"It Is What It Is"

 "Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me." (John 16:32 KJV)

  ""For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search and find my sheep. I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day."" (Ezekiel 34:11-12 NLT)

 I firmly believe that Jesus was not casting judgment upon His disciples for what would happen to their loyalty; this is something that was going to happen, and He was just letting them know that He knew it was going to happen, whether they believed Him or not, it was going to happen! This was written about hundreds of years before, and it was based on the heart of man, as the Scripture says: "The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" (Jeremiah 17:9 NLT) 

 Without a doubt, Jesus knew how and why everything was going to play out, as this was something the Father and He had planned for thousands of years. It was written about, shown to the Prophets, and it was even demonstrated throughout all of the festivals, rituals, and instruments within the Temple. Which brings to mind the "Water Basin" used for cleansing before offering sacrifices. As it were, the articles and the furnishings of the Temple were all given measurements for Moses to note, except for the water basin.

 I had heard this message several years ago, given by Pastor Jon, and it really struck a chord in my heart. If you are under the belief, as I am, that the Water refers to the Word of God, then the Word is also the same as Jesus Christ, who, as with the Water Basin, has no measurements! Oh, in the flesh He had height and weight, but that was the flesh, that which was seen and touched by human hands. He was also Spirit, which was sent by the Father, which has no weight or measure; it is infinite! 

 Anywho, that is my take of what was said. When I shared that little tidbit, not long after I first heard it, I was scolded by someone I said it to, as they replied: "The water represents the Holy Spirit, not Jesus!" Maybe that might be a manner of speaking, as the song might go: "I've got a River of Life flowing out of me." There might need to be a little more investigation into that meaning, because based upon the simple illustration of the work of the Water Basin, used for ceremonial cleansing, before you can have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, you must be cleansed. 

 Which reminds me of something I heard the other day, about fishing: "The fishermen catch the fish and then cleans them." We become God's children when we are cleansed, by the blood of the Lamb...

"This is what the LORD says: "Was your mother sent away because I divorced her? Did I sell you as slaves to my creditors? No, you were sold because of your sins. And your mother, too, was taken because of your sins. Why was no one there when I came? Why didn't anyone answer when I called? Is it because I have no power to rescue? No, that is not the reason! For I can speak to the sea and make it dry up! I can turn rivers into deserts covered with dying fish. I dress the skies in darkness, covering them with clothes of mourning."" (Isaiah 50:1-3 NLT)