Sundries

WERE YOU THERE WHEN THEY CRUCIFIED MY LORD?

A It was a fact that Jesus was innocent. The Roman governor in charge of Judea, Pontius Pilate, stated so himself after having examined Jesus personally (John 19:4). It is also a fact that Jesus never even committed a single sin (Heb. 4:15). And yet, they fashioned the crown of thorns and placed a purple robe upon His shoulders in mockery, and delivered Him to be crucified. He bore His cross to a place called Golgotha, where they crucified Him (John 19:17-18). The Bible tells us about the state of mind of some of the people who were there.

Soldiers. These Roman men oversaw the crucifixion. They were of cruel mind (Mark 15:16-20), mocking Him even as He hung on the cross (Luke 23:36-37). They were also hard-hearted and indifferent, as shown in John 19:23-24, where they cast lots for Jesus’ clothing. This act was foretold in Psalm 22:18. Jesus forgave these men (Luke 23:34)!

Mary. Also there at the crucifixion was Mary, the earthly mother of Jesus (John 19:25-27). The Bible doesn’t say much about her state of mind, but every mother can easily understand the pain she must have felt looking upon her son hanging on that cross, slowly and painfully dying.

Priests. These men were full of hatred toward Jesus (Matt. 27:41-43). They admitted Jesus had “saved others,” likely referring to those He had healed. They now torture Jesus with their words, saying, “If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.” Jesus, of course, could have come down from the cross if He had desired, but he persevered in accomplishing God’s plan!

Thieves. Two robbers were crucified on either side of Jesus (Matt. 27:38). One was full of blasphemy, the other humility, admitting his own guilt (Luke 23:39-43).

Centurion. Though he was part of the soldiers, this man made a startling admission. His state of mind was acceptance that Jesus was the Son of God (Mark 15:39).

You. Not personally, of course, but representationally. Jesus bore your sins in His own body on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). As He hung there dying, surrounded by heartbroken supporters, vicious gawkers, grim soldiers and proud religious leaders, He did so as a perfect offering to God for each one of them, and for each one of us. Since He died for you, will you live for Him?

Matt Clifton
BulletinDigest.com

SPRING

There is much talk and argument as to which season we are in… not just now but at any season changeover time. Is it spring now? or still winter?

How you define the first day of spring depends on whether you are referring to the astronomical or meteorological spring…

Astronomical spring

Astronomical seasons refer to the position of Earth's orbit in relation to the Sun, considering equinoxes and solstices. This is due to the 23.5 degrees of tilt of the Earth's rotational axis concerning its orbit around the Sun. Since the seasons vary in length, the start date of a new season can fall on different days each year. This year, astronomical spring began on Saturday 20th March 2021 ( it actually passed the equinox at 9.37am on the 20th …) and ends on Monday 21st June 2021.

Meteorological spring

Meteorological seasons are instead based on the annual temperature cycle and measure the meteorological state, as well as coinciding with the calendar to determine a clear transition between the seasons.

The meteorological seasons consist of splitting the seasons into four periods made up of three months each. These seasons are split to coincide with our Gregorian calendar, making it easier for meteorological observing and forecasting to compare seasonal and monthly statistics. By the meteorological calendar, spring will always start on 1st March; ending on 31st May.

The seasons are defined as spring (March, April, May), summer (June, July, August), autumn (September, October, November) and winter (December, January, February).

We are therefore quite definitely in the season of Spring … whatever the temperature, weather or your granny told you!

These dates may differ from the ones you thought you knew from school!!