One greater than the Temple

In Mathew 12:6, Jesus  declares,"..In this place is one greater than the temple..".  He and His disciples were walking along the fields one Sabbath day. The disciples were hungry and they plucked some corns and ate.. The Pharisees complained that it was  against the Sabbath law to do so. Jesus sites the example of David and his people when they were hungry eating the bread of the temple which only the priests can eat and  yet found blameless. He also points out that the priests in the temple were found blameless when they in their Sabbath duty went against the Sabbath law. He continues to make the statements, " I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,^' you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

The Jews as a rule did not venerate any man  made object. There were only two exceptions and they were the Temple of God  and the Ark of covenent which was inside the holiest place of the Temple.The Temple was the most revered place for the Jews. It was the santuary of God and the  place where they went  to offer the sacrifices for the atonement of  their sins, their offerings and tithes, to celebrate their festivals and to worship their Most  High God. With songs and hymns and dancing and gladness, the Jews/Israelites used to go to the Temple atleast once in a  year and if possible more times  in a year. Even during their captivity thousands of miles away from their land, all their longing and desire were for the Temple at Jerusalem.

   The temple built by king Solomon was destroyed by the king of Babylon and all its treasure was taken to the land of the Chaldeans and placed in the temples of their gods.After seventy years of captivity in Babylon, God in His mercy raised up Cyrus the king of Persia to subdue the Chaldeans and commanded him to let go His people out of captivity  back to Jerusalem to build  the temple there. Ezra laid the foundation for this new tepmle.

 Ezra 3:10-13. And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, ..................all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy: So that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off. 

This passage reveals the love that the people of Israel had for the temple..

For them  only God is greater than the Temple. Here is Jesus  claiming that  He is greater than the Temple.To a Jew it was nothing less than  blasphemy since claiming to be greater than the Temple means claiming to be equal to God or God himself.

The first temple the people of Israel had was the tabernacle. Moses built the Tabernacle according to the command, plan and pattern and measurements given by God. Even minute details regarding the Tabernacle were given by God and Moses did everything as God told him to do. When the people of Israel settled down in the promised land of Canan, the Tabernacle was established as a permanent structure in Shilo.The  prophet  Samuel grew up in this Temple at Shilo where Eli was the High priest. This was the place of worship for Israel for about 400 years till King Salomon built the temple at Jerusalem.

  King Solomon built the temple in the plan and pattern of the Tabernacle. Though every single detail of the Tabernacle/ Temple have spiritual expositions significantly pointing to Jesus and His church, we shall  consider  the over all picture of the temple.

The specific layout of the tabernacle and its courtyard is significant because it illustrates God’s prescribed way for man to approach Him.

There was only one door to enter into the courtyard of the temple. When one entered the court, the first thing he saw was the altar of sacrifice. Behind the altar there was a big brazen basin having plenty of water and then there was an enterance to a tent.This tent was covered in all sides and above. It was divided into two parts by a thick veil,  holy place and Most holy place.  The holy place contained a table on which consecrated loaves of  bread were kept,  a  lampstand in which the light was burning through seven candle sticks, and an altar of incense just in front of the veil in which incense was burning all the time. The most holy place contained the ark of the covenant with its mercy seat and cherubims. Inside the ark,there were  the two stone tablets on which the ten commandments were written by God,  the budded staff  of Aaron and a gold jar containing manna.. 

The one and only gate is a representation of Christ as the only way through which one could fellowship with God and worship Him. Jesus has claimed :

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) and
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” (John 10:9)

 The altar of sacrifice which stood raised on a mound of earth, higher than its surrounding furniture  is a projection of Christ, our sacrifice, lifted up on the cross, on a hill called Golgotha.

The basin of water  was the place where the priests washed their hands and feet  after offering a sacrifice and before enterng the holy place. This points out to the fact that after obtaining the forgiveness of sins believing in the sacrificed Christ we have to be cleansed of our sins through the baptism in water to have fellowship with God. Also daily we must cleanse ourselves through the flowing river of the Holy Spirit and also by the word of God to remain in the fellowship with God.

  Every Israelite can come into the court , to the place of sacrifice. But enterance to the holy place was permissable only to the priests and the high priest and the enterance to the most holy place is allowed only to the high priest that too only once in a year with the blood of atonement in his hand. These rules and regulations of the temple were given by God Himself.   .

The golden altar of incense,  sat in front of the veil  in the holy place. The incense was a symbol of  our prayers and intercession and praises of worship  going up to God as a sweet fragrance.

 The light from the lampstand  was the only source of light in the Holy Place. This light shone upon the table of the showbread and the altar of incense, enabling the priests to fellowship with God and intercede on behalf of God’s people.

Jesus has said,“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) .).

 The table of showbread  held 12 loaves of bread, representing the 12 tribes of Israel. These loaves of bread remained on the table  in the presence of God  for a week. Every Sabbath day the priests would remove it and eat it in the Holy Place, then put fresh bread  made by them on the table. Only priests could eat the bread, and it could only be eaten in the Holy Place. Ihe bread remained in the presence of God  like an invitation to share a meal, an extension of friendship.  God was willing for man to enter into His presence to fellowship with Him, and this invitation was always open.

Jesus exemplified this when He ate with tax collectors, prostitutes and the sinners of Jewish society. But this was more than just a gesture of friendship on earth. Jesus came to call sinners to Him, make them right with God, so that they could enjoy everlasting fellowship with God.

Jesus extends the invitation, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me"( Rev 3:20)

The thick  veil  separating the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place,  was made of fine linen and there were figures of cherubim (angels) embroidered onto it.  This represents the fact that God is surrounded  by His angels. Anyone except the high priest who entered the Holy of Holies would die. Even the high priest, God’s chosen mediator with His people, could only pass through the veil and enter this sacred dwelling  only once a year, on a prescribed day called the Day of Atonement.: He had to wash himself, put on special clothing, bring burning incense to let the smoke cover his eyes from a direct view of God, and bring blood with him to make atonement for his sins as well as for the sins of the whole of Israel.

. When Jesus  died died on the cross as a sacrificial Lamb bearing the sins of mankind, the curtain in the Jerusalem temple was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom. Only God could have carried out such an incredible feat because the veil was too high for human hands to have reached it, and too thick to have torn it. (The Jerusalem temple, a replica of the wilderness tabernacle, had a curtain that was about 60 feet in height, 30 feet in width and four inches thick.) Furthermore, it was torn from top down, meaning this act must have come from above.

. God’s presence was now accessible to all. “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body …let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)

 The ark of the Covenant  represents the mighty power of God.The ark led and guided  the Israelites in their  wilderness journey and it found the resting places for them. The waters of the River Jordan divided and the walls of Jericho fell in the presence of the Ark. It was also a symbol of God’s judgment and wrath. People who dared to touch it or look on it were killed.

 Aaron’s budding staff  represents  the  resurrection of Jesus. He has raised up us  from the death of our inequities and sins. He will raise us from our graves when He comes in His glory.

The tablets of  Ten Commandments remained till the sacrifice of Jesus instituted a new covenant that was not based on law but on belief. "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:20- )

The jar of mannna reminded the israelites how God provided for them in the wilderness. Jesus is the bread that has come down from heaven.

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. … Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.” (John 6:35, 49-50):

The above studies show that the Temple was only a shadow for the reality of Christ. He is worthy of His claim  ,"..In this place is one gretaer than the temple..". 

Jesus is greater than all the sacrifices made in the Temple since He is the only one perfect Sacrifice and we need no other sacrifice to offer to God to be acceptable in His presence.

Jesus is greater than all the cleansing waters of the temple since His blood and His Holy Spirit and His teachings are the flowing rivers cleansing us every day.

Jesus is greater than the bread kept on the shewing table since He is the Bread of life which has come down from heaven to give us eternal life.  In  the temple only the priests and the high priest ate the bread kept in the presence of God; but Jesus has made all His belivers kings and priests and this has given us the right to have fellowship with God.

Jesus is greater than the lamp stand and its light  since he is the light of the world and whosoever walks in Him shall receive the light of life. Jesus is the true light that gives light to everyone  coming into the world.

Jesus is greater than the altar of incense since He has offered Himself as a sweet frgrant offering to God and is offering the incense of prayers for all of us in the Right hand of God

Jesus is greater than the High Priest , since by His death He has torn the veil which separated the holy God  from man.

Jesus is greater than the Temple, since Jesus has fulfilled the Law on the Tablets and he has establishesd a new covenent, a new rule and a whole set of new commandments basing on love and belief in His name.

Jesus is greater than the Ark of the covenant  since those who touched /looked at the Ark of covenant were smitten by God if they were unworthy. But here is Jesus whom we can hug and kiss , touch and be healed.

Jesus is greater than the temple since we can go to the mercy seat at any time without fear.

Jesus is greater than the Temple since the Temples built by Moses, Solomon, Ezra, Herod were all destroyed and the glory of God which dwelt in these temples  had gone away. But here is Jesus, who is not man made, not born by the will of a man and who was  glorified by God  and exalted to the high place  of the right hand of God and dwelling in the glory of God eternally.

Jesus is greater than the Temple since He has received the Holy Spirit without measure from the Father and has filled us with Spirit so that we are all temples of God.

My  Jesus! you are worthy of your claim, " in this place  is One greater than the Temple."

 Glory be to your wonderful name.

“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid“ .” Mathew 14.. 27

When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush,  He told him that His  name is “ I am that I am.”
Jesus reveals Himself as  “ I am that I am.” in many places in the four gospels.
He declares I am Christ, I am the bread of life, I am The door, I am the good shepherd, I am the resurrection and life, I am the way, the truth and the life, I am the vine.
When His disciples were afraid to see Him walking on the waves , His powerful voice booms out saying
“ Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
Whatever be our life's situations , remember these words of our Lord and let us not be afraid and let us take courage  because He who is mighty and He whose love is unchanging and He who calms the wind and walks on the waves is with us always.


“Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
   see, your king is coming,
   seated on a donkey’s colt.” John 12.15
What a great verse. Our king is coming to us as a humble man  whom we can approach easily with our problems and desires. He is a mighty God, but His ears are always open to our petitions. He is never too busy to help us.  There is no need for us to be afraid of anything in life. We have a great king, a mighty warrior who comes to us  to meet us and accept us in our own humble situations and to help us.
Take courage and do not be afraid because “ I am that I am.” is always with you and you have a great king mightier than anybody else whom you can call upon the day of your trouble and who will surely come to you with  the help you need. Praise be to His holy name!

“Who will roll the stone away ?”

 Three women  who loved Jesus  were waiting for the dawn on the third day after the crucifixion of  Jesus. He was crucified and gave up His life on a Friday afternoon.The next day was sabbath and they should not do anything on that day. Next day, early in the morning they started for the tomb where the dead body of Jesus was placed. They were loving women, very brave and very prudent and careful. On Friday they were careful to see  and fix the place where He was being buried. Next day they did not want to break the law of the Sabbath. Very early on Sunday morning  they were walking towards  the tomb carrying precious spices  to anoint Jesus’ body. They had seen Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus embalming the body of Jesus with a large amount of spices. We read in  John 19, ³⁸ Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. ³⁹ He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.^{[e] 40} Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.  The women  too wished to do their part to the body of  their beloved Jesus.  Mark 16.1,2 ..  When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. ² Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb .
They were not thinking of the Roman soldiers who were on guard of the tomb. Their only concern was
“Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
Their hearts were filled with the love for Jesus and they wanted to do what their hearts urged them to do for Jesus. They were so much worried that their efforts of preparing the spices and walking towards the tomb garden may be wasted because of the great barrier which was the big stone in the mouth of the tomb. Without rolling the stone they would not have access to the body of their love. They did not stay at their homes thinking of this barrier. They did their part. They did not bring any help with them because they knew if they ask for help they would be hindered from doing what they desired to do. They just walked along  trusting in the Lord Who created the heavens and  the earth to send some help.
When they came to the tomb, a miracle had already happened. There was a reply to their question
“Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” .
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled. But their mission was not accomplished.  There was no body to apply their spices.
He had risen! He was not there in the tomb. 
They expected to see the dead body of Jesus to mourn over inside the tomb. Instead they met an angel who proclaimed the wonderful news that He was risen from the dead and outside the tomb Jesus Himself appeared to them in His resurrected body and honored their love for Him.They clasped His feet and worshiped Him. Instead of embalming a dead body they worshiped a living Jesus.
There may arise situations in our lives and we may wonder who will remove this great barrier  from us.
Do not be afraid. Jesus is risen. He is the one who removes the barriers from our lives. The only thing we have to do is just love Him and show our love to Him. If we love Him we shall obey His commandments and loving our Lord God with our whole strength, whole heart and whole mind and whole spirit and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves is showing our love for Jesus. We can obey His commandments only when we know what they are. Read the four gospels from the Bible and make a list of what all Jesus had asked His followers to do. Then diligently try to do what He has asked us to do. Let us forget  everything else. The power of God which raised Jesus from the dead , which rolled away the great stone in the mouth of the tomb will surely roll away the great barriers in front of you.
Mica2.13
One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, the LORD at their head.
Job 42.2
   I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.


Wish you all  very happy Easter...........April  24 Sunday 2011.

The seven sayings of Jesus hanging on the cross.

1. Father forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).
2. Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).
3. Woman, behold your son: behold your mother (John 19:26-27).
4. My God, My God, why have you forsaken me, (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34).
5. I thirst (John 19:28).
6. It is finished (John 19:30).
7. Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46).

During every Good Friday service in the churches it is customary to remember the sayings of Jesus  which He uttered while He was hanging on the cross.
We see that, of these seven sayings Luke records three, Mathew and Mark repeat one, and three were recorded by the only disciple who was the eye witness of Jesus on the cross. Luke in his extensive research to write the gospel would have gathered the facts from eye witnesses  and would have left out what others had already recorded.  Mathew and Mark might have collected the facts  from the women and the other people who were standing near the cross. We do not know the reason why John, the beloved disciple, who was the only one of the twelve to stand near the cross did not record all the seven sayings.It may be due to his unique way of recording the events. 

1. Father forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).

 The very essence of the crucifixion of Jesus is forgiveness. He had said that He had authority to forgive sins. But here the sin of crucifying Jesus should be forgiven only by the Father and Jesus pleads for this forgiveness. He pleads not only for the people of His time who were responsible for the crucifixion but also for every human being including you and me since he offered himself as the atoning sacrifice for every one of us.  We are all responsible for His cross. We do not know what we do. We do not know the magnitude or the seriousness of our sinful deeds and the consequences. Whatever Jesus asks of His Father is granted .Thus our forgiveness is also granted by God the Father if only we accept that Jesus is our sacrificial Lamb.


2.    Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).

There were two criminals crucified on either side of Jesus. The same chance was given to both of them to recognize Jesus as king of an eternal kingdom. One person ridicules Him and the other  pleads  to be remembered in His kingdom. He was assured of the blissful rest in paradise.The kingdom  of God is among us even now. May be even in your last minute you can plead for entry into the kingdom and get it. But how will you know your last minute, will you be conscious, will you have the right mind, will you be able to pray when fear and pain engulfs you?
Accept Jesus as your king now itself and lead a life worthy of your king so that you will get the reward of a faithful servant who is true to his master. Truly He says if you pray to Him to be remembered in His kingdom, today you shall be with Him and lead a blissful life with Him. 

3.Woman, behold your son: behold your mother (John 19:26-27).

Jesus was concerned about His mother. His brothers and sisters were not there beside the cross. His father  Joseph was not mentioned. May be he was dead. Jesus was the eldest son and it was his responsibility to care for His mother. He knew that His beloved disciple was the only person who will care for His mother as He would have. The agony of Jesus was great since His mother was seeing His suffering.  A sword was going through Mary,  a mother watching her son  dying a terrible slow death. Can you imagine that? Both His mother and His beloved disciple needed someone to love and to be loved . Jesus took care of this need by offering His mother as the mother of the disciple to be taken care of while she is alive. Jesus knows our needs and He provides.

4.  My God, My God, why have you forsaken me, (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34).


Jesus was 100% human and His suffering, pain and agony were so great that he cries out in agony.He once said that He and The Father are one. But for a tiny second Father had to hide His face seeing the sins of all the people of the world on Jesus. Jesus was abandoned by the Father so that you might not be.
For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.  For us all , He tasted this abandonment from the Father, so that His deep compassion will be available to us all.

5,  I thirst (John 19:28).


His blood and His sweat are tickling out of His body and he had the natural thirst.  He was humble enough to accept the drink provided by one of the very men who crucified Him. He is the river of life  and the creator of all the water sources and he was thirsty  because of you and me.
John notes that Jesus said “I am thirsty,” not only as a statement of physical reality, but also in order to fulfill the Scripture Psalm 69. Jesus calls out,  
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”   John 7.37

6.  It is finished (John 19:30).

The purpose of His coming  is finished.  He has fulfilled the plan of God for the salvation of the mankind.
There is nothing more to be done.It is a cry of victory. Jesus had accomplished his mission. He had announced and inaugurated the kingdom of God. He had revealed the love and grace of God. And he had embodied that love and grace by dying for the sin of the world, thus opening up the way for all to live under the reign of God.

7.   Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46).

 
Jesus surrenders His Spirit into the hands of Father. He was reunited to God the Father.
 What a privilege it will be  when we take our last breath in this life we are conscious enough to say

 Father, into your hands I commit my spirit

 Prayer 
Our dear Heavenly Father, we praise you and give thanks unto you for allowing your only begotten son to die for us on the cross with so much agony and pain and suffering and humility and ridicule so that  the gates of  your  Kingdom  are opened to us.
Father,  forgive us our trespasses and all our sins.
Jesus, remember us in your kingdom
Thank you Jesus for giving us relationships to love and to be loved.
Thank you Father for abandoning your precious Son for a moment so that you can accept us eternally.
Jesus, let us come to you with a thirsty and believing heart so that rivers of living water may flow from our heart. Thank you Lord for this promise of rivers of living water.
Thank you Jesus for finishing the work of our salvation according to the plan of Father.
Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit.
We pray in the name of our loving Jesus........amen



 

Experiencing the Man of Sorrows in Tokyo, Japan

I had an opportunity to stay in Japan for six months in a city near Tokyo during Sept.2009 to March 2010 with my sons family. We could experience the helping hand of God in all our events there.Though the people there do not speak English, and we did not know a single word in Japanese, God provided  wonderful people as our interpreters and they went out of their comfort zone to help us in all matters.Our hearts are full of gratitude for those wonderful people and during this time of their calamity, our prayers are with them.

They showed us much concern and love during our time of need in the hospital when my daughter in law gave birth to her first child and when this grand son was hospitalized for about three weeks due to some illness.

They provided us warm clothing for the winter and they honored me  by inviting  me to give a talk about India in their meeting and appreciating my talk. They also invited us to their Year end party. They honored us by attending our Christmas party in our house.The main aim of this party was to impart the Message of Christmas.We pray that the seed sown will bring forth the fruit.

Two of these friends took me to a tourist place to give me a taste of Japan.One lady accompanied me shopping and we had nice times together. The highlight of her help was when she helped us in conveyance  with our packages in getting the early morning train to the Narita Airport  when we left Japan. This help she again repeated when my son , daughter in law and grand son left the country three weeks later.What can we do to pay back all that she had done to us.We will be always  indebted to her .I sincerely pray that she and also the other friends there  find salvation that comes through belief in Jesus Christ.They are really wonderful people and may the Almighty God bless them all.

When we were there , we visited the Tokyo tower. In its third floor there is a wax museum and we visited it.In one room , there is an exhibit of  our Lords  Last Supper.I was thrilled to see this exhibit where Lord Jesus with His disciples  was having His Last Supper and establishing His  New covenant that He is offering His flesh and blood for the salvation of many and whosoever eats of His flesh and drinks His blood-- believes He is our Sacrifice Lamb--- will not perish but will have life eternal.

The thing that struck me most  from the exhibit was the sorrow in the face of Jesus. He looked heavily laden with an unbearable burden. I could feel the  heaviness of  His heart. I had never imagined Him like that and it was  a new insight to me that He bore such a burden. I just blurted out loud why  Jesus should be so sad and why His face should be so full of  such sorrow. My son replied that it was just the previous day to His death on the cross. Even his reply did not answer me. Then slowly all the verses regarding the Man of Sorrows came to me.

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him,and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer. LORD makes his life an offering for sin, For he bore the sin of man and made intercession for the transgressors.

After the Last Supper, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples to pray. He knew that He was going to be betrayed, captured , and to be sentenced to death on the Cross.The agony He went through is seen in reading the following verses.

He knelt  down and prayed,  “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”  An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.  And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. He said to His disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”   Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will. Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy.  So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

On the cross the heaviness of His burden of the sins of mankind becomes so unbearable that He cries out in a loud voice,  “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
Surely, the Man of Sorrows is Jesus Christ who was the Lamb of God who bore and took away the the sin of the world. 

The above passages are from Isaiah 53rd chapter and from the four gospels, NIV.
The Word of God says cursed is the man who does not love the Lord Jesus.He became a man of sorrows to fill our hearts with the glory of God and joy unspeakable.

Japan is not a Christian country; but the Gospel is being spread through this wax tableau and the message is continuously being read out in the Japanese language in that room.I praise God for those artists who wanted to introduce the Man of Sorrows to the visitors of this wax museum..

St. Thomas, the Apostle to India

God so loved India that He sent here one of the Twelve chosen apostles of His son, just within twenty years after the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. In obedience to the Great Commission of the Lord, Thomas traveled thousands of miles and arrived in India around 52 A.D. What is recorded in the Scriptures about Thomas is very much thought provoking. .
When Jesus wanted to go to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead, His disciples dissuaded Him from going there since the Jews at Judea were planning to kill Him. Jesus was determined to go and Thomas made the prophetic statement, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John11:16). This prophecy was fulfilled a few decades later in his own life and in the lives of most of the disciples.
 While Jesus was promising His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them, He told them that they knew where He is going and the way there. Thomas blurted out “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered to the whole mankind “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”(John 14:5, 6)
 Jesus never rebuked Thomas for doubting His resurrection. His special love is manifested by His appearance to the disciples when Thomas was also present and showing him His wounds. This great love makes Thomas to cry out “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus made the universal statement “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”(John 20:28, 29)
Thomas, doing his missionary work in India along the western coastal regions, arrived at the Malabar Coast (Kerala). He was able to convert many high caste Hindu families. He established many churches and trained the local converts to be church leaders. Many miracles were done through him and tradition says that he raised a few dead people to life. Traveling along the south coastal regions, he came up to Meilapore (Madras). His fame had already reached there and he was supported by the royal family. He also went to China for a few months and came back to Meilapore. Wherever he went he was able to convert many people to Christ. He went back to the Malabar Coast accepting the invitation of a local king. He founded many more new churches there. He came back to Meilapore where the Hindu leaders pierced him to death while praying in a mountain near Meilapore since he converted many people.
Traditional folk lore of the Thomas Christians expresses the strong belief that Apostle Thomas came to India with the gospel. Even while the events recorded in the Acts of the Apostles were taking place in and around Palestine and along the Mediterranean Sea coast, the acts of Thomas were taking place thousands of miles away along the coastal regions of  south India.     
 It is said that Apostle Thomas ministered in India for a total of 17 years. The Government of India has recognized his apostolic work and has brought forth two stamps one in 1964 and another in 1975 in his memory.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit……..John12:24…..Jesus.

Jesus, my Lord and my God!

Jesus, my Lord and my God!

He is Alpha and He is Omega; He is the Beginning and He is the Ending;
He is the First and He is the Last; He is who was and He is who will be;
He died and He lives for evermore; He died and He is the Resurrection and Life;
He is the Son of Abraham and He was before Abraham;
He is the Lion of Judah and He is the Lamb of God;
He is the root of David and He is the branch which spreads;
He is the bright morning star and He is the sun of righteousness;
He is God and He became man; He is the Son of God and He is the Son of man;
He is the Child given to us and He is the everlasting Father;
His birth was foretold by the prophets and His birth was heralded by the angels;
He had no place to be born and He was given gold when born;
He had no place to lay His head and He has many hearts to reside and rule;
He is the king of kings and He was a man of sorrows;
He is Lord of lords and He came to minister unto men;
He is Teacher and Lord and He washed the feet of His disciples;
He was blameless and He died as a criminal; He was wounded and He heals our wounds;
He is altogether lovely and He had no beauty that we should desire Him;
His cross was a symbol of curse and His cross is a symbol of blessing;
His death seemed to be a defeat and His death is a glorious victory;
He is the altar and He is the sacrifice;
He died on a common cross and He was buried in a special grave;
He is God in the highest heaven and He went down to the lowest depths of the earth;
He was taken up in clouds and He is coming down on clouds;
He lives in heaven with His Father and He lives in earth with His children;
He is the author of our faith and He is the finisher of it;
He is our advocate and He is our judge;
He is the pillar of fire and He is the pillar of cloud;
He is filled with compassion and He is a consuming fire;
He leads in the front and He protects from behind;
He helps the weak and He helps the strong;
He was the stone rejected by the builders and He became the corner stone of the building;
He is a God nearby and He is a God far off; He opens doors and He closes doors
He is the keeper of the garden and He is the vine tree in it;
His kingdom is sown as a small seed and His kingdom grows into a mighty tree;
He came to save the sinners and He comes to judge the sinners;
He is the Rose of Sharon and He is the Lilly of the valley;
His name is Wonderful and He is worthy of this name;
Jesus, you are my Lord and you are my God.

“How great are God’s riches! How deep are His wisdom and knowledge! Who can explain His decisions? Who can understand His ways?......................
To God be the glory for ever! Amen.” Romans 11:33, 36 (Today’s English version)