He Has Provided A Way

I’m sitting on a little upstairs porch this afternoon and I’m watching the birds flying back and forth past the windows. They are eating the remaining holly berries which are now dropping to the ground. I’m marveling at the Lord’s provision. At the same time I’m also contemplating the events that the Christian community is observing this week, while our Jewish friends are busy preparing for the Passover. The observance of Passover begins at sundown this Friday night. This year it falls on the same day we are observing our Savior’s death on the cross.

I’m reading about Jesus teaching the people with parables, knowing that His time was approaching. After Jesus had finished teaching the people, He said to His disciples, “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”  The chief priests, the scribes and the elders were plotting to take Jesus by trickery (or deception) and kill Him. Little did they know that Jesus knew about their plotting and that He didn’t need to be tricked, He was planning to give Himself willingly on our behalf!

As I was looking over the scriptures to meditate on them, I came upon these verses, which struck a cord in my heart…

“And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper,

 A woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil,

 And she poured it on His head as he sat at the table.”

It just hit me in a new way, this woman’s devotion to her Lord. She was putting Him first above all things and serving him with all her attention. The disciples were critical, but Jesus honored her by saying…

“Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

Our love and devotion to Jesus is what He desires above all things! Is He first and foremost in our lives? Are our hearts wholly His?

The Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover; and when Jesus hour had come, he sat down with His twelve Apostles. He said…

“With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

It is with a fervent desire He desired to eat this meal commemorating the deliverance of His people from Egypt. This is the love that he had for his Apostles and which He has for us. It is a fervent desire to share in this meal and He desires we all share in it! He calls each and every one of us to share in it and we can! This particular meal was commemorating the deliverance of us all! A deliverance from sin and death into His kingdom.

It was while they were eating that Jesus took the unleavened bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to His disciples and said,

“Take, eat, this is my body”

“Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you, For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

Jesus not only said, “This is my blood”, but He said this is My blood of the new covenant.”

What glorious news!  The Lord has provided a new covenant in His blood….for all of us! His body being the sacrificial lamb!

Let us minister to Jesus, giving Him our full attention and devotion this day! He has instituted a new covenant in His blood, by the sacrifice of His own body. He has called us all to enter in by faith!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16