Seek Wisdom

Thinking of you with a delicate mix of Joy and grace, I am hoping that you are pleased with your life. Would love to hear of some of your joys, sorrows, life experiences. In many ways each person life is different, yet the mile posts are ever so similar. Strange how we pass on scientific knowledge, yet fall so very short in passing on that great thing some call wisdom. Wisdom is a free apple on the trees that we pass by in our life journey, yet how many pass by with out ever picking one off of the lower branches. We often notice that people get each day's ticket punched with nothing more than the memory. On the back, if one will pause to reflect, these is a free coupon to be exchanged for the daily installment of wisdom. Let's not be the one who exchanges the steps of life with nothing of value, but instead be the ones who get a sweet tasty bite of wisdom to fuel the next steps of the road of life.

Happy Birthday

Haiku Birthday
Happy Birthday boy
Celebrate a year of Fun;
Then it is all done!

Haiku for my son/daughter

You are my daughter,
Truly a gift from heaven;
So goes my Mission.

To always assist,
Only as I see a need;
Then out of the way!

A relationship,
To endure for a life time;
To encourage you.

Simple Declarations

Simple Declarations

I declare my Faith with a mighty shout!

I believe the Love ...I receive the Love!

I put His word first place
and make it the final authority in my Life!

I act on His word as quickly as I would
a lawyer, a doctor, or a highly trusted friend.

I receive His word as the perfect law of Liberty.

I always triumph in him,
He always gives me Victory.

I have Faith in God

Father I am yours to command.

Your Word is My command.

Here are some faith statements that have been meaningful to me, and maybe they will help you.

I desire to try several different attacks against our problems and might not settle on one even if it at first seems to be successful.        Suggestions for this is to print out these headlines and repeat them as often as seems appropriate.

Because "all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved," I would suggest that you read the praise the Lord out loud enough times that it is second nature.

Baruk A-tah, Adonai, Eloheynu, Maelek, ha Olam haShem O'Messuah!
Praise be (like a cape) upon the Lord, God of the Universe(and mine), King of My world, in the name of Jesus my messiah

I gave this to a lady and dear friend who had been diagnosed with melonoma. This had metastasized and spread several places in her person. After saying this as a montara almost continuously for many weeks, (while also enduring chemo) most of the measurable of the cancer has fallen in remission. The purpose of the prayer was to give peace when she had received a "death sentence!" It had the effect of yielding peace as the meter of the prayer had an internal cadence. The body tends to align itself with the meter inherent in the prayer. I wonder if it would also give you strength (and peace) is times of crisis.

Don't give up!

Just Push

A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might...

So, this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sunup to sundown, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might!

Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole life had been spent in vain.
Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's weary mind. (He will do it every time!):

You have been pushing against that rock for a long time but it hasn't moved." Thus, the Adversary gave the man an impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.

The enemy of his soul said, "Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort, and that will be good enough."

That's what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.

"Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in Your Service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"

The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done.

Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed.

But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back shiny and brown; your core strength will not fail; your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard.

Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now far surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was: to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. That you have done. Now I, my friend, will move the rock.."

How many times, when we hear a word from God, do we use our own intellect to decipher what He wants? What God really wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him... This establishes a kind of handshake where we each contribute our own selves in the relationship. The success lies in the process of "listening with the intent to do the words heard. " All of the benefits sought from a benevolent God come from the simple process of harkening to the voice.

At times we may look at the experience of others to evaluate our own relationship with the Lord. Because this process of "hearing" is singular, the words that the Lord has spoken or not spoken to another are not relevant to out own relationship with Him. We may not judge the hearing of another person, or lack of it; nor may we judge the Lord for His "rewarding" of another in ways that we do not feel He has rewarded ourselves. Either of these judgments will cause the person who engages in them, to stumble. To recover a person must simply forgive; either the Lord or the other person. The other person is only responsible for the words he has heard. If that person is a little "hard of hearing" in a certain area, the "God of all wisdom" is certainly able to look after His own relationship with the person. At times we may tell the other person of "hurts" that the other person has inflicted upon us, as result of not observing the written code given generally to all non-specifically, we may not judge the person as the result of these hurts. We must simple forgive and endure the pain. Knowing that we also have inflicted similar pain upon others, causes us to be able to endure this pain patiently. This is one facet of the principle called Grace.

In summary,
By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God Who moves the mountains.

When everything seems to go wrong..............................Just P.U.S.H.

When the job gets you down.............................Just P.U.S.H.

When people don't do as you think they should..................Just P.U.S.H.

When your money is "gone" and the bills are due................Just P.U.S.H.

When people just don't understand you............................Just P.U.S.H.

P = Pray
U = Until
S = Something
H = Happens

Pass this on to all your loved ones and friends who may need it, they may get it just in time. "
Though no one can go back and make a **brand new start**,
anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."

Friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly. May God Bless You.

the big picture

In an any organization, like six men carrying a friend to the final destination, each person must carry their share. It doesn't have to be an equal share, only a fair share. Each who does not carry the fair share, leaves one of two options: 1, the load drops and the progress stops; 2, Some one else picks up the slack.

Building organizations is simply a process of building people. Like so many blocks on the side of the wall, the effort is enhanced if every block is in place. If the person administrating the operation wants growth, he may simply concentrate the effort on the growth of each person.
In a faith organization, the faith of each must grow.
In a business, the skill, knowledge , and understanding must grow. Knowledge would be specific or general. While understanding knows how to put the skill together with the knowledge. This is like found in Ex 35:30: knowledge, wisdom, understanding. As each person increases their efficiency, the overall efficiency and profit of the enterprise will similarly grow.
In a faith based organization, the skill is knowledge of the scriptures or doctrines. The wisdom is the overall knowledge of the goals mission, and vision as well as the specific (product) knowledge of the persons who are clients of the organization. The understanding includes the ability to discern the needs of the specific person, as well as the specific application of the scriptures and doctrine. When this grows the sense of identification of each member grows in tandem. Truthfully this sense of identity is the essence of Faith.

Faith implies faith in something or someone. So faith grows as this sense of identification seems more and more reliable within the person. Reliable implies trust, but "trust and verify" is a necessary process to build this kind of faith. Picture this:"Here a little and there a little." Doesn't grow overnight, but every day; here a little and there a little. Occasionally, almost by Providence there will be a "supercharge" of faith that seems to come from some internal understanding or revelation; That lifts the faith to a higher floor where the daily growth is more like stairs. I have learned not to covet the great boosts, as it has always preceded some similarly spectacular difficulty for which the "super-charge" was needed to simply maintain! So as enough are the today cares, so also "enough are the today graces!"

May God truly bless your today and may you have a special sense of His presence, especially as it is needed. I am personally in favor of you today, and if you have no one else believing in you, I still do. So be encouraged to try again if you stumble, and remember the formula to get back that which was lost,

Confess, repent, forget, try again!

Self CPR

Self CPR

Very interesting and important.

What are you to do if you have a heart attack While you are alone.

If you've already received this, It means people care about you. The Johnson City Medical Center staff actually Discovered this and did an in-depth study On it in our ICU.

The two individuals that discovered this then did An article on it, had it published and have had it incorporated into ACLS and CPR classes.

It is very true and has and does work.

It is called cough CPR. A cardiologist says it's the truth If everyone who gets this sends it to 10 people, You can bet that we'll save at least one life. It could save your life!

Let's say it's 6:15 p.m. And you're driving home (alone of course), after an usually hard day on the job. You're really tired, upset and frustrated. Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain In your chest that starts to radiate out Into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five miles from the hospital

Nearest your home. Unfortunately you don't know if you'll be Able to make it that far. What can you do? You've been trained in CPR But the guy that taught the course didn't tell You what to do if it happened to yourself.

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, this article seemed to be in order. Without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, Has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness. However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each Cough, and the cough must be deep And prolonged, as when producing sputum From deep inside the chest. A breath and a cough must be repeated About every two seconds without let up Until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again. Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and Keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital.

Tell as many other people as possible about this, it could save their lives! From Health Cares, Rochester General Hospital via Chapter 240s newsletter 'AND THE BEAT GOES ON ' (reprint from The Mended Hearts, Inc. Publication, Heart Response)

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The Law vs. Grace

The preamble

There seems to exist between the ground swell of Messianic believers a feeling! These new believers, who for the most part, keep the precepts and statutes of Torah as a way of life much better than the church at large have great trouble reconciling their new faith with the life style what they view as the catholic church universal. As "unsaved" Jews, they lived in more perfect obedience to the Law than what they see most believers to live. What is the meaning of this? Are they as individuals to become Goya in lifestyle in order to Accept this New Life. Common sense would say NO! Answer must be for the church to become more "Righteous in the daily life!"

Response to Romans 2:12-16

The law and grace,

the before and after.

The law and grace, the before and after. Two very different paradigm. The before always carries a load of guilt and shame, different for each but really similar for each; person to person. Each day, a day of judgment and by implication of failure, as the law was sent only to provide a target for living and by it's existence a d-facto contra part to the "agreement" between God and his people by which He provided the Blessings of Obedience. The if then conditional provided that all who "opted-in" would obtain the Blessing and those who did not did not qualify for the "if-then conditional." Deut 28:1-2 notes that all who "observed to do the law" would obtain the blessing. In a careful reading one is not required perfect obedience , but only perfect "listening with the intent of obeying." The significance of this is simply that it was not about the body obeying the Law, but about the heart condition and the process of observing to do. Provision was made for imperfect and incomplete obedience in the annual Day of Covering or Yom Kippur. This whole dynamic set up a day to day; even a minute to minute series of acts of self judgment.

Grace

The contrast of Grace sets up a similar series of periodic self judgments in the dynamic of the "if-then conditional;" the difference is that with the Grace we have a added feature that all incomplete performance was "forgiven-released," some two thousand years ago. This leaves a different atmosphere. The new one is one of success as opposed to failure. This new atmosphere provides great Freedom to live in a dimension of success that when observed by those under the old provision (The Law) might become jealous, desiring such freedom to live and walk in the law with out the weight of guilt, and the stumbling block this guilt becomes.

What to Do?

Trouble is: how many rally walk in this freedom. How many even consider that the precepts of the Law have not changed only the judgment for non-performance?

Conclusion

Just for today, I volunteer to walk in the Right way, to keep as much of the Torah as I can. Where I miss it, I now plead the merits obtained by the Blood Yeshua shed in the process of enduring the Cross and all that it Cost!

How to make an appeal

Numbers 14: 11-21         interceding
filling earth with the Glory of God
Percieve the problem
• 11 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be until they believe me, for all the signs which I have showed among them?
• 12 I will strike them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of you a greater nation and mightier than they.
  Your welfare
• 13 And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou brought up this people in thy might from among them;)
• 14 And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud stood over them, and that thou g before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.
  save face of person making petition to
• 15 Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of you will speak, saying,
  reputation
• 16 Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he swore unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.
• 17 And now, I beseech you, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,
  Answer my prayer because it will improve your interests
• 18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
  make the petition
• 19 Pardon, I beseech you, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy,
  pledge to remain faithful regardless of the decision
• and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
• 20 And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word:
• 21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.
• 22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;
• 23 Surely they shall not see the land which I swore unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
• 24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land wherein to he went; and his seed shall possess it.
• 25 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

Church Growth

I see the church today as a compendium of many different people with many different levels of knowledge and commitment. To visualize a spiral where the person just now introducing Himself to Jesus the savior, is on the last spot of the tail. What ever might be the worse problem of the life is simply removed. For about two years the new believer has a honeymoon where he is permitted to learn and grow in faith as fast as possible with almost no interference from the evil one (except that which is provided by other people in the person's world.) Then after the two years little problems challenge the new believers status quo. In general circumstances require additional growth and unselfishness. Some of these new- bees are interested in History, for them the history of the church steps from and center. Other people grow in grace and knowledge in other areas, like missions, evangelism, children's work, etc.

As knowledge and faith are gained,, the person gradually circles and progresses to the center of the spiral. For these a great step may be taken to shorten the critical path to the center. That step would include some bible classes, or curriculum concentrated to gain as much knowledge as possible. The person on the out side may not attend every week on the weekend service. The next level in would attend regularly, but maybe not take any additional leadership responsibility. The next level in would take this responsibility but not to the point of full time service. This progression begins actually not at the place where conscious knowledge of God affects habits and patterns of living. Instead it starts back where some one else began to share the gospel and some one else began to pray for their welfare.

The person at the center of the spiral some would call the origin would be the person with the greatest faith, the person who first had the idea to start a particular fellowship. Some times this person is a person of prayer, sometimes a person of action with the prayer person close by. As the numbers grow the level of faith/knowledge of this first few people limits the size of the over all fellowship. In order for the overall fellowship to grow, the person/s at the center must increase in love and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. When these persons take an additional step of faith it leaves a "place" for the next and each person can take a step forward in the place vacated by the one before. In this way the tail grows longer as each new person steps into the spiral to take their own place. 2Cor 10:12 suggests that we should not compare ourselves among ourselves, but the "substance of Faith" is measurable and can grow. Speaking of comparison, at times the person closer to the center resists the person further out in the spiral exceeding him in faith and love of the Lord. This picture is similar to the process by which people sit in the same seats or seats similar in location relative to the pulpit. Over time this seat gets the designation as "so and so's seat." Other people respect this location as each one has their own seat location as well. A new person must needs find a seat, but "woe to be " should he inadvertently claim "so and so's seat!" It is precisely this pressure that inhibits the "growth in the size of the fellowship."

"Love of the Lord:"

Love is an interesting word to define. Every one knows when they have it, or think that they do. Yet who can say if they have it or if the thing that they have is or is not the same as that held by another, especially if the other is the object of the first person's love. Suffice to say it is a strong and positive feeling of affinity a person might have for another person, place or thing. Love can grow over time and change the nature of it's emotion. A spiral of intensity and degree could also describe love as well. Starting with the first introduction to a person, a person would have "surprise." As a second experience or interaction takes place a progression of knowledge leads to recognition of the sort; "I have seen you before." Repeated exposure develops short term recall. Additional experiences and interactions over time develop a "long" term recall. At some point the person "moves the object of their love" to a deep place in their mind, heart, soul or being. At this location the object is desired on a subconscious level. This kind of love bubbles into the "dream life" to a place where their thoughts are automatic and out of conscious thought. The method in which each of these thresholds of love is transversely is by the tongue and the words of the mouth.

It is like the words, "I love you" have a double edged force. On the one hand they tell where the person is in the spiral; on the other hand they point a light to the next step in the progression. In this the words "I love you" some how tell the inner being, I need to develop more love for this person, place or thing! The emotions follow lead of the words and over time reinforce these words with attendant emotions that we typically call Love. In order to develop more Love of the Lord one must simply say "I love you Lord Jesus!" After a while this feeling will grow to substantiate the heard directives of the soul. Sadly it works the other way as well. If a person says that "My love is not as strong as it used to be," the feelings back off in intensity as well. This same process works between people. The simple effect of an "I love you," is to cause the "felt Love" to grow over time. Works the same with "I love your law!" It has the cleansing effect of causing the speaker to want to walk closer to the path "the Law" prescribes.

In a fellowship the increased "Love of the Lord" has a drawing quality, whereby it draws other pilgrims in the path of life into the spiral describing the fellowship. Jesus said "If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me." Most people have a "God shaped hole" they are forever trying to fill with everything that they come across. When they finally find God for which the hole was created in the first place, They are at peace. Seeing some one else who obviously found this wonderful object also gives hope that maybe some day they also might find this great joy!

I Love your Law Ps 119

In our strenuous aversion to "Legalism," this society seems to have "thrown the Baby out with the Bath water..." when it comes to Torah, the Law and the OT in general. Deut 28:1-2 outlines a more proper interpretation of the role of the law in our lives. "If you will hearken to the voice of the Lord your God..." Hearken simply means to listen to (with the intent of obeying.) The entire blessing of the OT (Jewish) believer was "merited simply by listening to the laws and ordinances." Incidentally these when taken as a whole today yield a more healthful stress free life. I am not advocating that a person attempt to earn the salvation of the Lord by keeping these "rules for life." I am however thinking that the basic principles are a very good idea or plan for successful living. In other words we don't keep the law in order to earn eternal life, but instead permit the Holy Spirit to "live out" the law that abides within our hearts. We approach keeping the law because we have that law written into our hearts. Because we walk in the fleshly body, no one keeps the whole law all the time. Simply living right, however takes us closer than we ever would get by not even considering the law. Also in between the Lines the Holy Spirit lives to give us the life that we need to fill our cup back up.

Prayer or Relationship???

Last night as i was having a little delay going to sleep, i decided to look up the Gatewaypeople.com web site. after a while I matriculated to the Freedom page. Glancing down the list of downloads, and ran across a one hour teaching by pastor Marcus. I love the sound of his voice so I listened to it for a while. He was teaching on healing and how our prayer life gives a silhouette of our view of God. Is God the magic slot machine in the sky? or Is he a friend who cares intimately for his friends (of which i consider my self one?) I believe that Pastor Marcus was presenting the idea that the money, health, job relationship, etc or what ever the presenting problem might be; was not the "REAL" focal point. The focal point is Kononia; that would be relationship. Relationship implies inter relating (in other words back and forth.) If God's part is to heal, set free, provide; well: what is the part of the other half? (that would be me!) (Don't remember what Marcus said next.) Must have dosed off or more likely daydreamed, but seems to me that the next thought would be to really Love God. From time to time, I have people who come to me with a scarcely transparent "what can I get out of you attitude;" I really have a time overlooking my own "flesh response," and was wondering how God felt at times like that between me and Him. Ha ha! His mercy endures for ever with all the times I have turned the beggar to him!

Bottom line is this: What is God saying to you in the frustration of this situation, and crisis of faith that it presents. When I get into a "Jam" of circumstances, I

"redouble my scripture reading, with an emphasis on increasing my faith."

I try to see if there is someone that I can help: good word of encouragement, practical help, or a coin.

In short I apply my self to the things that I know that my Father is interested in (James 1:27.) He has made some promises to certain types of persons, and I find that attending to those "promisees," hastens the relief that I need.

He Said not a word!

Matt 27:11-26

• 11 ¶ And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou said.
• 12 And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
• 13 Then said Pilate unto him, Hear thou not how many things they witness against thee?
• 14 And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marveled greatly.
• 15 Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.
• 16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barnabas.
• 17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barnabas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
• 18 For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.
• 19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.
• 20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barnabas, and destroy Jesus.
• 21 The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barnabas.
• 22 Pilate said unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.
• 23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.
• 24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
• 25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
• 26 ¶ Then released he Barnabas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus stood. So important to not run, not attack or not to retreat. Example of how to deal with the accuser of our lives. Paul described the spiritual armor as covering the front. None of the protection covers the back, so we must face the enemy in order to be safe. We overcome the accuser (Rev 12:11) by the word of our testimony, the blood of the Lamb, and that we love not our lives to the death. Revelation also indicates that the accuser is the Devil, and we infer that any who accuse us are inspired by the same. Jesus' testimony was who he was, in answer to the question,"Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus simply said, "You said it!" This is both a statement of Identity, and a challenge to Pilate, "Who do you day that I am?" If Pilate had replied "you are Lord," He would have made a confession unto salvation. When we identify ourselves in righteousness as being "in Jesus," The accuser has no hold on out hearts. The word of our testimony is that We are "in him," and his righteousness is ours. This removes the power of guilt from the accuser. It defang's the snake! We notice that the goal of the accuser is to impute guilt, for it is this guilt that controls our actions, attitudes and lives. Seems that the control itself is the principle thing.

The adroit manner in which Jesus shifts his response from person to person is so captivation to me. Responding to a sincere inquiry with a truthful if not confronting question from Pilate, Jesus answered the question with a question. But with the lawyers trying to trap him or at least indulge in a "tar-baby" fight; Jesus said nothing. Ignoring the emotion and vergence in the hearts of the priests and members of the Sanhedrian, Pilate inspects the face of the charges. Hoping that he might be able to determine innocence in the charges, thereby releasing Jesus from the mob, Pilate inquires of Jesus. With no answer this is like no court subject he has ever observed. How could someone be so comfortable within himself in the face this abuse, that he did not answer a single charge. So Pilate attempts a different angle. Let Jesus be the one released this year for the pardon and parole process. This would be a passover gift to the people from the governor. The crowd would have none of this, instead called for a notable "son of the Chief Priest of the Sanhedrian. " This "son of a preacher man" instead of following the example of the father, he "went bad." History reports that he personally murdered several in the course of attempting to rebel from the Roman rule. A zealot and leader of zealots his release would become an affront to the Roman government that Pilate represented.

It would have been enough!

Matthew 27:33-56
• 33 ¶ And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
• 34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted of it, he would not drink.
• 35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
• 36 And sitting down they watched him there;
• 37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
• 38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
• 39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
• 40 And saying, You that destroys the temple, and rebuilds it in three days, save thyself. If you be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
• 41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
• 42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
• 43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
• 44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
• 45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
• 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
• 47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calls for Elijah.
• 48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
• 49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.
• 50 ¶ Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up The Spirit.
• 51 And, at the same time , the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
• 52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
• 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
• 54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
• 55 And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:
• 56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.

Reading this passage over and over, the phrase "it would have been enough!" jumps out at me! The passover story that every Jewish child recites once a year on this same night that Jesus is enduring the most horrific and und just death in recorded history has a section that repeats this refrain, "It would have been enough!" It is a 'sing song' emphasis of the depth of thankfulness each person feels at the reception of the gift of the passover. It starts with a simple statement "If only God had delivered us out of the hand of the Egyptians (the world,) It would have been enough!" But no, He also passed judgement up on the cruel torturers. Then once again, "if he had only passed justice on those who were so cruel, it would have been enough;" but no He also destroyed the idols that were central to their torture. Then again, "if He had only destroyed the idols, it would have been enough;" but no He smite their first born! If only He had smitten the first born, it would have been enough;" but no he sent them out with the wealth of Egypt. Then again "if only he had rewarded the children of Israel with the wealth of Egypt, it would have been enough; but no he also sent them out on dry land!

This sequence continues sometimes with up to fifteen additional reasons to be thankful for the great grace of Passover and all that it represents in each individual life. The parallel is the same with our Passover Lamb; Jesus the Righteous! It would have been enough that the sinless one died in my place, but no, he was scourged with 40 lashes less one! This earned in addition to our eternal salvation, complete healing of all the diseases listed in Deuteronomy 28; the result of man's disobedience to the laws and ordinances listed previously in the Law. It would have been enough that by his stripes we are healed; but he also was sold for the price of a common slave, that we might be free to serve God in spirit and truth. It would enough that we experience freedom because of His death on the cross, the hill that He was slain upon covered the secret crypt that hid the same "mercy seat" from the original temple; so that the blood mixed with the rain water and washed down the crevices of that hill washing upon the mercy seat so that the complete requirement of sprinkling of the blood on the mercy seat was fulfilled for the final "Passover!" Incidentally the annual sacrifice of animals were no longer needed and after approximally seventy years ceased to be made. In addition to these every single prophesy ascribed to the Messiah of Israel and every last detail of the "types and shadows" was fulfilled in the Passion story!

Thinking of this striking parallel of the Passover celebration that is celebrated to this time between the Dayanu of 4000 years ago and the passion of 2000 years ago and the re-enactment of the holiday in 2012 brings tears to my eyes and heart, to think that in so may details Jesus completely fulfilled the propitiation (Rom 3:25' IJohn 2:2) of every sin that could ever be committed against the righteousness of God! In no way did he "come up short in this sequence of time." How great is the salvation He has purchased for us.