This is the continuation of the study that will go to Pentecost.
While having a morning break in our local Mickey D’s a man, in a plumber’s uniform, stopped and said, “After Jesus put that guy’s ear back on in the Garden how could you not believe!”
Surprised at his question, I added, “Remember, that was after everyone picked themselves up off of the ground when Jesus spoke.” We traded several other ideas and said good-bye. All of this started because I was wearing a † = ♥ shirt.
When a GODportunity like that occurs, it tends to lift you from your earthly thoughts and sets your mind on things above. My two thoughts were:
My thought on #1 is, NO! He may have been there but a touch from Jesus would have changed him. It would be nice to know his story.
The thief was a Divine Appointment. Jesus was doing His work of glorifying the Father right to the very end of His earthly life. This would also set an example for the Christians who were to die at the hands of the Romans many years after death.
The battle-harden centurion knew Jesus was different because of how He died. No curses, no fighting with the guards, no blaming everyone else, no crying how unfair it was, just Jesus speaking words of comfort to His friends and being in control of Himself. He recognized the darkened skies had to be from God as a show of His disapproval! I like to believe that he was the centurion who had his servant healed at Jesus’ command. And that he would have a visit from Peter, after all of these events, and receive the Holy Spirit!
Two other thoughts about this day:
2. Was it grief, fear, or a limited vision of Jesus that blinded the disciples from seeing Jesus as the thief and soldier saw Him that day?
Add your thoughts and questions!
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God said, “Let there be Light.” The Light was good.
Prophets said, “The Light is coming.”
Mary said, “Let Your Light shine in me.”
Jesus said, “Let them be light.” Then bleed for us.
Holy Spirit said, “Time for the Light to shine.” Little flames appeared, and the Church was born.
Church said, “Let the Light spread.” The Gospel glowed; the world saw Believers.
Believers said, “Let me be the light so they can see Jesus in all I do.”
Zechariah 4: 6 Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.
These three prophets contain the last eight references to the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. They may be few in number but they are very important shadows and references in the New Testament story.
Joel – Chapter 2: 28 + 29 are the verses Peter uses on the day of Pentecost and are very well known.
Micah – The verses here are 2: 7 and 3:8. These verses contrast true and false prophets; 2: 7 is the idea that false prophets were saying and 3:8 Micah describes himself (and Jesus) and reflects the statement in Isaiah 61: 1.
Zechariah – 4: 6, 6: 8, 7: 12, and 12:10. With Zechariah, it is important to remember that he was a counterpart of Ezra and Haggai. The first verse (4: 6) is for Zerubbabel, a descendent of David/Jesus who was rebuilding the Temple. 12: 10 is important because it mentions David’s son Nathan*, who is in Mary’s genealogy in Luke 3: 31, and talks about the “pierced one.” For me the 6: 8 is the one that got my attention, so after some more studying it will be a post; it refers to the Spirit getting rest from those who have gone north (possibly the black horse.)
* To be fair, I have always taken this to be Bathsheba’s son (1 Chronicles 3:5), but it may refer to Nathan the prophet that was with David for years.
Ezekiel 11:1 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the Lord that faces east. (NIV)
Ezekiel uses or refers to the “Spirit” thirteen times (that I found). A major difference in this book is the terms Ezekiel uses for the interactions with the Spirit. His “came into” are bôw (#935 Strong’s) and râpal (#5307 Strong’s); both have many uses in Scripture and are used in some important verses: Bôw means to “enter” and râpal is “to fall on.”
Another interesting thing in Ezekiel is the number of times the Spirit “lifted or raised up” Ezekiel – eight times. Some of these are in visions but even in some of those you get the feeling that God physically moved him, not just up but to different locations. I found it helpful to read the entire reference (several verses before and after) that surrounds these verses: 2:2; 3: 12, 14, 24; 8:3; 11:1, 24(2x); 43:5.
The other references are 11:5, 36: 27, 37:14, 39:29, and show the working of the Spirit not only in Ezekiel but His future work in the Church. Chapter 39 refers to the Spirit being poured out on people and Chapter 37 is the prophecy of the dry bones coming to life.
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