March Reflections

 

March has been a slow month for me. I have been trying to recuperate from respiratory issues. Due to complications from antibiotics, I had to start over with part of my meds. Hubby dealt with the same stuff only he had them a week before I caught them. I have been housebound this month. Going to the doctor and the pharmacy was one day’s excursions. My other day out was to go to the grocery because I had to, I was out of almost all my gluten-free supplies. I had a birthday this month and hubby and I went out to eat.

When I could, I have spent my time reading three different books, two of which I will review here on my blog. I spent a quantity of time watching the tube, not necessarily a good thing. Sometimes, I couldn’t sleep, so I watched things way up into the wee hours of the morning.  Other times, all I could do was sleep.

A year ago, Christmas, Hubby gave me a vaporizer. I have given it a workout this past month.

When our son came home to help us celebrate my birthday, on Sunday morning as I went out the door to get to his car, I noticed a penny lying in the dirt. As I reached down to get it, I noticed another coin laying near it. I picked them both up and dropped them into the pocket of my coat. After church, I noticed a dime on the floor. I picked it up as well.

At our church, we have a custom. Each Lenten season, we receive these small bags we call Lenten bags. Throughout the season, each person with a bag places coins for an offering. I decided to put that penny, that quarter, and that dime in my Lenten bag. What I didn’t realize until later was I had some dollar bills in my coat pockets. I felt I should place them in my Lenten bag along with the change I had found.

I have had a tussle with our grocery store. That store cannot carry the gluten-free crackers I have been purchasing for several years. I talked to the woman who works in the Deli, the area where we always found them. The product is no longer on their order forms.  She knows I must have gluten-free products. She told me she would check at Gordon Food Service to see if they have them. I told her I was awaiting a response to my email to the store and I would consider going higher if I had to. She is such a dear.

 My email response came. It was a bunch of business language. I have almost concluded that those crackers are a product I have to do without.

One bright spot this month was that a long-standing prayer request received God’s honor. A dear writing friend’s daughter will be moving closer to her family.  I praise the LORD for that.

Interview with a Roman Soldier

ubdavid.com

Quiet Spirit: Today, we have with us Servius Antonius Balduinus, a Roman soldier who was garrisoned at Jerusalem during the Jewish Passover when the Jews confronted Pontius Pilate that led to Jesus’ crucifixion. Thank you for consenting to visit Following My King.

Servius Antonius Balduinus Thank you for inviting me. As you said I was garrisoned at Jerusalem when the Jews confronted Pontius Pilate about this man called Jesus. Rome anticipated trouble and supplied us with additional troops to contain any uprising that might occur from the Jews.

Q. S.: Was this something new to you? Or had you seen other such actions?

S. A. B.: While I was there, I participated in several crucifixions. I thought the previous ones were all the same. However, the one with this man Jesus was . . . different. In the other ones, the criminals on the crosses shouted down curses onto us and the onlookers. This man Jesus asked His Father to forgive us. Forgive us? We caused Him to die and, yet, He sought God’s forgiveness for us.

Q. S.: Did you have any doubts about this one?

S. A. B.: “Why,” I asked myself “are we taking His very life?” Pilate told the Jews he found no guilt in this man and, yet, he turned Him over to the crowd. Yes, I joined in when my fellow soldiers divided up his garments, to the point of drawing lots when they decided to gamble for his undergarment As I look back, I realize it was so wrong to do. We justified it because there were four of us and he had five items of clothes. The undergarment was seamless, and we didn't want to cut it.

Q. S.: Did any people stand out to you? Did any of them act differently from the rest?

S. A. B.: While this horrific event was unfolding, I noticed a small group of four women and one young man watching. Later, I learned that one of the women was His mother. How terrible this must have been for her to watch: people brutalizing her own flesh and blood. I remember this Jesus calling down to her, “Woman, behold, your son!” And to the man, “Behold, your mother!”

Q. S.: How did this event affect you?

S. A. B.: Then my superior officer appointed me to puncture each of the three men in their side with my spear. After that, in case that process had not rendered them dead, I had to break their legs. When I approached the other two, they were still alive. I will always remember their screams of agony.

But this Jesus was already dead. I thought about all that I had seen and heard from this man Jesus, then I realized. “This man was truly the Son of God.” I Have not forgotten Jesus and what He did for each of us. My life has not been the same.

Q. S.: Thank you Servius Antonius Balduinus, for being here with us.

Interview with Simon Peter

redefinedandlivingdivine.files.wordpress.com

Quiet Spirit: Hello, today we have as a special guest Simon Peter. He has some interesting bits of information to share with us. Thank you for stopping in and visiting with us today.

Simon Peter: Thank you for inviting me to join you and your readers.

Q.S.: Peter, what can you tell us about your family and your background?

S.P.: My family came from Bethsaida. I lived in Capernaum. My father John was a fisherman. My brother Andrew and I followed our father into the fishing industry.

Q.S.: Did your meeting Jesus change you as a person? If it did could you share with us how?

S.P.: Yes, meeting Him changed who I was. Before I met Him, my life was focused on our trade. If I had a bad catch of fish, I didn’t handle it well. Because of this bad attitude, Andrew and I had rocky times. I even took out my frustrations on my wife and family. Knowing Him also changed how I looked at other people. However, I have to say, I never became ‘perfect’.

Q.S.: Why did Jesus give you a new name?

S.P.: I have often wondered about that. He must have seen something in me that I didn’t know was there. The name He gave me meant “Rock”; I was not a strong person. In fact, I could have been considered shallow and impulsive by those who knew me. I’m sorry to say that all that impulsiveness took over when Jesus was arrested and tried.

Q.S.: Are there things about yourself that you wish had been different about who you were?

S.P.: Yes, there are a few things. I wish I would not have spoken without thinking as much as I did. The Master really tried to set me straight when I almost argued with him when he told us he would be leaving us. Then, when I denied knowing Him those three times. I instantly felt regret for doing it. However, He forgave me. I can’t forget that.

Q.S.: How did you feel when Jesus forgave you?

S.P.: At first, I didn’t understand the reasoning behind his asking me the same question three times. Then I realized that he was forgiving me for each time I denied Him. Once I realized what He did, I felt very thankful for His choosing that way. Because He forgave me, I could forgive others.

Q.S.: Simon Peter, thank you for stopping in and sharing with us.

S.P.: Thank you for inviting me.

Interview with a Servant Girl

Denial of St. Peter, Gerret van Honthort

Quiet Spirit: Hello. Today we have with us one who can tell us a bit about one of the events at the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest. Welcome! Would you like to give us your name and tell us a little bit about yourself?

Servant Girl: Thank you for asking me to visit your blog today. It is an honor to be here. My name is not important; it is long forgotten in history. I was a servant girl in the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest. His family chose me to be in their service when Caiaphas received his appointment from a Roman official. When I had been in service for 15 years, the Feast of Passover brought tensions to Jerusalem. The religious leaders brought that rabbi, Jesus, to Caiaphas to go on trial.

Q. S.: Did you have knowledge of who Jesus was? Had you ever heard Him teach?

S. G.: A few days before the night in question, I was returning from purchasing supplies for the household in preparation for the Seder meal. I came upon a large group of people as they listened to the Rabbi preach. I asked a woman in the crowd who that Rabbi was. She told me he was Jesus. Another man stood close to this Jesus. I asked who that man was. She told me the second man was Cephas, who also was called Peter.

Q. S.: What happened on that night?

S. G.: Some of the others who were in service built a fire in the yard. A lot of people who were in town for the feast began to arrive at the gate. Soldiers brought in this Jesus for Caiaphas to interview. When the crowd brought that man Jesus into the courtyard, one of his followers came with him. Later, I recognized someone among the people who had been allowed to come into the yard. My friend told me this man hesitated outside the gate, talking to another man. That first man entered the yard and said something to one of the senior servants who went to Caiaphas’ son-in-law, Annas, conversed with him and returned to that first man. The senior servant accompanied him to the gate and spoke to the one waiting on the other side. The second man entered the yard and headed to the fire to get warm. I stood right by him and realized he had been with the Galilean. I told him that he had been with the Nazarene, but he responded with anger as he denied it. Suddenly, a rooster crowed and this man standing by the fire broke down and started sobbing. He then bolted from the fire and into the crowd.

Q. S.: Is there anything else you remember happening that night?

S. G.: Later, those in service talked about the events of the evening. Two others had confronted this man with the fact that he had been with this rabbi. Each time, he became agitated and, when I spoke with him, he seemed to not be able to contain himself any longer.

Q. S.: Servant Girl, you have given us new insight into the events of that event at the high priest’s home. Thank you for stopping by.

S. G.: Thank you for inviting me.

Interview with Malchus

http://www.germanicmythology.com

Q.S.: Hello, thanks for dropping in. Today we have with us Malchus, one of the male servants in Caiaphas’ household.

Malchus: Good day, thank you for inviting me here.

Q.S.: Could you tell us about your life of service?

Malchus: I started in service as a young boy, about eight or nine. My duties at that time were working with the animals. You know feeding them, cleaning the stalls, and replacing the hay in their stalls. As I got older, those duties changed.

Q.S.: How did you meet Jesus?

Malchus: The year I was 20, on the night of Passover, I found myself going in a group of about 200 men, some were assigned to Caiaphas, others were Priests and there also were Roman soldiers with us. It was dark; we carried torches to illumine our way through Jerusalem, up the Mount of Olives, and into the garden Gethsemane.

As we approached this man Jesus, the one we followed there gave the sign to identify him. He kissed this Jesus person.

Jesus asked who we were looking for. The priest answered. Jesus asked another question and again the priest answered. One of the men with Jesus asked yet another question and suddenly I felt something hit the side of my head. I reached up with my free hand and felt something warm on my skin. Someone near me held his torch closer to me and shouted, “This man is bleeding; his ear has been cut off.”

 Jesus chided one who was with him “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” He took my severed ear in his hand, placed it against the side of my head; said a few words, and removed his hand. This itinerant preacher, whom everyone wanted to die, healed me!

 My fellow servants told me which one of the men with Jesus did this to me. Later, after they brought Jesus to my master’s house, I recognized that man. I approached him and asked if he was with the Galilean. (Pause) Of course, he denied it.

Q.S.: How has your encounter with Jesus affected your life?

Malchus: All I knew about Jesus was what I overheard from Caiaphas, Annas, and the other priests. I really didn’t care for him. That’s why I didn’t mind going in that group to find him that night. However, after he healed me, I thought about how he showed compassion to me by taking the time to heal me, someone unworthy. If Jesus had not healed me, I don’t know what my life would have been like. I could have been reduced to a life of begging. He will always have my thanks.

Q. S.: Thank you, Malchus.

An Interview with Pontius Pilate, part 2

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Today, we continue with our visit with Pontius Pilate. Let's begin.

Q.S.: What were your thoughts about Him? Did anyone in your palace offer any advice as to what to do?

Pilate: When this Jesus stood before me and didn’t respond to my questions, I was amazed. I was torn between what the Jews wanted and the fact that I saw nothing that told me He was guilty of those charges. Then my wife sent me a message. She had experienced a sleepless night She told me not to condemn this man, Jesus. I found it strange. I wasn’t aware she even knew Him.

Q.S.: What was your alternative plan?

Pilate: I offered to let him go in exchange for another criminal. It was the custom for the governing authorities to release one being held in custody during Passover. The crowd said no, (shakes head) they wanted Barabbas, a rebellious thug, A REBELLIOUS THUG, freed...I was desperate, I HAD TO DO AS THE CROWD WANTED.

Q.S: Did you have any options?

Pilate: I had a job to do. If I let Jesus go, it would mean my post. I’d get called back to Rome and would be at my superior’s mercy. I HAD NO CHOICE. I ordered this Jesus scourged. The soldiers mocked him and his claim. After they were through with him. I brought him out before the crowd again. I felt sorry for this Jesus.

Q.S. How did the crowd react to seeing Jesus?

Pilate: The moment the chief priests and the scribes saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” The rest of the crowd joined in. I declared I found no charge against him—in my sight, he was innocent. I told them they could take him and crucify him themselves. I wanted no part in this.

Q.S.: On what did they base their desire?

Pilate: Those Jews were hard to deal with; they wanted this Jesus dead. They claimed they have a law saying he must die because he has claimed to be the Son of God. I went inside again and questioned this Jesus. He chose not to answer. His not speaking frustrated me. He seemed unconcerned even though I had the power to either let him go free or crucify him.

Q. S.: How did He respond to your questions?

 Pilate: He had told me any power I had, came from above. And those who had handed him over were guilty of a greater sin. I tried very hard to give him back to the Jews, but they didn’t want him. They wanted him crucified. I had no recourse. I had to do as they insisted. I believed he was speaking the truth- he was the Son of God.

Q. S.: Looking back, what was your reason for turning Jesus over to the crowd?

Pilate: Three times I told the Jews of Jesus’ innocence. I couldn’t understand why these people wanted to kill him. But they could make trouble for me with my superiors in Rome. I had to do as the people wanted.

Q.S.: Thank you for stopping by, Pontius Pilate, and for giving us this insight.

An Interview with Pontius Pilate, part 1

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Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. This year, we will be receiving visits from Biblical people who were involved in the story of Christ's last days on our earth. A few of these will be shared with you in two parts. 

Quiet Spirit: Hello! We have with us today Pontius Pilate. governor of Judea from 26 to 36 A. D. One year during the Jewish Passover, he had the task of presiding over the decision-making process dealing with Jesus Christ. Welcome, Pontius Pilate to Following My King.

Pontius Pilate: Thank you for inviting me to share my story.

Q.S.: This must have been a stressful time for you. What was the first thing you saw that told you this would be a difficult time?

Pontius Pilate: I looked out onto the street, I saw a mob of people heading to my palace. I thought, “Oh, no. Here comes a crowd of soldiers with that man Jesus. A lot of the Jews follow Him.” They could not enter my palace; if they did the Jewish Law would say they were unclean. Then they would not be able to partake of their Passover Feast. I had to go out to them. If I didn’t take care of this properly, my superiors in Rome would send someone to replace me and I would have to go back to Rome or worse.

Q.S.: How did the people of Jerusalem respond to you?

Pilate: Now keep in mind, the Jewish people did not like me. The city of Jerusalem needed a way to transport water from its source into their city. Their funds were low. I made what you would call an executive decision and ordered the priest to give me the funds in their treasury to cover the cost of this project. The people had the notion that I stole that money from them. I lived with the possibility that these Jews could go to Rome with their story and cause me to be recalled to Rome and placed in a lesser post or worse.

Q.S.: What was the reaction of the people to Jesus? How did you find Jesus? Did anything about what He said puzzle you?

Pilate: These people did not care about this man Jesus. In my conversation with him, he said this was the reason he was born. He said he was a king and he was here to testify to the truth. This stunned me, I found myself asking, “WHAT IS TRUTH?” I found no reason to charge him. I did not find him guilty of anything of which the crowds accused him.

Q. S.: Why did they have to consult you about Jesus and the charges they brought?

When the Roman government overcame the people of Judea and took over their land, Rome relieved them of their power to inflict capital punishment on those they took to trial.  I tried three times to turn this Jesus over to them so they could do what they wanted with him.