Events | Did Jesus have a Facebook Page?

People who surrounded Jesus before, during and after his death came from all facets of life.

Photo by Randy Harrison
http://www.pbase.com/jrandyh

The roles played were important. Some having direct influence on his death, others played distant occupiers of the day. Then of course were his immediate family and closest friends.

As the Bible teaches us about each one, there are many questions. As time passes and as we grow, we become different characters just as some of these did. God gave us the stories of each one to help us relate in our everyday sufferings and victories.

From John the Baptist, the forerunner to Christ, to Mary and Joseph who were his earthly parents.

Peter-The Backstabbing Rock

Mary Magdalene The Sinful Saint

Judas Iscariot-Officer of Betrayal

Pontius Pilate-Author of the Crucifixion

Roman Soldiers-Casting Lots

The Two Thieves-The Least of the Least

The Tomb Guards-The Binding Liars

Joseph of Arimathea-The Sanhedrin Disciple

Thomas-The Doubtful Believer

The Disciples-The Transformed Twelve

Peter wept bitterly after the 3^rd rooster crowed.

Mary Magdalene became a “celebrated disciple” and the first to see Jesus after he arose.

We all know what happened to Judas Iscariot.

Pontius Pilate washed his hands of his blood.

The Roman soldiers wanted his robe.

The two thieves were considered useless in society.

The Tomb guards witnessed one of the greatest miracles recorded and yet denied it to save themselves from death.

Joseph of Arimathea was an honorable counselor who disagreed with the crucifixion of Jesus.

Thomas simply didn’t believe the whole Jesus theory.

The Disciples were ordinary men who God used to become extraordinary.

How did those who didn’t believe react later if and when they discovered the truth of what they had done?

How did they live with themselves?

Did they wake up and look in the proverbial mirror every morning and go about their lives as normal?

Or were they stricken with grief over their sin and iniquities so much so their lives were beaten down with guilt?

Were they chosen by God to play those evil roles of sending the Savior of the world to his death?

To be truthful I see myself in most of their characters. Unfortunately I am Peter who denied him; Thomas who doubted him and Mary Magdalene who was filled with evil.

I see myself questioning his guilt or innocence as Pontius Pilate did.

Maybe I wasn’t like the Roman soldiers who wanted his robe; but maybe I would have. After all, in a way Jesus had become a celebrity.

I can see myself in Joseph of Arimethea who had compassion and wanted to give him a burial tomb especially since I didn’t try to stop his crucifixion in the first place.

But more than any I see myself as Judas.

Years ago I would have sold Jesus out for a few coins. I would have crept behind the ideals he taught and gone behind his back with a desire to bring him down.

I would have buried my conscience to deny his truth to save my reputation from being linked with one who declared himself the Son of God.

The story is too unbelievable; too reckless in the sense of guarding one’s honor and prominence.

The story is too bizarre for one who never heard it before to grasp it outright.

Jesus’ life, death and resurrection cannot be mirrored by any movie or tale of mystery.

Yet, it is what it is.

A truth to behold; a fact of history and a relationship given to mankind in a scene of horror that leads to love.

Unraveling the characters that may have been born to play these memorable parts is a definition of who we are. They were people like us only marked for their transgressions for the whole world to see.

We may never know how Judas Iscariot may have lived his life had he not taken it.

I took my end of my rope to the cross and left it there.

As far as I know it is still lying on the ground beneath the feet of Jesus.

And that is where it belongs.

Photo by Randy Harrison
http://www.pbase.com/jrandyh

http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/2012/08/07/alway-doesnt-mean-if-things-are-going-good/

http://goldenbible.wordpress.com/2012/08/06/faith-2/

http://samuelatgilgal.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/facts-are-stubborn-things/

The Bible is the spirit filled word of God. Some of the stories would make Hollywood blush.

A key ingredient is the characters; many of whom were a lot like you and me.

The following are a few movie titles to go with some of the most notorious.

Adam and Eve: Hello Mother, Hello Father…

Cain and Abel: A Tale of two Brothers

Noah: How to Build a Ship

Moses: Fire Starter

Joseph: The Ultimate Betrayal

Solomon: A Man for all Seasons

David: The King’s Dilemma

Esther: The Favored Queen

John the Baptist: The Itinerant Preacher

Paul: The Menaced Missionary

Mother Mary: Ordinary Life: Extraordinary Woman

The sins range from betrayal to deception, murder and polygamy. Yet, this crowd of chosen ones of God had some important connections.

The inspiration of God was their livelihood, their driving force for good, the reason they were born. In the midst of a burning bush, pre-meditated death and the beheading of the forerunner to Christ, God was there. God showed up. God was in control.

Life for these elect was the fulfillment of Biblical history; preserving the lineage of Christ.

It just doesn’t get any better than that. No Hollywood movie could write a script comparable to the flood of all centuries or the richest and wisest man who ever lived.

My perception of these Biblical Kings, Queens and ship builder were set as examples for us.

Photo by Randy Harrison
http://www.pbase.com/jrandyh

Hard as that is to grasp, I find myself in many of their travels, dreams or a lover of all 2 and 4 legged creatures.

I can see myself on the ark with all those animals. Wonder if Noah had any Lysol?

Moses has always intrigued me. I relate to him as he told God he would not be a good deliverer. No desire here to deliver anything or anyone, but understand his position of
“Not me Lord, pick someone else.”

Esther was wise. Handpicked by God to become Queen to save the Jewish people, she still felt uneasy about her purpose. Who wouldn’t? Women were not respected. Sound familiar?

God instructed Joseph as a young man in a dream that one day his brothers would bow down to him. That went over well. Joseph knew God’s plan but did he know the suffering he would endure before it came to pass?

Joseph suffered heartbreaking betrayal at the hands of many who simply misunderstood him. He was sold, became a slave prisoner, was accused of adultery and subjected to vile and wicked treatment.

He never gave up. He stood with God and his promise for him. Ultimately his loyalty paid off placing him in the position of the 2^nd most powerful man in Egypt.

God saw the whole picture. Joseph was the key to saving the lineage of Abraham.

Deuteronomy 28:9, 10 “The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. ¹⁰Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you.”

The lesson learned here is to wait on God to teach us how to conquer.

The force of intimidation is widespread today. These men and women of God learned over time demoralizing a bully requires only a slingshot.

God’s plan doesn’t change. As we walk with him, the coercion of those who desire to thwart our journey is stopped dead in their tracks. The appeal we display is a mighty contending warrior for Christ even in silence.

The badgered hounds of society are no match for the Holy Spirit. The Bible says,

Luke 21:15 “For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.”

In other words, your Philistines won’t know what really hit them.