2020 Women in the Word

Passion Week's Timeline - Psalm Sunday to Easter

8:00 AM


 I am always looking for new ways in which to bring the events of Passion Week to life in order to gain a greater sense of all Jesus went through that week for us. This year I've come up with a time line of the events of the last week in the life of Jesus on earth and plan to read each days events throughout the week. 

If you would like to join me, I've enclosed the timeline below that list each event written about in each of the gospels so that you can follow the story line as it happened throughout Jesus' final week on earth. I pray you'll take the next week to read it as if you were there experiencing it all firsthand. 

Holy week's Timeline 


SUNDAY: Jesus' Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem
Matthew 21:1
Mark 11:1
Luke 19:29
John 12:12

MONDAY: Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem / Cleanses the temple for the second time in His ministry / Curses Fig Tree
Matthew 21:12
Mark 11:22
Luke 19:45

TUESDAY: Finds Fig Tree has Withered / Confounds and pronounces woes upon His enemies /  Olivet Discourse on way back to Bethany / Judas bargains with Sanhedrin to betray Jesus
Matthew 21:20
Mark 11:20
Luke 20:36
John 12:20

WEDNESDAY: Silence. Preparations for the Passover being made / Remains in Bethany throughout the day and night.

THURSDAY: Washing of the Disciples Feet / The Last Supper / Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane / Jesus Arrested
Matthew  26:1
Mark 14:1
Luke 22:1

FRIDAY: The Trials of Jesus / Scourging / Crucifixion 
Matthew 26:1
Mark 14:53
Luke 22:54
John18:13

SATURDAY: The Request made by Jesus' Followers
Matthew 27:26

SUNDAY: Jesus' Resurrection
Matthew 27:26
Mark 16:1
Luke 24:1
John 20:1

Blessings, 

sue

Jesus' prayer

Jesus Prays {John 17}

9:30 AM

Today's Scripture Passage: John 17

“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” — ‭‭John‬ ‭17:1–3‬ ‭‬‬
 Do you remember hearing the story of Moses turning to check on a burning bush that was on fire, yet was not being consumed? The moment Moses turns and begins to walk towards the bush, God calls out to him and as soon as Moses answers, God says,“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." ( Exodus 3:5). I get a sense this is our "holy ground' moment of the New Testament. 

 We've often read about Jesus slipping away to go off and pray to His Father, we've seen Jesus pray short public prayers at times in the Scriptures, but here in chapter 17, we are given our first glimpse of a private moment between God the Father and God the Son. 

 It's as though we've been given a front row seat to a precious moment between Father and Son just before Jesus is arrested, tried and crucified. 

 Every time I come to chapter 17, I feel as though I need to treat this chapter with great reverence and respect. Jesus and our Father are about to go through the most horrific moments on behalf of each of us. They've anticipated this time since Adam and Eve were found in the garden. What was the greatest things on Jesus' mind at this moment? 

 There is so much here in this chapter that I truly believe we could meditate on for at least a week and still find more we've overlooked, but for today, I'd like to leave you with a quick overview of seven things Jesus asks for from His Father before His final hours in this world, for I believe this is incredibly telling of who and what weigh heavy on Him just then.  

The Seven Requests Found in Jesus' Prayer:

1.) Jesus wants us to be one. 

"I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. (17:11)

2.) Jesus desires for us to be filled with joy!

“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them." (17:13)

3.) Jesus asks that we remain in this world and not be taken out of it.

 "I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world." (17:14-15a)

4.) Jesus asks that we be protected from the evil one.

 "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." (17:15)

5.) Jesus asks that we would be sanctified (set apart) in the Truth. 

 "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth."  (17:19)

6.) Jesus wants us to be with Him. 

 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world." (17:24)

7.) Jesus desires for His love and His Spirit to reside inside each of us. 

 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.  I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” (17:25-26)
Does it humble you to realize that in His final moments alone with His Father, knowing that He was about to face such incredible suffering, you were on His mind? So much so that He feels it's imperative at this moment to ask these things of the Father for you?

When I think of all this I I think of Paul's words here in Romans 11, 
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!“For who has known the mind of the Lord,    or who has been His counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to Him    that he might be repaid?”For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. (Rm 11:33-36)

Blessings!


sue 

Jesus Christ's Presence

He Prayed for You {John 17}

12:00 AM

Scripture Reading: John 17

I was once sitting in church listening to a preacher go on and on about all those who had come before me; my grandparents, parents and so on who had prayed for me, when I suddenly realized I couldn’t confirm or deny if anyone up until that day had ever prayed for me before then. Imagine that! And then the Lord reminded me that He had long before I was ever born. All the way back in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus was praying for you and me.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent Me.  I have given them the glory that you gave Me, that they may be one as we are one—  I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.
“Father, I want those you have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved me before the creation of the world” John 21:20-24

Gethsemane was not actually a park, but an olive grove. It was a place where Jesus and the disciples went often to pray without fear of being interrupted.
I don’t know if you’ve come from a long line of godly believers who were forever interceding for you, or if you’re like me, and don’t know if there was ever another person who interceded for you, but whatever the case, all of us were on His heart and mind that night of Jesus’ arrest.
When I think it that way, His prayer seems to take on more weight in my eyes. It definitely causes me to want to do all I can to fulfill what was so heavy on His heart that night. Don’t you? 
First and foremost, Jesus prayed, “all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent Me”
Jesus wanted us to be unified.
If you're like me and long to please Him, we can call on His Spirit’s to help us live in harmony with all believers as best we can. I know there will always be some that will be at odds with us no matter what we do, but as far as it depends upon us, we can live in peace with those individuals too! It might not always be easy, but we know we can seek His help with this, especially knowing how passionate He is about it.
I believe it all starts with focusing on Jesus! Spending quality time with Him each day and then the closer we draw to Him the more like Him we’ll be and His desires will become our desire.
His second petition was, “Father, I want those you have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved me before the creation of the world”

I remember once hearing someone describe Enoch's relationship with God. If you’ll remember Enoch was taken off the earth by God and never died. The pastor implied that Enoch walked so closely with The Lord that one evening God said to Enoch, “We’re closer to My home this night why don’t you come home with Me.” And so he did.

That story has always stuck with me, because I believe each of us can grow as close to God as we choose, and I want to be that close, so that one day God will simply invite me to His home that day, and it will be a very sweet time of fellowship. Sweeter than sweet! And the greatest part of all of this is- it’s His desire too!