The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 13:1-5, “Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that

He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He

loved them to the end.

2And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon,

to betray Him,

3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth

from God, and was going back to God,

4rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about.

5Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them

with the towel with which He was girded.”

The original Passover was in Egypt. It was the preparation for Israel’s departure, and certain procedures demanded by the LORD God had to occur. One was the slaying of a lamb that was eaten, and the sprinkling of its blood on the door posts and on the cross piece that connected the two sides as they formed the doorway. It was the beginning of a new era for the Nation of Israel.

Now, centuries later Jesus and His disciples partook of the Feast of the Passover as the end of the Old Testament era. It was at the Passover that Jesus announced Judas Iscariot as His betrayer. Satan had convinced Judas to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. John 13:30 reads, “And so after receiving the morsel he (Judas Iscariot) went out immediately; and it was night.” Leaving Jesus, Who is the Light of the World, always and only leads to darkness.

After Judas Iscariot departed from the Passover, Jesus introduced the LORD’s Supper with His disciples. Many today call the LORD’s Supper “Communion.” Yet, there are multiple ways in which we are able to commune with the LORD. Prayer and the study of the Bible are means of communion. There is only one LORD’s Supper. It is only for born-again Christians and speaks of our LORD’s death, burial, and resurrection. It has no saving graces or powers to change human life. Only the blood of Jesus can do that. All of this is to say that Judas Iscariot, as a Jew, was a part of the Old Testament Passover, but since he was never saved (born again), he had no part in the LORD’s Supper.

Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet is emblematic of His humility. Only the lowliest servant washed the feet of strangers that came to one’s dwelling place. Jesus demonstrates His consideration of Himself as a servant of God the Father. There is a lesson in this for all of us. First, we must be His children to have the right to sit at His Table. To become a child of God (a true Christian), one must willingly turn away from sin and commit his life to Jesus Christ, much like one does when entering military service. Second, once accepted, you belong to Jesus forever! You’re committed to doing His will, while simultaneously, receiving live-saving protection forever. Then, still in His service, you are to witness of Him to others, leading them to faith and to eternal life.

If you’ve never trusted Him, give Him a chance with your life! If you have accepted Him, start telling others that they, too, may know Him in eternal love. God bless you abundantly!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Judges 6:25-27, “Now the same night it came about that the LORD said to (Gideon), ‘Take your father’s bull and a second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it;

26 and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, and take a second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.’

27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had spoken to him; and it came about, because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it by day, that he did it by night.”

Most people who have worked for someone have been ordered to do things that were strange and difficult. Sometimes, they were even dangerous. Such is the situation with Gideon. His father was a worshipper of false gods, one of whom was Baal. Asherah was a female goddess of Phoenicia, whose image was like that of Baal. Gideon was charged by the LORD to tear down both images.

It was not an easy task –not so much the actual destruction of the images, but because they were the property of Gideon’s earthly father. What’s more, he was instructed to build an alter to the LORD and offer a burnt offering to the LORD, using the wood from the Asherah to feed the fire.

It was an early test of Gideon’s trust in the LORD. Greater things than this were coming. So Gideon obeyed, but he was so afraid of his father that he and some fellows from his city did it at

night.

We all have some form of false gods or goddesses in our lives. Some are greater than others; yet,

they are all evil and need to be destroyed. Some evil things around and within us are known to others, some are not. But all need to be destroyed! Even with their destruction, we are a bit sheepish and more than a little embarrassed to construct something to the LORD’s glory. So, we do that destruction and construction, as it were, at night –quietly and outside the knowledge of others. Still, they will know when they see us that we are different. And the LORD will rejoice that He is glorified.

Isaiah supports what Gideon did when he says,

“’Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.

Cease to do evil, 17Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless; Defend the orphan,

Plead for the widow. 18’Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the LORD, ‘Though your

sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will

be like wool. 19 “If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; 20But if you refuse

and rebel, You will be devoured by the sword.’ Truly, the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

–Isaiah 1:16-20

May the LORD aid us all in the destruction of fortresses that bring no honor to Him!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. I sincerely apologize for the absence of last evening’s Grands Letter. I was necessarily called out of town

and was away from my computer. Your prayers are always needed and welcomed.

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

John 12:12-16, “On the next day the great multitude who had come to the feast, when they heard that

Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

13took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet Him, and began to cry out, ‘Hosanna! Blessed

is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.’

14 And Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, 15’Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your

King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.’

16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they

remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.”

The Passover had come, and the multitude was excited to learn that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem!

They gathered palm fronds and ran to meet Him crying “Hosanna! Blessed is He who come in the name of the LORD!” They viewed Him as the prophetically promised Messiah, the King of Israel. And the word Hosanna literally means, “LORD, save us!” There was no mistake. He was indeed the King of all Israel, despite the fact that the Jewish leaders failed to recognize Him as such.

Verse 14 above is a quotation of Psalm 118:25-26:

“O LORD, do save, we beseech Thee; O LORD, we beseech Thee,

do send prosperity! 26Blessed is the one who comes in the name of

the LORD; We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.”

I am sure that we have a better understanding than the disciples; for at first, they did not understand what was occurring. They were much like us in that they later understood as they recalled the “things (that) were written of Him.”

One basic reason that we don’t understand Scripture is that we don’t read and study Scripture. Yes, it helps if we know some of the Hebrew and Greek languages; yet many of the esteemed biblical scholars were not proficient in those languages, either. Biblical knowledge abounds in whatever language we read it. The major factor is to READ and READ regularly. The only ones who will have an edge on you will be those who

have already accepted Jesus Christ as their LORD and Savior. If you’re one of those who hasn’t, please take a moment and ask for His forgiveness of your sin. I have known children who have accepted Him at the

tender age of 5; and they are still serving Him as adults today. God bless you abundantly! Hosannah!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

John 12:3-6, “Mary therefore took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the

feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the

perfume.

4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said,

5 ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii, and given to poor people?’

6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief,

and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it.”

Why would you ask a question like that? Were you ever questioned about a question you asked?

It’s sometimes (possibly, more often than we think) important to inquire into the reason for a question. People can have motives that are masked by the simple questions they ask.

It was Passover and Martha was preparing a supper for Jesus, her brother, Lazarus, and sister,

Mary. Not everyone present was named, but we know Judas Iscariot was there. Apparently, Mary and her siblings were quite well off financially, because the costly perfume with which Mary anointed the feet of Jesus was almost equal to a year’s wages. Martha and Lazarus said nothing, and by their silence, gave approval of what Mary did.

But it was Judas Iscariot who questioned the validity of the anointment. Why would he question it? The costly nard was not his, and had Mary poured it wastefully on the ground, it was still none of Judas’ business. His question did, however, place him diametrically opposed to the anointing itself. All who were present could have noticed. He was already intending to betray Jesus to the religious authorities, although no one except Jesus knew that. Additionally, Judas was the treasurer of Jesus’ disciples and he often helped himself to money that belonged to the group. So, Judas’ question was quite revealing, had anyone taken time to notice.

Human behavior doesn’t change over the years. That’s one factor that makes the Bible relevant to activities today. The purpose of this particular Letter is to awaken readers to ask, “Why did he ask that?” when someone poses a question within a group. We ought not always to think adversely of the questioner; yet, at the same time, we ought not to simply become numb “non-thinkers.”

Turning it all around, we should also be cautious regarding questions we ask. Not everyone in a group lacks curiosity or is a “non-thinker,” either. Remember, too, that the Bible enables us to assess all like situations in life today. So, study the Bible regularly –every day! And pray for the LORD’s guidance in every situation. He will give you wisdom and abundantly bless you!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

John 11:48-51, “If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will

come and take away both our place and our nation.”

49 But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, ‘You know

nothing at all,

50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people,

and that the whole nation should not perish.’

51 Now this he did not say on his own initiative; but being high priest that year, he prophesied that

Jesus was going to die for the nation…”

You will remember from our last Letter that verse 48 above revealed the true motive of the Pharisees and chief priests. “Their place” and “their nation” was all that mattered to them. But read on…

Caiaphas was high priest at that time and what he is about to say is not of himself, it’s what the LORD put into his mind to say. You have no idea what’s going on, he said to his pharisaical crowd; it is to your advantage that one man should die for the nation so that the nation might not

be destroyed.

That is an amazing prophecy! Caiaphas had no idea how absolutely correct his statement was! In fact, it was not his statement; it’s what the Spirit of God directed him to say, despite the fact that he himself was not a believer in Jesus Christ as God’s Redeemer for Israel!

Have you ever heard of an unbeliever stating the truth of Scripture and another unbeliever, who heard it, being saved, despite the fact that the one sharing the Gospel was not a believer himself? I have! It’s very seldom that such a thing occurs, but it can and, in this instance, it did! I have to wonder how Caiaphas felt after saying that! Did he grasp the importance of what he said? The LORD alone knows; yet, it shows how powerful the LORD is in speaking His Truth through an unbeliever.

Come to think of it, that’s how we who are saved came to trust the LORD Jesus Christ. The initiative is His alone! The “grasp” of that truth is ours. Whatever you do, don’t resist Him! Don’t resist what He teaches you in His Word, the Holy Scriptures! “Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31).

I pray for you daily! Please pray for me. I want the years I have left to count for His Glory!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”