Katy

Q1.Jesus was expected as a man about to be crucified to carry his own cross to the place of crucifixion. Jesus had just been flogged with a vicious whip with tips of metal or glass designed to tear the skin and cause pain, torture and a lot of bleeding. Along the way the soldiers must have seen that Jesus was weak and suffering from blood loss. They pulled Simon from Cyrene, who had come into Jerusalem from the country from where he was standing and made him carry the cross for Jesus. We are not told of the effect this had on Simon but one can only imagine that it would have affected him deeply. We are called to take up His cross daily be standing up and speaking out for Jesus. We must also live our lives in every way to honour and glorify Him. Q2.Jesus turns to the women who are weeping for Him. He tells them not to weep for Him but for their children, because a time is coming when the city of Jerusalem will be surrounded by Roman soldiers under Titus who will besiege the city for six months in 70 AD. Starvation, illness and a horrible death awaits them. Q3. Jesus took our punishment for our sin. Sin is so abhorrent to God that there could be no dignity for Jesus our Redeemer while He was going through our punishment. Therefore all His torture and crucifixion took place in horrific circumstances. And He humbled Himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross. Philippians 2v8. Jesus was treated like a criminal and Crucified with two criminals one on His right and one on His left. I don’t know why the Father allowed His Son to go through this degrading and shameful death , but I think we need to see it to understand just how awful our sin is and how abhorrent it is to God. It also shows us just how obedient Jesus was, and most of all just how much He loves us. Thank you Jesus. Q4. Jesus will forgive anyone who turns from their sin and asks for His forgiveness. Each one of us is responsible for our own actions. We have to take on that responsibility. Jesus is saying that He forgives those who are responsible for His torture and death, but they must now turn to Him for forgiveness. We will not see these different participants in heaven unless they have come to Jesus in humility and turned from their sin and followed Him. Q5.This inscription was probably written under Pilates instructions as a jab at the Jewish leaders. Maybe He was feeling guilty because he had given into what they wanted even though he knew Jesus was innocent and did not deserve all that Pilate had permitted Him to go through. The placard was nailed to the cross and not put around Jesus’s neck as was more usual. It did not state His supposed crime but ironically stated His true title: “This is the King of the Jews”.

Q4. I hope I would respond by providing for them. I believe we have a responsibility to care for others in every way we possibly can. I am blessed to live in a part of the world where there is plenty, I may not think I have a lot but by comparison with many I am rich. Therefore I have a responsibility to share what I have. That may not be money but other things I have as well. My time in working in a charity shop, a food bank, visiting people who are lonely or hurting, praying for people and situations that need prayer. Giving away practical things that I don’t need eg presents that I can do without. My car by being prepared to give someone a lift, or help to bring children from poor estates to children’s clubs, because otherwise they can’t get there. My home by asking people for coffee/ meal who maybe are unlikely to ask you to their home.

Q4. Maybe God was again testing Elijah, but more likely God was being compassionate to the poor widow who thought she and her son were going to die because she had no one to support her. So God was providing a safe place for Elijah to live and sustenance for both Elijah and the widow and her son. God was working out what seemed impossible to show that He is the one providing not humans through their own feeble efforts.

Q3. The environment we grew up in and the teaching and guidance of our parents or guardians influences the amount of common sense we have. It is very important in life to have common sense to guide us and influence us to make good decisions and avoid getting into trouble. When we become Christian’s our common sense is influenced by what we learn about God and by gradually become mature and wise. As we grow in faith and knowledge of God we are more and more convinced of God’s ability to work miracles outside the natural order.

Q2. This is another example of God’s care and generosity to us especially when we obey His commands. God was caring for Elijah by providing nourishment for him in an unusual way. Elijah shows us that he has great trust in God. He puts aside any doubts or worries he has about eating food that he has no way of preparing and cooking as he would have at home. He also obeys God by accepting food from a bird he understood to be “ unclean”. He trusted God and did what he was told in order to survive while he was hiding. God is faithful He looks after us and provides for us in abundance especially when we obey Him.

Q1. Elijah was a servant of the living God, and was obviously a man of God with great faith and trust in Yahweh. Otherwise he would not have been able to walk into the palace go straight to the king and deliver his message. It is a wonder he got as far as the king and that he was allowed to speak. I am sure on a human level he must have been nervous, but he was also being led by the Spirit. He must have been aware that this could have dire consequences for him but he was a true follower of Yahweh and did it because he had been told to do it. Because Ahab and his wife were Baal worshippers it would put them in an awkward position if their ‘god’, could not make it rain as it was supposed to be the god of rain. But Yahweh was to prove who was God of rain. Elijah is declaring devestation on the land and crops and by doing so putting himself in danger. But he is true to Yahweh, he delivers his message from God and promptly leaves. It is not easy to speak out truth to power because one is so often not welcome. People can be set in their ways and not want to listen to you. Especially if they are corrupt. Your words could be used against you and charges made which could get you into trouble.

Q6. Barabbas also has the name Jesus. Unlike Jesus, he is not innocent. He is guilty of the very thing that Jesus is being falsely accused of : insurrection and he has also committed murder. The irony is that the crowd is demanding louder and louder for the release of Barabbas who has committed insurrection and at the same time calling for the death penalty for Jesus who is being falsely accused of insurrection. Q7. We are horrified at what Jesus went through and we can have negative thoughts about those who perpetrated these crimes against Jesus but we all have to remember that our own personal sin helped to make it necessary for Jesus to go through all that He did. We must lived our lives in thanksgiving and obedience for all Jesus did for us. We must also take every opportunity to speak to non believers about the Lamb of God and His redemptive work on our behalf. Q8.Because Jesus loved us so much and the only way we could be saved was through His death. He came to earth for the purpose of dying on the cross , because He was the only sinless person who ever lived. His suffering and death was planned by God. All those who were ‘responsible’ were unwittingly carrying out God’s plan which was prophesied in the Old Testament. They did it with their own agenda’s in mind but God was working out His purposes.

Q2. I think Jesus is drawing Pilate into conversation by not confirming outright but neither denying that He is a king. In John’s gospel Jesus says “ My kingdom is not of this world”, He is telling Pilate that He is king of Heaven but also that He is no threat to Roman law. He is not here to lead a rebellion against Rome. Pilate can sense this and finds no fault in Him. Pilate doesn’t inquire any further into the King standing in front of Him and misses the greatest opportunity of His life, he is too focused on guarding what was important to him on this earth. Power, position and popularity. Q3. Jesus was from Galilee. When Pilate found this out he saw a way to escape from the responsibility of deciding what to do with this Man that He knew was not guilty of anything which deserved a sentence of death. So he decided to send Jesus to Herod Antipas who was tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. It is seen as an honour to Herod for Pilate to refer this case to him. Q4.To Herod, Jesus was a curiosity. He had heard about Jesus and was interested in seeing Him, Herod was hoping that Jesus would perform a miracle for him to witness. All Herod is interested in is being entertained. He had no interest in seeking out the truth. Jesus is well aware of all that is going on in Herod’s mind and his cohorts around him. Jesus remains silent and by doing so fulfils prophecy in Isaiah 53v 7,” He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth”. Q5. Pilate knows Jesus is innocent but because of the demands of the crowds, he decides to punish Jesus for causing a nuisance, he planned to have Him whipped and them release Him. But the crowd were up in arms yelling and shouting , their mood is turning ugly. Pilate is under pressure he will be in serious trouble if a riot is started especially during this time of Passover with so many people in Jerusalem. Pilate could be in danger of losing his position of power if a riot happened at this time. The crowds roared louder and louder, and nothing Pilate suggested was acceptable to them. Eventually Pilate gave in to their demands even though he knew that Jesus was innocent.

Q1. The assembly accused Jesus of subverting the nation by opposing the payment of taxes to Caesar, this was not the truth . Jesus had told them that they must give first place to God and them to Caesar. They also accused Him of blasphemy by claiming to be the Messiah, which of course was true. However they knew that this would not be judged by Pilate as it was a religious infringement and he would only be interested and judge a political offence.

Q6. Jesus opponents believed the “ Son of God”, to be a Messianic term. The military leader who was going to restore Israel to it former glory and defeat their Roman oppressors. Christians believe that the Son of God is God the Fathers son. He is part of the triune Godhead, with the Father and the Holy Spirit. As Christian’s we believe in God’s Son and because we do believe we have eternal life. John 3 v36 tells us Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him. Q7. This trial was a sham from the beginning, the Jewish leaders had already decided that the were going to get rid of Jesus. Jesus upset their status quo too much. They were going to get their own way sooner or later. They were please when Jesus admitted or at least didn’t outright deny that He was the Messiah. This gave them their chance this was something they could punish Him for because by claiming to be a King, Jesus was a threat to the political stability. They were so fixed in their views they could not see beyond their own bigotry and realise that standing before them was the Saviour of the world. They didn’t want to see it, they just wanted to be rid of Him and His challenging ways.

Q5.The titles of Messiah and Son of Man both refer to Jesus. They are descriptive of two roles that Jesus had while on earth. The Messiah came to die on the cross to save everyone who would turn to Him. Jesus had to become “Son of Man” in order to be put to death on the cross for our sins. Son of Man was the title by which Jesus wanted to be know. In this way people would know that although He was God he was also truly man. Messiah was God’s sinless son coming to die on the cross for all sinners. He was a very different Messiah to what the Jewish nation expected. They expected someone who would come and deliver them from the political oppression of the Romans. Instead Jesus was a Messiah who came to release sinners from the oppression of sin. Having completed His work of redemption Son of Man sits in Heaven at God the Fathers right hand.

Q2. If they could get Jesus to say that he was the Messiah , they felt it gave them grounds to punish Him. They could accuse Him of blasphemy and being a threat to the Roman political position in the land. They did not even consider that maybe Jesus was telling the truth. They totally missed out on the opportunity to know and love their Saviour. Jesus was not the Messiah they were expecting and they did not consider the possibility that they could have been wrong. They were expecting a Military Messiah who would come and rescue them from their Roman oppressors. Jesus came to rescue them from their oppression of sin but they couldn’t see this at all, or weren’t willing to see it. Q3.The leaders had fixed ideas about what the Messiah would be like and they held onto this as truth and were not prepared to entertain any other ideas about who or what the Messiah was about. They had heard from the prophets that a Messiah was coming to deliver them from oppression but they believed it was from the Roman oppression not the oppression of their sins. Q4. These verses in Daniel 7 v13-14 tell us that Jesus was human but fully approved by His Father. Jesus was given by God the Father authority, glory and sovereign power, all people one day will bend their knees and worship Him. His rule will last for all eternity, His kingdom is going to last forever. We see that Jesus was truly Man but also truly God. Q5.Both these titles belong to Jesus. They are interlinked. The Messiah came to carry out the work of redemption, but Jesus had to become the Son of Man to be able to go through that. No other human being was sinless only Jesus. So Jesus had to be the one to be our Messiah, or Saviour, He did that by becoming the Son of Man.

Q1. Jesus had just gone through some intense questioning and the soldiers can sense the anger of their superiors and so start to take that anger and violence out on Jesus. They ridiculed His power by severely beating Him. They mocked Him as a prophet, because that is what most people thought He was , they blindfolded Him and demanded that He tell them who was hitting Him. They jeered His kingship by dressing Him in a cloak and placing a crown of thorns on His precious head.

Q3. It is a fast evolving situation, Jesus being arrested, the atmosphere of spiritual darkness, and Peter’s rash move which led him to injure Malchus. Peter thought he was hidden by mingling among those sitting around the fire but no , a servant girl recognised him. In his panic Peter says “Woman I don’t know Him”. To add to Peter’s distress not long after this someone else recognises him and says You were also one of them”, Peter’s immediately responses “ Man I am not”, things are getting more awkward and dangerous for Peter! Some time later he was recognised as a Galilean and again Peter denied His Lord. All Peter’s courage had melted away. He was probably very tired and hungry as well which wouldn’t help matters. Q4.Peter’s denial consists of denying His Lord from fear and panic as well as his humanity and instinct for survival. Once the denial is stated, it gets easier and more automatic to do the same again and again. Today Christian can deny Christ by keeping quiet in situations where they should speak up and stand up for Jesus. We can also deny Christ by not trusting Him in our lives and by our sin. Q5. When the Lord turns and looks at Peter, I am sure it just brought him back to reality! He remembers what he has just done and how Jesus had told him this would happen but he remembered that he had told Jesus how he was ready to go to prison and death with Him. The guilt and disappointment Peter felt must have been miserable! He wept bitterly. I think Jesus communicated to Peter disappointment but also forgiveness and love because that is who Jesus is a God of forgiveness and love. Q6.Peter weeps bitterly because he is truly sorry for what he has done. He is riddled with guilt and shame and self loathing and wonders how he can ever make it up to Jesus. Or maybe the look Jesus gave him of love and forgiveness made him feel even worse about himself because it was so full of compassion and all Peter can think is ‘Why, Why did I deny My Lord’. Q7.I am sure we can all relate in some way to this story because unfortunately we have all in one way or another denied Christ at some stage of our Christian life. At times it may not even be deliberate but in retrospect we realise we should have said something or spoken up in a situation and didn’t. Jesus is equally as full of love and forgiveness to us as he was towards Peter, and this should encourage us to strive all the more to use every opportunity that comes our way to speak up and share Our Wonderful Lord and Saviour with those who don’t know Him.

Q1. I think Peter following at a distance is both positive and negative. I think it is positive because it shows he does love Jesus and he is concerned about Him. Most of the other disciples were nowhere to be seen, but Peter was there although at a distance. The negative is the fact that he was afraid for himself, a very human reaction and I am pretty sure I would have done the same! He was also guilty of slicing off Malchus’s ear , so he may have feared that if he was recognises he may be punished. Q2. They refers to those who had come with Judas to arrest Jesus. They included the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders. Peter was in danger because these people were trying to get rid of Jesus and those who follow Him. Peter had also cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest. The high priest would welcome any reason to arrest and punish Peter.

Q1. Judas used the worst way possible to betray Jesus by using an intimate act which should portray love and commitment as an act of betrayal. Judas had planned with Jesus enemies to watch for the person that he would approach and kiss, this would be the person they wanted to arrest. How hurtful that must have been for Jesus as well as the fact that one of His chosen friends was the one who would betray Him and prove he did not love or believe in Him after all they had been through together in the last three years. I am blessed to be able to say that I have not been betrayed by anyone nor thankfully have I been involved in anything like this. Q2.In all our relationships in life to make them work properly there has to be loyalty! As Christians our first loyalty is to Our God, and then to our church and Church leaders. This does not mean that we accept everything that is said and put forward in church. We must be discerning , open, honest, encouraging and loyal. Nothing should be said to anyone that can’t be said to a person’s face. We need wisdom and discernment in all our relationships and if this is practised it will filter into every sphere of our lives. Heavenly wisdom is first of all pure, then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, and good fruit, impartial and sincere. James 3v 17. Q3. The initial response of the disciples to fight back by drawing a sword was at least an attempt to defend Jesus and stop the soldiers from taking Him away. It was a brave act considering the number of soldiers present , but it was also asking for trouble because how were so few disciples going to defend Jesus when there were so many soldiers present. The action of trying to defend Jesus also showed that they still did not understand that this was the beginning of all that Jesu had been trying to tell them was going to happen. This was the fulfilment of the reason Jesus was on this earth. And the disciples were witnessing it, and nothing they did was going to prevent it from happening. Q4.Jesus healed Malchus’s ear because He did not want any more trouble for the disciples, He just needed to get on with His Father’s will for Him. No distractions or side issues were necessary or needed to be added to what was taking place. Jesus did not need His disciples to make feeble efforts to save Him, Jesus was about His Father’s business. The soldiers must have been astonished and yet not able to understand. If Jesus could just heal a man’s ear, why couldn’t He save Himself. There must have been some who were curious and followed Jesus after seeing and learning about Him. I am sure Manchus was never the same after the gentle, curing touch of Jesus in the midst of His own troubles. Q5.The first darkness happened when Satan entered Judas and a time of darkness descended on the whole gathering of Jesus and His disciples . It was a spiritual darknesse. The second darkness was that the soldiers came in the cover of darkness to arrest Jesus, even though Jesus was in the temple every day teaching. The Pharisees were afraid of a revolt by the people if they arrested Jesus in daylight. That would have been bad for them in the eyes of their Roman oppressors. Q6. No matter how close we are to Jesus and how busy and faithful we are to our church leaders we are not immune to the ways of Satan. If we take our eyes off Jesus even briefly we can be led astray. This is shown very clearly in Judas. He was daily in the presence of Jesus, lived with Him, and yet he betrayed Jesus. It is a warning to us. No matter who we are or what position we hold. None of us is immune.

Q7.When our minds are fixed on God in prayer, we will not be thinking about sinful things. We will not be tempted because The Lord will give us the strength to resist temptation. There are verses in the Bible that tell us about the importance of knowing God’s word so that we will avoid sin , if our minds are on prayer and God’s word we will have no desire to sin. The more we get to know Jesus through prayer and study the less inclination we will have to offend Him in anyway. Sometimes it may be difficult to pray but we must persist in order to stay close to the Lord. We have the Holy Spirit who will take our feeble efforts at prayer and present them in a fit state to God.

Q1. The cup is the suffering Jesus is about to face. It is both physical and psychological. Jesus is about to take on Himself the sin of the whole world and His Father will cut off communication with Him for a period. Jesus is finding in His humanness it difficult to face this. Jesus comes to His Father and makes the request that if possible could He be spared the separation from Him and the physical torture. However Jesus the says “ Not my will be yours be done.” Q2. I am not sure if it was a sign of weakness , I would never consider Jesus as being weak. I think it is a sign of His humanness. Jesus would not be human if He did not have any concerns or fear of facing all that was going to happen. Q3. The Father and Son’s communication would be cut off, because of what He was about to take on. The wrath of God would all be placed on His Sinless son for the sake of all sinners. No father likes to punish their sons but it is a necessary part of teaching them right and wrong , in this situation God the Father was punishing His Son for the whole world’s sin and He could not look upon all that sin until it was all over. Q4.When we pray and request something from God we must first of all be clear just what it is that we want. In this way, if The Lord is nudging us and directing us in a different way. It will be very clear to us. If we are a true follower of Jesus we desire our requests to be in line with the Lords will, and will be happy to be able to discern what the Lord’s will is for our lives. Q5.Our human nature wants to be in control of everything, we therefore don’t seek what Gods will is. We are only true followers when we fully realise that Gods way is best. If He doesn’t answer prayer as we anticipate it is because it is not the right time and we must trust in His plan for our lives. Q6. My times of being exhausted from sorrow are usually to do with my children/ grandchildren, their disappointments in life or their lack of maturity , occasionally their behavior or attitudes. I go through the same thing when I see their lack of commitment to the Lord but it is a much deeper kind of sorrow because it will have effect into eternity. But I also know the Lord’s comfort and peace.

Q1. When Jesus sent out the disciples they had just the basics with them. They did not want for anything because they were received openly and generously by the people. Times had changed and evil influences had set the people against Jesus and all who were associated with them. The disciples would now have to plan for their journeys and have sufficient resources themselves. Q2. Because the attitude of the people had changed towards Jesus and His followers the disciples would now need to bring enough provision for their journeys because they could no longer rely on the hospitality and generosity they had received in the past. Everything would be different they will face hardships of all kinds including persecution. Q3.A cloak or outer garment was a very important piece of kit for someone who was out in cold weather or at night. It was so valuable that if it was sold it would indicate dire circumstances. Jesus is telling His disciples to sell it if they have to in order to buy a sword. Not that He was advocating violence but indicating the need to be prepared for trouble and to be ready to deal with it no matter what it cost them. Nothing must stop their Kingdom work. Q4.Jesus was not advocating violence but it was necessary to be prepared to protect themselves if they needed to do so. The sword is a figure of speech for being prepared for the coming hardships and hostility. I would always think of Jesus as being full of love and peace and would never encourage any type of violence, but at the same time He would not want us to not defend ourselves if attacked without provocation. Q5.Jesus quote from Isaiah was about Him being crucified with others who had done wrong but He had not , yet He was looked upon as though He was an evil man. This was to be the fulfilment of the prophecy in Isaiah. It is relevant because this was the changing atmosphere that the disciples were starting their ministry in without the help and support of Jesus . Jesus was preparing them to be equipped for these hardships. Q6.Jesus who was without sin was accused and punished for the sin He never committed. It was prophesied in Isaiah and fulfilled by Jesus. We who follow Jesus , we’re among the transgressors who have been clothed in righteousness because of Jesus dying on the cross.

Q6.Peter had experienced the love of Jesus, His forgiveness and a new strength, then restoration. Because Peter was so ashamed of his failure , the strength and restoration meant everything to him. He was appointed by Jesus to be the new leader of the disciples and His fledgling church. So in turn Peter was able to strengthen his fellow disciples by encouraging them, by sharing with them all he had experienced and by leading them in prayer and action. We also are called upon to strengthen those who are weak vulnerable and lost. Also our brothers and sisters that we meet at church to have fellowship with them and look for ways we can encourage them. Spend time with them and find out what is going on in their lives and how and where they need prayer and encouragement or practical help. Q7. Hebrews 10v25 tells us not to give up meeting together, but to encourage one another especially as end times approach if we are not part of a church we cannot do this and so we miss out on so much including having fellow believers to come along side us in times of trouble and times of joy. We don’t have any one to pray for us and we don’t know who needs our prayers. We see from v32 that prayer is vital, because of Jesus praying for Peter he was strengthened and restored. We miss out on that strengthening we can both give and receive.

Q1. Grains of wheat would be sifted to get rid of foreign bodies which are not wanted mixed up with the wheat. These can be stones, weeds, pieces of stick etc. Sifting conveys the idea of separating the good from the bad. We see this in Matthew 13. The parable of the wheat and tares where they are allowed to grow together until harvest and then they are separated. The good is kept and the tares are burned. It is also similar to the world today the righteous and the unrighteous live together but in Judgement day that will all change. Matthew 25. Q2.The Lord allows a certain amount of tempting by Satan but God is always in control. We see this in the book of Job. God allowed Satan to do certain things but he had his limits. God allowed this to show Satan that Job was a righteous man in all circumstances not just when all was going well for him. There are other times when we can leave ourselves wide open to attack by taking our focus off God and concentrating on worldly matters. Satan is the father of lies and he can put lies into our minds which can lead us into all kinds of sin. This was how he tempted Eve in the garden of Eden. We must remember that Satan goes around like a roaring lion seeking those weak spots so he can devour us enticing us to sin against God. We need at all time to have the full armour of God on, as we are told in Ephesians 6, in order that we can fight against his evil attacks. Q3.I don’t think any of us know how we are going to react in any given situation. We think and hope that we will be brave and strong but in reality if it is a totally new and frightening situation we really don’t know how we will react. If we are proud or impetuous, we will think the best of ourselves and feel sure we will react in the correct way. I also think that having been with Jesus for three years I couldn’t imagine denying knowing Him, but again Jesus has been arrested and everything Peter and the other disciples appeared to be at an end, no wonder Peter reacted in a negative way. It is easy for us to be hard on Peter when we know the end of the story, but given the circumstances I wonder would I have done any better. When we study Jesus and see His Holiness and what He has done for us it makes it very clear that we full of evil desires and our only hope is to be constantly looking to Jesus to keep us on the straight and narrow way. Q4.We need to constantly be in touch with God and the things of God. Otherwise we get distracted and our faith starts to waiver. It is like removing a bright ember from the fire and putting it on its own. It gradually gets colder and dies altogether. Peter turns back to Jesus unlike Judas and this was due to the prayers that Jesus said for him. I find the last question difficult. Prayer is always listened too by God and answered in some way maybe not always in the way or the time we would wish. But we must pray without ceasing and trust God for the outcome. God is in essence good and He is not willing that anyone should perish but come to repentance. Q5.Peter is stronger once he gets back on track. He sees how forgiving and gracious Jesus is and Jesus entrusts him with the church of the future. When we go through temptation we learn how easy it is to fall but also how God will help us when we ask. Jesus uses these times of testing to refine us and bring us to maturity to become the people He wants us to be. As we are told in James we should consider it pure joy when we face trials because Gos is using them to make us into His people.

Q3. A good leader is one who is humble and willing to serve. They will not ask anyone to do anything they are not prepared to do. The greatest example we have of this was Jesus. He went about His business speaking and mixing with all people, no one was outside His scope. He was found among the poor, the sinful and those who were most vulnerable. Jesus was also invited to dine with people seen as more ‘respectable’ in society. At the last supper Jesus demonstrated His humility and His willingness to serve by washing the disciples feet. This was usually done by a servant. On the other hand a leader who is not humble or willing to serve others, is usually full of pride, of their importance and is seeking to further their own agendas. They do not see or care about the needs of the people they are supposed to be leading. A Christian Leader should serve God first and then those he is leading. If he is serving God wholeheartedly it will follow that he is faithfully leading his flock. Q4.Jesus told the disciples that He was conferring on them a Kingdom just like His Father had done to Him. That they may eat and drink at His table, in His kingdom and that they may sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. The disciples had been observers of Jesus doing His work but now Jesus was making them participants with Christ in His kingdom. In this kingdom they will have the ongoing privilege of being at His table where everything will be provided for them. This will start with the Marriage feast which will celebrate the marriage of the church, made up of faithful believers to Christ. They will take part in judging and welcoming, those who have been faithful to God, into eternal life in the presence of God for ever. Q5.In biblical times it was a great privilege to eat at the Kings table. It was not just one meal but ongoing provision all provided by the king for certain privileged people. We see this in the story of David. Because of his great love for his friend Jonathan, he invited his crippled son Mephibosheth to his table for life, he also restored to him all his grandfather’s lands.2Samuel chapter9. We will have this privilege if we remain faithful to God to the end. We will be invited to the Marriage feast and will be provided for by God for ever. Q6. I think this is now and in the future. If we are wholeheartedly following Jesus we are ruling and reigning as Jesus desires for our lives but we are subject to get distracted and sin is forever lurking near us. All this will change in the perfection of the new heaven and earth where we will continue to rule and reign with Jesus but in a more perfect and complete way.

Q1.Unfortunately pride is present in most of us. Our hearts are full of pride and self righteousness. This pride can be found in some Church Leaders as they become more confident in their roles as leaders of the Church they can put their achievements down to their own efforts and forget that the Lord Himself has put them there and it is He who helps them accomplish things successfully. I think we can sometimes be at fault by putting our leaders on pedestals and only looking to them, instead of seeing God behind every sermons preached and every new person who turns to Jesus. Satan is constantly on the lookout for a chink in our armour to plant seeds of pride into our hearts because he knows it is offensive to God. A proud person will seek out leadership role because they are in no doubt that they can do the job and probably think they can do it better than anyone else. Humility isn’t part of them therefore they won’t consider that they may not be the person for the role or that someone else may be more able or equipped for the role. In our own lives , because of the ever present tendency of our hearts towards evil we may exert power over those around us maybe at home , or at work. I think it is usually if another person is shy , lacking confidence or maybe junior to us, we can see them as vulnerable and take advantage of the situation. If as Christian’s we are guilty of this we must go to God and the person we have abused and ask forgiveness and make attempts to make reparation. Q2.Titles are a means to respect ,admiration, and recognition. All humans crave these things to some extent, but some more than others. I know myself I have great pride in my children’s achievements and titles. But I also have great sadness because none of them walk with the Lord. This pride makes me realise I have the world still in me. So I do not allow myself to say anything to people I meet about my children unless they ask a direct question. Unfortunately people with titles can use them or use the privileges that can come with them to exert power over others or they can have feelings of superiority. These attitudes of superiority or power are not of God and are sinful, and need to be urgently addressed.

Q6. Jesus has given us the Lord Supper to remind us forgetful people of what He did for us on the cross. His precious body was broken for us by torture and His precious blood was poured out for us. Just as wine is poured into a goblet so His blood was poured out for us on the cross. As Christians we take part in this as a spiritual way of taking part in what yes went through, it is a time of reflection, thanksgiving and adoration. Q7.The old Covenant was for the Jewish people and the ritual killing of animals and sprinkling of blood for the forgiveness of sin. The people broke the Covenant by disobeying God. The New Covenant was instituted by Jesus when He died on the cross for all people of all nations. All people may partake in the New Covenant simply by turning to Him and asking Him for forgiveness for their sins. They don’t have to do anything else Jesus has done it all for us. When we turn to Jesus the Holy Spirit abides in us and helps us not to sin. He is our help and guide through life. Q8.Jesus was poured out for us through His torture and death on the cross. He poured out all that He had for us to enable us to live in eternity with Him. Just as wine is poured into a cup so His blood was poured out for us because He was the only sinless person who could redeem us from our sin and hell. Jesus was the only one who could satisfy or pay God sufficiently for all the wrongs of humanity. What love is this ? How can we ever be thankful enough? Praise Him forever.

Q1. Jesus gave Peter and John an errand which was unusual, it was like a secret code, which they had to work out. They were then kept busy so that they could not share details with the other disciples. All the secrecy was about Jesus not being betrayed before He was ready. Jesus had one more thing He wanted to do and that was to share the Passover meal for the last time with His beloved disciples. No names or exact places were mentioned just in case the information was heard by someone who would tip off the authorities as to where Jesus could be found. Q2.Jesus wanted to share this Passover meal with His disciples as it would be the last time until the Great Feast at the end of time. It would be the last time they would be together before Jesus died, and before their number would be reduced to eleven. For Jesus this was the beginning of the reason He came, the final get together before He would be arrested, His final opportunity to teach them and help them understand what was happening to Him. He was about to institute a new Covenant by the shedding of His precious blood. They were all thinking of the past as the celebrated the escape from Egypt but Jesus was showing them that He was now the fulfilment of a New Covenant by His death on the cross and resurrection and they could now look forward to forgiveness of sin and eternal life if they ratified the New Covenant by believing in Jesus and His death and resurrection. Q3.The first cup Jesus used was to show that it was the last time He would celebrate the Passover here on earth. The second cup indicated the institution of the Lords Supper which was to be a celebration or remembrance of what Jesus was about to go through on the cross. Q4.Jesus precious body was broken and fragile just like unleavened bread . Bread is a simple element that is easily available to use as a reminder to us of how Jesus precious body was broken for us. Q5.Jesus gave Himself, His precious body to be tortured and crucified in our place because only Jesus was sinless and therefore able to satisfy the wrath of God. Jesus died as our substitute, for all our sins and wickedness. He loved us so much that He left the splendour of heaven and was born in the most humble of circumstances and lived in obedience to His earthly parents even though He was sinless. When He started His public ministry He was disbelieved , reviled and rejected and eventually tortured and crucified like the worst of criminals. Jesus did all this because He loves us so much. So we continue to celebrate all this every time we take the bread and wine with fellow believers.