The Holy Grail – 5/9/2022
For centuries there has been a fascination with the holy grail. Some people believe it is the cup Jesus drank from at the Last Supper. The story was added that Joseph of Arimathea used to collect Jesus’s blood when He was crucified and that it has miraculous powers. That was the story Indiana Jones followed. The idea arose in the Celtic times in literature related to King Arthur. French poet Chrétien de Troyes is credited with introducing the grail as a divine object in his early-12th century romance, “Perceval.” Around 1200, Robert de Boron further specified its Christian significance in his poem “Joseph d’Arimathie,” citing the holy grail’s origins at the Last Supper and Christ’s death. While Perceval was the knight destined to pursue the grail in Troyes’s and de Boron’s prose, it was Sir Galahad, introduced in the “Queste del Saint Graal” later in the mid-13th century, who became the most well-known knight of King Arthur’s court to complete the quest.
Although it is generally accepted as mythic, some believe the holy grail is more than just a figment of medieval literature. Some Arthurian tales claimed that Joseph of Arimathea brought the grail to Glastonbury in England. One legend has it that on the spot where he buried the grail, the water runs red because it runs through Christ’s blood, though scientists agree this is just the effect of red iron oxide in the soil. Others believe that the Knights Templar seized the holy grail from Temple Mount during the Crusades and secreted it away. https://www.history.com/news/what-is-the-holy-grail
Why do people have this obsession with the holy grail? The same reason Ponce de Leon sailed from Spain to America in search of the fountain of youth. People want to know there is some power that can give them life. People are afraid of death and search for some miracle. I would love to let you know there is a power that assures life beyond your last breath. It has been proven to be real and is not that difficult to find. Only one man on earth was murdered and later walked out of the grace and offers life. It is not from a lost chalice or a fountain. It is not a fairy tale or fiction.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV).
If you want to know more about the reality of this information and Jesus’ claim, see my study on the www.journeyuniversity.net site “A Reason for the Hope You Have.”
Join me each week for a look at a Scripture to bless the coming week.
Matthew 5:3 NIV – The First Beatitude – 5/1/2022
“Blessed are the poor in spirit. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus begins His earthly ministry by teaching about the Kingdom of God that He is bringing from Heaven. This is new material. No one has ever heard teaching like this before. Jesus is telling about an inner peace that anyone can have in their life. It isn’t about following the Law; it’s about a life that comes from the heart of an individual as they connect with the heart of God.
He begins by teaching about this incredible opportunity to have a blessed position in life. It is offered to who chose Kingdom living. Blessed is from the word, “makarios.” It means to be happy, joyous, to be in a in a fortunate position, a position to be envied. It describes a life that everyone should want for their own. Imagine having an inner peace no matter is happening in the world around you or even in your own life.
To obtain this position takes a choice. We live to please our own spirit, the worldly spirit that wants everything for ourselves. Jesus is saying that we can use our freewill to make a choice to replace that spirit, to choose to become poor in our selfish spirit. If we do make that choice, then there is a road we can take that leads to incredible peace and joy, something everyone wishes for themselves.
So, how do we do become poor in spirit? We surrender our lives to Jesus as Lord and Savior and He sends the Holy Spirit to replace our worldly spirit. Imagine having the Spirit of your Creator living within you, guiding you, teaching you, comforting, and giving you peace in the best and worst of times in your life! That is the first promise from Jesus about living for the Kingdom of Heaven while occupying the Kingdom of Earth.
A paraphrase of Jesus’ teaching could be, “There is an incredible opportunity for joy and peace beyond what you can imagine, no matter what happens in your life, IF you make a choice to live for the Creator rather than the created. If God’s kingdom dominates your world, then you are poor in spirit and truly will live a blessed life that you could never find on your own.
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