Date: 5 February 2009 D - 16
Events:
3 Feb: I woke up, read, wrote then worked out at Lifetime. Marla came home early and we took Sadie to the Vet. After Sadie’s episode this weekend when she could not stand up on her own for a night we have been very worried about her hips. She has gradually gotten better and was even able to play yesterday before our appointment. At the appointment, we choose to sedate her to get the best films (very sad…Marla cried). I called Sadie over for the shot and could tell it took every ounce of obedience in her to come as she hopped over, one jump closer, one jump away crying as she came. I’ll never again call her to me to receive a painful exam/procedure, learned my lesson; it was heartbreaking. The sedation went well; while she was out we got a blood sample, trimmed her nails and shot the X-rays. The X-rays showed the beginnings of hip dysplasia/arthritis. Her hips do not look too bad yet so I think we may be dealing with a more acute muscle or joint injury this week but the diagnosis is none the less troubling. Sadie and I have had a great 2 years running together and playing Frisbee a couple times a day, it breaks my heart that we’re going to have to take it easier and she may not be able to come on runs/plays like she used to. Last night Sadie looked very sad. It took her a long time to fully wake up from the anesthesia and in her sleepy eyes, Marla and I feared that we saw a new distrust after we subjected her to such a difficult day. This morning, after a good night sleep, the dejected look is gone and my girl looks happy again. Marla and I watched The Happening last with Mark Walburg; I’ll give it a pretty good. The acting and characters were great but the concept was a bit green-peace, take it back, a lot green-peace.
4 Feb: I woke up read, wrote then received an interesting phone call. At 0930 I got a call from the Command that our flight had been bumped up to 8 Feb (this Sunday). Scared to tell Marla over the phone, I decided to wait, but started packing up, somewhat frantically, as there is still a lot that needs done before I leave. At 1030 I got a second phone call and was informed that our plane had again been changed to 21 Feb. Although I will now be home for Valentine’s Day, I have to admit a bit of disappointment. After the initial shock of flying out on Sunday had passed, I was excited to finally get going. It feels like I’ve been in perpetual holding pattern for 6 months now. I’m not too busy at work, not too busy at home, unable to make any long term plans, and unable to practice emergency medicine. I am excited to finally do my wartime mission and get home. I’ve moved out of my office, my dog is injured (unable to exercise) and it seems like all I do is write, study and watch movies around here; not really why I got into medicine or the military. There is no longer any challenge or excitement to my life as I am now unable to work and unable to make any extended plans; I’m ready for a change. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for my time here with Marla & Sadie but this process of preparing to leave then not leaving has become so painful that we will all breathe a sigh of relief once I’m on that plane. After the drama, I got the car worked on so that it will be safe for Marla, bought Sadie a ramp so she can get in and out of the truck and worked on a door stop so Marla can feel safer at night while I’m gone. We watched Hancock last night and I would highly recommend it, funny and redeeming.
Bible (NT/OT):
Matt 27
Jesus Delivered to Pilate
27 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor.
Judas Hangs Himself
3 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." They said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money." 7 So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me."
Jesus Before Pilate
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You have said so." 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?" 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
The Crowd Chooses Barabbas
15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream." 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." 22 Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said, "Let him be crucified!" 23 And he said, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!"
Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified
24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." 25 And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
Jesus Is Mocked
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
The Crucifixion
32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
The Death of Jesus
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, "This man is calling Elijah." 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!"
55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Jesus Is Buried
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The Guard at the Tomb
62 Next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, "Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise.' 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first." 65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can." 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.
Bible Thoughts:
4 Feb: I woke up read, wrote then received an interesting phone call. At 0930 I got a call from the Command that our flight had been bumped up to 8 Feb (this Sunday). Scared to tell Marla over the phone, I decided to wait, but started packing up, somewhat frantically, as there is still a lot that needs done before I leave. At 1030 I got a second phone call and was informed that our plane had again been changed to 21 Feb. Although I will now be home for Valentine’s Day, I have to admit a bit of disappointment. After the initial shock of flying out on Sunday had passed, I was excited to finally get going. It feels like I’ve been in perpetual holding pattern for 6 months now. I’m not too busy at work, not too busy at home, unable to make any long term plans, and unable to practice emergency medicine. I am excited to finally do my wartime mission and get home. I’ve moved out of my office, my dog is injured (unable to exercise) and it seems like all I do is write, study and watch movies around here; not really why I got into medicine or the military. There is no longer any challenge or excitement to my life as I am now unable to work and unable to make any extended plans; I’m ready for a change. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for my time here with Marla & Sadie but this process of preparing to leave then not leaving has become so painful that we will all breathe a sigh of relief once I’m on that plane. After the drama, I got the car worked on so that it will be safe for Marla, bought Sadie a ramp so she can get in and out of the truck and worked on a door stop so Marla can feel safer at night while I’m gone. We watched Hancock last night and I would highly recommend it, funny and redeeming.
Bible (NT/OT):
Matt 27
Jesus Delivered to Pilate
27 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor.
Judas Hangs Himself
3 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." They said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money." 7 So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me."
Jesus Before Pilate
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You have said so." 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?" 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
The Crowd Chooses Barabbas
15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?" 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream." 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." 22 Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said, "Let him be crucified!" 23 And he said, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!"
Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified
24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." 25 And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
Jesus Is Mocked
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
The Crucifixion
32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
The Death of Jesus
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, "This man is calling Elijah." 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!"
55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Jesus Is Buried
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The Guard at the Tomb
62 Next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, "Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise.' 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first." 65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can." 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.
Bible Thoughts:
1. Pilate Only Pilate, as a Roman Ruler, had the jurisdiction to institute capital punishment as Israel was under Roman control.
2. 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. Christ willingly chose the cross. In a worldly sense, he did not defend himself against the false accusations of the Priests and People. In a heavenly sense, Christ, if he chose to, could have walked untouched through the crowd as he had done in the past when it “was not his time”, he could have called down 12 Legions of Angles to his defense, as mentioned last chapter, or simply stepped off the cross thereby forever condemning the world that crucified him to live and die in their sins. Christ, however, chose the cross. He chose to rescue those who spit on and scourged him. He chose to rescue those who falsely accused him and denied his deity. He chose to open the gates of heaven to miserable sinning failures like myself.
3. "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." Barabbas was a mass murderer.
4. 24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." 25 And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" This is the part in all Passion shows (plays depicting the crucifixion of Christ) when the writers are charged with anti-Semitism. Two points, 1) The accurate depiction of a historic reality (this quote) says nothing of a writers political/social/religious views. 2) Most importantly, if we approached the accusation of anti-Semitism appropriately, it is a wonderful gospel presentation. Although the Jewish people were responsible for Christ’s crucifixion in effect, they were merely acting according to the will of God and the will of Christ. Far be it for a human to be accused of overpowering Christ, far be it for a people to be accused of overpowering the plans of God. No, the responsibility for the crucifixion was not of the Jews but of the Father. Luke speaks of the crucifixion in Acts, “27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place”. Acts 4:27-29. It was the plan of God and the will of Christ to be punished for our sin. The very lashes given by man, rescued man. The Jews are no more responsible for the lashes than I, no more responsible for the suffering than I, no more responsible for the ridicule than I. It was not the sin of the Jews false testimony, not their lies and not their release of Barabbas that hung Jesus on the cross but the collective sin’s of all humanity. Far from sitting in condemnation over the Jewish people for the crucifixion, we should sit in humble awe at the mighty hand of the Lord in action. The Jewish sin in Christ’s crucifixion was real and they are responsible for such sin, but no more real is the sin that I daily commit and no less responsible for the cross am I. In fact, as one for whom Christ died (a believer), I am more responsible. As I sin in my daily life, I mock Christ’s sacrifice and lent that much greater punishment paid on the cross.
5. 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe …32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. As an immature believer, I identified with Simon saying to myself, ‘if I were there, I would have carried Christ’s cross, stopped the lashes, offered him water as he suffered on the cross…’ As I have matured, as Paul says, ‘I see a different power at work in my body.’ And later, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Rom 7:15-16. When I look at my daily life, far from helping Christ carry his cross, I stand as the one delivering the lashes. In the final analysis of my daily life, I have done far more injustice to Christ than Justice. Sadly, I am far more a Roman Soldier than a Simon of Cyrene. And, this is how it should be. As we mature, we begin to understand the enormity of the chasm between our sin and Christ’s goodness. As we grow in appreciation of that separation, our love for the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross explodes. When we realize our depravity, when we acknowledge that far from carrying Christ’s cross we daily crown him with thorns, our love flourishes but when we deceive ourselves into proudly believing that we are a Simon, our love and appreciation of the cross of stifled, “he who is forgiven little, loves little" Luke 7:47.
6. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Despite Christ’s intense physical suffering, the payment due our sins was not complete until God laid all sin on his Child’s shoulders and was forced to turn his back. Jesus, born without the sin of Adam (Immaculate Conception), and living his entire life without sin, had enjoyed a perfect relationship with his Father. However, at the Cross, Christ became the most sinful being ever created, more sinful than the worst serial killer, more sinful than Satan himself as upon him were laid every sin ever committed. Christ no longer addresses his Father informally as Father, but formally as God as he occupies the seat of the condemned receives the punishment required by the law from the ultimate Judge. The suffering of the Trinity (to be sure, it was not only Christ who suffered) was great this day, without my own child, I cannot imagine condemning and punishing my child by my own hand for trespass committed by others. But the Trinities love for me prevailed, Christ stayed his course, the Father stayed his course and in the end amidst the blood and cry’s was my redeemed soul. To deny the Trinity’s suffering, to deny the Trinity’s finished work is to slap father God in the face. Those who do will not be pardoned. Far from shedding tears for their souls, we should shed tears for the mockery they have made of the cross.
7. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Top to bottom, so it was clear that it was not torn by man. The Temple curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple. It was in the Holy of Holies that God’s presence rested. Only once a year, and only covered in blood was 1 man (the high priest) able to enter the Holy of Holies to make an animal sacrifice and atone for his peoples sins of the past year. By tearing the curtain Christ’s death declared annual animal sacrifice(Yom Kippur) no longer necessary as He shed His perfect blood once and for all (Hebrews 9-11). In addition, the separation of a holy God from a sinful laity was forever discarded as we can now personally pray to the Father (but only in Christ’s name, Jn 14:13, 15:16, 16:23,26), and ultimately approach the Judgment throne with confidence as the sentence due our sins has been paid (Heb 4).
8. ' 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last fraud will be worse than the first." 65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can." If there is anything Roman Soldiers (any soldiers for that matter) are good at, it is killing and guarding. Let there be no doubt, Jesus was killed and the tomb that he escaped was secure. If this seems too amazing for our modern minds, consider the 100’s of eyewitnesses, many of whom were executed for their testimony of the risen Christ. Few, if any, are willing to die for a lie. Our promise as Christians hinges on Christ’s bodily resurrection. As Christ triumphed over death, so will we. This is why thousands throughout the ages have been willing to die for their faith; in Christ’s resurrection is our own.
Sun Tzu:
“Those who use the military skillfully do not raise troops twice and do not provide food three times.”
“This mean you draft people into service once and then immediately seize victory—you do not go back to your country a second time to raise more troops. At first you provide food, after that you feed off your enemy; and then when your soldiers return to your country, you do not greet them with yet more free food.
“This mean you draft people into service once and then immediately seize victory—you do not go back to your country a second time to raise more troops. At first you provide food, after that you feed off your enemy; and then when your soldiers return to your country, you do not greet them with yet more free food.
The Intellectual Devotion (Kidder, D. & Oppenheim N. The Intellectual Devotion, Rodale. NY, NY 2006):
Hagia Sophia “church of the Holy Wisdom “was built as a Christian cathedral in Constantinople (present day Istanbul) between 532-537 AD by Emperor Jusinian as his personal church. This Byzantine ruler claimed that he has surpassed Solomon, the Old Testament King. Mathematicians rather than architects designed the masterpiece which rises 180 feet and is supported by four triangular sections that distribute the weight evenly giving the illusion of weightlessness, as if floating above the worshippers below. In 1453 Hagia Sophia was captured by the Ottoman Turks and turned into a mosque, the mosaics were plastered over and decorations were taken out. In 1936 the building was secularized and converted into the Ayasofia Museum.
