Glory to God in the Highest

Today marks the only time in Jesus life where people recognised Him as King. Think on His disciples on the way down from the Mount of Olives extolling Him and recognising Him as King. They knew not what He was to suffer, they heard all He had to say about “The Kingdom of God”, they - like most Jews - were waiting for the Kingdom to be reestablished. They must’ve been surprised when He was taken away to be executed.

There are two lessons here; do not ignore what the Lord tells you and hear only what you want, but, most importantly, never lose Hope when things are not as you thought, the Lord will overcome as He has the world.

19 And he said to them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.
21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. (Luke 24:19, ESV)

Keep your lamps burning, the night will be dark and it’s nearly upon us.

“Leave me alone God, I hate you, I don’t want you”
“OK… I will die for you just in case you change your mind”

Consider how Jesus Christ, after being scourged and
crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to
die on the cross
℣. O God who, by the Passion of Thy Christ, our Lord, hast loosened the bonds of death, that heritage of the first sin to which all men of later times did succeed: make us so conformed to Him that, as we must needs have bourne the likeness of earthly nature, so we may by santification bear the likeness of heavenly grace. Through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
℟. O my people, what have I done to thee? or wherein have I afflicted thee? Answer me.
℣. I went before thee in a pillar of cloud: and thou hast led Me to the judgement hall of Pilate.

Consider Jesus as He walked this road with the cross on His
shoulders, thinking of us, and offering to His Father in our
behalf, the death He was about to suffer.
℣. O my people, what have I done to thee? or wherein have I afflicted thee? Answer me.
℣. Because I led thee out of the land of Egypt, thou hast prepared a cross for thy Saviour.

Consider the first fall of Jesus Loss of blood from the
scourging and crowing with thorns had so weakened Him
that He could hardly walk; and yet He had to carry that great
load upon His shoulders. As the soldiers struck Him cruelly,
He fell several times under the heavy cross.
℣. Because I led thee out through the desert forty years: and fed thee with manna, and brought thee into a land exceeding good, thou hast prepared a Cross for thy Saviour.

Consider how the Son met his Mother on His way to Calvary. Jesus and Mary gazed at each other and their looks became as so many arrows to wound those hearts which loved each other so tenderly.

℟. O holy God
℟. O holy strong One
℟. O holy immortal one, have mercy on us.

Consider how weak and weary Jesus was. At each step He was at the point of expiring. Fearing that He would die on the way when they wished Him to die the infamous death of the cross, they forced Simon of Cyrene to help carry the cross after Our Lord.

℣. We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

℣. Through a tree we were enslaved, and through a holy Cross have we been set free: the fruit of a tree led us astray, the Son of God bought us back.

℣. Saviour of the world, do Thou save us, do Thou, who through Thy Cross and Blood didst redeem us, do Thou help us, our God, we beseech Thee.

Consider the compassion of the holy woman, Veronica. Seeing Jesus in such distress, His face bathed in sweat and blood, she presented Him with her veil. Jesus wiped His face, and left upon the cloth the image of his sacred countenance.

℣. Let us pray.
Upon Thy people who with devout hearts have recalled the Passion and Death of Thy Son, we beseech Thee, O Lord, may plentiful blessings descend: may gentleness be used with us, and consolation given us, may our faith increase in holiness, our redemption for ever made firm. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
℟. Amen.

Consider how the second fall of Jesus under His cross renews the pain in all the wounds of the head and members of our afflicted Lord.

Faithful Cross! above all other, One and only noble Tree! None in foliage, none in blossom, None in fruit thy peer may be.
Bend thy boughs, O Tree of glory!
Thy relaxing sinews bend;
For awhile the ancient rigor,
That thy birth bestowed, suspend:
And the King of heavenly beauty
On thy bosom gently tend!

Consider how the women wept with compassion seeing Jesus so distressed and dripping with blood as he walked along. Jesus said to them, “Weep not so much for me, but rather for Your children.”

My Jesus , laden with sorrows, I weep for the sins which I have committed against You because of the punishment I deserve for them; and, still more, because of the displeasure they have caused You who have loved me with an infinite love. It is Your love, more than the fear of hell, which makes me weep for my sins. My Jesus, I love You more than myself; I am sorry that I have offended You.
Never allow me to offend You again. Grant that I may love You always; and then do with me as You will.

Consider how Jesus Christ fell for the third time. He was extremely weak and the cruelty of His executioners was excessive; they tried to hasten His steps though He hardly had strength to move.

℟. O my people, what have I done to thee? or wherein have I afflicted thee? Answer me.
℣. I fed thee with manna in the desert; and thou hast beaten Me with whips and scourges.

Consider how Jesus was violently stripped of His clothes by His executioners. The inner garments adhered to his lacerated flesh and the soldiers tore them off so roughly that the skin came with them. Have pity for your Savior so cruelly treated.

℟. O my people, what have I done to thee? or wherein have I afflicted thee? Answer me.
℣. For thy sake I struck the kings of the Chanaanites: and thou hast struck My head with a reed.

Consider Jesus, thrown down upon the cross, He stretched
out His arms and offered to His eternal Father the sacrifice
of His life for our salvation. They nailed His hands and feet,
and then, raising the cross, left Him to die in anguish.

℟. O my people, what have I done to thee? or wherein have I afflicted thee? Answer me.
℣. I exalted thee with great strength: and thou hast hanged Me on the gibbet of the Cross.

Consider how your Jesus , after three hours of agony on the cross, is finally overwhelmed with suffering and, abandoning Himself to the weight of His body, bows His head and dies.

We adore Thy Cross, O Lord: and we praise and glorify You: for behold by the wood of the Cross You have redeemed the world.

After Our Lord had died, He was taken down from the cross by two of His disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, and placed in the arms of His afflicted Mother. She received Him with unutterable tenderness and pressed Him close to her bosom.

By the cross with you to stay
There with you to weep and pray is all I ask of you to give.

Christ is Risen! Truly, He is Risen!

Christus surrexit! Surrexit vere!

Χριστὸς ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη!

Христосъ воскресе! Воистинну воскресе!

הַמָּשִׁיחַ קָם לִתְחִיָּה! אָמְנָם קָם׃

المسيح قام! حقًا قام!

מְשִׁיחָא קָם! שָׁרִיר וְקַיָּם קָם׃

ܡܫܝܚܐ ܩܡ! ܫܪܝܪܐܝܬ ܩܡ!

مسیح برخاست! به راستی برخاست!

مسیح راژوندی شو! رښتیا راژوندی شو!

基督復活了！祂真的復活了！

Ki-tok hōk-oaⁿ--ah! Tā siōng-sit hōk-oaⁿ--ah!

基督復活咗！佢真係復活咗！

キリストは復活された！本当に復活された！

Si Cristo ay nabuhay na muli! Totoo, Siya ay nabuhay na muli!

Si Kristo nabanhaw! Tinuod, nabanhaw Siya!

ክርስቶስ ተነስቷል! በእውነት ተነስቷል!

Cristo è risorto! Veramente è risorto!

Christus ist auferstanden! Wahrhaftig, er ist auferstanden!

Le Christ est ressuscité ! En vérité, il est ressuscité !

¡Cristo ha resucitado! ¡Verdaderamente ha resucitado!

मसीह जी उठे हैं! वास्तव में, वे जी उठे हैं!

Tá Críost éirithe! Go deimhin, tá sé éirithe!
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Happy Easter! Christ is King.