Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of Me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. (Matthew 26:31)
The Nat’l Geo photograph is identified as being from Vashlovani National Park in eastern Georgia (i.e., former Soviet Union “Georgia”, not the one that produces peaches in America!).
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Prophesied
I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
(John 10:14-18 KJV)As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. (John 15:9-15 KJV)
To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? (Psalms 22:1 KJV)
Waiting For The Word ©Flickr J James Tissot
Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written I have written. Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. (John 19:16-36 KJV)
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46 KJV)
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Mark 15:34 KJV)
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Riding on a Donkey – Resurrection Week
30 Pieces of Silver – Resurrection Week
And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! (Matthew 27:29 KJV)
Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis) in thorns ©WikiC
The idea for using a bird in thorns came from Living In The Thorns
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“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:1-6 KJV)
Christ beaten and mocked before Caiaphas. Etching by J. Call©WikiC
“Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.” (Matthew 27:26-31 KJV)
Two remarks, from The Suffering Messiah of Isaiah 53, Page 5: “The second strophe contains Israel’s confession for not recognizing the Servant in His person and calling. In verse 1, the arm of Jehovah (also in Is. 40:10; 51:5, 9; 52:10), is identified here as God the Son, not God the Father. Verse 2 brings out the humanity of the Servant. Nothing special about Him would attract men to Him. On the contrary, verse 3 points out that He would be actively rejected by the people.”
“In the third strophe, the people confess that at the time of His suffering, they mistakenly thought God was punishing Him for His own sins (v. 4). In verse 5, the people confess that the vicarious suffering of the Servant of Jehovah resulted in their own reconciliation and spiritual healing. In verse 6, the people confess that Jehovah had laid their own sins on the Servant.”
The Suffering Messiah of Isaiah 53, Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Page 5
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Riding on a Donkey – Resurrection Week
30 Pieces of Silver – Resurrection Week
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“And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matthew 21:20-22 KJV)
Double-eyed Fig Parrot (Cyclopsitta diophthalma) by Ian
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And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD. (Zechariah 11:12-13 KJV)
Judas sells Jesus for thirty pieces of silver ©WikiC
“Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.” (Matthew 26:14-16 KJV)
“Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.” (Matthew 27:3-8 KJV)
Quotation of Zechariah 11:12-13 which prophesied that the Messiah will be sold out for thirty pieces of silver. Further reading of Messiah Factor, (especially point #3) has some more interesting facts about the 30 pieces of silver.
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Riding on a Donkey – Resurrection Week
The Suffering Messiah – Resurrection Week
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The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said. (John 18:19-21 KJV)
Red-billed Oxpecker on equid “neighbor”
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“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9 NKJV)
Jesus Riding on a Donkey Colt
Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “TELL THE DAUGHTER OF ZION, ‘BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU, LOWLY, AND SITTING ON A DONKEY, A COLT, THE FOAL OF A DONKEY.’ ” So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 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!” (Matthew 21:1-9 NKJV)
“The fulfillment of this prophecy is found in the Gospels of the New Testament in the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem at the beginning of the last week of his life (Matthew 21:1-11). This marked His official presentation as the Messianic King. Jesus intructs His disciples to go to Bethphage and find a colt which had never been ridden before. The miraculous aspect of this should not be missed. By nature, the animal should have bucked Jesus off the moment He got on, but instead of throwing Him, it submitted to Him.” (Messianic Christology, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, p.65)
During this week, I’ll be showing the Word of the Lord in both the Old Testament and how it was fulfilled in the New Testament. When the Messiah came to earth, many rejected Him as their Messiah, yet He fulfilled God’s Word in many verses. Satan loves to blind people to the truth, so they will continue in their unbelief.
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30 Pieces of Silver – Resurrection Week
The Suffering Messiah – Resurrection Week
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House Sparrows at National Aviary by Lee
“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.” (Matthew 10:29)
Russet Sparrow (Passer rutilans) by Nikhil Devasar
And yet the Lord Jesus said that God knows and cares about every single sparrow! God had a reason for everything He created; each kind of animal has its own unique design for its own intended purpose. Modern biologists continue to waste time and talent developing imaginary tales about how all these multitudes of different kinds of creatures might have evolved from some common ancestor. Even some evolutionists have started calling these whimsical tales “just so” stories. They would really be better scientists if they would seek to understand the creative purpose of each creature rather than speculating on its imaginary evolution.
Sparrows in snow ©©Bing
The better we comprehend the amazing complexity and purposive design of each creature, the better we realize the infinite wisdom and power of their Creator. Then, all the more wonderful it is to learn that their Creator is our Father! He has placed them all under our dominion, and we need to learn to see them through His eyes if we would be good stewards of the world He has committed to us. We can also thank our heavenly Father that we “are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31). HMM
The Price Of Sparrows – ©Institute For Creation Research (March 20, 2016)
Lee’s Addition:
“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 NKJV)
I trust you enjoyed this article. Today, instead of the Seven Word Sunday, this devotional is being shared. Today, is my 56th Spiritual Birthday. On March 20, 1960, I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. What a day, the best day of my life; marrying Dan, the second.
Just like the Sparrows, my Father in Heaven, didn’t forget about me, but put those in my path to show me why I needed the Lord as my Savior. In my case, my sister and her husband had accepted Christ the month before. They started telling me about the Lord and invited me to church on the 20th of March. That morning I was shown the plan of salvation and after accepting the free gift of salvation, I left church a new creation.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV)
PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS PLAN OF SALVATION
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House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) by Ian
Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. (1 Kings 4:33 NKJV)
Well, we are still working our way through the large Fringillidae – Finches family. Today, Part III, we will begin with the genus Haemorhous (various shades of red are characteristic plumage colors of this group) which is more familiar to us in the U.S. Those are our Purple, Cassin’s, and House Finches.
Yellow-breasted Greenfinch (Chloris spinoides) ©WikiC
After them the Greenfinches of the Chloris genus and the lone Desert Finch (Rhodospiza obsoleta), three Golden-winged Grosbeak (Rhynchostus) and an Oriole Finch (Linurgus olivaceus)
Yellow Canary (Crithagra flaviventris) Male ©WikiC
The next genus – Crithagra has 37 species which include Seedeaters, Citril, Canary, Serin, Siskin, and Grosbeak-Canary. With those, will end Finches III and save the rest of the family for Finches IV. Maybe with the DNA testing going on, some of this family may be split off to other families in the future and won’t be so large.
In case you missed the first two parts, you can click these links. Sunday Inspiration – Finches I and Sunday Inspiration – Finches II
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By them the birds of the heavens have their home; They sing among the branches. He waters the hills from His upper chambers; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works. (Psalms 104:12-13 NKJV)
“Shout To The North and the South” ~ by Faith Baptist Church Choir
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Sunday Inspiration – Finches I
Sunday Inspiration – Finches II
Fringillid Finches & Allies – Ian’s Birdway
Finch – Wikipedia
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I’ll give you 2 seconds to get off me or I’m calling Mom.
Just thought you might need a smile for today. Received this link for the video in an e-mail. The Lord sure created some of the neatest critters. How can you not love these Pandas.
“For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.” (James 3:7 NKJV)
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“As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us.” (Lamentations 4:17)
Inca Terns ©Idiotphotographer.WordPress
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Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus 