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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Our Father,

Who Art in Heaven,

Magnified and Sanctified

Is Your Most Holy and Wonderful Name!

How Awesome You Are,

and How Glorious!

You Alone Are Worthy to Be Praised,

For You Alone Are My Strength And My Song,

My Rock and My Redeemer!

You Are The One True God Of Abraham,

And Know The End From The Beginning

and the Beginning From The End,

Because You Are The Aleph~Tav,

The Alpha and the Omega,

The Beginning and The End of All Things.




Let all that has been Concealed
Be Revealed.

Father, We Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem,
According To Your Will and Promise.
We Pray That You Will Forgive The Sins
of Our Own Nation,
and Lead us all to Godly Repentance.
Create in Us Clean Hearts, Oh LORD,
and Renew a Right Spirit Within Us.

This we Pray Together,
As We Await Your Messiah,
Blessed Be He,
To Set Up His Kingdom,
And Make All Things Right.

God Bless America.

ML/LTOS

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Matthew 26

Jesus Before the Sanhedrin

57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. 58 But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see the outcome.

59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.

Finally two came forward 61 and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent.

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

64 “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”[e]

65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?”

“He is worthy of death,” they answered.

67 Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him 68 and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”

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New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

I have lots of stories about False Accusations and Injustice, but they all pale in comparison to this one. I am sure you have some stories too. Life isn't fair, and we live in a Fallen World. Nothing hurts more, it seems, than being falsely accused of something, and not being given the opportunity to defend the Truth. It happens to be my "pet peeve", the thing that triggers more anger in me than anything else, not only when it happens to me, but when I see it happen to others.

Perhaps that is why THIS section of the Passion of Christ affects me so profoundly. It's so UNJUST!

If this had been the action of an angry mob, or a bunch of gangsters, we could attribute it to ignorance. But these men were Religious Leaders, well-versed in the Scriptures, Refined and Cultured, and enormously respected. They had read the Prophecies and Commentaries, and knew that the Messiah would have more than one "aspect". Conquering King, Suffering Servant, Shepherd and Innocent Lamb, it was all in the Scriptures that these men probably knew by heart. There had been other Messianic claimants, but had amounted to nothing. Why were they so vehement about This One?

A clue comes out in further reading. In the Gospel of John, we read that the High Priest discussed this problem with the others and said this:

Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. John 11:48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.. John 18:14

The Pharisees were in a difficult position. The Romans allowed them to practice their religion as long as it didn't interfere with the daily business of running an Empire. As long as they paid their taxes and stayed out of trouble, they could continue with the Daily Sacrifice in the Temple and the Religious Life of the Community. Although they were not allowed to use the Death Penalty, they were expected to keep order with their own Courts of Religious Law. Because Jesus was so popular and backed up His claims with confirmed miracles, he was becoming a threat to them.

If things kept going in that direction, they could very well have been"shut down" by the Romans.

Indeed, that very thing was to happen just 40 years in the future.

Seeing the answers to questions in Matthew answered in the Gospel of John is one example of all of Scripture working together to tell the Whole Story. Anyone can pick and choose selected verses to prove a point, but when Scripture is studied as a seamless whole, it all points to The Way, The Truth, and The Life.

Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[Hiskid]

Amen