REFLECTIONS ON THE PASSION OF CHRIST

March 28, 2025March 28, 2025Allen Frederick Leave a comment

Reflecting on the Passion Week: A Journey of Love and Sacrifice

The Passion Week, also known as Holy Week, is a cornerstone of Christian faith. It commemorates the final week of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry—a period filled with profound teachings, acts of love, and a sacrifice that changed the course of history. Each day of this sacred week offers a poignant glimpse into Jesus’ unwavering mission and the depth of His love for humanity.

Palm Sunday: The Triumphal Entry

The week begins with Palm Sunday, a day of celebration as Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies. Crowds welcomed Him with shouts of “Hosanna!” and palm branches, recognizing Him as the promised Messiah. Yet, beneath this joyous occasion lay the shadow of what was to come. It was a moment of triumph mixed with the foreshadowing of sacrifice.

Holy Monday and Tuesday: Cleansing the Temple and Teaching

On Monday, Jesus cleansed the temple, driving out merchants who had turned a house of prayer into a marketplace. This act highlighted His zeal for holiness and reverence. On Tuesday, He engaged in profound teachings and parables, addressing topics like faith, hypocrisy, and the coming kingdom of God. These days were marked by Jesus’ wisdom and authority, which amazed both His followers and His critics.

Spy Wednesday: The Betrayal Begins

Wednesday is often referred to as “Spy Wednesday,” as it marks Judas Iscariot’s decision to betray Jesus. For thirty pieces of silver, Judas conspired with religious leaders to hand Jesus over. This act of betrayal reminds us of human frailty and the cost of sin, yet it also sets the stage for God’s redemptive plan.

Maundy Thursday: A Final Act of Love

On Maundy Thursday, Jesus gathered with His disciples for the Last Supper, instituting the sacrament of Communion. He washed their feet, demonstrating humility and servanthood. It was a night of love and fellowship, yet it ended with Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, fully aware of the suffering He was about to endure. His agony in the garden revealed His humanity and submission to God’s will.

Good Friday: The Ultimate Sacrifice

Good Friday is the somber culmination of Passion Week. Jesus was arrested, falsely accused, and subjected to unimaginable suffering. He was crucified on a Roman cross, bearing the weight of humanity’s sins. As He breathed His last and declared, “It is finished,” the veil in the temple tore, symbolizing the new access to God made possible through His sacrifice. Good Friday is both heart-wrenching and awe-inspiring—a day of immense sorrow and divine grace.

Holy Saturday: Waiting in Silence

Holy Saturday is a day of quiet reflection. Jesus lay in the tomb, and His followers mourned, grappling with grief and uncertainty. It is a day that reminds us of the tension between despair and hope, as God’s redemptive plan was still unfolding.

Easter Sunday: Victory Over Death

The week culminates in the glorious celebration of Easter Sunday, when Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death. His resurrection is the cornerstone of Christian faith, offering hope, redemption, and the promise of eternal life to all who believe.

Final Thoughts

Passion Week is more than a historical account; it is a spiritual journey that invites reflection, gratitude, and renewed faith. It reminds us of the depth of God’s love and the lengths He went to reconcile humanity to Himself. As we meditate on these events, may we find inspiration to live lives marked by love, humility, and a steadfast hope in the risen Christ.

Fruit Inspectors, Log Detectors, or Foolish Advisors? You be the Judge!

September 1, 2014October 25, 2014Allen Frederick Leave a comment

Isaiah 59:14-15 “And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth has fallen in the streets and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no judgment.”

I am afraid that we have lost our way in America. For too long we have been fed this anti-biblical principle that no one is allowed to judge anyone for anything, and we are all just supposed to love one another no matter how the other person behaves or what the other person believes even if those beliefs are contrary to our own. We are being told over and over that tolerance is the way forward, and we all need to be accepting of others.

The only problem with this is those who are calling for others to not judge set themselves up as the arbiters and judges of all that is judgmental. In other words they judge others while exempting themselves from the same judgment they are meting out.

In fact, in today’s modern culture, “judge not” carries more weight than another of Christ’s one-liners, ”Go and sin no more.” This is a situation where a little Bible knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

JUDGE NOT and THOU SHALL NOT are not stand alone statements.

It is important to take scripture in context to get the full meaning of what Jesus or any of the other biblical writers are trying to say. Taken in context then we have our judge not comment below.

Mathew 7:1-5 “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

You see, Jesus commanded us to not judge hypocritically, He never commanded us not to judge. He asked us to remove the logs so we could “see clearly” to help our brother. How are we to remove a log if we feel that we do not have a log? And how is it that we learn about having a log in the first place? If everyone around us keeps telling us the way we see things is right and good, then we will continue down a path that we think is right only to find that path led us right to our own demise. What was the problem? How did we get here? Why did God allow me to go down this road? My friend it was because you had believed the lie that you should not be judged in anything you said or did or thought. You were blinded by a huge log that you refused to allow anyone to point out to you.

So then how do we learn about our logs or specks for that matter? We learn from others who have already removed the logs from their eyes, or better had the logs removed for them by the Lord through spiritual encounters.

I Corinthians 2:15 “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.”

We are instructed to judge all things….things…not people. Actions, thoughts and words are things. Choices are things, what people do are things. You should judge decisions and actions of others to decide if those actions are good or bad. Yes my friends some things are bad for you. Heck if we follow the teaching of these blinded fools and not judge anything then we will not be long for this life since we will be eating poisoned fruit. Who is it among us who will stand and say that they do not judge what they eat? No one would intentionally ingest poison, and yet many, for lack of judgment, are ingesting a deadly poison, that of a failed worldview. Their visions are clouded by huge logs. Just like a good chef knows how to pick good fruits and vegetables to cook with, and seeks out only the freshest and finest ingredients, shouldn’t we do the same when it comes to things that pertain to this life?

Yes we are and yes we should!

I Corinthians 6:2-4 “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.”

“….How much more the things that pertain to this life.”

Only a fool would willing eat poison, or follow a path that led off a cliff, and using sound judgment is the key to avoiding such deadly consequences. The problem with sin though is its subtlety. It is not labeled poisonous and there are no DANGER signs posted on the pathway of destruction. In fact sin is very enticing, it has an intoxicating appeal. It is addictive. Like the siren’s of Homer’s Odyssey sin’s haunting allure leads all to their destruction.

We all have specks in our eyes and our visions are cloudy, some even have forest growing in their eyes, therefore all of us need some guidance and direction when it comes to matters that pertain to life. It is where we go to get that instruction which could be a matter of life and death. Paul admonished the Corinthian church to set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. In other words listen to those who you might not otherwise esteem as notable. Many times God speaks through those we least expect and in ways that challenge our intellects.

How then can one know what is good and what is bad? Discernment is the short answer, but learning from others is probably the better answer. Allow others to look for logs and specks. Allow your fruit to be inspected by a certified fruit inspector.

Matthew 7:15-18 “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.”

Jesus clearly delineates between good and bad, and exhorts us to do the same. That requires judgment.

Do not think too highly of yourself that you feel you are above reproach in all areas of life. Pride will surely lead you down the road of self-destruction because you will not heed the warnings of others, or listen to the rebukes of those who have gone down the same path before you. You will simply cry out in a loud voice…WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE while you are speeding along the pathway of destruction.

Christianity, the World’s Most Falsifiable Religion

April 20, 2014April 20, 2014Allen Frederick 5 Comments

See on Scoop.it – Eagle Views

The central claims of the Bible demand historic inquiry, as they are based on public events that can be historically verified. In contrast, the central claims of all other religions cannot be historically tested and, therefore, are beyond falsifiability or inquiry. They just have to be believed with blind faith.

1 Corinthians 15:14-17 (AMP)
14 And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is in vain [it amounts to nothing] and your faith is devoid of truth and is fruitless (without effect, empty, imaginary, and unfounded).
15 We are even discovered to be misrepresenting God, for we testified of Him that He raised Christ, Whom He did not raise in case it is true that the dead are not raised.
16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised;
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is mere delusion [futile, fruitless], and you are still in your sins [under the control and penalty of sin];

The central tenet of Christianity is that there was a Jesus Christ who was born, suffered, died, was buried, and rose again, to later ascend into heaven. He was seen by many witnesses after he rose from the dead. These were eyewitness accounts of his resurrection who later went about telling others what they saw for themselves.

After Jesus was crucified we must note that the disciples were discouraged and afraid because they hid themselves in fear that they too would be next to be crucified by the Romans. When the women went to the tomb to anoint the dead body of Jesus they found the tomb to be empty. There they were met by angels who asked them why they where looking for the living among the dead.

They did not believe that Jesus would actually come back to life even though he told them he would. They were expecting to find a dead body not an empty tomb.

When the women went back to the disciples to tell them that Jesus was indeed risen, they too did not believe. Peter took it upon himself to run to the tomb to see for himself. He found the tomb empty and the grave-clothes folded neatly, but was unable to grasp what it all meant.

Luke 24:1-12 (KJV)
1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
8 And they remembered his words,
9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
10 It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
12 Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

Had the story stopped there than anyone could hypothesis a scenario about what actually happened at that empty tomb, but the story does not end there because Jesus made it a point to show himself alive to his disciples and many others. These first-hand witnesses then went about telling others of this miracle.

There are still many today who do not believe that Jesus was and that he actually loved them enough to be willing to die for them. But to us who have had an encounter with the living Christ know for a certainty that Jesus is alive and well and His spirit lives within all of those who believe and receive his gift of salvation through faith.

Have you heard? Do you believe? Why doubt? Why not ask Jesus to show himself alive to you as well. He is always willing to make himself known to those who are looking for him. I challenge you to seek him with your whole heart. Go looking for him like Peter did, but do not go looking for him among the dead, look for him among the living for that is where he can be found.

And that is the way I see it. What say you?

The 16th Amendment as originally proposed did not tax earned income.

April 15, 2014April 15, 2014Allen Frederick Leave a comment

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The 16th Amendment was sold to the American public as a way to make the rich pay their “fair share.” That law, which was billed as a “soak the rich” scheme, instead now threatens to drown us.

Well today is the last day to fulfill our obligations to the government under the 16th amendment to the Constitution. Every year the taxman comes around to collect their share of our labor to indulge in the reckless pursuits. It wasn’t always like this in America. In fact up until 1913 there was no income tax.

The current tax code is four million words long, and more than four times longer than the collected works of Shakespeare. It requires 25 volumes to contain it and takes up 9 feet of shelf space.

And it was sold to the American people as a way to “make the rich pay their fair share.” Sound familiar?

The current tax code is now four million words long, more than four times longer than the collected works of Shakespeare, and six to seven times longer than the Bible. It requires 25 volumes to contain it, and takes up nine feet of shelf space.

According to Forbes, it takes Americans over six billion hours to comply with its filing requirements. That’s the equivalent of 8,758 lifetimes – in people years, not dog years.

Making the rich pay their fair share has been the governments unending song from the beginning of taxation. They never have enough and the rich they think always has too much, the problem is they lied then and they are lying now. Let’s face it folks the government wants all your money, and they will never stop trying to figure out ways to get it, and hopefully they will even convince you to turn it over voluntarily.

Obamacare is one BIG TAX. The intent of the entire law was never about providing meaningful health care reform but to snowball you into agreeing to give them more of your hard-earned income in hopes of receiving some promised benefit. There is only one problem with this, the government lies all the time when it comes to separating you from your money. They sell you on the idea that the program they are proposing is FOR YOUR GOOD when they have designs on confiscating more of your personal belongings through taxation.

Prior to the passage of the 16th Amendment, almost the sole source of income to the federal government came from tariffs collected on imported goods. That itself was a profound limitation on the size and reach of the federal government. In 1910 the budget for the entire federal government was $1.042 billion.

Then just like today ordinary citizens figured out that the increased cost of goods fell upon the consumer while the corporations would pad their profit margins by raising domestic prices to just slightly less than the foreign imports prices, thus remaining competitive but at the same time generating a higher profit margin.

So the proposed cure is now worse than the original disease if in fact there ever really was a problem to begin with. Being competitive in a world market has always been sound business practices, and no amount of government intervention is ever going to change that dynamic. Businesses will sell their product to the highest paying consumer base or work in the most cost effect market possible to stay in business.

We have been sold a bill of goods and the average American citizen has swallowed this poison pill of covetousness to her own destruction. Politicians will continue to pit the rich against the poor and continue to cry injustice and how they are the ones to see to it that the rich pays their fair share all the while you and I are footing the bill as the fat cats continue to get fatter.

The marketplace is a wonderful thing if left alone to contend with competition. But once competition is eliminated or the federal government comes along picking winners and losers, it is you the American citizen who always comes up with the short straw.

Proverbs 6:6-8 (BBE)
6 Go to the ant, you hater of work; give thought to her ways and be wise: 7 Having no chief, overseer, or ruler, 8 She gets her meat in the summer, storing up food at the time of the grain-cutting.

Even nature teaches us that natural laws are at work in the universe and those who try to manipulate, or violate these natural laws do so at great personal cost. It would seem that ants are far wiser than the American culture because even the ant knows that there is a time of plenty and a time of want and during the time of plenty one must lay aside a part for the lean times that are sure to come.

Cover of A Bug’s Life [Blu-ray]

In 1998 Pixar produced the animated movie “A Bug’s Life” and the protagonists where grasshoppers who’d show up once a year at the ant colony to get their annual food offering so they would not have to work to produce their own food. One year they arrived and the offering was accidentally spilled into the water and ruined. The grasshoppers did not forgive the ants required offering but instead gave them until the fall harvest to produce twice as much.

The colony is now in trouble, as there isn’t enough food to fulfill the grasshopper’s request and give sustenance for the colony. When the grasshoppers return to discover a meager offering, they take control of the entire colony and begin eating the ants’ winter store of food, and plot to kill the queen.

Their plot is foiled when the ants fight back.

When they all stood together and worked together they were able to overcome the oppressor and turn back the tide of tyranny.

You see the ruling class understands the power of the citizenry and fears it and it is for that reason the ruling powers continue to put wedges between groups to get them fighting with each other and not standing together uniformly to fight the real enemy.

The ant colony knew that by all of them working together the entire colony would thrive, but once dissension was sown into the fabric of their colony, destruction would follow soon after.

The grasshoppers would never stop coming to collect their tax, and each year the burden would get larger and would never end unless resisted in solidarity.

Personally I would like to see the 16th amendment nullified and the IRS eliminated. Is anyone willing to stand with me?

And that is the way I see it. What say you?

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Life Isn’t Fair: So Grow Up!

August 11, 2012Allen Frederick 3 Comments

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I no longer used childish ways. 1 Corinthians 13:11

Really is that so? Are we behaving like adults or more like a child? Why are so many lamenting that life just isn’t fair? Isn’t that a bit childish?

I got news for you friends life isn’t fair, and anyone who is honest will attest to the number of times they felt that they were being cheated or denied something they thought they deserved. A promotion, a job offer, a word of appreciation, an award, a gift, fame, fortune, opportunity, or any number of life’s perceived blessings. Yes it is just not fair.

No life isn’t fair but neither is death since death plays no favorites, does not reward nobility nor recognize wealth or fortunes. Death does not over-look ones standing nor spare the well-connected.

Nope my friends, death comes to us all, some sooner than later, but death is the end of life, and it does not play fair. The wicked and the saint each are buried side-by-side. Not fair but that is the way it is. And since neither life not death is fair why do we so often cry aloud like a child: “its not fair?”

Annie Glasel, today’s quest author, addresses this idea of fairness in her article titled: “God is Not Fair.” Enjoy!

God is not fair, no He’s not. He’s righteous and loving. He’s compassionate and merciful. He’s just and wise. He’s miraculous and trustworthy. God is not fair because if He was, we’d all be condemned.

Fairness implies standards. Fairness assumes morality. Fairness demands a measurement. Unfortunately, when a human speaks of “fairness,” it always means that he or she is using a standard, a morality system and a measurement that befits his or her ideals. Sadly, humanity is flawed. It is likely that any system we devise would also be flawed.

It seems rather comical to hear people talk about what’s fair. My 5 year-old’s concept of fairness is very simple if he gets what he wants, then it is fair. All else is not. Politicians with more years of public debate essentially are like my 5-year-old; they just have better vocabularies and are better rehearsed in their deliveries of eloquent, persuasive speeches that make simple issues sound more complicated. But the concept is the same.

This brings me to the recent revelation I had about 1 Corinthians 13 passage the part that reads “when I was a child” It seems that my prayer times are filled with childish complaints of unfairness, much like my 5 year olds.

I tell Him how unfair it was that “I should have to work when my other girlfriends are ‘enjoying’ full time motherhood.” I complained how unfair it was that “I am stuck with a car that I despise.” I complained how unfair that I should have a job that did not pay enough. I complained how unfair it was that I should have to live across the country from my family. I complained how unfair it was that I have been faithfully tithing but that I am not experiencing immeasurable wealth.

Of course, I do temper this with, “yes Lord, my life is not as bad as those struggling with loss of jobs, loved ones, divorce, financial ruins, betrayal, torture and diseases but nonetheless, I am miserable because you are not fair to me.” (Or more accurately, not giving me what I want, the things that I think will make me happier).

I think at this point, if God were fair, He would start to take away all those things that I take for granted and consider not good enough. And perhaps start to give me the things I deserve. (Um…I don’t really want to go down that road!)

Closer study of the Bible reveals that God does not give us what we want or what we deserve. Instead, He gives us peace, wisdom and grace. He gives us the desires of our heart. Which I had always thought meant He gives us the stuff/things/people/events/circumstances that our hearts desire. Actually, I think it means that He puts new desires in our hearts, His desires (which are better than our desires that tantamount to lusts of life). After all, His ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts higher. I think He exchanges our childish desires for Godly desires.

In doing so, we would stop speaking childish things and start to speak in the language of love. We would be following the instructions to pray ceaselessly and bring all of our supplication with thanksgiving. That sounds like the perfect antidote to turn complaining time back to prayer time.

So, I thank you God that I have a job, a home, a loving husband and child who greet me every day after work. I thank you that I have a car with air conditioning. I thank you that my pay meets all of my needs after tithe and still have left over to not have to cook every night. I thank you that I have families and they are healthy, alive and well. I thank you that I live in an age where I can call them by phone or video phone (while riding in my car). And that it only takes a plane ride to see them. And I thank you Lord that you don’t give me more money than I can manage properly.

And most of all, I thank you God for not being fair and not giving me what I deserve. I thank you for giving me the immeasurable wealth I don’t deserve in Christ Jesus, including but not limited to salvation, kindness, mercy, justice, forgiveness, love, miracles, wisdom, grace, the power of His name and the ever-present Holy Spirit.

I’ve written to ease my pain; I’ve written to hear my voice; I’ve written for vanity; I’ve written for sanity; I’ve written for fun; I’ve written for laughs; I’ve written for me; I’ve written for money. But until I write for God, this talent is for naught.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com–CHRISTIAN WRITER–MAKE A WEBSITE

Thank you Annie for your thoughtful words. No life is not fair it cost an innocent man his life to save the guilty from death. The good news is everyone can be treated fairly who call upon the name of the Lord because he will save them from the unfairness of this life and keep them from the death that is to come in the life here-after.

No He does not promise you a bed full of roses, nor does he promise that life will treat you right, in fact he says the world will hate you because the world hated him first. But in the end that is when you will receive your reward, the gift of eternal life with Christ.

Some may not think that is such a grand thing since they are looking for rewards in the here and now. Well my friends get used to it. Life is just not fair!

And that is the way I see it. What say you?

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