You’re taking my precious Lord…

“Then they lead Jesus from Caiaphas to the Praetorium, and it was early morning, But they themselves did not go into the Praetorium, lest they should become defiled, but that they might eat the Passover.” John 18:28

They only lead Jesus so far, but would not go any further lest they should become defiled.

The Praetorium refers to the house of Pontius Pilate. Pilate was a Roman. These men, who were taking my Jesus, were Jewish. Entering a Roman place would have made them unclean. If they were unclean they would not have been able to EAT at the celebrate of the Passover.

Shame on them, in their hands was the Prince of Peace, their promised Messiah, the one who is our Savior, our Provider and Healer. And they were worried about being clean… so they could celebrate the Passover.

Oh how they had a missed opportunity with the Lord. If they would have recognized who was in their midst their lives would have been radically changed. We can all attest to how are lives have been changed since the Lord came into our lives. Instead they were selfishly thinking about a celebration to come, and a religious celebration at that.

Jesus could have told them exact details of the Passover, mysteries of Heaven, and the fact that they would see him shortly crucified and raised from the dead.

What greater celebration is there than that of the promised Messiah? And they were face to face with Him.

Yesterday we remember Jesus’ death on the cross. What is so sad to me is that the Praetorium is the place that Jesus was tried and sentenced to death. And He went in alone.

I do not know why, but my heart is heavy as I think of all the missed opportunities with my Lord. Whole periods of my life when I was so concerned with me and my plans and yet I had the Word in my hands, on my dresser or bookshelf. How could I say, um... not now Lord, I do not want to miss an opportunity to celebrate my selfish plans! All at the risk of missing the celebration that is to come in heaven.

God is holy, clean and pure. They would never again be in a more undefiled, clean, pure place then in the presence of the Lord.

At first glance it is ridiculous that they would not want to spend every second, go any distance, or enter any place, to spend more time with Jesus. And yet they missed it. And I feel so so so sad. Sad for them and sad for me, because I know that I miss Him all the time too.

The first part of the scripture really struck me, and it was early morning. I am not trying to be legalistic and say you have to read your bible in the morning as opposed to another time of the day. But friends, something happens when everyone is asleep and you are face down with the Lord. You and Him together, your whole day is changed. It is so easy to get caught up with life, and we have all touched on the struggle of prioritizing the Lord in our lives.

When our day starts in our word the Lord prepares us, His voice and Word stay with us throughout the day. We remain in a posture of worship. It is as if we realize this world is fleeting, it does not matter compared to Heaven and Eternity. When a promotion, an acceptance letter, or blessings happen we can praise God instead of ourselves because we are in a state of worship.

When trials and tribulations come, we are already in a state of worship. This does not mean life is perfect or that we do not suffer.

No…

Instead, when that person cuts us off, we can pray for them. When people around us get sick, we know God is our healer. When we do not know what were supposed to do, we know God will direct our path. When things seem impossible, we know God can do miracles. When our friends or family are hurt and broken, we can point them to the cross and say look to the cross my friends, your Lord did that for you. So he could be your healer, provider, light, miracle worker, covenant keeping God, the one who hears your cries, the one who is so so so faithful. Lean on him, trust in Him. He is our only answer.

The more time I spend growing in the Lord, the more I realize I have nothing to offer. I have nothing to give you. All I can do is point you to the Lord and He is PERFECT, He is all that you need.

So as we remember the cross this Easter season let us remember that God promised a Savior would come to restore our relationship with God. And 2000 years ago Jesus came and did just that. He also promised that He is coming again. Friends let’s get ready for His return! Heaven is our home and I am ready to go there.

God I do not want to be like these men, to hold heaven in my arms and for the sake of religiosity miss you or miss opportunities with you. Help us to remain in a state of seeking after You and Your Kingdom. God we thank you for your gift of eternal life. We praise you for being so faithful and perfect. We are Sorry for not abiding in your word, we are sorry for missed opportunities with you. Help us to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness.

xoxo Ash B