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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Monday, November 5, 2018
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Subjecta:Jesus Questioned by Annas; Peter Denies Him Twice More Bible Verse:John 18:19-27 "The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed. " Message:
The gospel here calls Annas the “high priest”, but he was not the High Priest; Caiaphas (Annas’s son-in-law) was the religious ruler, the top man in the hierarchical structure of Judaism back then. But Annas clearly retained a lot of power, enough to sit as the inquisitor of an uppity heretic; his family held the High Priest position for decades, a sort of family hereditary power network.
Jesus adopts the same attitude as He has with lower Pharisees. He refused to defend Himself, except obliquely. Nor did He admit wrongdoing. He simply tells Annas that He has always spoken openly. “If you have evidence against me, present it; if you don’t, why am I even here,” He seems to be saying.
Annas, however, is a sort of religious aristocrat; to be hauled before him on charges of heresy would be akin to being brought before the Archbishop of Canterbury in 14th Century England. So when Jesus will not answer his questions directly, a guard deals out a taste of physical punishment. He is told, basically, “if the high priest wants you to testify against yourself, co-operate.”
Jesus the Prince of Peace
But Christ is unbowed. He will not speak deferentially and will not accept punishment for the tone he takes with Annas. Instead, he insists they judge him on his words. If he has spoken evil, they can bear witness of it; that is, they can use what he has said to convict him. But he has not said anything that would convict him; even the venal Pontius Pilate will point out His innocence. So, he asks simply to know why he has been struck by a court officer, when he has said nothing against the law.
The last part of the lesson is the end of the famous lesson about Peter denying Christ. Christ has told Peter that he will deny him three times before the cock crows. When Peter denies that he is one of Christ’s disciples, the third time he has done so, he hears a rooster crow.
Peter had a lesson to learn. And we can say that he learned it, as he was ultimately to give his own life for preaching Christian doctrine. But his experience gives us a lesson today. If we feel we have failed in our obligation to spread Christ’s truth, or have acted in a way inconsistent with our true beliefs, it is never too late to change. The Holy Spirit will work within us, to give us the courage we need.
Meditation : Prayer : Holy God, I pray to be filled with your Holy Spirit for the rest of this day. Let me go forth, walking with your Spirit in my heart, that I may be filled with the joy and energy and praise for your entire creation, thankful in the many gifts you have given me, and showing forth your light in my every word and deed. This I pray in Christ’s name,....Amen |
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