Luke 23 1-35 v 31“For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Jesus is sent to Pilate who sends Him to Herod who had him flogged and returned to Pilate again and these two men who were enemies became friends. Pilate was going to also have Jesus flogged then set free. However, the crowd started shouting. Crucify him! Crucify him! So Pilate gave the people the choice Barabbas, a political activist and murderer or Jesus and when the crowd asked for Barabbas to be released, “Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded.” Simon was made to carry the cross behind Jesus, and in the crowd that followed were some women who were wailing, mourning his death. Jesus in all the stress of the moment reached out to those women and prophesied that worse was to come! “People will beg the mountains ‘fall on us’ and plead with the hills to ‘bury us.’ For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Jesus also said, “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
Spring is the time of year when our gardens need to be ready for planting and the ravages of winter need to be cleared. That means in our home that a fire is needed to burn all the dead wood that has blown out of the trees and also the time to burn our Christmas tree, that has spent the months following Christmas drying out. We all know that for a good fire dry wood is needed. In some translations of the bible “wood” is used instead of “tree” for this verse in the gospel of Luke. And what of green wood? That does not burn well, if used it needs to be put on an already hot fire, it is no use to start the fire. So why are the people trying to burn this green wood or tree? Why are they trying to kill Jesus? And what will they do over time when the wood is dry? What will they do , when their faith in Jesus is dry ? We all must keep the living green tree in our hearts. To not let the tree of our faith, dry out over time because then unspeakable things will happen. And as Jesus had compassion for the women and demonstrated throughout his ministry the importance of women he had a message for us all:-
Jesus also said, “Father forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
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