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Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Entering in the New Covenant through Jesus’ Love and Sacrifice (Mark 14:12-16)


On the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the Passover, his disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare that you may eat the Passover?
He sent two of his disciples, and said to them, “Go into the city, and there you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him, and wherever he enters in, tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ He will himself show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Get ready for us there.
His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found things as he had said to them, and they prepared the Passover. (14:12-16)

As I did send two of my disciples to find the donkey for my entry in Jerusalem, giving them precise instructions, I sent two of my disciples for the preparation of the Passover. My entry in Jerusalem was in front of a crowd, the celebration of Passover would be with my close disciples. These two moments were very important. I accomplished what the Scriptures said about the coming of the Messiah, and now I was making the last preparations before my arrest, for the disciples to face my condemnation, death and resurrection. 

When it was evening he came with the twelve. As they sat and were eating, Jesus said, “Most certainly I tell you, one of you will betray me—he who eats with me.
They began to be sorrowful, and to ask him one by one, “Surely not I?” And another said, “Surely not I?
He answered them, “It is one of the twelve, he who dips with me in the dish. For the Son of Man goes, even as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.” (14:17-21)

In the midst of the twelve, there was Judas Iscariot. All my disciples would abandon me when I was arrested, fleeing and hiding. Yet, there is a marked difference between not understanding why I am arrested and betraying me and being paid for my arrest. I knew that Judas was not really committed, I knew that he would betray me. But all this, I knew only because the Father shared with me. Remember that I came to be a simple man, and that whatever power I had on earth was because of my relationship with the Father, because of welcoming the Holy Spirit fully, nothing that other humans after me could not do. I accepted to be stripped, during my time on earth, from any power that I had as the Son of God, which other humans could not access. That is why I said that my disciples would be able to do even greater miracles than me, as I would also be interceding for them. 
Judas rejected me, and because he rejected me he would not have access to eternal life. Today, many would like to decide with their own ideas who is saved and who is not, and many would like for everyone to be saved and in heaven. This is not the way I taught, this is not the way the Father or the Holy Spirit taught. People often forget that I mentioned that the road to hell is broad and that many take it, and that the path to eternal life is narrow and that few take it (see Mat 7:13-14). I tried to make it very clear that Judas, despite being very close to me, did not really know me and did not remain in me. It would have been better for him if he had not been born, because by rejecting me he would be rejected by me and by my Father. He did not repent but killed himself in remorse. That is not the way of repentance but the way of bitterness. 
It was important for me to warn my faithful disciples of Judas’ betrayal, because it was going to be devastating for them. In order for them to not let bitterness creep into their heart they needed for me to warn them in advance. In this way, they would not have the impression that I failed, but would realize that Judas’ betrayal was also part of the plan of the Father. 
In your days, people would like to imagine that the future is not determined and that it is impossible to know it. Yet, they confuse the limits to their knowledge and the knowledge of the Father. We don’t have the same limits as you do, we are not tied to time the way you are, and we can for instance act in different places and in different ways at the same time. I relinquished this power while I was on earth, but now I received back from the Father and the Holy Spirit all the powers related to my divinity. Do not confuse what you can know and what we can know. The problem people have is that if we know all things, they fear that there is no more freedom for them. This is a major mistake, because the freedom and choices of every human is very important. Do we know in advance what will happen? Yes. Does the Father know when I will return on earth? Yes. Does it mean that people should passively wait? NO, definitely NO. The problem of humanity is its desire for a knowledge that is not bathed in love, for knowing without loving. As you learn to love, we will share always more about what we are about to do, and we will make you participate in our actions on earth. For instance, as Abraham learned to be our friend, we could reveal many things we were going to do. He saw my day and rejoiced. We also shared with him what we were going to do to Sodom and Gomorrah, and it was an occasion for him to show his love and intercede for the righteous. He then understood how wicked was this city, and that the only persons we could help flee the destruction were Lot and his family. 
In my days, did I know that Judas would betray me? Yes, in the same way that the Father reveals to prophets some of His plans, as Isaiah who prophesied on my coming. Yet, was Judas unable to choose me? Of course not. He always had the choice. It is difficult for humans to hold together that a person is free and that the Father and I can know in advance how this person will use his or her freedom. Yet, you see accounts of these two elements in the Bible. I knew that Judas would betray me, yet he had the freedom to do whatever he wanted. I knew that Peter would deny me three times and that a rooster would then crow. You cannot grasp with your limited human intelligence this association of divine knowledge and human freedom. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are our ways higher than your ways, our thoughts than your thoughts. If you want to go deeper in the understanding of who we are, of our divine ways, the path to follow is the path of love. Learn to love me, to dwell in me and I in you, and I will lead you deeper in our love and action in this world. If you don’t choose to grow in our love, we don’t want to reveal to you more of our plans of love.  

As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had blessed, he broke it, and gave to them, and said, “Take, eat. This is my body.
He took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave to them. They all drank of it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many. Most certainly I tell you, I will no more drink of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it anew in God’s Kingdom.” When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. (14:22-26)


I prepared my disciples to my death, and to the purpose of this death. I was the lamb of God, and I was to be sacrificed for the sins of many. I was both the high priest according to the order of Melchizedek and the lamb for the sacrifice. Through me the Father would bring eternal life to many, would reconcile many in your world with us. My body would become the sacrifice to welcome, my blood would become the offering to accept. I was opening the way to the new covenant. The new covenant was a covenant in my blood, a covenant through my life, death and resurrection. This new covenant had already been announced by Jeremiah six centuries earlier (see Jer 31:31-34). This new covenant, through my blood, would allow my disciples to be taught directly by us, through the Holy Spirit, and to have our teachings in their hearts. This knowledge of love would be accessible to everyone and everywhere, to those who would trust in me, who would welcome me as their Lord and Savior, who would welcome the Holy Spirit to fill them and guide them. 

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