Prophecy: False witnesses step forward; they ask me strange questions for which I have no answers. (Psalm 35:11 Voice) Fulfillment: There were plenty of people willing to get up and accuse Jesus falsely, distorting what Jesus had said or done. (Mark 14:56 Voice) Thought: David may not have had the answers to the questions asked by his enemies, but Jesus would choose not to address the false accusations at all. There was nothing to say against the false witness. Many times we make the mistake of saying too much. Distorting the truth for our own thoughts. Take a lesson from Jesus and learn to keep quiet. Quiet and listening for the truth. Amen.

Moments of Meditation

Messianic Prophecy: False Witness

Prophecy: And in the face of such oppression and suffering--silence. Not a word of protest, not a finger raised to stop it. Like a sheep to a shearing, like a lamb to be slaughtered, he went--oh so quietly, oh so willingly. (Isaiah 53:7 Voice) Fulfillment: Then Pilate said to Him, "Do you not hear all this evidence that is brought against you?"; but He still refused to answer one word, to the Governor's great astonishment. (Matthew 27:13-14 NEB) Thought: Amazingly Jesus said nothing in His defense; just maybe He did so because He was taking our place of punishment. So in saying nothing, He said everything! Amen.

Messianic Prophecy: Silent

Prophecy: They make a game out of dividing my clothes among themselves; they cast lots for the clothes on my back. (Psalm 22:18 Voice) Fulfillment: [One soldier said to the others:] "Don't tear it. Let's cast lots, and the winner will take the whole thing." (John 19:24 Voice) Thought: In David's time, as well as in Jesus', nakedness indicated poverty and servitude. God's greatest king of Israel and His only Son both needed to experience the worst of humanity before they could unite Israel and save humanity, respectively. Amen.

Messianic Prophecy: Gambling for Clothing

Prophecy: Everyone who sees me laughs at me; they whisper to one another I'm a loser; they sneer and mock me, saying, "He relies on the Eternal; let the Eternal rescue him." (Psalm 22:7-8 Voice) Fulfillment: The people stood looking on, and their rulers jeered at him: "He saved others: now let him save himself, if this is God's Messiah, his Chosen." The soldiers joined in the mockery and came forward offering Him their sour wine. "If you are the King of the Jews," they said, "save yourself." (Luke 23:35-37 NEB) Thought: Reliance on God is no laughing matter. David would find that God would crush his taunting enemies in battle. Jesus overlooked the rude remarks and chose to save His enemies from the same death they were about to inflict upon Him. Amen.

Messianic Prophecy: Mocked

Prophecy: I am weary of howling; my throat is scratched dry. (Psalm 69:3 Voice) Fulfillment: Jesus knew now that His work had been accomplished, and the Hebrew Scriptures were fulfilled. He said, "It is finished." (John 19:28 Voice) Thought: The howling from the pain became excruciating. On the cross, Jesus howled and howled as the judgment upon sin was carried out upon Him. Jesus' thirst points towards our own thirst for righteousness. His is the righteousness we seek. The righteousness offered for the sins of the world. Amen.

Messianic Prophecy: Thirsty

Prophecy: Even more, they gave me poison for my food and offered me only sour vinegar to drink. (Psalm 69:21) Fulfillment: A jar of sour wine had been left there, so they took a hyssop branch with a sponge soaked in the vinegar and put it to His mouth. (John 19:29) Thought: The thirst got to Jesus. He asked for a drink. At this point, any drink would do. As long as it was liquid, that's all that mattered. Something to quench the dreadful dryness in His mouth. Even the sour wine would be welcomed. A momentary bit of comfort to bring about eternal comfort for those who follow Him. Amen.

Messianic Prophecy: Sour Wine

Prophecy: A throng of evil ones has surrounded me like a pack of wild dogs; They pierced my hands and ripped a hole in my feet. (Psalm 22:16 Voice) Fulfillment: [Jesus said:] "Reach out and touch Me. See the punctures in My hands; reach out your hand, and put it to My side; leave behind your faithlessness, and believe." (John 20:27) Thought: The holy wounds of Jesus' crucifixion remain even after He rose from the dead. Many of the statues we have of Jesus show those glorified scars. These will be the only "imperfections" allowed in Heaven. The only wounds that will never be allowed to heal. Not as a sobering reminder of the price of our admission to Heaven. A glorious reminder of all God was willing to do to bring us into Heaven. Amen.

Messianic Prophecy: Pierced through Hands and Feet

Prophecy: Those who hate me without reason are more than the hairs of my head; they outnumber my hairs, those who accuse me falsely. How can I give back what I have not stolen? (Psalm 69:4 NEB) Fulfillment: [Jesus said:] "If I had not worked among them and accomplished what no other man has done, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have both seen and hated both Me and My Father. However, this text in their Law had to come true: 'They hated Me without reason.'" (John 15:24-25 NEB) Thought: During Jesus' lifetime, those who were supposed to know better hated Him because He fought against their system of beliefs. During the last day of His earthly life, His enemies far outnumbered His friends. He was dishonored without reason. Have you dishonored Him without reason? Turn back and repent. Amen.

Messianic Prophecy: Dishonored

Isaiah 41:4 Who has performed these deeds and accomplished this purpose? Who calls each generation into being from the first on down? It is I, the Eternal One your God. I am the first. And to the very last, I am the One. Revelation 1:11, 17-18 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the very beginning and the very end. … This is not the time for fear; I am the First and the Last, and I am the living One. I entered the realm of the dead; but see, I am alive now. Thought: Jesus and the Father are inseparable from one another. Both are eternal. Both were there at the very beginning. Both will be there at the very end. They have “performed these deeds and accomplished this purpose.” Amen.

Messianic Prophecy: First and Last

Zechariah 9:9 Cry out with joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout jubilantly, O daughter of Jerusalem! Look—your King is coming; He is righteous and able to save. He comes seated humbly on a donkey, on a colt, a foal of a donkey. John 12:12-13 The next day a great multitude that had come to the Feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! The King of Israel! Thought: Palm Sunday was the beginning of the greatest week in human history. Jesus entered Jerusalem as the true King of Israel. The King of Israel that would die by the end of the week. But the King of Israel who would rise from the dead as the new week began. Palm Sunday was Day One. Easter is Day Eight. And Day Eight is the day that everything changes. Amen.

Messianic Prophecy: Triumph

Psalm 41:9 Even my best friend, my confidant, who has eaten my bread will stab me in the back. John 13:26 Jesus said, “I will dip a piece of bread in My cup and give it to the one who will betray Me.” He dipped one piece in the cup and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After this occurred, Satan entered into Judas. Thought: “Et tu, Brute! Then fall, Caesar.” Those were Caesar's last words in Shakespeare's play. Caesar was absolutely surprised by the betrayal. Jesus knew it was coming. He had given David the prophecy a millennium beforehand. And Jesus didn't make it not happen. Jesus wanted it to happen because the chief priests and scribes had already determined not to arrest Jesus during the Feast. But Jesus was to die as the true Passover Lamb. Amen.

Messianic Prophecy: Betrayed

Zechariah 13:7 Sword, begin to stir; be ready to strike My shepherd, to strike the man at My side. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will scatter. I'll turn My hand against the little ones. Mark 14:50 When they saw the armed crowd take Jesus into custody, the disciples fled. Thought: God struck Jesus the Shepherd and the disciple sheep were scattered. Everyone fled from Gethsemane because they were afraid of being arrested with Jesus. Even loud-mouthed Simon Peter, who had boasted that he would even die with Jesus rather than forsake Him, ran scared from the soldiers. But Jesus had to be left alone, forsaken by all, in order to pay for our sins alone. Amen.

Messianic Prophecy: Forsaken

Zechariah 11:12 If you think it is right, give me what I have earned. If you don't, then keep it for yourselves. They took thirty pieces of silver, the price set as my wages, the price of a slave. Matthew 26:14-15 At that, one of the Twelve, Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests. “What will you give me to turn Him over to you?” They offered him thirty pieces of silver. Thought: “Every man has his price.” That was the tagline given to Ted DiBiase's “Million Dollar Man” gimmick in the World Wrestling Federation. And how true that statement is. The love of money can cause us to betray even our best friend. The exiles paid Zechariah the same amount to dissolve their covenant with God as the Jewish leaders paid Judas to abandon his loyalties to Jesus. The love of money is the root of all sorts of evils. What's your price? Not thirty pieces of silver, but the holy, precious, innocent suffering and death of Jesus of Nazareth. Perfect God and perfect Man given for you. Amen.

Messianic Prophecy: Thirty Pieces

Zechariah 11:13 “Give My deserved portion of your fee to the potter,” the LORD said. And I did as He told me. I took the thirty shekels of silver—the noble price of my valuable service—and gave them to the potter in the Eternal One's temple. Matthew 27:4-7 Judas said, “I can't keep this money! I've sinned! I've betrayed an innocent man! His blood will be on my hands.” The chief priests and elders replied, “We're through with you, friend. The state of your soul is really none of our affair.” Judas threw down the money in the Temple, went off, and hanged himself. The chief priests looked at the silver coins and picked them up. “You know, according to the Law, we can't put blood money in the Temple treasury.” After some deliberation, they took the money and bought a plot of land called Potter's Field. Thought: Judas had a problem with the thirty pieces of silver that were burning a hole in his pocket and in his soul. When he offers to return the money seeking forgiveness, the chief priests and elders want nothing to do with him. Judas, in unforgiven remorse, goes out and hangs himself because he cannot find forgiveness. Had he only waited three more days! He could have been forgiven just like Peter. But Judas cannot wait. He feels that he must take matters into his own hand. Don't be like Judas. Don't take things into your own hands. Leave them in Jesus' nail-pierced hands. Amen.

Messianic Prophecy: Money Problems

Isaiah 50:5-6 The LORD, the Eternal, has helped me to listen, and I do as He says. I have not been rebellious or run away from God's work. But it's been hard. I offered My back to those who whipped me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not turn away from humiliation and spitting. Matthew 27:26-30 So Pilate released Barabbas, and he had Jesus flogged and handed over to be crucified. … They spat on Him and whipped Him on the head with His scepter of reeds. Thought: Jesus allowed Himself to be scourged. He followed His own teaching, “When someone slaps your right cheek, turn and let that person slap your other cheek” (Matthew 5:39 CEV). He allowed Himself to be humiliated before the Roman soldiers to take away your humiliation before God. Through Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection, you may enter the pearly gates of Heaven with your head held high because Jesus has invited you into His midst. Amen.

Messianic Prophecy: Scourged

These are devotions broadcast on KJOE 106.1 FM in Slayton, MN. This is an outreach ministry of Trinity Lutheran Church in Slayton, MN and Rev. Doug Minton.

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Moments of Meditation

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