Life was a Rollercoaster Back Then Too!
The disciples were ‘UP’ on Palm Sunday when Jesus made his triumphant return to Jerusalem. They thought he was going to be the King of the Kingdom on Earth. They were wrong and were ‘DOWN’ when he was crucified and died on Good Friday.
Surely Judas was a disciple, one of the twelve called by Jesus, destined to be an Apostle and a Saint like the others. This was not the case. He betrayed Jesus, then repented and took his own life.
Surely the crowd would call for the release of Jesus, a just man, and not the release of Barabbas, a notorious prisoner. They did not.
Surely God would save Jesus from the humiliation, pain and suffering of the crucifixion but He did not.
Haven’t all our lives been a rollercoaster to some degree? Up and down and all over the place! Our relationships too! Sometimes jumping the track yet never fully crashing, somehow, some way, we seem to always get back on track. At least until the next peak, downfall and turn in the road. That’s life—unpredictable, unyielding and certainly uncontrollable although we try to perfect it, control it and live it to the fullest while we have the opportunity.
Our spiritual journey in life straightens the track, smooths out the ups and downs to a gradual incline to heaven, our eventual destination. For me this spiritual journey has been guided by TROML the last sixteen and one half years of my life. All the personal investigation, development and celebration has culminated in my Splendid Spiritual Self (SSS). A place within me where I can go and be fortified through God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit and come with faith and strength to others and the world from the inside-out.
We can’t dwell on the past or what might have been. We have to celebrate our past, extract the inspiration of the experience, forgive ourselves and others, if and when needed, for real or imagined missteps and move on in life.
We do this best by moving on with Jesus Christ in our hearts. Jesus frees us from fears, resentments, untruths, and most importantly from our self, our ego and our pride. We come out of denial, justifications, and rationalizations to find our True Self and Trusting Ego. We become childlike in our love affair with Christ and receive His love and the love of others in a different, more meaningful way. We find peace, joy and freedom to live our lives uniquely as ourselves.
The passion is the passion. Jesus’ resurrection is true, a historical fact, living in our hearts as He lives in us and we live in Him.
Do not be afraid!
Matthew, the tax collector was afraid at times. So too are we but not overwhelmingly so.
Matthew converted and changed his life and that of his descendants forever.
So too can we.
These were the last two chapters of The Gospel of Saint Matthew. Apostle Matthew wrote his Gospel to prove to his readers that Christ was the Messiah foretold by God in the Old Testament. There are several references to prophets of the Old Testament and how their revelations became reality in Jesus’ time. Such as that what was spoken through Jeremias the prophet was fulfilled. “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him who was priced, upon whom the children of Israel set a price; and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”
Can you become a prophet of your own life?
Can you foresee and foretell your own future?
I believe that if you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and become intimate with His word that your destiny will be divine for the rest of your life here on earth and more than divine in the afterlife in heaven.
Be consummated with Jesus and His last words in Matthew’s Gospel:
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold, I am with you all days, even into the consummation of the world.”
Peace, joy and freedom to you!
Day 30: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; Life was a Rollercoaster Back Then Too!
Read and inspired by the New Testament, The Gospel of Saint Matthew Chapters 27-28.
Bible Notes:
The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew
Saint Matthew, also known as Levi, was a Galilean by birth.
Tax Collector at Capharnaum
Christ called him to become a disciple, and later an Apostle
After the Holy Ghost came down on the Apostles on Pentecost, Matthew preached the Gospel in Judea.
He wrote his Gospel to prove to his readers that Christ was the Messiah foretold by God in the Old Testament
Matthew Chapter 27: Jesus led to Pilate; The end of Judas; The thirty pieces of silver; Jesus before Pilate; Crowd chooses Barabbas; Pilate washes his hands; The scourging and crowning; The way of the cross; The crucifixion; The two thieves; The death of Jesus; The effects of the passion; The burial; Precautions of the chief priests.
Took counsel together against Jesus in order to put him to death.
Delivered him to Pontius Pilate
Judas repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it thyself.” Withdrew and went away and hanged himself with a halter.
Then what was spoken through Jeremias the prophet was fulfilled. “and they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him who was priced, upon whom the children of Israel set a price; and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”
Art thou the King of the Jews?
“Thou sayest it.”
So that the procurator wondered exceedingly.
Whom do you wish that I release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?
For he knew that they had delivered hi up out of envy.
Have nothing to do with that just man, for I have suffered many things in a dream today because of him.
Which of the two do you wish that I release to you?
Barabbas
What then am I to do with Jesus who is called Christ?
Let Him be crucified.
Why, what evil has he done?
Let Him be crucified!
I am innocent of the blood of this just man; see to it yourselves.
His blood be on us and on our children.
Then he released to them Barabbas; but Jesus he scourged and delivered to them to be crucified.
Scourged—to whip with a scourge; lash; to punish, chastise, or criticize severely.
Scourge—a whip or lash, especially for the infliction of punishment or torture.
The way of the cross.
Now as they went out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon; him they forced to take up the cross. And they came to the place called Golgotha, that is, the Place of the Skull.
To fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, “They divided my garments among them, and upon my vesture they cast lots.”
This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on His right hand and one on his left.
Thou destroyed the temple, and in three days buildest it up again, save thyself! If thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross!
He saved others, himself he cannot save!
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
“Eli, Eli, lema sabactthani,” that is, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
But Jesus again cried out with a loud voice, and gave up his spirit.
Many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep arose
Truly He was the Son of God
Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
There came a certain rich man of Arimathea, Joseph by name, who was himself a disciple of Jesus.
And laid it in his new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock
Sepulchre—a tomb, grave, or burial place; a structure or a recess in some old churches in which the Eucharist was deposited with due ceremonies on Good Friday and taken out at Easter in commemoration of Christ’s entombment and Resurrection.
Sir, remember how that deceiver said… and the last imposture will be worse than the first.
So they went and made the sepulcher secure, sealing the stone, and setting the guard.
Matthew Chapter 28: The woman at the grave; The guards and the chief priests. Commission of the Apostles.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
An angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and drawing back the stone, and sat on it.
“Do not be afraid; He has risen; go quickly, tell His disciples; He goes before you into Galilee; there you shall see Him.”
“Hail, Do not be afraid; go, take word to my brethren that they are to set out for Galilee; there they shall see me.”
But the eleven disciples went into Galilee and when they saw Him they worshipped Him.
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and behold, I am with you all days, even into the consummation of the world.”
Consummation—the act of consummating; completion; the state of being consummated; perfection; fulfillment.
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