Jesus’ Cross-Driven Concerns-5

JESUS’ CROSS-Driven CONCERNS-V

Lk. 23:33-49; Jn. 19:17-30; Mat. 27:33-54; Mk. 15:21-39

OR--CONCERNS From The CROSS

Attention:

PETA's Response to Obama's Fly "Execution"—June 18, 2009

U.S. President Barak Obama stopped during an interview with CNBC's John Harwood to swat & kill a fly that was buzzing around his head during the taping. "Get out of here," the president told the pesky insect. When it didn't, he waited for the fly to settle, put his hand up and then smacked it dead.

"Now, where were we?” Obama asked Harwood. Then he added: "That was pretty impressive, wasn't it? I got the sucker."

As a result, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is now calling the fly incident an "execution" & would like President Obama to show more compassion to even "the least sympathetic animals."

"We support compassion for even the smallest animals," says Bruce Friedrich, V.P. for Policy at PETA. "We support giving insects the benefit of the doubt." Friedrich says they support "brushing flies away rather than killing them" & was disappointed that the president had killed the fly.

The group sent the president a Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher, which traps bugs & allows their safe release back into nature. [OneNewsNow.com, Reuters, ABC News]

Bruce Friedrich, V.P. for Policy at PETA missed the fact, obvious to everyone else, that Flys are vectors of disease!

We can but should never be--oblivious to the obvious.

The Church & Christians can be oblivious to the obvious... that while we bicker about ‘this that or the other thing,’ that there are literally millions of people who do not know Jesus!

We can be so focused on extraneous ‘pressing’ matters that we totally miss the pressing matters!

Likewise, we can be so caught up in the sorrow, & gruesome brutality of the Crucifixion of Christ, that we miss the Cross-work of Christ!

Jesus’ 7 Words From the Cross:

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”—Luke 23:34

“Today you will be with me in paradise.”—Luke 23:43

“Behold your son...”: “behold your mother.”—Jn. 19:26-27

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”—Mat. 27:45; Mk. 15:33-34

“I thirst”—Jn. 19:28-29

“It is finished”—Jn. 19:30

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”— Lk. 23:44; Mat. 27:50; Mk. 15:36-38

Need:

To recognize those things which are of greatest significance to our lives & the lives of others.

We have found that A Cross-driven Concern of Jesus is...

1. Your FORGIVENESS(Lk. 23:34)

2. Your DESTINY/Future/Eternity(Lk. 23:43)

3. Your CARE & OBLIGATION(Jn. 19:26-27)

4. Your SEPARATION/Trust(Mat. 27:46; Mk. 15:34)

5—A Cross-driven Concern of Jesus is...

Your PREPARATION(Jn. 19:28-29)

Explanation:(Jn. 19:28)Impartation

Jn. 19:28—“After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”

Jesus went to & was on the Cross fully “knowing” that everything was accomplished for His existence on earth.

He also was fully “knowing” that “all those things” were done so that “the Scripture might be fulfilled.”

Therefore, He needed to slake his thirst in order to accomplish this His final & grandest act of Divine intervention. He needed to make it known, so that His resulting words are significant!

This is further evidence that Jesus was not concerned with His own physical well-being but rather with His spiritual well-being & the spiritual well-being of mankind in general.

“Knowing”—eidw/oida—PerfectActive Participle Nominative sing. Masc.—1) To see—1a) To perceive with the eyes, 1b) To perceive by any of the senses, 1c) To perceive, notice, discern, discover, 1d) To see—1d1) i.e. To turn the eyes, the mind, the attention to anything, 1d2) To pay attention, observe, 1d3) To see about something 1d31) i.e. To ascertain what must be done about it, 1d4) To inspect, examine, 1d5) To look at, behold, 1e) To experience any state or condition, 1f) To see i.e. Have an interview with, to visit; 2) To know—2a) To know of anything, 2b) To know, i.e. get knowledge of, understand, perceive—2b1) of any fact, 2b2) the force & meaning of something which has definite meaning, 2b3) To know how, to be skilled in, 2c) To have regard for one, cherish, pay attention to(1Th 5:12). Eidw/oida denotes to see with the mind's eye, signifies a clear & purely mental perception. Strong—a primary verb; used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent optanomai & oraw; properly--To see(literally or figuratively); by implication (in the perfect only)--To know.

“Now/Already”—hdh—Adverb—1) Now, already. “Now(already)”, with a suggested reference to some other time or to some expectation, the subjective present. Strong—Even now.

“Accomplished/Completed”(See “Fulfilled” below)—telew—Verb—1) To bring to a close, to finish, to end—1a) Passed, finished; 2) To perform, execute, complete, fulfill, (so that the thing done corresponds to what has been said, the order, command etc.)—2a) With special reference to the subject matter, to carry out the contents of a command, 2b) With reference also to the form, to do just as commanded, & generally involving the notion of time, to perform the last act which completes a process, to accomplish, fulfill; 3) To pay—3a) of tribute. Strong—To end, i.e. Complete, execute, conclude, discharge(a debt).