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Jesus Leading Toward Gethsemane
PAUSE — for a moment — & look out over the Kidron Valley as the Disciples would have done when Jesus led them from the Holy of Holies in an upper room in Jerusalem to their quiet gathering place at Gethsemane.

.. he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron…

Toward Gethsemane

When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples.
John 18:1 KJV

Toward Gethsemane

In the previous few chapters John sums up for us what Jesus had done which leads right up to this moment and will bring us to the Cross.

Now — after just three years of teaching, ministry and miracles — our timeline of witness of the Son of Man compresses into just hours and occasionally into excruciating detail of the last minutes of our Lord’s mortal life.

Let us tarry here for just a while in just this first verse of John 18; for we often view the events leading up to the crucifixion of Christ Jesus much too quickly.

First, in context of John 13-17

It all took place in one day (if you think of in contemporary terms).

From their last time entering Jerusalem with Jesus to returning to it now in the darkness of the same night, John and the ten faithful will follow in fear. These faithful Disciples will now be separated from the prisoner of sin’s Sacrifice, Jesus, who was betrayed by one of their own. Soon the Disciples will into the accusers court of consequence and rejection by the world.

Earlier this evening…
The Lord’s Supper
John 13: Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God…

Jesus washes the Disciples feet
The Disciples conversation leads Peter to ask John to ask Jesus for more information about which one will betray our Lord
Judas leaves to betray Jesus

Jesus gives disciples a new commandment!

.. that you also love one another.

The Lord promises the Holy Spirit to disciples who will love Him
Jesus uses the vine and the branches to connect Father, Son and Holy Spirit to disciples of the Lord Jesus.
Jesus again tells of His death and resurrection

ALL THIS — on the night on which He was betrayed and prior to leaving the upper room in Jerusalem with His friends.

And in addition to this, after Jesus had taken the cup and the bread, sharing a new covenant with the Disciples, our Lord intervenes as a Perfect High Priest for us in prayer.

Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come…
I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.
John 17: excerpt from Jesus’ High Priestly prayer

“I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word..
John 17:20 NASB

24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they will see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the world’s foundation.
Jesus will later reveal to John and the church much more about this mysterious glory He has willed to those God loved before creation and forever.

From Blessing to the place of Personal Prayer

Jesus, followed by just eleven Apostles

— Jesus, who humbly washed their feet — Jesus, who shared the cup and bread of the new covenant with them

— Jesus, who brought them into the Holy of Holies

— this same Christ,

their beloved friend and Master,

emerging from a Last Supper now completed opens the door and descends some stairs followed by His Disciples.

Jesus then leads them past Jerusalem’s guarded gates, exiting down a path into the Kidron Valley toward a familiar garden where they could gather one last time — a garden known as Gethsemane.

After Jesus had said these things, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.
John 18:1 CSB
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To be continued...
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September 5, 2020
In case you missed it, disciple
Disciples receive a New Command

John witnessed previously a NEW COMMANDMENT of Jesus, who also said:

You are My friends if you do what I command you.
John 15:14

The setting was the table of Communion of the ‘last supper,’ our picture of the scene most likely too Italian and not accurately set in first century Jerusalem. So for a moment let’s take a closer first century look at Jesus with His Disciples. But first, let’s define discipleship.

Who is a disciple anyway?

אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהֹוִ֗ה נָ֤תַן לִי֙ לְשֹׁ֣ון לִמּוּדִ֔ים לָדַ֛עַת לָע֥וּת אֶת־יָעֵ֖ף דָּבָ֑ר יָעִ֣יר בַּבֹּ֣קֶר בַּבֹּ֗קֶר יָעִ֥יר לִי֙ אֹ֔זֶן לִשְׁמֹ֖עַ כַּלִּמּוּדִֽים׃
Isaiah 50:4 Masoretic Text

Isaiah 50:

The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples,
That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
5 The Lord God has opened My ear;
And I was not disobedient
Nor did I turn back.

Isaiah here refers to himself as a disciple of ‘Adonay Yĕhovah.

‘disciples’ – לִמּוּד – “taught, learned, discipled, from לָמַד – lä·mad’ – to learn. teach, exercise in

That is to learn and exercise the teaching of the Lord God as in:

Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I am speaking today in your hearing, that you may learn H3925 them and observe them carefully.
Deuteronomy 5:1 – Strong’s H3925 – לָמַד

Has the Lord God given you ‘the tongue of disciples’ ‘to sustain the weary one?’

And are your beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord not weary ones in need of encouragement in the Word?

Even Jesus’ example of obedience to our Father God can be seen in this same prophecy of Isaiah.

Prophecy of the Suffering Servant

6 I will offer my back to those who whip me
and my cheeks to those who pluck hairs out of my beard.

I will not turn my face away from those who humiliate me
and spit on me.

Who accuses me?
Let him confront me!

9 The Almighty Lord helps me.
Who will find me guilty?

11 But all of you light fires
and arm yourselves with flaming torches.
So walk in your own light
and among the torches you have lit.

“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
Who seek the Lord:
Isaiah 51:1a NASB

“It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.
The words of Jesus – John 6:45

Who is Jesus’ disciple?

Of course we correctly speak of Jesus’ twelve “Apostles” or “Disciples” (with a capital ‘D’), even appropriately adding Matthias who replaced Judas and Paul, the “Apostle to the gentiles” (though he was a Jew among jews in all his jewish learning).

These were all chosen by our Lord as an intimate inner circle of teachers to be sent into the world with the Gospel (except His betrayer, Judas Iscariot).

Again, it comes down to a definition.

μαθητής – ‘disciple‘
- a learner, pupil, disciple
The Greek, Hebrew and other concepts imply that a disciple is a student and follower of a teacher. The ONE teacher IS JESUS, Son of God, Son of Man, a Personal Teacher to His disciples.

This, of course, includes the Twelve, includes Paul and also includes the many diciples who witnessed Jesus in the flesh (both before and after His resurrection of the Body).

Those who call Him Master and Lord AND obey the Very Word of God.

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
John 8:31-32 NASB

Jesus is speaking to all the disciples following Him (just like now), however His lesson and command speak only to those who truly believe and obey our Master and Lord, the Teacher Who IS the Word.

Disciples include those who continue to believe Jesus as our Lord, our Master and Teacher, those pupils schooled by the Living God.

Therefore, Jesus’ disciples include any of all generations of faith who belong to Him, those who obey our Lord and Savior.

The saints (small ‘s’) of the Church belong to Christ and therefore must obey the Lord’s command – including a new command to the church:
a new commandment from our Teacher and Lord that we LOVE ONE ANOTHER as Jesus has loved us.

And to emphasis the importance of this relationship of pupils our Teacher Jesus adds His reason for giving us a new commandment:

Why does Jesus give his disciples a NEW COMMANDMENT so specific to His Own love?
So that we also love each other.
Roger Harned – talkofJesus.com – on John 13:34

To be continued, Lord-willing... What Jesus' New Commandment means to the church.
April 25, 2020
12 Men Texting as their Messiah approaches – Part 1
If you could TEXT 12 men or women about Jesus Christ, would you? Do you SHARE the Good News of JESUS with a ‘christian’ friend or 12 men you know or dozens of men and women who have questions about the Gospel?

Worship of the Son of God!

You likely know the narratives of 21st century holidays such as Palm Sunday, Easter or even Passover [Pesach – פסח (in Hebrew)] all too well – perhaps too well to worship the Lord God in the context of a first century Jerusalem.

A dear Jewish friend of ours, one of many since my wife is a Messianic Jew, commented just last week on the troubling events of these last days. He said something to the effect that it looks like it could be getting close to the time of the return of the Messiah.

Perhaps our Jewish friend is right. Indeed, if you examine the context of the first coming of the Messiah Jesus you will see promise after His bodily resurrection of a return once more.

Yet I ask you to consider in my agreement with our Jewish friend (a social jew just like many “christians” have become social christians) a deeper look into Scripture – Jewish Scripture. What you read here I offer based on what Christians call, the “Old Testament” or the ‘former Covenant.’

The Former Covenant – בְּרִית

How many Christians OR Jews truly value the solemn witness of Covenant with the LORD our God?

Sadly, too few — and the LORD in these last days seems all-but forgotten in the hearts and lives of those ‘religious’ who claim covenant with the Lord our God. I trust that by your own study of my exposition of prophecy of the Messiah and especially all other Scripture (yes, christian, including the Old Covenant) you seek cleansing and redemption for your sins.

Although ancient writings of the Talmud & Mishna, (in various translations), the Apocrypha (with 14 books Jewish in origin) and other extra-Biblical teaching may be enlightening, these do not stand up to Scripture alone, the inspired word of the Lord God.

We might easily veer off course, sidetracked from the Lord’s application of Scripture in our own lives by even unintentional misdirection and misinterpretation by teachers of the past.

In this brief look of connection between the Old Covenant and New we will look back to two brief passages from three chapters of Daniel.

The New Covenant

Our purpose here is focused only on the Sacrifice of the Son of Man – the Messiah of Israel – and not specifically the broken covenant compared to a new and better covenant. If the Spirit of the Lord draws you to further study the following translations of the book of Hebrews may help.

Hebrews 9:
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Please note that you may LISTEN to three of these translations as well as READ it in Hebrew.
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Daniel 9:

… I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

24 …
- to finish the transgression,
- to make an end of sin,
- to make atonement for iniquity,
- to bring in everlasting righteousness,
- to seal up vision and prophecy
- and to anoint the most holy place.
What mere mortal, what man even a priest of the Lord can do this with permanence?

Only the Son of Man, the Holy One of Israel – the One Messiah Jesus!

25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince…

You with ears to hear, understand: Jerusalem does not surpass the Messiah the Prince of God our Father in importance. For by His Sacrifice worship of the LORD is sanctified and perfected in Jesus the Son of Man and Only Son of God.

… It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat,
but in difficult times.
26 After those sixty-two weeks
the Anointed One will be cut off
and will have nothing.
The people of the coming ruler
will destroy the city and the sanctuary…

Daniel 10: Vision of a Glorious One

Better-learned men than me have studied Daniel’s vision of the Messiah and understood more, but even the Prophet Daniel confessed that he did not understand its full meaning.

I will add one additional look at Daniel after deferring to Sir Isaac Newton.

On the Bible:

“I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by men who were inspired. I study the Bible daily.”

On atheism:
“Atheism is so senseless.

When I look at the solar system. I see the earth at the right distance from the sun to receive the proper amounts of heat and light. This did not happen by chance.”
TEXT COMMENTARIES :: SIR ISAAC NEWTON – BluedLetterBible.org

If you count in Judaic years commencing in autumn, and date the reckoning from the first autumn after Ezra’s coming to Jerusalem, when he put the King’s decree in execution; the death of Christ will fall on the year of the Julian Period 4747, Anno Domini 34; and the weeks will be Judaic weeks, ending with sabbatical years; and this I take to be the truth…

Daniel 12:

Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
Daniel 12:2 NASB

7 Then I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the water of the river. He raised both his hands toward heaven and swore by him who lives eternally that it would be for a time, times, and half a time.

When the power of the holy people is shattered, all these things will be completed.

8 I heard but did not understand…

Whether texting 12 men and women OR simply sharing the Gospel in person you can bet that THEY do not understand either. Why not start your Christian Social Witness here?

Comment on Scripture – Share the Gospel
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To be continued...
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April 2, 2020