Christmas Prayer

Today is Christmas, and although the Bible does not say in what month or on which day our Savior was born, we can all rejoice in the fact of His birth. I wish each of you who reads this a blessed day and year. May you be transformed by the renewing of your mind, and become more like Emmanuel, who is God with Us, each moment of your life.

Hallelujah!

God bless each of you!

Mark 12 Render Unto God

Mar 12:14  And when they were come, they say unto him, Teacher, we know that thou art true, and carest not for any one; for thou regardest not the person of men, but of a truth teachest the way of God: Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
15)  Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why make ye trial of me? bring me a denarius, that I may see it.
16)  And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's.
17)  And Jesus said unto them, Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. And they marvelled greatly at him.

I'm sure many of you have read or heard this passage before; probably in the context of paying taxes. That is a valid lesson from the passage, but, as is usual with God's word, there is more. I want to point out something relating to "image and superscription" in verse 16.


Jesus asks whose image and superscription are on the coin He has been given, and He is told that they are Caesar's. Then in verse 17 He says, in effect, that the image and the writing on the coin indicate that it belongs to Caesar. (Did you ever think that the money in your pocket belongs to the ruler or government of your country? I suppose not, most people think it belongs to them...)

Going back to our passage, we read that Jesus also says that there are things which belong to God. What could that possibly mean?

The Bible will interpret itself, and the Holy Spirit will teach us correct understanding, so let's find out who or what carries God's image and writing, since that is what shows ownership here.

Gen 1:26  And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27)  And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Ah-ha! MAN (male and female) was created in God's image! But what about writing? The coin had Caesar's image and writing...

In the Old Testament, God's words were written on stone, and there is no OT verse in which God says He has written anything on man. But in the New Testament we learn that the Gentiles, who were not given the written law, had something written on them:

Rom 2:14  For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15)  Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;

This is sometimes called natural law. What it means is that everyone, in every culture, has a knowledge of right and wrong: God's law written on their hearts.

So, going back to the passage in Mark, what are we to give to God? That which is made in His image and bears His writing. Our bodies are made in His image, and our hearts have His law written on them. We are His, and we are to give ourselves to Him.

Exodus 28: Pomegranates, Bells, and the High Priest

Exo 28:33  And beneath upon the hem of it [the robe for the high priest] thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about:
Exo 28:34  A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.
Exo 28:35  And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not.

I was taught that every detail in the Bible is important, and it is true. I was also taught that the whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, speaks of Jesus in some way, even if it is not immediately obvious. This also is true.

Used by permission

One time, as I was reading the passage above, I wondered about the pomegranates and the bells. What did they represent? The bells I thought I understood, but why pomegranates? And why were they on the hem of the high priest's robe? Other people have wondered this before me, but I did not try to research my question by reading other people's answers. I asked God. I meditated on this for some time, thinking about the pomegranate fruit: a globe shape with a tough rind which surrounds hundreds of seeds. Each seed is covered with a little red juice, the seeds are in groups, and each group is both held together and separated from other groups by a flexible membrane. One day, God showed me the mystery of the pomegranate: The seeds represent individual Christians, covered by Jesus' blood. They are gathered into local churches, where they cling to and support one another. Each local church is part of the whole body of Christ, and the body is held together by the Holy Spirit.

I was awed by this revelation, and still am. What a wonderful picture God painted for us, and how marvelous that each high priest, as he performed intercession for the people of Israel on the Day of Atonement, was wearing a reminder of the Church which was to come! God is great!

But I dismissed the bells, and didn't ask God about them. I assumed I knew: I thought they must represent giving praise to God. Well, that may be true, but there is another beautiful picture here, which God showed me much later. Let me explain:

Verse 35 above says, "And it [the robe] shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the LORD, and when he cometh out, that he die not."

The High Priest [Aaron] was to wear this robe as he went into the Holy Place. Leviticus 16 records the regulations regarding this. If these rules were not correctly followed, he would die. And since he could only go in alone, the bells on his robe told those outside that the priest was alive and performing his duties before God.

How can the golden bells tell us something about Jesus? First, we must realize that gold, in scripture, represents divinity, and that the word translated 'bell' means something struck. So the golden bells represent Jesus, the Son of God, who was stricken for our sins and iniquities. Wow!

But wait, there's more: the bells were also a signal that the high priest was alive. With this thought, we can see that the bells represent the Spirit of God witnessing to Christians and seekers that Jesus, although He is not walking in a body on the earth, is ALIVE in Heaven performing his priestly duty of intercession before God for everyone who will come to Him. Wow!!

But wait, there's more: because we, as believers, are the Temple, and the Holy Spirit resides in us (1 Cor 3:16), the bells also represent each one of us, witnessing to the world that Jesus is ALIVE, and is standing before God making intercession for all who come to Him. Wow!!!

So in these three verses in the Old Testament, we find a picture of the church, and of  Jesus' death and resurrection. I want to say WOW!!!! How about you?

Job 32:2 What's in a Name?

Many names in the Bible are strange to us. They look funny and they sound funny, but they have meaning. In the Old Testament, the names are usually Hebrew; they are transliterated, but not translated into English. That is why they seem strange. But it is worth taking the time to look up what they mean. Here is an example:

Job 32:2  Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.

Elihu, Barachel, Buz, Ram-- what do these names mean?
Looking in a Hebrew lexicon, we find that Elihu means "his God," Barachel means "God has blessed," Buz means "disrespect, contempt, despised, shamed," and Ram means "high."
Now we can put these together into one thought: "His God, God, has blessed the despised from on high."
This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 1:26-31:

 1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.
1Co 1:30  But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

So don't be concerned, you who are in Christ, whether you are thought foolish, weak, or common by those in the world. God is using you to bring those things to nothing through Jesus Christ. God is blessing you from on high, with the wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption which is only to be had through His Son.

Galatians 4:4-5 Made Under the Law

Gal 4:4  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5  To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.


Christians glibly state that Jesus came to save people from their sins, and that is true. But what does it mean? In verse 4, we are told that He was born under the law, and verse 5 says He came "to redeem them that were under the law."
--To what law is Paul referring? In the context of the Galatian letter, it seems to be Torah, the law which was given by God through Moses. Jesus was born under this law, that is what is referred to in verse 4. He was born a Jew. But there is another law more basic than Torah, which applies to everyone.

Jesus, when asked what the most important commandment was, summed up all of the Old Testament this way:

"Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38  This is the first and great commandment. 39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

 So if one does not love God and one's neighbor in this way all the time one has sinned, and is under the law spoken of in Galatians 4:5. Since no one can do this all the time, everyone has sinned, and "... the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 6:23) This is the other law--the law of sin and death.

The point is, we cannot do enough to make up for even one sin. But Jesus came to release us from doing work to try to be good enough for God.  Keeping the law is a burden we cannot bear; it is too heavy. But Jesus kept the law, and paid the penalty we owe for not keeping it, for us. As soon as we realize that we can't, but Jesus did, we can relax and accept God's gift of life through Him. That was the purpose of His coming; to give us life.

Let His Remnant Come

There is anguish among God's people. Grim predictions abound, centered in the Gulf and spreading outward to encompass the world. Many are having dreams showing coming turmoil; I have had one myself. In view of this, I am posting this vision a dear friend had, with her permission. This is no time for complacency or believing nothing will come of it. Possibly nothing will, but that is not the idea to act on; turn to Jesus before it is too late!


Let His Remnant Come

And in the midst of chaos and destruction
There shall stand a shining light  
A light of peace, of hope, of love
A sanctuary for those who seek His Face

For those who cry out in the darkness
Let them turn their eyes to Christ
Let their sorrows and their anguish
Find solace in the comfort of His grace

For when the mountains crumble
And the earth shakes
When the seas turn red with blood
And the skies black with smoke

There shall be no turning back
There shall be no refuge from the storm
There shall be no other recourse
But there shall be Christ, victorious

Let His remnant come!

Comfort

I like my ruts. They’re comfortable. I like clothes that fit easily for the same reason; comfort. I like chairs that have the right amount of stuffing and the right size seat, too. Comfort is nice.

But sometimes comfort is dull. You get dusty and creased from too much comfort. Maybe, like comfortable shoes, you’re almost worn out. That’s not so nice. Sometimes it’s better to leave what’s comfortable for the unknown, risking the possible discomfort that might result. Let me tell you what happened to me—

Thursday May 1st, 2008, was the National Day of Prayer. I walked about a mile from where I worked to participate. Some of you may have been there, also…Anyway, part of the schedule called for the people to break into small groups to pray for different areas of need in our country—government, emergency responders, the family, the church, the schools. Everyone joined the group they felt they were to be in, and I joined the group for the church. After a time I felt led to pray a confession of being too comfortable inside the walls of our church buildings. (Here is where you say ‘uh-oh!’) I didn’t think of it as a PERSONAL confession, you understand, but there you go. I was too comfortable, doing what I had been doing for a long time with little change and probably little impact in the kingdom of God.

Before I go on, you need to know that I had never felt much urge to go on a mission of any type. I liked that others were doing it, and I gave a little money sometimes to help, but I didn’t want to go, myself. It was out of my comfort zone!

The next day I went to work: I was a janitor at my church. A friend called during the day asking if I had time to pray, and when I am asked that I know I’m to say yes. So she came by, we talked a little, and I admitted to her that I wanted to go with a mission team to New Orleans to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. This desire sort of came over me, and I was as surprised as anyone about it! So that was one of the subjects of our prayer.

That evening on the news was an article about how good everything was in New Orleans. Talk about timing! It gave me a natural opportunity to tell my husband that not everything was as they said, to which he said he knew, and to bring up my desire to go to help. I was amazed when he said, “OK, go.” I was beginning to get a glimpse of God working here…

That was Friday. Early on Sunday morning I was doing my devotional reading in 1 Chronicles. In chapter 28:6-21, King David commissions his son Solomon, telling him that he, David, has prepared everything necessary in order to build God’s temple: all the supplies, raw materials, and plans—everything. All Solomon has to do is build it. That’s when I really KNEW, rather than understood in my head, that if my Father in Heaven wants me as His child to do some work for Him, He provides everything needed to accomplish His will. So I wrote a card which is still in my Bible, telling God that I wanted to go and that I needed EVERYTHING: money, transportation, the timing, literally everything. Then I got ready and headed for church.

After I arrived, I realized that the next team was leaving the next morning, but I picked up a packet of information and forms, thinking that I would be ready for a future trip. I also spoke with the pastor’s wife, who was coordinating the team, and told her I wanted to go. She said that there was another trip planned for the fall, and I went home thinking about raising the money I would need.

After lunch, my husband went outside to do some work in the field, and I sat down to relax at the computer. Pretty soon, the phone rang, and the pastor’s wife asks me, and I quote, “Is tomorrow too soon?” Dumbfounded, I said I’d have to talk to my husband: he had agreed I could go, but he didn’t have any details to go on when he said it. So after asking a couple of questions I hung up, went out to where he was working, and asked, “Is tomorrow too soon?” He asked how much it would cost, and I said it was paid for. So he said OK again! I had 14 ½ hours to cover my work for the time I would be gone, notify others to whom I had prior commitments and find a replacement, pack, get some sleep, and be at the parking lot to catch my ride to the airport at 5 o’clock Monday morning. Monday evening I was in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tuesday morning I was working to help renovate a widow’s home, and beginning to understand what service is. It was a whirlwind, to say the least! But God was in charge, and I didn’t lack anything while I was gone: He provided everything.

So are you comfortable? Maybe a little creased and dusty? Wearing out? Maybe life has been sort of dull?…Confess that for what it is: sin. Make yourself available to God. Then watch out! You might be, as I was, a stone in His slingshot, aimed at a need. It may not be comfortable, but it is truly living—living in God’s will.

A Tidbit for You--Mordecai and Paul

In the book of Esther, Mordecai, a descendant of Benjamin, adopted and raised Esther, who later became queen. "Mordecai" means "little man."

In the New Testament, Paul, a descendant of Benjamin, was given the ministry to the Gentiles who were adopted into God's family, the church, which is the bride of Christ. "Paul" means "little."

Matthew 24:26 Go Not Forth

*Note that all emphasis in these scriptures is mine.*

Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before. 26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

I have had an education in the application of this passage recently!

From time to time there have been "outpourings" of "the Holy Spirit" in various places, and people have flocked to see and experience them. But in this passage Jesus tells us not to do that, and many who have disregarded this instruction have found themselves in league with satan, deceived, thinking they were serving Jesus when they were not. Aside from not doing what Jesus said, which is always wrong, there are at least two errors in this.

The first error is a misunderstanding of the Holy Spirit and His function: the Holy Spirit does not seek to put Himself forward, but ALWAYS points to Jesus, the Son of God:

John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

The Holy Spirit is pictured as the helper, the comforter, the teacher, the guide. He does not make a show of Himself by scattering gold dust or feathers. He does not cause loss of self control in any way. These things are deceptions.

The second error is thinking that God is some PLACE. He created everything and is not constrained by locality or time. Going SOMEWHERE to be near Him is, at best, a waste of time and money. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, wherever you are:

Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

Psalms 119:151 Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth.

Acts 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

So, you who want to know God, He is near you. You have only to go to Him in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to show the way, and read what He has said in the Bible. Seek Him in these ways, and He will be found by you without your going anywhere.

No Magic Words

Galatians 2:20   I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.


Do you have Jesus? There are no magic words. In your heart, do you want Jesus?

Does He fill you? Do you want more of Him? Do you want His power in your life? Do you want to know Him, and the power of His resurrection? Are you willing to die? Are you ready to die? There are no magic words, no special days, no rituals, nothing. There is Jesus, and you. Do you want Him? Or do you want you: your things, your home, your friends, your family, your job?

Do you want Jesus? Are you ready to stand in rags before Him? No new dress, no hair dye, no make-up. Are you ready for Him to clothe you? Do you want Jesus?

Do you want what He wants? Can you accept His gifts? Can you see His signs? Can you see His death, His burial, His resurrection? Can you see relationships healed, bodies healed, souls healed? Not gold dust, not feathers, not holy laughter. He does not do those things. He does not need to. He is God. There are no magic words.

He will use any willing vessel: you, your neighbor, your mother, your father, your spouse, your child. Name any person you can think of, someone you admire, someone famous, who is not Jesus. That person cannot save you, heal you, heal your relationships, or give you what you need. That person can only, maybe, lead you to Jesus. Do you want Jesus? Be still. Don’t run. He is right beside you. You are in His presence right now. 

I want Jesus. Do you?

Easter or Firstfruits?

Spring is here! I’m so glad! Warmer temperatures, rain instead of snow and ice, sunshine, flowers—what a blessing! Spring is also the season when we make a point of remembering that Jesus died and was raised again that we might be saved from the penalty of our sins. We call this time of remembrance “Easter.”

“Easter.” That’s a strange name when you think about it. What does the word “Easter” have to do with the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior? And for that matter, what do colored eggs and rabbits have to do with it, either? And who decides when we are supposed to celebrate it?

There are answers to these questions, answers that may bother you. They bothered me.

The Bible is very clear that Jesus was crucified on Passover: Matthew 26:17 says, for example “Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” (NKJV) Matthew goes on to tell of the last supper and the events leading up to the crucifixion. Mark and Luke tell essentially the same story. Passover can occur on any day of the week, but it always occurs on the 14th of Nisan, the first month of the Jewish year, which is in spring. Why do we not celebrate Passover?

The answer is that, since the Nicene Council of 325 AD, the church has, in general, sought to distance itself from anything Jewish. Constantine, who led the council, called Jews "adversaries," "depraved," and "innately mad," and their way "evil." The Council declared it improper to follow their customs in regard to this celebration or to have anything in common with them. Constantine said this of the people whom God chose and from whom we have the Bible and Jesus our Savior. In order to accomplish this misguided goal, the Council decided on a formula by which the date for remembering the resurrection would be found, and they phrased it in such a way that the celebration would not fall on Passover even by accident. Does that sound wrong to you? It does to me.

What about that word, “easter?” My dictionary gives its etymology (that is, the roots of the word) as--A. Sax eastre, from another A.Sax. word that sounds a lot like easter, which was from the Old High German Ostara, a goddess of light or spring… Hmm, a name of a goddess is what we apply to the celebration of the resurrection of our Savior? I did a Google search of Ostara and found information shared by pagans and witches about celebrating spring, new growth, and fertility; about colored eggs and reproducing rabbits. It was more than I wanted to know!

God says in His word, in Exodus 23:13, “And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.” (NKJV) And Joshua 23:7, the second part of the verse, says “… You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, [that is, the gods of the nations around them] nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them.” (NKJV)

I don’t know about you, but I must, from now on, refrain from speaking the name of that false god of spring. I repent that I have sinned in speaking it for years, and in teaching my children to speak it. I am thankful that God is faithful, when I repent, to forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

So what shall I call this wonderful time when I celebrate that Jesus my Lord triumphed over death and rose from the grave? Passover? Well, I could, but Passover is when He died, not when He arose. Resurrection Day? My mother called it Resurrection Day…that might work.

Does God name the day? Yes, He does. He established the feast of Firstfruits. It was celebrated the day after the Sabbath after Passover, the first day of the week, which we call Sunday. In 1 Cor 15:20-23 we read: “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.” (NKJV) So Jesus rose from the dead on the feast of Firstfruits, and He is the firstfruits of those who sleep. Firstfruits. I like it. With God’s help, I will use it.

John 3:20 Science Catches Up with Jesus

I just read a WebMD article which says what Jesus said: men who do evil seek darkness.

John 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Here is the link:
http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20100219/darkness-spurs-dishonesty?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Hebrews 4:14, Our Great High Priest

Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

I understand that some Christians don't study the Old Testament, and believe it to be no longer valid. I disagree with that position. In fact, one of my passions is finding Jesus in the Old Testament. My most recent find is in the consecration of the High Priest.

Aaron, Moses' brother, was the first High Priest. He was chosen by God for the position, and his sons were chosen to do the job after him. In Leviticus 8 the ritual for Aaron's consecration is given to Moses by God. Here it is, in part:

Lev 8:10-12, 22-23 ¹⁰And Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them. ¹¹And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the laver and his foot, to sanctify them. ¹²And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him.

 ²²And he brought the other ram, the ram of consecration: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram. ²³And he slew it; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot.

What does that have to do with Jesus, you may be asking. Good question! After all, God says in the Hebrews verse that Jesus IS our High Priest, and that settles it! Yes, I agree, it does settle it. But there is confirmation in the Old Testament which can be seen when compared with events in Jesus' life.

In Lev 8:12 above, Moses poured anointing oil on Aaron's head to sanctify him. It was not just a little bit of oil, because in Psalm 133:2 we are told that the precious ointment ran over Aaron's beard and down to the hem of his robe. Was Jesus anointed in this way? Yes! Remember Mary, Martha and Lazarus's sister?

Mark 14:3, 6-9 ³And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
 ⁶And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. ⁷For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. ⁸She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. ⁹Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.

John 12:3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

We know this is the same woman, because the town is Bethany, Jesus is anointed by a woman, and because of these verses:

John 11:1-2 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. ²(It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

So Jesus was anointed with enough precious oil to cover his head and his feet. What about the blood of the sacrifice which was applied to Aaron's ear, thumb, and toe?

Mat 27:29-30 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! ³⁰And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

His head was bleeding from the beating and the thorns. His ears had blood on them. His own blood.
Someone innocent had to die to provide the blood. In Leviticus a ram died. But for Jesus' consecration, Jesus died.

Luke 23:33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

He had nails through his hands and his feet. His thumbs and big toes had blood on them. His own blood.
What a price he paid in order to be our Great High Priest! What suffering he endured in order to make intercession for us with His Father! There can be no greater demonstration of his love for us than this. All we can do is accept it with profound gratitude.

Romans 8:28 All for Good

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Gen 50:19  And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
Gen 50:20  But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

As I have shared before, I am a member of After God's Heart, a community Bible Study for women. We are currently making our way through Romans. In studying Romans 8:28, we were asked how God used something bad to produce something good in the Genesis passage. My answer was that God used Joseph's brothers' evil intent to provide for the salvation of their whole family.

As I was writing my answer the parallel in Jesus' life struck me: God used the evil intent of the rulers of the Jews, to whom He was related, to provide for the salvation of everyone in the nation. Further, God used the evil political system of the time to provide the same thing for everyone in the world.
There is only one condition placed upon receiving this provision: believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and say that you do. God will take it from there. What could be easier?