of the Lenten fast was established in the 4th century as 46 days (40 days, not counting Sundays). (gotquestions.org)  While the Bible tells us God’s grace cannot be earned as it is a gift from God, doing so is and act of Atonement and yes there is a day for that.  There is so much more than just that one day…The Resurrection was such a huge event, it changed the world, the birth of Jesus changed the world, it cannot be contained in one day. There are still some days we need to go to for the rest of the story and next week we continue this journey. I struggled with how to close this week and have decided to use a prayer from the UMC Book of Common Prayer.

“O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

Life is Good

jk

I believe it is only natural to let your mind wander back a bit as you grow older, the comfort factor is always there because you know…good or bad how it turned out, so sometimes it can be a pleasant ponder. Caught a few moments of “pondering” on the back porch a bit earlier this evening. Spring is trying to work its way onto the plateau but that pesky Gulf Stream is holding it back. 

This afternoon I was busy gathering some notes for this weeks blog about “Easter” and I was overwhelmed about some of those details that certainly make a good ponder.  I have shared with you that we were a military family…my Dad was a veteran of the US Air Force. He retired with the rank of Senior Master Sargent E9. There were five kids, a dog and a parakeet toward the end of his time that traveled from base to base as my father added new duty stations to his time served. Last base we were at was in Amarillo Texas. Funny thing about that, when I was born he was in the old United States Army Air Forces and was stationed at West Point. My Mom was living with her parents in of all places, the Bronx, New York. So…I can say I started out in a hospital in the Bronx, and I waited until his last duty station to claim Texas as my home state…Love those Horns. Oh well back to my favorite ponder in my memory bag. Easter was always a hard time for our family as we grew in number and size. In that day it was a custom or really to be truthful a passion to dress up for Easter Sunday Service. Three boys, two girls…wait got to count my Mom in on the new dresses and such, we left the dog and bird at home when we went to church. My Dad was military to the bone and was comfortable and proud in his dress Blues. Anyhow, to get to the story. My Mom always figured out how to get my sisters looking good…new dresses, shoes and such. We boys were my Dads problem. Somehow he was always able to patch something together. His biggest accomplishment was we always had new shoes! How did he do it? Dad always said that the two people he got to know best at each duty station was the Mess Sarge and the Supply Sarge. Those old Air Force dress shoes would shine like a polished silver coin and in Texas even brighter…no shade in the Panhandle. This is not to make light of faith…my Mother was a praying woman and was proof that God answers prayers and takes care of his own.

Kurt

This week we take look at a very interesting topic, or maybe to be more to the point the Christian view of “The Bible, Jesus and Medicine.” The more we question God about the power of healing Grace…the more assured I am as a strong believer in such. I often turn to the Book of Job when challenged about many things our Lord and God has done for us. I love Job chapter 40…Now there are many trails to go down here and a number of rabbit holes we could jump into but they will lead us nowhere nor provide any answers. So…what does the word of God say… The word of God puts it this way: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV). Ok, a text book answer to a fair question. Here is another question for you…Who really knows the mind and will of God? Job thought he did until God challenged him…Job 40:1-2 1 Then the Lord said to Job 2 

“Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?” Job is reminded in a strong way that God is the creator of all things. Faith leads us to a stronger and a longer relationship with God, strengthens our faith heals our bodies of all weaknesses  and give us a better life. Back to the issue of Jesus and Medicine. Jesus’ earthly ministry involved combatting that curse. He healed people everywhere He went …Matthew 15:31 –  The crowd was amazed! Those who hadn’t been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well, the lame were walking, and the blind could see again! And they praised the God of Israel.  

Hebrews 1:3…

The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.

Consider the depth of His Power:  Romans 8:18-22… 

18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 

We can’t have a discussion about Jesus and medicine without adding that to seek healing is not wrong, it is also very much right. Luke and Acts, were written a physician. Luke traveled with Jesus during His ministry here on earth. While his, Luke’s, treatment was not exactly the manner of doctors today, Luke too was in the healing business. Staying off the rabbit trails there has always been and will be always be those who interject the subject of taking drugs and such for healing, expanding this subject into one of faith versus God’s healing power. Like all things that we don’t understand the result is usually confusion and that opens the door to debate, which in turn has no good outcome. One difference that has come up is the question of prescription drug use by Christians and that should be between that Christian and the Lord. Nice dodge you might say on my part. The Bible does not command the use of medicinal treatments, but it certainly does not forbid it, either.

1Corinthians 3:16…  The child of God should care for his or her body as being the temple of the Holy Spirit…

There is much involved here and is best said and I quote:  “This means taking preventative care, maintaining a healthy diet, and getting proper exercise. It also means taking advantage of the wisdom that God has given skilled researchers and physicians. We understand that God is the Healer, no matter by what means He heals, and we give the glory to Him.” (gotquestions.org)

I believe that this is as good a place as any to end this week’s blog. Yes it is an interesting subject but one word is really the Key here …FAITH… It is through faith that you will find the answers and through faith you will be set free…and find peace.

Life is Good

jk