“I AM RETURNED TO JERUSALEM WITH MERCIES”

BEN F. VICK, JR.

       Zechariah began his prophetic work two months after Haggai had begun his work (Haggai 1:1; Zech. 1:1). The year was 520 B.C. Both were post-exilic prophets. Their work was to see that the temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt. It had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. A remnant of the Jews had returned from Babylonian captivity after seventy years. When the foundation of the house had been completed, there were shouts of joy and tears of sadness.  The young rejoiced; the ancient men wept. The young were happy because God was good and merciful in allowing them to rebuild; however, the old priests, Levites and chief of the fathers were saddened because the house did not compare with the majesty, glory and beauty of Solomon’s temple. This effort to rebuild began in 536 B.C. but because of opposition, the work ceased. 

For sixteen years no work had been done on the temple. God sent Haggai and Zechariah to light a fire under the Jews to complete the task.  It is interesting to see the two different styles in their approaches.  Haggai’s style was blunt, candid, and to-the-point. Haggai said build the temple. But the Jews said the time is not right. Haggai said, “Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled [paneled] houses, and this house lie waste?” (Haggai 1:4.) He took their excuses away and pushed them to build. On the other hand, Zechariah’s style was different.  He received eight visions in one night all pointed to the same theme:  Build the temple.  Zechariah’s eight visions were followed by many Messianic prophecies. 

The prophets’ personalities and approaches were different. They were not all cut from the same cloth, but all were God’s messengers. Some were from the country; others were from the city.  Some were flowery in their messages; others were plain in their messages.  This is a lesson for all to appreciate.  We have no prophets today. We do have preachers. Not all are from the same mold. But God can use each preacher to proclaim his word. As long as the preacher is faithful and preaches the truth, all should support him. 

After the revealing of the first vision, Zechariah wrote: 

“Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? And the Lord answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: For I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. Therefore thus saith the Lord; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: My house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, And a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. Cry yet, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; And the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, And shall yet choose Jerusalem.” (Zech. 1:12-17.)

The angel of the Lord inquired of Jehovah, “O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?” But the Lord of hosts said, “I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great jealousy.” Furthermore, he said, “Therefore thus saith the Lord; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: My house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of hosts, And a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.” This had application to Zechariah’s day.

The Lord wanted his house, the temple, rebuilt in Jerusalem. And it was completed by 516 B.C. Ezra tells us, “And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.” (Ezra 6:14-15.)

Greater than rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem was the establishment of the Lord’s church, the house of God in Jerusalem. Zechariah 1:16 points to a loftier fulfillment. God did return to Jerusalem, the place where he had chosen to put his name (Deut. 12:11, 14, 18, 21, 26;14:23,25; 15:20; 16:2, 6, 7, 11, 15; 17:8, 10).

Before Jesus ascended into heaven he told his apostles, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49.) Ten days later the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles. Jesus had said that the kingdom would come with power (Mark 9:1). He said they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8).  Luke records, “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4.) When the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, the power came.  When the power came, the kingdom came.  Acts 2 is the fulfillment of these promises.

The kingdom and the church are terms used interchangeably (Matt. 16:16-19). The church is called the house of God. Paul wrote, “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” (1 Tim.3:15). God’s house, the church was built in Jerusalem, the first Pentecost following the resurrection of our Lord (Acts 2). The line went forth from Jerusalem; it spread to Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost part of the earth.

 Any church which began at a different location and later than the first Pentecost following our Lord’s resurrection is not the church of Christ. Do you want to be a member of the church which Jesus built?  Check your church’s birthdate and place. Become a member of the church which Jesus built. Believe the gospel (Mark 16:15-16). Repent of your sins (Acts 3:19; 17:30). Confess Christ before men (Rom. 10:10). Be baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 22:16).  When you do, the Lord will add you to his church (Acts 2:47). 

“COME THOU WITH US”

BEN F. VICK, JR.

       The children of God had been at Mount Sinai about a year. There, they had received the law of Moses, built the tabernacle of meeting, numbered the eligible men to fight, and to their discredit, had worshiped the golden calf. God had said to Israel, “Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount.” (Deut. 1:6.) By the cloud by day and pillar of fire by night God guided them toward the land promised. As they began the journey from Sinai, Moses invited Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, to travel with them. The record says, “And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel.” (Num. 10:29.)

God’s people today, the church, are traveling as well (2 Cor. 6:16; 1 Peter 2:9-10). As the patriarchs of old, we are also traveling to that heavenly country (Heb. 11:16). As the land of Canaan was promised to Abraham’s descendants, so there is a heavenly place prepared for us. Jesus said to his apostles, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3.) Having been risen with Christ in baptism, we have set our affections on things above, not on things in this life.  Paul wrote, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Col. 3:1-2.)

Moses invited Hobab to go with them to that land of milk and honey. He said, “come thou with us.”  We too, invite all to come go with us. To travel with God’s people is a blessing indeed. Sweet fellowship with God, Christ, the Holy Spirit and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ is enjoyed by God’s children (2 Cor. 13:14). They are with one in the “ups and downs” of life. They know when one is sick and care when one is dying.  They weep with those who weep. They rejoice with those who rejoice. Where would we be without Christian friends?

The invitation extended to Hobab included the incentive, “we will do thee good.”  We extend the Lord’s invitation to others by saying, “The Lord will do you good.” To be a member of God’s family is to be richly blessed.  Paul wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” (Eph. 1:3.)  To enjoy the forgiveness of sins, the hope of eternal life, sanctification, justification, redemption, reconciliation, and sweet fellowship surely would be incentive enough to travel the narrow way with those of like precious faith, those of the household of God.

Just how does one become a member of the family of God? One must be born again, born from above (John 3:1-8).  What does that entail? One must believe the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:1-4; John 8:24). It is necessary that one repent of his sins (Acts 17:30; 2 Peter 3:9).  One must confess Christ before men; that is, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (Rom. 10:9-10). Having taken these steps, one must be baptized into Christ (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; Gal. 3:27).  When one takes these steps, God adds him to the church, the body of Christ (Acts 2:47; 1 Cor. 12: 18).

How is it that we (children of God) will do one good? Moses had said to Hobab, “…we will do thee good: for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel.”  The Israel of God today is not fleshly Israel. Paul wrote, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” (Rom. 2:28-29.) The Lord told his apostles, “Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matt. 19:28.) The twelve tribes of Israel are a reference to the church. James wrote of “the twelve tribes scattered abroad,” a reference to the church’s having been scattered.  Paul gives a benediction to the Galatians by writing, “And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” (Gal. 6:16.)

The Lord did Israel good. He guided them by a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire by night. He provided for them with food every day. Their clothes and shoes did not wear out. He protected them from heathen nations as they journeyed to the land of Canaan. The Lord made good his promise to bring them to that land where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had sojourned. 

The Lord God is faithful. We are told, “God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Num. 23:19.)  In the New Testament we read, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor. 10:13.) Peter answered the scoffers by writing, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9,)

So, why not come with us as we make our journey to the heavenly home?

THE AUTHORITY OF THE LORD JESUS

BEN F. VICK, JR.

Peter stood in the portico of Solomon and said to those gathered, "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people." (Acts 3:22-23.) Israel, having been under the law of Moses for 1500 years, still followed his teachings. They cited Moses on various occasions to Christ. Yet Jesus said to them: "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" (John 5:46-47.) Peter quoted Moses, who prophesied that "a prophet shall the Lord God raise up like unto your brethren, like unto me." Then, this sobering universal command with a universal warning is given: "Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people."

After Jesus had announced his intent to build his church, he took Peter, James, and John to a high mountain to pray and was transfigured before them. But the three had fallen into a deep sleep. Jesus' face did shine as the sun; his raiment was white as the light (Matt. 17:1-5). Mark's account describes the transfiguration: "And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them." (Mark 9:3.) Luke relates that the fashion of Jesus' countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. It must have been an awesome sight! There appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus about his decease (Luke 9:31). When the apostles awoke, Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." (Matt. 17:5.)

Moses, Elijah, and Christ, three great figures representing the entirety of the Bible, are on the mount. The first two represented the Old Testament: Moses stood for the law, and Elijah symbolized the prophets. Jesus Christ, the greatest figure of all, represented the New Testament. There was a time when Israel was to hear and heed the law and the prophets, but now all men everywhere are to hear the Lord Jesus.

To hear Jesus meant more than merely hearing his words. Lange's comment reads, "The divine attestation of Jesus which they had just witnessed implied the duty of perfect obedience, and complete self-surrender." Likewise, Peter's quote from Moses, "Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you," carries the same thought, perfect obedience, complete surrender.

The apostle Paul wrote, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." (Col. 3:16-17.) To "do all in the name of the Lord Jesus" is to do all by his authority. He authorizes by generic  and specific authority. When Jesus said to go into all the world and preach the gospel, that is both generic and specific authority. We are to "go." That is generic. We are to preach the gospel; that is specific.  We can go in many ways:  car, plane, train, radio, internet, television, phone, tract, etc. We are not limited in how we go. However, it would be wrong for someone to say, "Well, the only way one can go is on foot." He would be making a law that God did not make.

We are commanded to give on the first day of every week (1 Cor. 16:1-2). Giving is an act of worship. There was a time when saints would walk up and put their money on the table. Later, baskets were passed by the members. Now, as we are presently doing, people put their contributions in a basket when they walk into the building. Is one more scriptural than the other? I read that some brought their money and laid it at the apostles' feet (Acts 4:37). Is that a binding example? It is not. We are to give. That is a generic command. How we do it is in the realm of judgment.

Partaking of communion is a command of the Lord. He said, "This do in remembrance of me." We learn from Acts 20:7 that the early church partook of it on the first day of the week. Saints are to eat the bread and drink the cup of the Lord. How much of the bread has to be eaten? There was a time before Covid that the bread was passed on a plate. Each would break off a piece and eat. Just how much should one break off? Would anyone say, "Oh, you did not get enough, or you took too much"?

Some brethren bind one container on the church. They teach that using more than one container to partake is wrong. (I have always wondered why they bind one container but not the one loaf). For Paul wrote, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread (or loaf) which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" (1 Cor. 10:16.) They teach one cup (they mean container) as a matter of faith. Jesus took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, “Drink ye all of it.” He had said concerning the cup, "divide it among yourselves" (Luke 22:17.) The contents of the Passover cup had been divided; the Lord's supper followed the Passover meal. He gave thanks for the bread. They ate; he gave thanks for the cup; they drank. They did not drink the cup, but the contents of the cup. To teach that only one container is to be used in the Lord's supper is to bind where God has not bound (Matt. 16:19).

The statement to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction authorizes helping the widows and fatherless. It is generic authority. We are not told how to do it. It was written to the church (James 1:1,27). It can be done as individuals or as the body of Christ. However, when brethren take a generic statement and limit it to one way of carrying it out, they make a law that God did not make. Some brethren teach that the church cannot take a dime out of its treasury to help a non-saint. That would include supporting the fatherless who have not obeyed the gospel. Those who attend and give to churches who believe it is a sin to help the children’s home from the church treasury are supporting error. They may claim such is wrong; but by their support of these churches,  their actions show otherwise. The legs of the lame are not equal.

LOOKING FOR A CITY

Joshua Cantrell

As we walk with God and commune with God, there is nothing more important than our faith.  The word occurs over 200 times in the Bible.  Scripture emphasizes the importance of faith.  The just shall live by faith (Rom.1:17).  We are justified by faith (Rom. 5:1).  Faith is the victory that overcomes the world (I Jn. 5:4).  As [we] read Hebrews 11, we see how faith works.  The Hebrew writer gives us the accounts of many lives to show us that there are rewards for those who remain faithful.  These saints were suffering a great deal of persecution, so he encourages them by showing they are not alone.  Often, we think we are the only ones who are going through something. We must remember we have an entire Bible teaching us that others have already overcome those things. 

He gets to this section of Hebrews 11 where he discussed the life of Abraham and Sarah. The Bible says, “For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11:10). They kept their eyes and focus on something greater than this life. We must remember to do the same as we go through life as well.

THEY LOOKED FOR A CITY THAT WAS REAL

As we look forward to the great day our God has for us, we must remember that heaven is a real place. Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe in me.  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Jn. 14:1-6). This is a promise from our Lord. We often sing the song, “Don’t you want to go to that land?” What a glorious day that will be!

THEY LOOKED FOR A REACHABLE CITY

There are many goals we set for ourselves in life. Recently, I was watching a program and the emphasis was on who can become a millionaire the fastest.  While many of us won’t reach that goal, heaven is reachable.  God has promised us if we are “faithful unto death, he will give us a crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). Paul says, “There is laid up for me a crown of  righteousness, and not to me only, but unto all them that love his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8). As we set our goals for ourselves and our families, don’t forget about heaven.

THEY LOOKED FOR A REWARDING CITY

At the end of a long race or task, there is always a reward given to those who come in first place. We applaud them and recognize they are the winner.  Each one of us can come in first place in this race. This race is not a sprint, but a marathon.  The Hebrews writer writes, “Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb.12:1-2).  Heaven will be the greatest reward anyone could ever dream of.  We will be with our God for all eternity.

CONCLUSION

The songwriter writes, “Heaven is a beautiful place, filled with glory and grace.  I want to see my savior’s face.”  Heaven is a place that is real, reachable, and rewarding.  May we each continue to live a life that exemplifies the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

—South Florida Church of Christ Messenger

Vol. 77, No. 2, January 10. 2023

THE PERFECT IDEAL LIFE

"Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. As He spake these words, many believed on him." (John 8:28-30.)

Jesus, our Master, sets forth three things in this text. First, He shows us the perfect ideal life. It is a short phrase that comes at the end of the text: "the things that please him," that is, the Father. Second, the Master makes an amazing claim, one of the most astonishing claims to come from the lips of a human being. He says: "I do always the things that please him." Third, He reveals the secret by which He has been able to realize the ideal, to put it on a level that all can understand. He declared in the text's opening lines: "He that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone.” Let us give some thought to each of these points.

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed to remove the cup of suffering that He was soon to drink. He prayed, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." (Matt. 26:39.) If God grants us a new day, our will should be to do the things that please the Father. The highest ideal is to be and do the things that please the Father.

Oh, how we strive to live up to this perfect ideal! But man often falls short. In comparing the lives of Jews with the lives of Gentiles, Paul wrote, "What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:" (Rom. 3:9-10) We need forgiveness.

Look at the life of Jesus: a man who stood amid His enemies, and looked out upon them, and said, "I do the things that please him" – not "I teach them," not "I dream them," not "I have seen them in a fair vision," but "I do them." There never was a bigger claim from the lips of the Master than that: "I do always the things that please him."

I need not insult your intelligence by attempting to define that statement of Christ. History has vindicated it. We believe it with all our hearts – that He always did the things that pleased his heavenly Father. "But I am not on a level that I can touch now.” The great ideal has come from the air to the earth. The fair vision has become concrete in a Man, Jesus Christ. Now, I want to see that Man; and if I see that Man, I shall see in Him a revelation of what God's purpose is for men, and I shall see, therefore, a revelation of what the highest possibility of life is. Now, this is a tempting theme. It is a temptation to begin to contrast Him with popular ideals of life. I want to see Him; I want, if I can, to catch the notes of the music that make up the perfect harmony which was the dropping of a song out of God's heaven upon man's earth, that man might catch the key-note of it and make music in his own life. What are the things in this Man's life? He says: "I have realized the ideal – I do." There are four things that I want to say about Him, four notes in the music of His life.

First spirituality. This is a word that needs to be redeemed from abuse. Jesus was the embodiment of the spiritual ideal in life. He was spiritual in the high, true, full, broad blest sense of that word. Spirituality in the life of Jesus was not asceticism. Jesus did not abuse Himself. During all the years of His ministry and his teaching, one never finds a single instance in which Jesus made a whip of cords to scourge himself. All that business of scourging oneself – an attempt to elevate the spirit by the ruin of the actual flesh – is absolutely opposed to His view of life.

The fact of His life was that He went into all the relationships of life. He went to the widow. He took up the children, held them in His arms, and looked into their eyes till heaven was poured in as He looked. He did not go and get behind walls somewhere. He did not get away and say: "Now, if I am going to get pure, I shall do it by shutting men out.” Remember what the Pharisees said of Him: "This man receives sinners."  

The second thing to note in the life of Jesus is subjection. An individual who says: “I want to please myself" is not denying himself. It has been said, "It is because men have forgotten the covenant of God, the kingship of God, that we have all the wreckage and ruin that blights this poor earth of ours. Jesus never forgot that covenant. Did you notice those wonderful words: "I do nothing of myself, but as my Father taught me, I speak." He neither did nor spoke anything of Himself. It was a wonderful life.

The third consideration in the life of Jesus was sympathy. Now, you have this Man turned toward other men. We have noted something of Him as He faced God: Spirituality, a sense of God; subjection, a perpetual Amen to the divine volition. Now, He faces the crowd. Sympathy! Why? Because He is right with God, He is right with men; because He knows the Father is near, and knows Him, and responds to the divine will; therefore, when He faces men, He is right with men. Every social ill will be settled in man's return to God. When a man returns to God, He will return to men. What is behind it? Sympathy is the power of putting my spirit outside of my personality into the circumstances of another man and feeling as that man feels.

I will mention one incident in the life of Christ, which demonstrates His sympathy. As the Master is approaching the town of Nain, a dead man is being carried out to be buried. The man's mother is walking beside the bier. Look into her eyes. See her face. She is a widow, and her only child, a son, has died. See all the sorrow on her face? You can see it. Now, turn back and look into the eyes of Jesus. Look at His face as He looks at her sorrowful face. He is feeling all the pain that she is feeling. He is feeling the agony that she feels. He is moved with compassion whenever human sorrow crosses His vision, and human need approaches Him. And now we see Him as He moves toward the bier. Do you see Him touch the bier? The boy is raised from the dead. Jesus gives him to his mother. Do you see the dark clouds surrounding you at times, then the sun breaks through, and the clouds of darkness dissipate? Likewise, the woman's agony is gone. The tears are gone. A smile is on her face. He carried her grief and sorrow and turned them into joy.

The fourth and last note is strength. Jesus was no weakling. There never was anyone as strong as He. Read His life in the gospel accounts to see His strength. No man took His life from Him; He gave Himself up voluntarily.

Adapted from G. Campbell Morgan