 A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. <Previous Message · Archives ·  Archive/print editionTuesday, April 7, 2009   Listen to us share this message on your audio player."Spitting" "Then they spit in His face" (Matthew 26:67). Today's topic may seem rather appalling to some of our readers. The act of spitting is not a pleasant subject for discussion and really does not require a definition which in itself would be distasteful.  I suspect most of us first learned to spit when we were taught to brush our teeth. Our Mom (or perhaps Dad) probably taught us by demonstration. Spitting is a necessary function when it comes to personal hygiene and other health related needs. I (Stephen) may spit (but never Brooksyne) when I am out on a walk in the country and away from others. I certainly consider spitting rude in front of others, particularly women. When I do spit I do so where people will not be walking, although as our society has gotten cruder, I see more and more spitting on the walkways. It's a pretty gross sight to come upon or, even worse, to step in.  My family still has a vivid memory of me being thoroughly splattered by spit about fifteen years ago when we were on vacation in Vermont. We went to a County Fair and I was studying the face of a llama. Suddenly, with the wind velocity of a surprise tornado, he spat right in my face; a big, splattering of thick, yellow yuck. Brooksyne and Ester just couldn't stop laughing as I immediately ran to a bathroom. I couldn't get it washed off fast enough and even now practically gag at the memory. It was all over my T-shirt so I then darted to the car and pulled off the putrid shirt. It was the closest I could get to ridding myself of the horrible experience before I could thoroughly shower at the motel where we were staying. (Brooksyne's Note: Too bad I can't provide you with a great visual!) That's the only time I ever recall being spat upon. Brooksyne remembers riding the bus with a special needs student in Junior High School who endured horrible abuse by her schoolmates daily. They would sit behind her and spit in her hair as they swore and called her filthy names. This week we are considering the many forms of humiliation our Lord endured during His time of suffering, culminating with His death on the cross. The Jews, common with all people of the East, had an intense abhorrence for spitting. Spitting was considered among the Jews as an expression of the greatest contempt (Deuteronomy 25:9, Numbers 12:14). Even to spit before another was regarded as an offense, and treated as such by heathen also. Such a form of ridicule is hardly known by us, although I can't imagine any culture where being spit upon would be considered an honor. This last year we learned that throwing one's shoes is an insult in some Middle Eastern countries. Perhaps a more contemporary example, admittedly distasteful, is the deep personal insult and major offense of someone thrusting their middle finger right into our face. Hurtful actions can speak even louder than unkind words. I wonder if, at times, our actions toward our Lord defy our words of adoration and praise. Our daily text states, "Then they spit in His face." In context "they" were the teachers of the law and elders who had assembled for a mock trial. This vicious treatment of Christ is a clear fulfillment of a messianic prophecy written some 700 years before our Lord's suffering found in Isaiah 50:6: "I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting." The Greek word translated "spit", is ptuo. The word, ptuo, is an onomatopoeia*, which is when the formation of a word imitates the natural sound associated with the object or action involved such as "cuckoo" or "boom". Say "p-tuo" aloud and you should be able to hear the sound made when spitting. Can you picture these scorning mockers spitting in the face of their Creator, the Redeemer of the world? Matthew carefully records the detail that they spit in His face (not just in His presence or at His feet). Today, again let us "consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men" and let us with renewed resolve stay faithful to the One who suffered for us, "so that we will not grow weary and lose heart." Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Jesus, Your act of humility in the midst of ridicule, mockery and abhorrent behavior by the very people that You created and willingly died for is not a picture of weakness, but instead it is one of incomparable self-sacrifice. You could have called a legion of angels to reveal Your power or to put Your accusers in their rightful place. But You chose to walk the road of humility and obedience all the way to Calvary, motivated by Your redemptive love for mankind. Love so amazing, so divine demands my soul, my life, my all. * Interestingly the word onomatopoeia, is itself from the Greek word ονοματοποιΐα, from onomat-, onoma name + poiein to make and Supplemental Resources Click on the link to open and play. In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song. This week we will share links to songs dealing with the Cross and Christ's redemtive work and add to them through the week with the most recent at the top and leaving the links to the earlier ones. "Your Grace Still Amazes Me" Video Brooksyne's Note: I was cleaning up after breakfast this morning when this song came on the radio. It's message is so powerful I had to stop my work and contemplate the words and at times sing along with the musicians. His grace does amaze me, but then that's what God's grace does! "It's Still The Cross" Audio Video See here for lyrics. (This is the song referred to in Monday's message.) "The Wonderful Cross" Video We sang this song in our church service on Sunday. Today's photo was sent to me by Mike Stillman, a friend who was recently on a tour in Israel with his daughter Chaucee. |
 "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update Revised 01/20/09  Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. Would you please consider a financial offering to support us in this daily encouragement ministry? Donations are tax deductible and will be receipted directly by my chaplaincy endorsing ministry. Thanks! See here for details. (2009 YTD financial offerings through 4/06/09: $2,940.00)SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  Were you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net? If you desire you can receive your own free! To receive these "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe. This newsletter is never sent unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR a friend forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the rss feed.Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If these messages no longer meet your needs (providing encouragement) you can remove your address by merely use the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. Weekly Version: The weekly version is designed for those who may not check their email regularly. It is merely the Friday message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Please feel free to pass these messages on! "A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) Last updated with the story of Mildred Swanson, who joyfully discovers her "spiritual gift" is sending forwarded emails! (Note: This material is satire!) "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church. (Actually this is my intent but I haven't done much with it!) "Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. We are distributing this CD without charge in our ministry. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. If any reader in this series would like a CD merely write us and request one.  Daily Encouragement Net is an affiliate of Christianbook.com. Any orders placed to Christian Book Distributers using this link or any specific product link to a recommended resource in a daily encouragement message will help our Daily Encouragement ministry through a small commission on the sale. Thank you for using these links when purchasing online through CBD!Personal Mission Statement "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."  How to become a child of God Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. © Copyright 2009 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 Contact us |
Daily Encouragement is issued Monday-Friday. To make sure you continue to receive these e-mails in your Inbox (so they're not sent to a junk folder), please add scweber@dailyencouragement.net to your address book or safe sender list. You are receiving these recurring messages as a subscriber to Daily Encouragement Net because you signed up on our website or otherwise requested it unless someone forwarded the message to you. If you desire to unsubscribe use the link below. However, please do not use this link unless your address is the subscribed address below as you will otherwise unsubscribe the person who forwarded it to you!
| You are currently subscribed to dailyencouragement as: stephencweber.dailyencouragement@blogger.com To unsubscribe click here or send a blank email to leave-1378883-29778931.3ca482100b92072753461f79e13fb4f8@pr4.netatlantic.com |  |
