Josh1Eight

This is one of the more baffling verses in the Bible. Jesus, who has been beaten within an inch of his life, is betrayed, publicly mocked, and then marched up a hill to be nailed to a wooden beam while his executioners play craps at his feet. In that dark moment Jesus prays. Not for help, relief, or rescue. He asks God to forgive the very ones who are torturing and killing Him because, "...they don't know what they are doing?" (vs. 24). Hang on. What??? I see a few problems here: 1. The soldiers knew exactly what they were doing- they were trained killers. 2. The leading priests and religious leaders who put them up to this knew exactly what they were doing- they had been planning this for months. Did Jesus mean they didn't haven't any clue what they were doing was wrong? Hardly. Or did He mean they didn't truly understand the full repercussions of their actions? Maybe. Either way, it's a bit of a mystery how God used the deliberate, sinful c...

"Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:33-36 NLT) Jesus always made it a habit to talk about things that matter. One of His more popular topics was the "end of the world as we know it". Lots of drama, lots of caution, and warnings all around that probably freaked everybody out. Why did He do it? Because at the end of the day He wanted everyone to be perfectly clear about one thing: you and I don't belong here. On that note, Jesus concludes His speech with a series of sobering thoughts: 1. Guard your heart and keep sin out (vs. 34) 2. Keep your life focused on eternity (vs...