The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 27:37-50, “And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, ‘THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.’
38 At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left.
39 And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads
40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying,
42 “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.
43 “HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.'”
44 The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.
45 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.
46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”
47 And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.
49 But the rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him.”
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

Executions are never pretty. Unless you have a strong stomach and never experience mental reoccurances, I strongly advise you to never, ever view one. History is replete with hangings and fireing squads, but crucifixions are lingering deaths. What’s more, they are total public expostures, and those who are subject to such ignominious deaths die like none others.

Jesus’ crucifixion was for the sins of the world. He had no sin of His own! At the same time, all who were made subject to this form of humiliating death were further humiliated in that they were stripped totally naked before the eyes of a heartless, mocking crowd.

It was the responsibility of the Roman guards to “protect” Him, as He lingeringly died on that cross. The clothing that had once covered His body was now divided among the guards. Yet, according to Old Testament Scripture, His seamless, one-piece garment –our LORD’s only true possession– escaped division (Psa. 22:18).

Those who suffered death by crucifixion, simply lingured until they died. We suffer when a parent or child of ours is confined in hospital with a life-threatening disease. No one is mocking. No body is nakedly exposed to the gaze of those who pass by the door room. Yet, we are like Jesus’ family in that there is nothing we can do. Just wait.

This, and more than I am capable of describing, is what Jesus experienced as He suffered and died for us. He possessed no sin! He died for our sin! And the shame that we bare that is equal to our sin is that we fail to repent and humbly ask His forgiveness. You can do that right now! Just bow your head and pray. Ask Him to forgive you for all you have ever thought and done –things that were heinous, and things that were not. You’ll be amazed at what He will do for your life! God bless you, as you turn your life over to Him! I am praying for you.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need
until He becomes all that we have.”
– Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Matthew 26:6-13, “Now when Jesus was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper,
7 a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table.
8 But the disciples were indignant when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste?
9 “For this perfume might have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”
10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has done a good deed to Me.
11 “For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me.
12 “For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial.
13 “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”

When I was a child and needed medical or dental attention, my loving mother always gave me some item that refocused my attention away from what I was facing.

We all need also to be careful as to how we react to situations. There’s an old
saying that says: “Sometimes silence is golden; sometimes it’s yellow.” This time,
the disciples would have done well to have said nothing.

Matthew does not say who this woman was. It could well have been one of several. Yet, for the disciples to have witnessed her anointing Jesus with barutimos, a very costly perfume, and on the eve of His crucifixion; and, then, adding to His mental displeasure, they called it a waste! Unquestionably, it was clearly an out-of-place remark.

First century people possessed “feelings,” just as we do today. Still, the disciples took no note of the loving act this woman was showing toward the LORD Jesus. He Himself took note, however, and commended her for what she had done. “She did it to prepare Me for burial,” Jesus said.

Perhaps we should adapt this thoughtful servant’s attitude as we think this week of the crucifixion of our LORD Jesus Christ. We do not sing or play that others may see or hear us. What we do is engage in quiet worship of Him, the One who gave His all that we might be forgiven of our sins and lead others to Him in faith believing.

Sing softly. Pray sincerely. In everything, show love to the One who gave Himself on that Cross for our sins. He is our distraction from the clamor of the world. Praise His Holy Name!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Jeremiah 30:15-18, “’Why do you cry out over your injury? Your pain is incurable. Because your iniquity is great and your sins are numerous, I have done these things to you.
16 ‘Therefore all who devour you will be devoured; and all your adversaries, every one of them, will go into captivity; and those who plunder you will be for plunder, and all who prey upon you I will give for prey.
17 ‘For I will restore you to health and I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the LORD, ‘Because they have called you an outcast, saying: “It is Zion; no one cares for her.”‘
18 “Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and have compassion on his dwelling places; and the city will be rebuilt on its ruin, and the palace will stand on its rightful place.’”

The armies of Nebuchadnezzar had surrounded the people of God. Jeremiah had been taken, and was being held prisoner. The people of the LORD had turned away from His directives; thus, things indeed were looking bleak.

Still, the LORD had promised His intervention. He has promised to devour those who had sought to devour His people. He will plunder those who have plundered His people. He will heal the wounds of His people because they had been called an outcast by their enemies. Delivery is promised because it has been said, “No one cares for her.”

Did you ever have a feeling somewhat like that? Things were going wrong. Everyone seemed to be against you. You tried to remedy things for yourself, but nothing was working. Time was failing just as energy and plans were. Is there a way out? Is no one is interested in helping me? What am I going to do? To whom can I appeal my case?

The only difference was that the LORD’s people had not turned things over to the LORD! Will a godly parent forsake his child? Will a loving mother not comfort her own offspring? Even so, the LORD will care tenderly for His own. He knows the way out of all your troubles.

“The LORD will restore the fortunes you have lost. He will show compassion on your dwelling place that has been confiscated; and the city where you lived will be rebuilt on its ruins; and the palace of the LORD will stand again in its rightful place.

Dodge despair! Grasp the promises of the LORD! He is the answer to all your dilemmas. “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you”
(1 Pet. 5:7).

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Matthew 12:35-41, “The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.
36 “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.
37 “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;
40 for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

My daughter, Teri, and I always do our grocery pickup together. We each know the way, so it’s not that either of us needs the other –it’s just fun!

Today, as we set out on our weekly excursion, we talked about the Resurrection of Jesus and how thoughts of it has drifted from Him and fallen into Easter egg hunts and the like –things that delight young children, but truly are misdirecting them away from the spiritual Truth involved.

Verse 35 above truly captures everything within us all: “The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.” This is certainly not to say that everyone who initiates or participates in an Easter egg hunt is evil; it only says that they have sidestepped the Truth – truth that children especially should hear and believe.

Additionally, it misguides the children by denying them the truth the LORD intended us all to know about Him and His Resurrection. Think what you will,
my late wife and I dismissed the “egg routine” with our kids when they were young and taught them the true meaning of Jesus Resurrection. That’s what
my daughter remembered in our conversation this morning.

“By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (v. 37). Jesus is Alive and, by the looks of things, He will be coming shortly. Please be ready! And help your children and grandchildren
to be ready, too.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Matthew 12:43-45, “Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it.
44 “Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.
45 “Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”

One of my hobbies is reading. Currently, I am reading Volume 2 of Albert Henry Newman’s A Manual of Church History. I find it a little more inviting than Volume 1 because it is concerned with how the Church originated, leading up to its origin and development in the United States. Those of us who love history are particularly interested in spiritual matters and how they developed leading up to our own times!

One interesting comment reads, “…no man was eligible for a civil office, unless he was a menber in good standing of a recognized church; and loss of membership meant expulsion from office,” meaning, of course, political office! How that would regulate things if it were enforced today!

Our verses above, of course, relate to Satan and his emmisaries; but it is not a red-colored, long-tailed adversary that we have. Our adversary comes well
dressed, with an excellent vocabulary, piercing eyes, and a bright, warm smile.

Take a look at many of our civil office personnel today. They’re warm and compelling. Yet, that’s the outside…the visible self. They often profess a faith, but seldom live as if they possessed it. They look just like we look! For
shame, but they do! We both –we all look about the same!

Dear friend, we are living in the Last Days! My “last days” may come before
those described in the Scriptures. Of that, I don’t know! But everything that
we never imagined would turn for the worse is upon us. Fewer churches today are preaching the Gospel, advocating spiritual principles, or living out the truths established for us and portraded in the Life of our LORD Jesus Christ.

What counts today is MONEY!! “Dollars for drivel” is the current watchword. Never mind the spiritual lifestyle, just go for what counts: that mighty dollar!
That’s today’s mantra of multiple churches. And our nation is reaping what
the self-called pastors advocate. “Even so, come, LORD Jesus!”

If you’re attending a Gospel-preaching church, pray for your pastor! He’s
often under far greater pressures that you will ever know. Only the LORD
can call and install His men in His pulpits. Christ and His Word are our only Hope!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom