Where You Sit and The Company You Keep Is Vitally Important

We have taken a longish time look in detail at this last day in the physical life of Jesus Christ as Dr Luke relates it in Chapter 22, but it is important that we do not hurry over the crucial issues raised in this passage. It is also helpful too to read the parallel passages in Matthew Chapter 26 and Mark Chapter 14. These accounts are given to us for a very real purpose.

In verse 54Jesus is led away, humbly but with dignity, and Peter follows, afar off and at a safe distance.

There is no safe distance when you are distancing yourself from Jesus. Peter is watching, trailing behind, and in great danger. We are called to come close, and draw near and be right at the very heart, and be involved, participating faithfully, following and serving Jesus, where He has placed you and appointed you.

Peter continues following, from a distance from the Garden of Gethsemane, through the valley, up the slopes past the Temple, watching where they were going, keeping an eye on what they were doing, and being careful not to be discovered and found out.

We have followed that route from Gethsemane on various occasions and it has not changed all that much over these past two thousand years.

The man who had vowed never to leave Jesus side was now keeping his distance.

Verse 55. Peter sat down with them. He sits down in the wrong place. We have to watch our company and be careful who we are with, and where we are seen. At times it matters.

Jesus would sit down with sinners, and mix with anyone, but this was different.

A young girl sees Peter – “This man was also with Him.” Here was an opportunity to witness for Jesus, and Peter denies His Lord. “Woman, I don't know Him.”

Peter was prepared to take on 200 soldiers and religious leaders with his sword, but the words of a young girl floor him. Sometimes it is the little things that get us down and defeat us, especially when we are sitting where we should not be sitting.

Trailing behind and falling behind and moving into the wrong company, and denying Christ. There is a progression, all within about the space of an hour.

Verse 58. Again Peter denies having any knowledge of Jesus. “You are also one of them.” We must be prepared to be called 'one of them' at times too.

Verse 59. Around that charcoal fire Peter must have become involved in the conversation. Someone recognised his accent, and accused him of being a follower of Jesus. If only he had kept his mouth shut, but he opened it on the wrong occasion, and kept it shut when he should have been speaking. “I don't know what you are talking about.” And immediately, the cock crows, and through the High Priest's Courtyard they eyes of Peter meet the eyes of the arrested Jesus.

You can go into that courtyard today. It has been uncovered and excavated, and you can look into the cell where Jesus would have been held. They are on the same level. When they were still doing the archaeological work I jumped over the rope and checked things out. Yes, the eyes of Peter and the eyes of Jesus would have met. It is interesting to check out what can be checked in Jerusalem and Israel, and to find it all accurate and authentic.

That loving look shattered Peter. After you have failed someone like Jesus, it is hard to look them in the face. He went out and wept bitterly. Peter seemed to have made such a mess of following Jesus. In a way, yes, but 30 years later he is still there.

Three times Peter denied Jesus as he was sitting around a charcoal fire. Two weeks later Jesus is around another charcoal fire and three times gives Peter the opportunity to declare his love and loyalty. It is good to get it all sorted out. Not only is it good. It is essential to have all these matters and issues sorted out and resolved.

Originally here:
Word from Scotland

Author bio:
Alexander “Sandy” Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness – on the Moray Firth Coast – not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40 a.m., New Orleans time, at wsho.com.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited the Bible recently to justify the Jewish state’s contested claim on the city before a parliamentary session.

According to Reuters, Netanyahu said “Jerusalem” and its Hebrew name “Zion” appear 850 times in the Old Testament, Judaism’s core canon.

In the Christian New Testament, Jerusalem is mentioned 142 times, Netanyahu said. He noted that none of the 16 Arabic names for Jerusalem is mentioned in the Koran.

However, in an expanded interpretation of the Koran from the 12th century, one passage is said to refer to Jerusalem, Reuters reported.

Netanyahu’s comments came on Jerusalem Day, an Israeli national holiday marked by tens of thousands of Israelis marching through the city singing, dancing and waving Israeli flags.

Jerusalem Day commemorates Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem in June 1967, marking the unification of their ancient capital.

However the Palestinians consider the annexation of East Jerusalem illegal. They anticipate East Jerusalem to be the capital city of a future Palestinian state. Israel has pledged that Jerusalem will remain united as their capital city.

Jerusalem lies within Israel’s boundaries.  Mayor Nir Barkat added that the city’s boundaries are “nonnegotiable” according to Aol.News.

Holy sites

Jerusalem is holy to Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  For the Jews, the Western Wall, which is part of Solomon’s Temple that was destroyed in 70 AD, is the holiest site in Jerusalem.

For Christians the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the traditional burial place of Jesus and a regular pilgrimage place.
For Muslims, the gold-topped dome of the Rock, is believed by them to be where Muhammad ascended to heaven, Aol News reported.

Also, the Al-Aqsa mosque makes Jerusalem the third holiest site after Mecca and Medina.

However, the Al-Aqsa mosque stands on a plaza that Jews revere as the vestige of two biblical Jewish temples, according to Reuters.

In the international community a united Jerusalem under Israel is not recognized.

Many countries agree that East Jerusalem should be the future capital of a future Palestinian state.

Indirect peace negotiations with the Palestinians resumed this month after one to one and a half years of U.S. trouble-shooting.

However, the Israel and Palestine remain at odds over the issue of Israel which Palestine refuses to formally recognize as a Jewish state, Reuters reported.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said of Netanyahu’s recent comments, “I find it very distasteful, this use of religion.

East Jerusalem is an occupied Palestinian town, and East Jerusalem cannot continue to be occupied if there is to be peace,” according to Reuters.

Netanyahu promised that while Israel would retain control over all of Jerusalem, they would ensure freedom of worship at its holy sites.

However, Palestinians over the last decade have had limited access to al-Aqsa.  Christians in the West Bank also note similar problems in Jerusalem churches, Reuters reported.

There are 750,000 people in Jerusalem, two in three of them Jews with the remainder mostly Muslim Palestinians.

Some Palestinians are aligned with the Islamist Hamas, while those who would like peace blame Israel for sabotaging peace prospects because they insist East Jerusalem is a Jewish birthright, Reuters reported.

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Liat Collins wrote in The Jerusalem Post that no other city in the world inspires its own medically recognized syndrome.  She refers to the Jerusalem syndrome, a psychosis where normally sane tourists begin to hear voices and believe they are people in the Bible.

The JTA mentioned an episode of The Simpsons, where Homer Simpson traveled to Israel, and was diagnosed with the Jerusalem syndrome.  Homer, dehydrated, believed he was chosen to bring Jews, Christians and Muslims together in a new religion called Chrisjumas.

JTA quoted Dr. Gregory Katz, a psychiatrist of Jerusalem’s Kfar Shaul Mental Health Center, who said 30-40 patients a year are treated with the Jerusalem syndrome.

Most of them have had a history of mental illness, but a few experience it for the first time, likely triggered by experiencing biblical Jerusalem for the first time.  For many, it is a way to reconcile their biblical impressions of the city with the modern city that Jerusalem is today.

According to JTA, Christians predominantly tend to get the Jerusalem syndrome, specifically Protestant tourists from the United States and Scandinavia.  However, Jews and Israelis have been treated, too.

Commonly, they identify with a character consistent with their faith.  Jews will identify with King David, Christians with Mary Magdalene or John the Baptist.  Jews fantasize about bringing redemption.  Among Israelis, the Jerusalem syndrome is gradual, most commonly afflicting Jews who want to build the Third Temple, JTA said.

Christian Today Australia said the syndrome is believed to affect 100 people annually.  Quoting Mark Tronson, chairman of Well-Being Australia, it is a type of obsession, similar to “overboard enthusiasm” for a sport or hobby.

Which leads to the question:  Is Jerusalem a city that drives people crazy?  Considering that most of those afflicted with the syndrome have a history of mental illness that is not likely.

As for the minority who get the syndrome for the first time, one must note that unlike other tourist sites, which people are drawn to for shopping, or adventure or a love of history, people come to Jerusalem primarily for religious reasons.

In religion you will find passion.  And too much passion can drive a very small minority overboard.  The Jerusalem syndrome therefore could well be a natural outflow of a small population of tourists who are drawn there because of the religious links to the city and whose passion may have gone berserk.

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Environmentalists warned recently that large portions of the biblical Jordan River may dry up by 2011, but have recommended a way to help its rehabilitation.

According to the Associated Press , environmental scientists from Israel, Jordan and Palestine released a report yesterday saying that a wastewater treatment plan by Israel and Jordan will dry up large areas of the river by the end of next year.

Environmentalists warned recently that large portions of the biblical Jordan River may dry up by 2011, but have recommended a way to help its rehabilitation. Credit: David Bjorgen

However, the report called this a good thing, because the treated sewage will go to agriculture use rather than sending the sewage back into the Jordan River.

To rehabilitate the river, they recommended that freshwater be pumped into it, sourced from the Sea of Galilee and the Yarmouk river.  The latter is the largest tributary in the Jordan.

They also recommend adding treated wastewater.  All these should restore a third of the Jordan River’s former volume, they estimate.  The report was commissioned by the Friends of the Earth Middle East, headed by Gidon Bromberg.

Over the last 50 years Israel, Jordan and Syria have been using some 98 percent of the water from the Jordan and its tributaries for agriculture and drinking water. As a result, what was once a gushing river of 4.5 billion cubic feet in the 1930s is now just some 1 billion cubic feet or less.

The Bible has described the Jordan River as “overflowing.”  In 1847, a U.S. Naval officer who visited the river described what he called the “deafening roar of the tumultuous waters” according to the AP.

The Jordan flows south from the Sea of Galilee into the Dead Sea.  Its border is shared by Israel, Jordan and the West Bank.  A Christian Telegraph report called it the site where Christ was baptized, and the place where Christianity began.

According to the Christian Telegraph, the site is also where Israelites entered the Promised Land.  Last year some 150,000 Christians visited the place, which is 53 percent more people than those who visited in 2007.

Most visiting Christians immerse themselves in the fresh waters of the Jordan River at Yardenit near the Sea of Galilee in Jordan.  Along the portion of the river bordered by Israel, the site is undergoing renovation to accommodate more tourists, according to the AP.

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Persecution, conversion and healing continue in Israel, even as some dwell on the possibility that Jesus may eventually come to be a uniting force for peace in the Promised Land.

Persecution of the Levin family began when they held prayer meetings in the house they were renting.  The landlord filed charges to oust them, but the Levins stayed, confident the law is on their side.

Still, neighbors isolated them.  Sugar was placed in the tank of their minivan and eventually both of the Levin’s vehicles were burned, according to The Christian Telegraph.

Another story is told in Christianity Today is of Muslim teenagers threatening a teen for wearing a cross.

Most Arab Christian men stay silent when Muslims heckle their wives for not wearing a veil.  They fear their families will be harmed.  One Arab Christian complained, “We always have to suck up to the Muslims,” the report said.

Stories also abound in Israel of conversions, or at the very least of Jews or Muslims  looking towards Christians with a kinder eye.

Christianity Today tells of Maoz Inon who founded the Jesus Trail in Israel after he had a vision, though he is not religious.

Still, Inon says the Jesus Trail boosts understanding between Israelis and Palestinians.  “I believe in the power of Jesus. In our day, he can still change the world and make it a better place for us and our children,” Christianity Today reported.

The same report says there are many anonymous Arab Christians.  Conversion stories are compelling, for example Rani Espanioly talks of a figure of light approaching and clothing him in light, as he heard the voice of God.

“We Arab Christians can be ambassadors for reconciliation and peace in this country,” Espanioly says.

There are also a growing number of Jewish conversions, with some 10,000 to 15,000 Messianic Jews.  Yossi Ovadia, a Messianic Jewish pastor, said he was converted while walking along the Sea of Galilee.

He was surprised when a British Christian said God loves Jews—Yossi thought everyone hated Jews.  He envied the close personal relationship Christians had with Jesus, so he got what they had.

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U.S. Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell will meet today with Israel leaders with hope to revive peace talks between Israel and Palestine after almost a year of deadlock.

Mitchell is expected to meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak.  The visit comes after a row broke out between Israel and the U.S. recently over home construction plans by Israel in East Jerusalem.

Both Israel and Palestine are reportedly willing to resume indirect peace negotiations, meaning at present, Mitchell will broker indirect talks by speaking to each leader individually as a middleman, until the two reach the point where they will agree to meet personally.  Mitchell is scheduled to go to Ramallah in the West Bank after his Israel meeting.

Negotiations met a snag early this month when Netanyahu announced plans to construct 1,600 houses in East Jerusalem.  One of the conditions set on the table for the peace talks is to halt all construction in that area.  Netanyahu responded with outright rejection saying, “There will be no construction freeze in Jerusalem.  There should be no preconditions to talks.”

Netanyahu pointed out that he is following a four-decade-old policy of his predecessors.  However State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said, “We understand that the Israelis have a longstanding position, but … the status quo is not sustainable.”

East Jerusalem is the most explosive issue that divides Israel and Palestine.  Israel captured the area in the 1967 Mideast war.  However, their annexation of the area has never been internationally recognized.

Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be its eternal capital.  Some 180,000 Israelis live in east Jerusalem, mostly in Jewish neighborhoods surrounding the area. But one cause of friction is some 2,000 Israeli nationalists who live deep inside Arab neighborhoods.  Some 250,000 Palestinians live in the Arab neighborhoods.

Benny Begin, a senior Cabinet minister, said in a Thursday meet with media and diplomats that Netanyahu would have a hard time selling even limited concessions to his government, a coalition dominated by hard-line nationalist parties.

“It is just impossible and unacceptable that people try to impress us that we should limit construction in Jerusalem,” Begin said.  Netanyahu so far has curbed West Bank construction in a temporary freeze.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat called the Netanyahu position on Jerusalem “very unfortunate.”  The Palestinians have said they will not hold face-to-face talks with Netanyahu until he freezes all settlement activity in east Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Other proposals that were given to Israel include release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, turning over more West Bank territory to Palestinian control, and possibly curbing Jewish construction in the heart of Arab neighborhoods in east Jerusalem.

Last week Obama assessed the situation, saying the U.S. couldn’t force its will on Israelis and Palestinians if they weren’t interested in making needed compromises in order to end their decades-old conflict.

Sources:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100422/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians;_ylt=Ar8iv5t7GCXzAAUzvv43iiOs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFibDNqaHVjBHBvcwM1MwRzZWMDYWNjb3JkaW9uX3dvcmxkBHNsawNpc3JhZWxyZWplY3Q-

http://www.unnindia.com/english/story.php?Id=6381

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It’s hard to separate what’s going on in the world today from Bible prophecy and eschatology, because it all seems to be coming true.

With the constant enmity between Israel and her Middle Eastern enemy nations, we could easily be taken in by the ranting of a sensation-hungry media that seems to cater to the likes and dislikes of Islamic terrorists. Our most recent example is the scrambling to come up with every excuse in the world for the attack on Fort Hood beside the fact that it may have been an act of extreme terrorism. Some evolving facts point in that direction. Hopefully, we will conclude for certain it was not.

When can we have peace?
Although God did say He would curse those who come against His chosen people, Abraham’s seed (Genesis 12:3), God never said that region would be peaceful or that it would always be in the hands of Abraham’s Jewish descendants. Nor did He say those problems wouldn’t expand to reach other shores. All those who believe in Christ are Abraham’s seed and heirs to the promise (Galatians 3:28-29). We are also heirs to the suffering (1 Peter 4:12-13). Throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites disobeyed direct orders from God through Moses and their prophets, who declared they must remain separate from the pagans in the lands where they lived. They were not to intermarry or observe customs of other faiths. Time after time they disobeyed and fell into the hands of their enemies. Therefore, the Promised Land would not belong to the Israelites continually.

Similarly, America has had several great falling away periods from God—present time included. The lines of faith have been muddled by Christians who’ve willingly become unequally yoked with those of other faiths through marriage; and society allowing God to fall by the wayside not only to other gods, but to the god of political correctness and the idol of tolerance. 

And we keep making excuses for this: The world is changing; there is no longer any absolute, or right or wrong or good or bad; we must be tolerant to a fault, we mustn’t judge, etc., etc. These are all bandages on the surface of what is a problem in the heart.

The one thing America has not yet done—beginning with God’s people—is to observe 2 Chronicles 7:14 by turning from our wicked ways, seeking His face and begging His forgiveness for so many things. Only then will He heal our land. But instead, we are currently trying to paint the porch while the house is already on fire.  

“They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). There will be no real peace until Jesus returns.

(All Bible verse links are at www.BibleGateway.com  and scriptures are from the HOLY BIBLE, New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.)

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On Saturday night a gunman entered a community center for gay teenagers in Tel Aviv.

The gunman murdered two people and wounded at least 10 others.

“Someone walked in and began firing left and right,” said Tel Aviv Police Chief Shahar Ayalon. “The shooter escaped and we are making every effort to find him.”

As the perpetrator hasn’t be captured, police don’t know what was the gunman’s motive.

Many in the community, however, are speculating that it was a hate crime against homosexuals, calling the shooting spree “Israel’s worst crime against homosexuals.”

“This is undoubtedly the worst incident aimed at the gay community in Israel,” said Nitzan Horowitz, the only openly gay member of Israel’s Knesset.

“This act was a blind attack against innocent youths, and I expect the authorities to exercise all means in apprehending the shooter,” he said.

Because religious leaders in Israel, such as those from the ultra-Orthodox Shas party have made statements in the past about homosexuality’s sinfulness, some are already beginning to link religion and the violent crime.

“It is not surprising that such a crime can be committed given the incitement of hatred against the homosexual community,”  Mai Pelem, a prominent member ofTel Aviv’s gay and lesbian community, told AFP reporters.

According to AFP, “Pelem was referring to verbal attacks against gays from the religious community.”

This assumption to which some already are jumping is something religious leaders are trying to quell.

The Shas party released a statement recently denouncing the killings.

In the United States, religious groups are speaking out to denounce such an act of hatred and quiet any murmurs about Christian intolerance.

Dr. Michael Brown, leader of the Charlotte-based Coalition of Conscience and a Jewish follower of Jesus, said he was “shocked and saddened” to hear the news of the killings.

“We don’t have the details yet, but this has all the markings of an act of raw hatred, and as such it must be utterly renounced,” he said.

“True moral and cultural revolution does not come about through hatred or intimidation or violence. It comes about through prayer and service, through influencing people’s hearts and minds, overcoming wrong ideologies with right ideologies; but violence only begets violence.”

Even Mission America, a Christian organization that has worked “to expose the harmful gay agenda directed at youth, and maintains that homosexuality is not an inborn condition” also denounced the murders.

Mission America president Linda Harvey said, “We are deeply saddened by this violent act and the deaths of these young people, and pray for the perpetrator to be found and brought to justice. Our greatest hope for all youth is that they live long and healthy lives. These kids’ chance to do that has been stolen from them. Our prayers are with their families in this time of loss.”

“At the same time, it is deplorable this incident is already being used by the homosexual community to blame this act on those holding a traditional moral viewpoint. Israelis, just as anyone else on earth, should still have the right to oppose homosexuality for religious or other reasons without being called accessories to murder. The motive is still unknown; why engage in slanderous speculation?”

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–By Maurice Williams, the Underground staff writer

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