Someone

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Category: Teachings & Articles
Published: Monday, 15 April 2019 03:11
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Someone

By Augusto A. Kho

Mitsubishi Showroom – Carmona, Cavite

April 13, 2019 (Saturday); 1:11 A.M.

Updated April 14, 2019; Sunday Preaching; 9:00 A.M.

 

 

Someone

Paano kung ang mahal mo’y may mahal na iba?

He just left her without any formal break-up. There was never a slightest hint it would tragically end that way after their 3 years of warm and good relationship. He suddenly disappeared without a trace. And never showed up to her from the very time she caught him with someone else. So bad for he just kissed her gently from the last time they met and he even said, “I love you and I will never leave you.” And that was on their 3rd year anniversary last January 21. That gentle but last kiss proven to be fatal.

 

And that goes this way. What if the someone you love loves someone’s else?

 

Like Jesus who loves Judas His disciple, yet Judas loves something else and He was betrayed by a kiss.

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The kiss

Not all kiss may mean “hello”. A kiss may even suggest it is “goodbye.” Just like Judas when he kissed our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Kiss in Greek phileo means to love or to treat affectionately. It derived from Greek thelo meaning to resolve or to determine as a wish to desire or to love.

 

But can a sign of love and kiss denote something else? In verse 48 Jesus said “Judas will you betray a man with a kiss?”

 

Kiss there in Greek philema means a sign of fraternal affection which either to welcome or dismiss someone.

 

To the very object of love, will you embrace or refrain embracing? Or will you come back or leave someone you love completely?

 

 

 

Ancient culture

Kiss is an ancient culture.

 

Isaac asked a kiss from his son. And Jacob kissed his father. The Scriptures says:

 

“And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son. And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed: ” (Genesis 27:26-27).

 

Kiss in Hebrew “nashaq” (naw-shak) means “put together, touch gently, to equip with weapons, -armed (men), rule, attachment; to fasten. “

 

A kiss can bring intimacy and closeness Yet a kiss can be an armed weapon as well. How?

 

The truth is, Isaac requested a kiss from his eldest son Esau. But even Jacob (who pretended as Esau) betrayed his own father and older brother - with a kiss.

 

Was it not Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss? Such kiss can be fatally wounding?

 

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful,” Proverbs. 27:6 writes.

 

 

 

Loving someone else

Jesus in John 13:26 is foreseen what Judas truly loves prior to his betrayal during the last supper.

 

It is because Judas’ Love to Christ is superseded his love to ”bag” of money (John 13:29).

 

In Matthew 26:15, the trading of Christ love for 30 pieces of silver is pre-mediated conspiracy by Judas, a disciple; Pharisees, a religious sector; and the Roman Government.

 

In the event of court proceeding, to give the suspect the benefit of a doubt, a prosecutor will look not just the evidence but the motive.. When an act is done with malice, then a crime is committed. For Judas and the religious sect, the Pharisees, and the government there was a crime committed then.

 

 

How much a thirty pieces of silver worth for?

How much is thirty (30) pieces of silver today? A source said that 30 pieces are about 5 weeks money (based on a 6 day working week.) in terms of purchasing power, each silver piece is probably worth about $20. The standard of living being much, much lower than in modern (Western) societies. So the thirty pieces are worth about $600.00.

 

What is 30 pieces of silver worth for? The 30 pieces of silver is settlement money to be to the slave of a certain master when he or she is being wounded by another’s master oxen provided the beast will be put into death.

 

Exodus 21:32/ ISV, “If the ox gores a male or female servant, the owner is to give 30 shekels of silver to the servant's master, and the ox is to be stoned. “

 

In other words, the 30 pieces of silver is like ransom money or a blood money.

 

 

Ransom money

The 30 pieces of silver is a ransom money. It is redemptive in purpose though we see it done tragically.

 

Christ betrayal is a form of ransom. Mark 10:45 says,“ Because even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people." 

 

1 Timothy 2:6, “He gave himself as a ransom for everyone, the testimony at the proper time. “

 

The word “ransom” in Greek “lutron” or “antilutron” means “the price for redeeming” or “paid for slaves.” That fulfilled the prophetic word for Christ as the “righteous servant” in Isaiah 53:11. Lutron also mean redemption or atonement. That is why there is a Feast of Atonement which is 6th of the major 7th Feasts of the Lord (Exodus 30:10; Romans 5:11).

 

Often we take Palm Sunday very lightly when it heavily means something else, spiritual or physical? Can it be political as well? Let’s see that!

 

 

Electoral Judases

John 18:5, Jesus said, “I am he” as Christ resolved his case to God that his love is merely traded with 30 pieces of silver. It is when love is compromise with other love like love for money or power just like in this forthcoming election when money is often an acid test to prove one’s faith and character.

 

In this forthcoming Philippine Election, you will find many “electoral Judases” in the form of “vote-buying” where the running politicians buy votes from the electorates while the electorates trade their conscience-vote in the form of cash or gifts or kakilala-system.

 

Just like Judas, we sometimes trade in our conscience in favour of material things if not political favour. Such impious act betrays our faith in God and national fervour to our beloved nation.

 

Judas’s betrayal of love has been prophesied by Zechariah 11:12, ’ And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver “ (Zechariah Chapter 11 happened to be my Quietime yesterday). Was it a coincidence?

I did write in m previous teaching that nothing happens by accident according to Ecclesiastes 9:11 (New Living Translation) when the word “chance “ is being said, “the right time at the right place” as interpreted by the author himself.

 

 

Betrayal of love

Even the Old Testament story tells us how God dearly loved Israel yet the latter loves someone else. That goes again with these words, “Paano kung ang mahal may mahal palang iba?”

 

Israel loves foreign gods more than Him. Not just one but many times that Israel have fallen to someone else and she has been branded as “harlot” (Jer. 3:1)

 

How much He loves us yet we love something or someone else. Shall we trade his love for something or someone else?

 

 

A big contrast

The irony of such story of love draws a big contrast prior to His entry in the city of Jerusalem when the crowd treated him with awesome welcome and ardent signs of acceptance and love and hailed “Hosanna!”

 

The throngs of jubilant crowd chanted “Hosanna.” It says this way,

 

“And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest, “ (Matt. 21:9; 15; Mark 11:9-19; John 12:13).

 

Yet merely two days later, the same crowd who shouted “Hosanna!” chanted again but that time against Him and yelled “Crucify him!” (Mark 15:13).

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Even Christians like us shouts Hosannah! but later “crucify Him” back again because we are serving our own flesh and desires as if selling Him with even lesser than 30 pieces of silver over and over again.

 

Is it the reason why we keep on celebrating Palm Sunday? To commemorate that we are just flesh and the Lord wanted us to be reminded of the tremendous grace of God?

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Hosanna

Hosanna refers to exclamation of adoration. Adorations is strong feelings of love according to Webster.

 

Though “Hosanna” is derived from the Greek word “yasha” meaning “ the avenger or defender.” Love defends. Love saves and it doesn’t betray someone you adore and love. Paul says “Love do not delight in evil. And love always protects,” (1 Corinthians 13:6-7).

 

When someone you love loves someone else, then there will be no guarantee of protection or immunity from harm. Love must cover the multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).

 


Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is a story of love, conspiracy and crime and passion of Christ.

 

It is a story of love because ang taong minamahal, di iniiwanan kundi binabalikan.Yet the tragic story of Christ’s love is ang minamahal Niya ay may mahal palang iba. This can be well illustrated in this verse that says, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not,” (John 1:11).

 

It is story of conspiracy and crime to innocent man Christ. Matthew 26:47, “And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. “

 

Judas Iscariot, Christ’s disciple, together with the elders and Sanhedrin and Pontius Pilate falsely accused a crime to innocent man.

 

Yet above all, it is the story of the passion of Christ who willingly gave His own life for sinners like us (John 3:16). As Romans 5:8 puts this way, “while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”

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How much?

While Jesus’ love was merely traded with thirty pieces of silver, one night while I was meditating in prayer while reading the Word, I asked the Lord, “How much you love me?”

 

In a vision, I saw the His deep-seated but lonely eyes met mine and He said, “This much!” Then He stretched out both His hands being nailed on a cross.

 

That much! That much is how Christ loves you and me. He will give up everything for anyone He dearly loves. is there’s someone out there who can love you that much?

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NOTES:

  • Scriptures quoted in KJV unless otherwise specified

  • All the photos are taken from the internet

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