Category: Old Testament

Can You Fathom the Agony in God’s Heart When Jesus Was Dying on the Cross?

2 Kings 22

11 When Josiah heard what was in The Book of God’s Law, he tore his clothes in sorrow. 12 At once he called together Hilkiah, Shaphan, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, and his own servant Asaiah. He said, 13 “The Lord must be furious with me and everyone else in Judah, because our ancestors did not obey the laws written in this book. Go find out what the Lord wants us to do.”

Richard: This is a very interesting verse. The Jews had forgotten about God’s Law. This is the same as forgetting about the Eight Sacred Textbooks, which has actually happened in the current Unification movement.

1 Kings 2

36 Solomon sent for Shimei and said, “Build a house here in Jerusalem and live in it. But whatever you do, don’t leave the city! 37 If you ever cross Kidron Valley and leave Jerusalem, you will be killed. And it will be your own fault.”

Richard: Later, Shimeie leaves Jerusalem and is killed. See the above comment by me. These two verses go together.

Jesus

12. The Agony of Christ’s Passion and Crucifixion

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

When Jesus fell exhausted while carrying the cross to Golgotha, none among his disciples offered to shoulder the cross in his place. Neither did anyone from among the chosen people of Israel. Rather it was Simon of Cyrene, a Gentile, who shouldered the cross and participated in Jesus’ tribulation. For this reason, Christianity flourished among the Gentiles, not the Jews…
    How must Jesus have felt when he looked at Simon of Cyrene? His disciples, with whom he had shared all his joys and sorrows, had all disappeared, leaving this Gentile to suffer on his behalf. Jesus must have felt deeply embarrassed and sorrowful.
    If any man among the twelve disciples had stood up to shoulder the cross in his place, then by looking at him, Jesus could have forgotten the hardships of death. He would have overcome his own agony by feeling compassion for his disciple. When this did not happen, Jesus felt even greater sorrow. (2:275, June 16, 1957)
 
Although the Roman soldiers nailed him to a cross and pierced him with a spear, Jesus asked God’s forgiveness for them. He endured his pain with the attitude, “I am dying on their behalf. I am willing to be sacrificed on their behalf.” From that moment a new realm opened; a new world was born that had never before existed in history.
    Before Jesus’ time the rule was to take revenge on your enemy, based on the law, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” No one before Jesus had ever taught that we should love our enemies. Jesus demonstrated something totally new to the world when he loved his enemies on the cross. This was something amazingly great. From that single event sprouted a new era, a new world of God’s desire. (130:232-33, January 29, 1984)
 
Can you fathom the agony in God’s heart when Jesus was dying on the cross? Here, the children of the enemy were killing His only begotten Son, and yet God could not treat them as enemies. Can you imagine how difficult it was for God to swallow His pain and maintain a loving heart towards them? Jesus understood God’s painful situation; he knew that God had to maintain unconditional love even for the enemy Satan; therefore he loved the enemy soldiers who were killing him and prayed that God would forgive their sin.
    Because Jesus passed this test, Satan could be separated. Because Jesus kept God’s tradition of unconditional love even for Satan, Satan had no grounds to accuse either Jesus or God. This was the condition to make a division between good and evil, to lift up Christianity beyond Satan’s grasp.
    God’s providence can progress only on the condition of loving Satan and the individuals and families under Satan’s dominion. Even in the place of death, we should love and pray for them, as God does. Otherwise there can be no restoration. For this reason, Christian martyrs throughout the world have followed Jesus’ example and prayed for their persecutors, “Heavenly Father, please save them.”
 
This goes back to the principle that Satan was originally an archangel, who was to receive love from God, Adam and Eve. Although he fell to become Satan, we should not change our love for him. By following this principle, we can be fully restored and be qualified to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (244:154-55, February 1, 1993)
 
Why did Jesus appeal to Heaven, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27.46) The first human beings abandoned God, and Jesus had the mission to restore their betrayal through indemnity. That is why God forsook him.
    Nevertheless, although abandoned, Jesus kept a grateful heart. He prayed, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” (Matt. 26.39) Because Jesus wanted to become one with God and digest death and whatever hardships confronted him, no enemy could dominate him. Because Jesus did not change even in death, even when God and humankind turned their backs on him, he opened the door to resurrection.
    Likewise, even if God were to turn away from you, you must be determined to cling to the Father and attend Him to the end. That is the only way you enter the blessed realm of resurrection that Jesus Christ opened for us. (4:144-45, March 30, 1958)

Father, Forgive Them for They Know Not What They Do

Nehemiah 8

5 Ezra was up on the high platform, where he could be seen by everyone, and when he opened the book, they all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the great Lord God, and the people shouted, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed with their faces to the ground and worshiped the Lord.

Hosea 12

6 So return to your God.
Patiently trust him,
    and show love and justice.

Jesus

12. The Agony of Christ’s Passion and Crucifixion

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men.”
    Matthew 16.21-23

And he came out, and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”…
    There came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him; but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of man with a kiss?” And when those who were about him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”
    Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house…
    Now the men who were holding Jesus mocked him and beat him; they also blindfolded him and asked him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” And they spoke many other words against him, reviling him.
    When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes; and they led him away to their council, and they said, “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I ask you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” And they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” And they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.”
    Then the whole company of them arose, and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a king. And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”…
    And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him.
    And when they came to the place which is called The Skull [Calvary], there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching; but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He has saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him vinegar, and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”
    One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
    It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Thy hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
    Luke 22.39-23.46

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matthew 27.46

Woe to You, Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites!

Exodus 31

12-13 Moses told the Israelites that the Lord had said:

The Sabbath belongs to me. Now I command you and your descendants to always obey the laws of the Sabbath. By doing this, you will know that I have chosen you as my own. 14-15 Keep the Sabbath holy. You have six days to do your work, but the Sabbath is mine, and it must remain a day of rest. If you work on the Sabbath, you will no longer be part of my people, and you will be put to death.

Richard: Rev. Moon introduced the idea of not only having your own Sabbath, but creating a Sabbath for God, who has had no rest since the Fall of Man.

Acts 4

4 The apostles were still talking to the people, when some priests, the captain of the temple guard, and some Sadducees arrived. 2 These men were angry because the apostles were teaching the people that the dead would be raised from death, just as Jesus had been raised from death. 3 It was already late in the afternoon, and they arrested Peter and John and put them in jail for the night. 4 But a lot of people who had heard the message believed it. So by now there were about five thousand followers of the Lord.

Jesus

11. Jesus’ Wept Out of Love for the People and Agonized Over Their Unbelief,
Even as His Closest Disciples Proved Faithless

Then Mary, when she came where Jesus was and saw him, fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled; and he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
    John 11.32-36

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
    Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
    Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 
    Matthew 23.23-28

And they went to a place which was called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I pray.” And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch.” And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou wilt.” And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time, and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come; the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.” 
    Mark 14.32-41

And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the maids of the high priest came; and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him, and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway. And the maid saw him, and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again he denied it. And after a little while again the bystanders said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.” But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” And immediately the cock crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
    Mark 14.66-72

God May Reveal the News of the Return of Christ First to Lay People

Lamentations 3

41 When we lift our hands
    in prayer to God in heaven,
we should offer him our hearts
    and say, 42 “We’ve sinned!
We’ve rebelled against you,
    and you haven’t forgiven us!
43 Anger is written all over you,
as you pursue and slaughter us
    without showing pity.
44 You are behind a wall of clouds
    that blocks out our prayers.

Psalm 5

5 No one who boasts can stand
in your presence, Lord,
    and you hate evil people.
6 You destroy every liar,
    and you despise violence
    and deceit.

Jesus

9. Jesus Gathered Disciples and Trained Them for the Kingdom

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Rejected by the prepared people, Jesus appeared as a laborer and became a friend of fishermen. He shared with them his life, heart and desires. He fought for them, determined to satisfy their hearts’ desires. As a result, Peter and the other fishermen could follow him.
    After selecting these uneducated disciples, what did Jesus do for three years? He served them, just as God had toiled for 4,000 years as a servant to raise the Israelites.
    Jesus had great hopes for his twelve chosen disciples. He never forgot that God had sent him to influence Judaism by guiding its priests and officials. His teaching was grand, his hopes were high, and his passion was great.
    After enduring the agony of rejection by the chief priests and scribes… Jesus sacrificed and served to raise up his disciples to take their place. Through the three years of his ministry he searched for them, forgetting food and drink. If he acquired new clothes, he gave them to his disciples and was content with his rags. If he found a comfortable place to sleep, he let his disciples sleep there and sat
in an uncomfortable place. (5:225, February 1, 1959)


People believe in religion to find salvation, and the purpose of salvation is to reach perfection. To this end, religious people know that they should love God and the founder of their religion more than anyone in the fallen world. We should clearly know that the path of religion requires such a pledge. All religious believers should walk this path—to go beyond the love of the world—and thereby win over Satan’s world.
    We can connect with God’s love only when we have transcended the love of the fallen world. This is the very reason Jesus said, “He who loves father or mother—or wife or husband—more than me is not worthy of me, and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Why should we love Jesus more than our own family members? By so loving Christ we become people
with greater love than people in the fallen world, and through our bond of love with Christ we are entitled to enter heaven. Meeting this condition is a requirement of God’s Principle; therefore Jesus  had to say these words. (93:326, June 17, 1977)

Hunger and suffering creates a bond of heart between us. Just socializing together while we wear  good clothes and lead a comfortable life does not link us together. Rather, you and I should experience the misery of persecution and oppression, working day and night in difficult circumstances as  we shoulder the enormous burden of fulfilling our responsibility. There is no way to build a bond of  heart except through tears… You talk about a relationship of heart with Jesus or with True Parents,
but where can you find it except through suffering? There is no other way. (94:233, October 1, 1977)

When people receive revelations about Christ at the Second Advent or hear his words, they will  respond in ways similar to the way the Jews in Jesus’ day responded. God did not reveal the news of  the birth of Jesus to the priests and scribes, but to gentile astrologers and pure-hearted shepherds.  This is like the case of a father who, due to the ignorance of his own children, has to confide in  his step-child. Likewise, God may well reveal the news of the return of Christ first to lay people,  to marginal spiritual groups and churches which the mainstream treats with disdain, or to conscientious non-believers. Only later may the news reach the mainstream Christian clergy who are  unthinkingly keeping to their conventional ways of faith. In Jesus’ day, those who sincerely received  the Gospel were not the Jewish leaders, but simple common folk and Gentiles. Likewise, at Christ’s  return, simple Christians and non-Christians will accept the Lord’s words before the Christian leadership, which regards itself as God’s elect. This is the meaning of Jesus’ parable of the marriage feast.  (Exposition of the Divine Principle, Second Advent 4)

Jesus Should Have Married

Isaiah 3:16

16 The Lord says:
    The women of Jerusalem
are proud
and strut around,
    winking shamelessly.
They wear anklets that jingle
and call attention
    to the way they walk.
17 But I, the Lord, will cover
    their heads with sores,
and I will uncover
    their private parts.

Isaiah 6

8 After this, I heard the Lord ask, “Is there anyone I can send? Will someone go for us?”

“I’ll go,” I answered. “Send me!”

Jesus

6. Misunderstood by His Family

He went away from there and came to his own country; and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get all this? What is the wisdom given to him? What mighty works are wrought by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” 
    Mark 6.1-4

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom; and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the company they went a day’s journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances; and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.” And he said to them, “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”… And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.
    Luke 2.41-51

On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
    John 2.1-4

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
    Mark 3.31-35

Teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon

Today Christians easily believe that the Virgin Mary conceived a child by the Holy Spirit, but in those days who believed it? Apparently an illegitimate child, Jesus was the target of derision. His brothers cursed him, the villagers pointed fingers at him, and even children mocked him and harassed him. Jesus lived to be 33, yet he was not married. Why? Everyone gets married, but what family would willingly give their daughter to be the bride of such a pariah, to face the miserable circumstances of life with him? (243:242-43, January 17, 1993)

Do you think that the people in the village did not suppose that Jesus was an illegitimate child? They did, and this caused great tension between Joseph and Mary. Joseph asked Mary many times, “Who is the boy’s father?” Whenever he asked her, Mary could not answer. When she told him that she conceived Jesus by the Holy     Spirit, Joseph must have disbelieved her, saying, “I am the one who saved your life. What kind of game are you trying to play with me?” Thus they would fight and quar-rel all the time because of Joseph’s suspicions. Their fighting must have continued even after Mary gave birth to other children.  
    At the age of 12, Jesus had a chance to go to the Temple in Jerusalem. His parents did not know that they had left him behind until three days into their journey home. When they returned and found him in the Temple with the priests, Mary asked, “Why are you here?” Jesus replied, “Where else would I be but in my Father’s house?” He was complaining about his parents, who had left him behind for three days, returning home without him. (235:237-38, September 20, 1992)

Even when Jesus was helping Joseph with his carpentry work, he did not lead a comfortable life. His life was full of hardships, and his heart endured infinite sorrow. (7:334, October 18, 1959)

Mary did not help Jesus with the wedding he desired. She even opposed it. Jesus’ words to Mary during the wedding at Cana, “O woman, what have you to do with me?” reveal his reproachful heart toward his mother, who helped in the weddings of others but neglected to help her own son receive a bride. Yet for Jesus to marry was the most important requirement of the providence. With this perspective, we can understand why Jesus asked, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” (Matt. 12:48) (277:210, April 16, 1996)

In those days it was customary for males to marry at around 18 to 20 years of age. Why did Jesus not marry? Why was he still single even at the age of 33? In fact, when Jesus was 17 years old he honestly told Mary the providential reason why he must marry: Adam fell around age 16, to restore the Human Fall he had to marry, and a certain procedure would be required. Three times he spoke of this to his mother: at age 17, then again at age 27 and again at age 30. But his mother would not listen to him. (266:193, December 25, 1994)

The reason why Jesus had to go the way of the cross was only secondarily because the leaders of Israel betrayed him and the Jews went against him. The primary reason was that Joseph’s family could not prepare the day for Jesus to be blessed in a holy marriage. Had that one day come, Jesus would not have died on the cross. (30:173-74, March 22, 1970)