Those may work for some folks but kill others. Not sure if I know if they have kept a count of how many are helped and how many are not by taking some "shot" in the arm.
But all that aside, I am thinking today of the greatest injection ever made. It came in the form of a man, who came from heaven with a plan only heaven could send to us!
John 12:9-27
9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.
12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:
"Hosanna!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
The King of Israel!"
14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:
15 "Fear not, daughter of Zion;
Behold, your King is coming,
Sitting on a donkey's colt."
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. 17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!"
20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. 21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." 22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus. 23 But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor." NKJV
Matthew 21:6-16
6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:
"Hosanna to the Son of David!
'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'
Hosanna in the highest!"
10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, "Who is this?" 11 So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee."
12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'" 14 Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant 16 and said to Him, "Do You hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes. Have you never read,
'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise'?" NKJV
In those days that Jesus walked this earth, those who saw Jesus saw a leadership ability. They saw a man who spoke with wisdom to those who would rebuke Him, and yet Jesus would come back with a word from the Written Word of God and declare it.
When these people laid out their outer garments and spread those palm branches, they were declaring the new "King". And their hope was that Jesus would take His "role" and sit on a throne that would rid the Jews of the Roman rule and much tyranny. When these people laid a pathway, it was to Antonia Fortress.....and.....not to the Temple.........!
These items of clothing and palms were laid toward Antonia Fortress where Pontius Pilate was. It was Herod's palace that was the official residence of the Roman procurator when those visiting dignitaries came to Jerusalem for the major Jewish festival.
It was a place positioned to look over Jerusalem. This Fortress was to have held some 600 + Roman soldiers. As Jesus walked, He had to have broken through this line of people who probably lined both sides of the pathway to Antonio Fortress. Somewhere near the Temple, He broke through the barrier and headed into the Temple.
Those who wanted change and a new leadership in Jesus were probably puzzled in the action occurring in moving through a group of people to get to the Temple. They probably asked themselves, "where is He going?"
In verse 14, we see Jesus has gone into the Temple..........He is NOW HEALING PEOPLE. The blind and the lame had come to HIM and He healed them. Then in verse 15....children were in the Temple........Yikes!
Seeing how Jesus loved the children, and allowed them close to Him, even in this time of travail, the children come in praising Jesus. They were glorifying the One that other men would not glorify!
Jesus had shown love to those little ones and they came running. However they got to the Temple that day, with parents or with others, still their sight was set on Jesus and they began to sing a song to Him.
These young ones unafraid of the High Priest or Scribes, takes the role front and center to praise the true King. Without fear, the children sang out loudly and those against Jesus, the high priests and Scribes resented this very act they were seeing. Jesus gave an example of what the Temple should be about. He gave something that represented that the kingdom had come.
That "Temple" was not about how many money one was to make, as we saw with Jesus driving out the money changers ( you know those who furnished the proselytes and the Jew who came from other countries, with the current coin in exchange for their own coinage. ) and those that sold the doves or others. It was those who stood in the area of priests. And these men gained a salary by bringing the unmarked and favorable birds and such other animals for the altar. Yes, man was determining whether that sacrifice was a good one or not.
And Jesus spoke of that house being "the House of Prayer". For when we see Jesus overthrow the tables, He then turns and heals the lame and the blind. Jesus called prayer back to the house!
Yes, there were probably many meetings set up that day, I am certain, after Jesus broke through that line of people to get to the Temple, and those upset were rallying others together.............. who wanted a new kingdom set up at that moment and the end to Roman rule. But Jesus was setting one up a kingdom that would not be destroyed. He desired the individual to come to the Temple and to be prayed for. He was the "sacrifice" for all and that it was now time for the change to come to the "Temple".
In the verses below we see Jesus and the children.
Luke 18:15-17
15 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for such is the kingdom of God. 17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. " NKJV
Allowing them in, Jesus was speaking about the "kingdom of God". And those who were certainly breathing out cruelties His way surely did not act as the young children did in those moments at the Temple. Praise was heard, and God heard those children singing it out!
Yes, it was all about love that day. And the greatest injection ever made came at a time when Israel and the city of Jerusalem needed a shot of "love". For the greatest thing that could or would be done from then to this moment in time, is to go and pray for the blind, and the lame and allow the children to praise His name in the Temple. Amen.
For praying for the fellowman, we see great change can come. It surely did when Jesus injected love and gave back to those biting remarks WITH THE SPOKEN Word of God in Wisdom and in the Peace of God. Can we and will we follow that direction and instruction?
Will our lives reflect a holy life, that is leading children to sing praise to God and to pray for our fellowman? When we inject love into a toxic society, we will change the world. We will see things change dramatically as we saw in Jesus as He prayed for those around Him.
1 Corinthians 13:3-8
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. NKJV
Father, we thank You for Jesus, the greatest sacrifice, the Son of Your love. As Jesus was our example, may our love suffer long and be kind. May our love never envy and never be puffed up. We pray to be those who do not behave rudely, not seek our own agendas, and to think no evil. We desire to be those who will not rejoice in iniquity but always rejoice in truth. May our love never fail. May it never fail toward You or family or friend or stranger. May we always be ready to speak life to someone in need and show the love Jesus did to others. May we embrace the little children, pray for them and send them off in Your word, teaching the right way in which to walk. May we always be ready to inject a shot of love into our community by giving of ourselves to touch another's life with Your holy Word, pray for them and to give to them what they may lack as in clothing or food. May we abound to every good work which is in Christ Jesus. Amen.
You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV
You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV
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