The following is an excerpt from a new book soon to be released by W. Patrick Queen, entitled,

THE JOURNEY OF JESUS...As Told by Those He Meet Along the Way!

Reuben ….Rebel of conviction

I have been dreading this day and yet, knowing that it was inevitable, it gave me a sense of strength and purpose. Killing that Roman guard after what he did to my mother and my sister…well, he got what he deserved…and now, according to Roman law, I will get what I deserve. But, this man, Jesus? I can’t believe that he is hanging next to me? What crime are they punishing him for….healing the sick, making the lame to walk or the blind to see? My death; I get it! And I would do it over again to avenge my mother and sister. But why Jesus? I heard their accusations; watched as Pilate had him beaten beyond recognition, then washed his hands of this whole fiasco. And these religious hypocrites clamoring for him to be crucified…they should be the ones hanging next to me, not Jesus. Even now, they scoff at him and beg the soldiers to take now the sign hung there by orders from Pilate…”Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.” The soldiers have stripped him naked and cast lots for his purple robe and yet, I heard him say, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

Who is this man that even on this cruel cross he pleads for those that would kill him? And you….you vile serpent ….you are getting just what you deserve…a sentence to death and damnation….do not mock this man. For He is innocent and does not deserve the same fate as you and I. Would you mock God and fear Him not? Leave him alone and let him die without the haunting screech of a condemned man ringing in his ears….but King Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom and do not count my sins against me. And then He did the unthinkable; he raised himself upon the nail and looked at me with his loving eyes and said, “It will be so. Today, you will be with me in paradise.”

By now, it was near noon and I was beginning to lose some of my strength and my will to live was beginning to falter. The sky began to darken and it became like night…the sun seemed blotted from the sky. The women at the foot of Jesus’ cross kept reaching up to touch Him as they held on to each other, sobbing and calling out for God to save His Son. Then, as the darkness seemed to deepen, Jesus called out in a voice that shook the heavens above and made the foundations of the earth quake. He cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” The sky grew darker still and the heavens opened up with torrential rain. The rocks seemed to split open as the whole earth shook. Then he shouted again, “Father, It is finished! Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

And in that last breath, He was gone. I heard the centurion who had stood guard at His feet, turn and tell all those who were still there, “Surely this man was the Son of God.” Then I turned and looked away…. for I, a guilty, sinful man, was not worthy to gaze upon the Son of God.

Maybe, today as you read this confession of the criminal that hung beside Jesus there on Golgotha's hill, you know that like him, YOU ARE GUILTY OF CRIMES AGAINST A HOLY AND RIGHTEOUS GOD...and God Almighty says that such crimes are punishable by death, utter destruction and an eternity spent forever in a place called HELL. But praise be to our Heavenly Father that loved us so much that He drove the nails in His own Son's hands and feet so that His sacrifice on the cross would pay our debt and set us free to once again become the sons and daughters of the living God...and that is the story of Easter and the crucifixion ...JESUS DIED FOR YOU AND ME SO THAT WE MIGHT BECOME HOLY AND ACCEPTABLE TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER THROUGH WHAT HE ENDURED ON THE CROSS...but there is more to the rest of this story.

Blessed to be a child of the King...living in the Resurrected Glory of the Son,

WPQ

The following is an excerpt from a new book soon to be released by W. Patrick Queen, entitled,

THE JOURNEY OF JESUS...As Told by Those He Meet Along the Way!

Pilate…Clean Hands, Cold Heart.

I hate this desolate, barren land. It is worse than a boil on the backside of their wretched camels. Why would I, a captain of Caesars’ very own Elite Guard, end up in a place like this? What could I have possibly done to displease him that would merit such punishment? Governor of this region is certainly not what I was hoping to have as my reward for my last great victory. Surely, my time here will be short and my interactions with these Jews will soon be over.

And yet, here they are again….these weak, insignificant peasants; religious pontificators whining about some homeless prophet that they can’t control. It’s barely daylight and already they would summon me from my slumber to decide the punishment for this Jesus. I should have them all dragged into the palace and made to bow at my feet…it is of no consequence to me that they would be unfit for their Passover feast. But, let’s get this over with so I can get back to more important matters.

I went out to them, into the courtyard and listened as they brought witness after witness to regale how this Jesus had excited the crowds to follow him; had turned out the moneychangers and the livestock from their beloved temple…so I told them to take him and judge him by their puny Jewish laws. They refused since for them it was unlawful to crucify anyone. I found no fault in him; but better to let the local ruler have this on him than me …so I sent him to Herod….and in only a matter of hours, Jesus was standing in front of me again.

So I asked him, “Tell me, are you the King of the Jews?” ...and his answer puzzled me; “Are you asking this of your own accord or have others told you about me?” I told him that I was not a Jew and it didn’t matter to me…. That it was his own nation and High Priest that had brought him to me and that I had the power to have him killed or let him go. He told me that His kingdom was not of this world and when I questioned him about this, he told me that he was here to testify to the truth…whatever that meant, I really wasn’t sure. So, I sought to return him to the Jews for I found no legal grounds on which to condemn him….but they shouted me down and called out to release the rebel, Barabbas, according to the custom of the Passover to release one criminal from bondage.

I sent Jesus away and had the captain of the battalion beat and flog him…they placed a crown of thorns on his head and wrapped a purple cloth around him, all the while mocking him, punching him and asking, “if you are a prophet, tell us who hit you.” I then brought him back before the assembly of the Jewish leaders and the ever-growing crowd and told them once again that I could find no grounds to merit a conviction.

He stood before them, wearing that purple robe and his kingly crown of thorns and I said, “Behold, here is the man!” I was really not prepared for this angry mob as they screamed out … “CRUCIFY HIM, CRUCIFY HIM!” I silenced them and told them to take him away and kill him according to their laws for I found nothing in this man that deserved his death by crucifixion ….but they would not be silenced.

What happened next gave me great pause for concern…they told me that he must die according to their rabbinical law…for he had proclaimed himself to be Son of God. Now, I am a god-fearing man that worships many Gods and I was not willing to take the chance that this man might actually be the son of one of them, so I brought him back into the inner chamber and asked him once again, “Where are you from? Who are you? Are you the Son of God?”…but, he just stood before me and offered nothing in his defense. I reminded him that it was within my powers to release him or to have him crucified, yet he told me that I had no authority over him had it not been given to me from above.

This was not an ordinary man and I did all within my powers to release him…I truly desired to let him go with the beating that he had endured and a strong reprimand not to appear before me again. I took him back to the courtyard with every intention to silence the Jews and to let Jesus go, but they cried out even louder that if I did such a thing, I was no friend of Caesar. I could not let this anarchy go on any longer, for word might return to Rome that I was unable to control these weak-minded Jews…so I presented them with the King, yet they shouted even more, “Away with him. We have no King but Caesar. Crucify Jesus!”

So, I did what expedient. I called for a basin of water, and there before this angry mob and the gods of Rome, I washed my hands of his innocent blood…then, I gave Jesus over to them so that he should be crucified.

It had to be done. I had no choice. I had sworn an oath to Rome and to Caesar to protect this horrible land and to keep the peace. If I failed to give this mob what they wanted, many would probably die trying to restore order and I would be held responsible for their deaths…but my conscience was clear; I had tried to release Jesus …I had done all that I could to let him go, but my duty to Rome came first. After all, I am a soldier and soldiers follow orders no matter how unpleasant they might be. I did all that was possible that day…his death was not my fault!

Today, is that what you have been telling yourself….that Jesus’ death was NOT YOUR FAULT? It was not your decision to send Him to his death… to have Him bludgeoned to within an inch of his life, nailed to a rugged tree and hung between two thieves. Have you tried to wash his innocent blood from your hands and declare that you, too, have a clear conscience?

If so, you have missed the meaning of the cross….Christ may have chosen the nails, but it was your sins that swung the hammer…you and I were the ones that drove those spikes deep into the flesh of Jesus. God requires that we come to Him, holy and acceptable; Jesus accomplished that for us by giving himself as a blood sacrifice on the cross. Now, we must accept our part in His death….it was our sin that put Him there;  it is our pride that keeps us from accepting the fact that WE NEED A SAVIOR!!!!

Don’t let pride keep you from knowing Jesus and accepting what He accomplished for you on Calvary…He is just a heartbeat away ….and so is eternity without Him!

Sorrow-filled for my part  … forgiven and forever His,

WPQ

The following is an excerpt from a new book soon to be released by W. Patrick Queen, entitled,

THE JOURNEY OF JESUS...As Told by Those He Meet Along the Way!

Judas Iscariot…Satan’s Servant or Unwitting Scapegoat?

I have traveled road after dusty road, following this teacher from Galilee …and what has it gotten me….Just dirty feet, blisters and a few coins of little value. And what’s the matter with the rest of the inner circle? We have watched Jesus heal the sick, make the blind to see, cure the leper …even raise Lazarus from the day. He is wasting his great abilities on the common and unlovely….and he is constantly at odds with the rulers of the Sanhedrin and with Caiaphas, the High Priest. I have a plan that will force his hand …a plan that will cause him to use his powers against those that oppress us and force us to obey foreign and pagan laws. Surely that is not what the great God of our forefathers had intended for this man. If he is the chosen one, the true Messiah of Israel, it’s time he began to act like it and do something to free His people. Yes, a little nudge should be all he needs.

As the Feast of the Passover draws near:

Well, that went better than I expected…the Sanhedrin and the entire Jewish nation will have me to thank in just a few days….and I got 30 pieces of silver for my trouble. I would have been willing to take half as much; but this could be dangerous, especially with the excited crowds Jesus has been drawing. I will be patient and I will deliver him to the High Priest, just as I promised….He’ll never be expecting this. But when he comes into power, Jesus will have me to thank for forcing his hand and I’m sure I will be richly rewarded in his new kingdom…maybe a provincial governor or ruler of some foreign land. I will be rich…no more paltry coins in the collection bag….RICH, RICH …FILTHY RICH.

At the Passover Feast:

Look at him…acting like a servant, washing and drying our feet. Only a few more hours and my plan will begin to emerge …and Jesus will be the ruler of the Jewish nation and all nations will bow before his great and awesome powers. What was that?  How could he possibly know that someone is going to betray him…does he know that it is me? No, he couldn’t possibly know. I have been ever so discreet…must be the rising tensions between him and the Sanhedrin that have him on edge. Time to go…I need a diversion…he has given me the dipped bread and told me to go and do quickly what I must. No one will miss me …I’ll just slip out the door into the darkness.

In the Garden:

I know just where he is going after the Passover meal…where he always takes us …across the Kidron valley to the Mount of Olives. I had told this to the Captain of the guard and explained to him that there was no need for so many men. The disciples were unarmed and Jesus surely offered no physical threat. But, I was surrounded by the Palace guard from the High Priest and a full company of Roman soldiers…at no choice but to proceed as planned. We entered the garden at the south entrance …a small winding trail leads to the top of the Mount. It would be hard for anyone to hear or see us coming under cover of darkness, but it seemed like every one of the soldiers was carrying a lighted torch….it was as bright as noon day. So much for the element of surprise! The Roman centurion led the way and when we arrived, he told the small band of men that we were looking for Jesus the Nazarene.

What happened next caught me fully off-guard. Christ stepped forward and said, “I am He!” and when he did, all of the Roman soldiers and the Palace guard stepped back and fell to the ground. It was as if his words knocked them over and rendered them helpless. But, I stepped forward and gave the agreed upon sign that would signify that they should arrest that man…I kissed Jesus on the cheek….and he looked into my eyes and said, “Judas, my friend, why have you come? Do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

And in that moment, it was all set in motion. They bound Jesus’ hands and feet and literally dragged him down the mountainside. They took him to Caiaphas and they began to pummel his face, to pull out his hair and to spit upon him….and all the while, Christ Jesus did nothing…he did not even speak in his defense. In just a few hours, he stood before Pilate who ordered that he be flogged with 39 lashes, The Roman soldiers hit him, kicked him and spit upon him…they placed a crown of thorns upon his bloody brow….and still; Jesus did nothing. Where were his powers …why did he not strike out at his tormenters and call down fire and brimstone from Heaven? He claimed to be the Son of God, but all he did was to take their abuse and to stand silent before his accusers.

I couldn’t take it any longer. This was not going according to my plan…Jesus was silent as a lamb… being led to slaughter….and it was all my fault. I had sold him out for thirty pieces of silver and the desire to be great in his kingdom. Instead, all I could do was to stand hopelessly by and watch as they led him away to be crucified. I ran as fast as I could back to the Election hall and threw the money at the feet of the chief priest and the elders. I begged them to forgive me for my sin of betraying innocent blood…they laughed at me and told me it was not their concern. I had lost it all…Jesus would die because of my greed, arrogance and selfish desires. A man who had loved me and called me one of his chosen, I had sold to be crucified for 30 pieces of silver…I was not fit to live, so I did the only thing I knew…I took my own life …for it was a life not worth saving.

Preparation for Celebration

This past weekend began the week that leads to Passover and to our celebration of Easter; but for Christ, the journey to the cross began with His triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. John 12:12-15 gives us insight into this celebratory event in the life of Christ as it reads, “

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the king of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”

The way of the cross began as the crowds celebrated Jesus and the many miracles He had performed. He had touched so many lives and the passion of the crowds swept them into the streets as they sought to honor him as their King instead of the Romans who now enslaved their nation….however, Christ knew this celebration would be short-lived and that the cries of hosannas would soon be replaced by the shouts of an angry mob to crucify their once triumphant King.

How will you enter this Easter season? As one, who by word and deed, praises the man of sorrow and exalts him as King….or will you prove to be as fickle as the angry crowds and shout to crucify the Lord of Lords …Your actions and how you spend this Easter season will tell others how much you really care for Jesus.

Begin this Easter season in praise and worship at the church of your choosing; then, join me all this week in the reprint of the some to the characters from my upcoming book, THE JOURNEY OF JESUS….come share the stories of those who encountered the Christ of the Cross and the Redeemer Resurrected….your heart will be blessed as you meditate on all that Christ accomplished on the cross and your soul will overflow with joy as you reflect on the great love of our Heavenly Father….

REJOICE AND BE JOYOUS …..WE KNOW HOW THIS STORY ENDS……

Secure in the works of my Savior…..Longing for Eternity,

WPQ

Trust or Treasure?

I know that today, as many of us look out across the economic landscape, the view is anything but encouraging. The daily newspapers and TV continue to report record unemployment, low wages and a myriad of other bleak or less than promising economic news.

But as a child of the King, I have to ask this question….Do you trust in your Heavenly Father to provide all your needs; to grant you the desires of your heart…or are you trying to make it on your own, relying on your ingenuity to get you a job and keep your head above water? Whatever your answer, it boils down to a simple thought….Trust or Treasure?

Now, the Bible is filled with scriptures that remind us that we are to trust our Heavenly Father for all our needs. In Psalms 37: 4-5, we read, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, TRUST IN HIM (my emphasis) and He will act.” Or what about the passage from James 1:17a…“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” And who of us doesn’t need to be reminded by Paul in his writing to the Corinthians, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8

But my favorite reminder of the faithfulness of God is found in the story of the widow and the offering box. We know that this widow must have truly and completely trusted in God for her very existence….for when she placed those two small copper coins, which was about a penny, into the offering box, she gave not out of abundance but out of poverty….she gave everything she had, all that she had to live on.

She had nothing left ….but her trust in God and His sustaining power. She knew in her heart that God would provide and that His love would be sufficient for all her needs.

So what does that say about you and me in these difficult days? Are we holding back the hand of God and holding on to what we have? Do we still continue to tithe and give to the commitments that we have made in our Savior’s name? Is our reluctance to give more about holding on to our treasure or is it really a matter of trusting in our God?

I am constantly amazed by how many of us say we are willing to trust God with our eternal souls, but we draw the line when it comes to trusting Him with our temporal riches. We will believe that there is a Heaven waiting for us, filled with jasper walls and streets paved with gold; but, we can’t trust our Heavenly Father to take care of providing next month’s power bill. It warms our heart and soul to believe that He sent His only Son to take our place on the cross, but it sends shivers up our spine to give our offering each Sunday and see the balance left behind in our checking account.

Our God knows what we need even before we ask….nevertheless, He wants us to ask.

Jesus told His disciples to “Ask and it shall be given unto you, for everyone who asks receives.” James, the brother of Jesus wrote, “You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it all on your passions.” James 4:2b-3

It all come downs to that simple equation, ASK + TRUST= GOD’S ANSWER.

God expects us to ask for what we need and in accordance with His will, He provides from His storehouse of riches….so start trusting God today with the everyday needs of your heart…a job, better health, greater love for others….whatever the need ….HE CAN AND WILL PROVIDE …the TRUST is up to you!

Trusting in the Father …Asking to do His will,

WPQ

Thought for the day:

Don’t put off until tomorrow

What you can achieve today;

Just trust the Lord in all you do

And He will guide your way.

Don’t be afraid to trust in Him

Just follow where He leads.

For when you put your faith in Him,

He’ll meet your every need.