Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 252 | Phil & Jase Take Baffling First Trips to Hobby Lobby & Why It’s Hard to Call It Good Friday

Episode Date: April 2, 2021

Jase gives an update on Mia and explains his role in her recovery, including his head-spinning first trip to Hobby Lobby. That leads to a question: What exactly is glitter? Phil is reminded of his one and only trip to Hobby Lobby. And the guys talk about why it’s hard to call it Good Friday and how Jesus’ death rippled through time and solved all of our problems — including sin and death — in just 72 hours. -- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? So, Jason, I'm down here at the Southern Lair. And yesterday we're watching the NCAA basketball tournament because my grandson, my oldest grandson, Corby, he loves sports. And, of course, Vinny was here as well. So we're watching games and having a good time. And so as we get into the later hours of the last of the tournament, I realized that I'd forgotten to check Shannon Bremes. She's got a show on Fox that aired this weekend about her book. I think it's called Women of the Bible Speak. Yeah. So I turn over there and I'm checking it out because

I've heard her promo the book because I like Shannon in her show. She's a very godly woman. And so I look in here popping in like they're talking about Leah and Rachel. Here comes Missy, which I didn't even, I guess they didn't even realize she was a part of the show. And she did also. I mean like her whole piece that she did and she was so animated reading about it you know and I was just like you go miss it I mean she was just doing a little you know a little little Bible teaching you know on this thing on Fox News last night I thought it was pretty amazing well here's what's crazy when I came I did an event last night so when I got in it was late I mean that I think that show runs like our time 9 to 10 and it's 9 to 10 yeah and so I get home last night like right before 10

And when I walked in, you know, hey, babe, hey babe. And then I heard her still talking. And I said, are you watching your cell phone TV? And she was like, yeah, remember I told you? I was on the Shannon Bream. You know, and then you have that moment of the remember I told you. And you just go along with that. I've learned that through 30 years of marriage.

Oh, yeah. Don't say. How that go? So. And I agree with you, Al. It was fantastic, I thought. Anytime you get an opportunity. And I think what's funny is she was supposed to be like the real-life character portrayal in the story.

I forget what Bible story she was talking about. Do you remember which one it was? She was doing Leah and Rachel, Jacob's wives, you know, and kind of the tension. And it talked a little bit about, like, it showed some pictures of family. And she talked a little bit about, you know, that any family has tension. And so you're right. She was kind of the, they had like, I guess you call them celebrities, but most of them were just like really good godly women.

You know, Avita King was one of them. And they have a Bible scholar on there to kind of walk you through the narrative. And but I said, well, I guess they had two Bible scholars on there. And she was like, what do you mean? I was like, babe, Gert. You know the Bible. I mean, so, yeah, it was pretty good. I mean, look, it's with our relationship, I mean, obviously I've said many times,

and I guess y'all saw that when she was on the podcast, the most nervous podcast I've done because I had no idea where that was going. But we don't have anything in common besides Jesus. So I like these moments we can talk about. And, you know, we're in this battle trying to help our daughter. and she our daughter is doing amazing considering what she's gone through the last couple weeks and so I told you we all have our roles you know I'm the I'm the water boy I'm the runner we need this I make it happen and there's been lots of things in this that I can't share

with them because they they do things that I don't even know what they're talking about you know I remember in the hospital one time, Missy said, give me a Coke zero. And I was like, what is that? She said, Coke zero.

You'll find it. But I'm walking away like, Coke, they make something called a Coke zero? And so I leave there asking a nurse. I said, what exactly is a Coke zero? And they're like,

is zero sugar? I said, so is it vapor? Because I thought if you take the sugar out of Coke, all you're left with is something you can snort. Like, that's all it is. And, of course, the nurse looked at me like, I was crazy.

She's like, it's in a vending machine. I was like, sure enough, here it is. So I had another one of these moments back home. So, Missy says, look, Mia wants, if you can go get her these paint by numbers. Now, look, do you all know what that is? Have you ever heard anything called paint by numbers? Of course not. Al?

Oh, yeah. I have grandkids that do it. So, yes, I know. Okay. Well, me and Phil. I'm a little more observant than you are just of pop culture, of soft drinks, and apparently of, you know, paint by number. Yeah.

So I'm on the phone and I'm driving from Monroe and she's like, stop by Hobby Lobby. And, I mean, just off the top of my head, I said, do we have one of those? She said, it's been there for 10 years. I never knew we had a hobby. lobby. Did you know we had one out? I did. In fact, it was, this is going to shock you, Jace.

It's the old Walmart. It's where Walmart used to be until they built the big super center. That's what she said. She said, how could you live in this town for this long? You pass by it every day. You passed by it every day. You didn't know either, Phil? I don't know.

I've been in the one hobby lobby. It's the main office, the people who want it, the greens. The Greens, right? The Greens, yeah. The Greens, and they invited me over. And I walked in, and they showed me they had an exact replica of a hobby love it. Of their store. Yeah.

And the way it looks, and they work with it and say, do this, do that. So I just walked in and looked around, and I told Green, I said, I've never. Well, Phil, what's your? It said, it looked like a woman's hangout. Yeah. Okay. Now that's going to help. That may be one reason.

I didn't know that they existed. So I walked in and I was shocked because I thought, how could I miss something so big? This thing is huge. I mean, I was a little nervous because I thought I could get lost in here. It's that big. They had every kind of the woman that was kind of giving us a tour. She said, I'm over the, you know, whatever, clothing, fashion.

I said, let me make a guess. I said, do you have any camouflage? And she grinned, and she said, we do. Uh-oh. So she takes me back in there, and she had, they had a, it looked like a real hobby-labby because that's how they, they got a replica and they replace it and put stuff on the wall. So I looked over there. It wasn't clothing.

In the middle of all that clothing, she went back then there was a little black with camouflage material. I said, well, there you go. It wasn't, it wasn't. It wasn't clothing, Dad. They don't sell clothing there. It was ribbons. Ribbons, yeah. It was ribbons like for streamers and stuff.

Whatever. You know, and then they did find camo ribbons, which dad was totally impressed. So you're going to be very careful because my definition of womanhood is that they are women, strange creatures. Yeah. When you begin to run with them like you ride around with them, Miss Kay goes with female companions. with it. I'm not in the back seat. I was by myself. I'm off the premises. I don't travel.

I was by myself in a world that I was not familiar with. I walk in. I find a girl that works there and I said, look, where is the paint section? And she looked bewildered. I said, okay, I'm looking. My daughter is looking for paint by numbers. She said, oh, I figured it'd be in the paint section. but she said go down all the way down the end of this aisle, which was the east side of the building and take a right. And she said, go down to you see the glitter section and it's in there. I didn't want to ask. Have you ever been to a glitter section before, Jay?

I didn't want to, you're picking up on where we lost communication because when she said. On the road The women travel. You're on a road that women, a horde, are going through, and you're down in there, wandering around, said,

I was too prideful to say, what do you mean by glitter? So I just thought, surely she's acting like I'll know what this is. So I'll walk all the way down and I took a right. There's, I would say, at least 50 aisles.

And so I go, once I take the right, I go two aisles and I'll look at something that I would define as glitter. So I started looking around. I see nothing about paints. I say, well, must not have been. Well, I'll go two more out.

I see what I think is more glitter. And this kept continuing, aisle by aisle, I thought, this whole place is full of, evidently, I don't know what glitter is. So I see an older African-American woman, and the only reason I stopped her is because she had,

her mask was a LSU tiger. mask. And I said, excuse me, this is going to seem like a strange question, but what exactly is glitter? And she said, well, what are you looking for? I said, well, I'm looking for paint by numbers. The girl said, go down to the glitter section. I'm a quarter mile from that girl now. So she's gone to me. Can you help me? You mean, this is a big store. Phil, you would not believe it. It's the old Walmart. Yeah, it's as big as a Walmart.

It's the old Walmart, yeah, it's big. Phil with glitter. And she said, well, I think what you need to do is go all the way to the end. And that's where the paint by numbers. But she's like, I don't know what she meant by the glitter because there's glitter everywhere. So that validated my assessment. So then I get all the way down. I never noticed this is different glitter than anything else I've walked by the last quarter mile.

So then I thought, I'm now in the section, but I still can't find it. So I thought, well, I'll call. I hated to do it. But I was like, I got to call, Izzy. So I call her. Well, then she calls me back while we're talking with the FaceTime, which I didn't even know you could do that. So I answer it, but it was her. But now she's seeing me.

and I'm seeing her. So now I'm trying to tell the story about the glitter. And she's getting frustrated. And so I'm showing her. I thought you'd like this because now she's looking at what I'm looking at. And she's like right there. And it was. So she's shopping.

She's shopping through you now. Yeah. Because literally she's doing the shopping, but you're just a vehicle. Chase, you're just a body bag. When you next time you get in that run from that. You're in a woman's world. So I've, you're on the wrong. road son so i finally we found it then i had to go each box to see look there were hundreds of paint by

number boxes so i'm glad i call so i get two things she like she likes and then i go back to that counter and same girl i said look i got what i came for it's been 30 minutes i said remember me and she well of course she remember me because number one i was the only male in the store i had camouflage. There you go. That's what I'm saying. The only thing she can see is the whiskers coming out from under my mask. And she said, yeah, I said, all right, look, I want to give you a tip.

You know, when you say the glitter section, I said, does somebody like me, this whole store is filled with glitter? I say, that was not really good directions. And she just, nothing. So I thought, okay, I try to help her. Here's my money. I went. Everybody's happy.

Well, here's one, here was one interesting thing before we leave the Hobby Lobby topic. So we're getting the tour by the Greens who started Hobby Lobby, which they're an amazing spiritual family, great Christian people, basically started it in their garage just by building picture frames. That's where Hobby Lobby, which is now multi-billion dollar corporation. I didn't even know this. And they've done all kind of great things for the kingdom. Oh, they're amazing. So one of the greens that may have been David told daddy. He said, he said, come over here.

I want to show you a concept that we're working on because obviously we mainly catered to females. They said, but, you know, we would love to figure out how to try to get some men into our store. And so they had this little section and they were calling it the man cave and it had more male oriented type stuff. And there in the middle of it was a little book section and there was dad's face. Dad, do you remember this? Your books. We're like on a little rack in the man cave. Oh.

Yeah. And so, I didn't know you were in there. Look, but there's me. Well, that's incredible. Well,

I guess they were selling my books. I guess they were. Yeah, they were selling your books in their stores. There you go. Which is really cool because they don't normally do that. All right. Let's take a break.

I said all that to say this. You know, life can be tough navigating with, you know, your wife or your wife. because she, when I told her the story, she's like, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. And look, she was right.

Because the next day when I was driving down I-20, I looked to my left and there is a sign that you should never miss that says, hobby, lobby. It's huge. I'm like, how in the world? Did I not see that? So that was embarrassing. I'll give her credit for that.

However, you know, what you think about, what makes life great, especially when you're in Jesus together. Because I think I'm so proud of my wife for, you know, being on a, you know, a news show talking about stories in the Bible. But she sent me a blog that she does. And I was like, well, where can I read this? And she's like, missy Robertson.com. I said, well, how in the world did you pull that off?

She's like, it took about two minutes. Well, man, I need a jace Robertson.com. I mean, I don't know. That was incredible that she has a website with her name. All right, maybe I'm thinking too small. But what I read, look, my wife's done a lot of articles and stories, and she's amazing. But she did one that she sent me, you know,

while I was on my trip to Kentucky. And it was called the willful walk that saved you and me. And what she's doing, Al, I think you'll find this interesting because we have Easter coming up. And she's doing a study every day leading up to Easter Sunday. And so she started this in John 12, where Jesus, was having this meal and it says they were reclining at the table and I'll let you read it you know if you want you go to mrs.roverson.com and she'll take you all the way there but what

I found fascinating about this she took our situation with Mia because by far the most painful part of our role in dealing with a daughter with special needs is that handoff when you hand your daughter off and you walk away it's just or you can look at it when we walk to hand her off either one it's just you're overcoming the motion every time and i thought it would be easier once my daughter got older nope you're like i know what's fixed to happen is going to be a lot of suffering but you're willfully doing it because you know for the greater good well she took that moment and then went to Jesus's moment here where he's reclining with his friends and family knowing that he's going to get up and walk eventually getting to a donkey riding on the donkey leading to the walk

to the cross well I'm telling you it was uh when I read it I was like 10 out of 10 spectacular I was I was moved by that way by the way I looked at looked it up this morning for some reason and uh I I just wanted to know how far back the World Book Encyclopedia would put Good Friday. I wonder if they record. But they went back, they said, you can trace it back to the first century AD, Al, first century AD. Oh, is that right? Oh, yeah.

It can be tracked. The celebration, first it was more kind of like a fasting, the Good Friday. but then it turned out they said as it moved long by the time it got to 300 AD it was more of a much more of a celebration on what we now do with Good Friday but it did go back to the first century 100 AD that struck me as it screamed out at me for good reason it was there because he was there it's 2000 years of tradition yep and as Jay said, you know, this really the whole week, I love what Missy's doing because, you know, a lot of people call this Passion Week that we're recording in. And this episode is coming out on Good Friday. And, you know, it starts, Jay. So you talked about those palm limbs, which were laid down, you know, the week prior when Jesus is coming into Jerusalem, which I think you can find in almost every gospel. And then, of course, you read about it in John 12.

and the idea was is that he was being hailed as the Messiah, I mean, as the king of Israel. And that's how the week starts. But you think about it what happened in that week from one Sunday to the next. And, of course, you come along in the week and Good Friday, of course, celebrates the day that he died. But this was, you know, this was the biggest week in the history of the world. I mean, that's fair to say, right? Yeah. Well, no doubt about it.

Well, what I liked about what she did was. you kind of looked at it from their perspective in that you think about all the comforting moments we have and really our whole TV show was based on at the end of the day no matter what happens we're going to gather up and have a meal and love each other and laugh together sometimes cry together whatever but we're coming together and for those his friends that were there that night they had no idea what was fixed to happen but Jesus did and to be in that setting knowing, you know, this is it. This is going to be, as far as my humanity on the earth,

before what's fixing to happen, she's like, it must have been, I mean, you know how it had to cross his mind of the enjoyment that he had in that process, but to have to get up and leave it for the greater good, which is the greatest good, which is our eternal destiny, the eternal destiny of all humans. it was a powerful moment. And it was well thought out. And the point she made about all this opposition from religious leaders and, you know,

Jesus is disdain. And when you look at the people he's reclining with, all these people had checkered pass. They were considered riffraff. You know, she had a little snide at me about she knows what commercial fishermen smell like. I mean, it just didn't seem like, you know, the king. of the earth from heaven, Jesus riding on a donkey, reclining with the riff, raf. It just didn't seem like this was him. What's interesting about Easter week, I've noticed, being a commercial fisherman,

it's the last, that week is, let's put it this way. It's the beginning of warmth, budding, leaves. It's the beginning of spring officially. It's always cool, pretty cool during Easter. You ever notice that out of Easter? The week of Easter is always cool. It's pretty cool out there today. And then after four or five days, it just, it all warms up

and the spring is in full, full bloom. It's pretty interesting. It really is. I told Misty the other night, she was like, I wanted to catch her some fish, which I did acquire them, from Jay, but she's like, boy, that would be so good. I was like, yeah, but, you know, they don't bite before Easter.

And she's like, well, that's the most ridiculous thing. They don't know it's Easter. I was like, babe, I'm just telling you from years. I know. I said from years. And she's like, they just, the date changes every year. And I was like, babe, I don't know what to tell you. They're not biting before Easter.

So I went over to Willie's Pond. You know what I want to? You know what I called? zero I said the big run with nets and all of that you say the big run just after Easter just after it's a beginning just after Easter on Easter on I saw it every year yeah now that doesn't mean you can't catch a couple but as a general rule something similar is granny and Paul you would always tell me there was always be a cool snap the week of Easter that's right and so when they set so when they said that. At first, I was, you know, I'm a kid, you know, so I just, whatever. But then I started

looking for it. And they were right every year. And Missy's right. The date moves around. But the week of Easter, there's always a cool snap. I mean, it's just, it's pretty cool last night. When I got out, it was like, oh, week of Easter. Yep. That's right. And we've actually got a fairly early Easter this year. Let's take another break. Well, I think the concept, too, of dad to make that concept even further. The idea that next time we'll talk about, you know, the resurrection more. But, you know, Paul puts out the idea in 1st Corinthians 15 that something has to die for there to be life. And he uses illustrations from you.

He talks about a kernel of wheat goes into the ground and then what springs out of it. And so that concept we see in nature, which God, of course, is nature. He created it, is that. idea that something will appear to be dead to us, but then through a growing cycle, produce more and better from what went into the ground, which I think is really interesting. And so that's that idea that without death, you really don't have life. I mean, it's just kind of that circle and that cycle that keeps going. Yeah, and I think that's what the reminder is. Things die on the planet and seeds are planted, and then things come back. Over and over and over,

you see it, you see it, you see it. And I think it was God's, of preparing your heart for when you hear Jesus and the idea of us being resurrected is not a foreign concept because we see on this earth we're surrounded by death and spring and life and this the creation we just take it for granted I mean they can call it you know photosynthesis in the educational world but when you start trying to replicate these things of of creating matter or you know, regenerating something that's dead. Well, it comes a little more difficult.

The mayhaw trees in my yard, I've been monitored them, especially now in the last couple of days. And I'm looking, and I'm seeing the new mayhawls forming on all those limbs out. But you don't see them until about Easter. And then you begin to see them. They blossom out. Then you see the little mayhawls.

Right now the mayhawls are small, but we'll be picking them up. May the last we'll be picking them up just shortly see what I'm saying won't be long now three four weeks and they only have what about a week or two cycle where you can actually where they fall off the tree I mean that's it that's the only time you're going to get them's why they call them may hall it's after Easter that you really begin to see them so a lot of things start about Easter time new life yeah may haul jelly coming yeah I know well I think in this story, you know, too. And the reason I was saying, you know, the differences in, you know,

men and women and just the battle in our marriages and, you know, going back to the hobby-lovy story, you know, being out of my element, you know, all these other guys at reclining around that table and his closest friends, you would think that they would be getting the big picture, but it was Mary the one who had put two and two together and realized he's fixing to head head to a death for us, you know, and she takes out the perfume and, you know, pours it on him. And then, remember, Judas was like, well, you're done, we could have sold that made money. And Jesus chastised and rebuked because somehow another, which I really don't even understand, and it really does it say, but she had figured out, oh, this is the son of God. And he's fixed to give his life for us, which is incredible.

incredible, which is why I'm bringing this up. Different people from different perspectives have insight into things that sometimes you have to stop and say, make sure I'm not missing something here in the grand scheme. I mean, I think we tend to look at our differences and the battle that's in there. But a lot of times, even like, look, I don't know why I was surprised when I read my wife's blog, but I was like, wow. I mean, I was shocked that it was so good. I mean, I'm like, well, she didn't even tell me this is what she was thinking.

She just sat down and wrote it as an inspiration to others. But, I mean, it was shockingly good. Which is what is a good reason why we should have spiritual conversations and prayer with our spouses. Because a lot of times you don't know what they're thinking at spiritually, unless you have a conversation about it. And they tell you what they're thinking or they tell you how God's working their life. A lot of people, that's why the power of praying together, you know, I always encourage young couples. You know, pray together, spend some time because you need, the other needs to hear what you're thinking in your spirit because nobody really does.

That's just kind of a place between you and the Almighty. Yeah. Which is powerful. Yeah. But, Jason, you know, I thought about that. So John 11 is interesting, but going back another step before he got there on his way when he winds up stopping at Bethany, you remember he lingered. He knew Lazarus was sick.

And he got the word. And they were like, you got to hurry up and get here because he's going to die. One is you're not going to get to see him because they were super close. And two is you could keep him from dying. He does all these miracles. And Jesus linger two extra days wherever he was so that Lazarus would die. And I've always found that fascinating because, and look, you know, he was hurt that he was even dead because remember he wept, even knowing he was about to raise him up. But all that had a purpose to show us that you have to die to live.

And you mentioned it last podcast about baptism being a symbol of that, the idea of surrender and being put to death and then coming to new life. But even at the end of this life, until the Lord comes back, you don't live forever until you die here. It's just it's the way that God created us. And so I think Jesus has shown that consistently throughout all of his ministry. And I found that fascinating that even one of his best friends, he allowed him to physically die to show that you could be raised by. Unless the seed dies, that's just one single seed, it can't make others. Yeah, what's that at? I was thinking of the same verse.

Yeah. Remember the... Isn't that first Corinthians 15? Well, it's in John. It's in John. Or did Jesus say? Yeah, it's in John. He says, unless a colonel falls to the ground. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Where's that at? It's on the left hand.

Oh, it's in John 12. Yeah. It's right past where we just got there reading. Yeah, in 23, he said, because he said the hour has come for the son of man to be glorified, I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves, which goes to your point out, the man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

For whoever serves me must follow me and where I am, my servant also will be. Yeah, that's right. And you remember when we went and saw the passion when it came out, the movie, the church rented the whole theater and we went and watched it together. Do you all remember that? Yes. That is one of the few things. So, you know, it's funny because somebody said that wasn't able to make it that night. This struck me, and I thought about this in real time that we're studying.

They said, well, did y'all, you know, watch the passion? I said, yeah. And they were like, was it good? like you would for any movie, right? Was it good? And I didn't know how to answer that question. I was like, well, I'll never forget it. It was amazing.

It saved our lives. I mean, I think everybody should see it no matter what. I don't know that I can call it good. It was so, you know, brutally depicted as what we read in the scriptures, which I think it was fantastic the way Gibson did it. But is it good? You know, I thought about that question because, man, it was so hard. and just to witness it, you know, with a big screen deal, all the things we read about our whole lives. But it was, it is good in the sense that it had to happen for us to live. But, man,

to just to read about it, to watch it now because of that, it's, it's a tough watch. It was sobering. Yeah. So that I felt. People were crying. Yeah. I remember people crying around me, you know, just just the realities of it about what he went through on that fateful day. And, And to Jason's point, I guess Missy's point through the blog, it started out so beautiful right before. I mean, his time with the disciples, the washing of the feet, the triumphal entry, and yet it turned so quickly into what it had to be, you know, what it was basically prophesied to be. Let's take a break.

I said the same thing. When people ask me, I'd say, no, it's not good because you have to look at what caused him to take that walk, you know, to a cross, which was basically our sin. And, I mean, you can say the sin of the world, not personalize it, but I think when you personalize it, that's what moves you. And everyone has to go through that process because you're basically guilty of causing this to happen, which goes to the other point. His pursuit of us is way greater than our pursuit of us.

of him will ever be. Because he has the ultimate, his love is perfect and ours is not. That's why I like it later on in John 12 when, you know, they had the voice come and he said, when I am lifted up from the earth, we'll draw all men to myself, which I literally think that means when the cross was lifted up with him on it, not the resurrection, because it says he said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. I mean, what a way to phrase that saying when I'm lifted up. Because we always would think that that was some kind of honorable thing.

But he was like, I'm doing this to save you, you know. Well, you remember there's several verses that say when the time was set, when the time had fully come. So it wasn't an accident that it was in the first century where the style of execution at the time from the Romans was one of the most brutal things that mankind has ever come up with to execute people. And look, there's been a lot of people come up with a lot of gruesome stuff. You go over and look around in the Tower of London to see what some of the Brits came up with. I mean, they're pretty brutal too. But this particular way of doing it was something. And that's the time when he said he was going to come. And because so much is happening at the

cross. I mean, it's, you know, God is fulfilling all prophecy there through Jesus. The law is being completed and fulfilled there. You know, I love that at the end of Hebrews 11, where the Hebrew writer lists all those great Jews of old. And he said in verse 39, these were all commended for their faith. Yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. And then we know from later in chapter 12 what he was talking about. It took the cross to cleanse the sins of everybody that had ever lived up until the moment of the cross and then now going forward to cover the sins of any that, you know, call on Christ. So, I mean, that was a, that event cascaded in time in two directions

to make everyone perfect who had a faithful heart to God. And I think what's interesting is that he actually accomplished it in a bit of secrecy. Because when you read Paul's letter, to the Corinthians in the first letter in 1 Corinthians 2 after he said think about what you were when you were called you weren't wise by human standards there's no scholars you were weak which is the same type of crew that he was with back in John just the riff raff and he gets down to chapter 2 in in Corinthians in verse 7 it says we speak of God's secret wisdom a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before even time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified

the Lord of glory. And then he quotes Isaiah, where it says, however, it is written, no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God is prepared for those who love him. But God has revealed it to us by His spirit. So I read that. It made me think back to that John chapter 7, which we covered it when we went through John. But here recently I've been thinking more about it where you remember where his brothers came to him and it said they didn't even believe in him in John 7, 5. And they're like, what are you doing?

Nobody who wants to be a public figure goes around and operates in secret because they were all fixed to go to that feast, which I thought, how dumb is that look now? you're giving terrible advice to the creator of the universe in human form. And so then he's like, yeah, okay, appreciate the tip. And you didn't say it like that. And then as soon as they left, he left. He kept operating in secret. And then they're all at the feast. And then he gets up.

But the backdrop of that were all these secret conversations happening by the Pharisees and all saying, who is this guy? Everybody was murmuring. The whole chapter is about secrets. You have Jesus doing this, which we know why, because they wouldn't have crucified him, the spiritual forces of evil and the authorities. If they would have known by this, it dooms them and saves the riffraff. And he's also going on this principle that God who sees what is done in secret, you know,

remember the sermon on the Mount, is going. And what I found fascinating about, I said all this, say this. at the end of chapter 7, after all this, nobody who wants to be a public figure, acts in secret. Well, then here comes Nicodemus, who's taken up for Jesus in secret. He's the same guy who approached Jesus in John 3, remember, in secret saying, you know what the kicker is? Jesus going to the cross, dying, being resurrected, is the, the, solving of completely of the totality of men's sin and their death, he did it in 72 hours,

I'll solve the whole thing. Your sin problem, your grave problem, 72 hours. It's how long it took God to complete that. Is that amazing or what? Can you imagine a government that would do something even close to that and they're saving the world from all and all the government remedies that have come along and gone you're like he solved the world's problems especially the removal of the penalty of sin and the resurrection 72 hours you're like the world well feel and to and to finish my thought with that in mind you really think about a lot of us we go public you know for Christ when you declare, I believe Jesus is going to be the Lord of my life. But really what leads to that are these secret moments inside your soul and heart that's not spoken. When you're

reflecting on that and you believe that that's real, that's where the real spiritual forces of evil work in your life are, you know, subsided. Yep. Because these unseen moments, because a lot of us struggle with living one way publicly or showing everybody oh oh oh and then deep down in their heart and soul it's a mess and i wonder what the world would look like without jesus think about it al let's take one quick let's take a quick break oh man and you know what's interesting dad is that you think about symbols you know we talk about different symbols things that symbolize one thing early on, you know, because the church even was, even though they were growing like wildfire in the book of Acts, you know, they were having to do a lot of it underground and secret and

on the run and because they would have these different persecution. And so the early symbol for Christianity was a fish. They would draw a fish because, you know, I guess the idea of fishers of men and of course all the fishermen that were disciples. And so the fish was the symbol like, oh, okay. This guy, he knows, you know, he knows what's going on. I don't know when. Maybe you can check that dad in your world book and sacropedias,

but sometime it shifted over to where the cross itself became the symbol. And even to this day, we see that. If you were to ask somebody, what's the symbol for, you know, Christianity, especially on Good Friday, what would it be? And anybody would tell you what I'd be a cross because, you know, they're all over the place. You guys don't travel much, so you probably hadn't seen it. But you go 20 miles east on I, 20. somebody in Ravel has put up about a 200-foot cross right on I-20.

Yeah. And, I mean, it looms, does it? You can see it for miles on either side of it. Yeah, I love it. And at night, it's lit up. And I love it because it's like somebody said, you know what? Anybody drives by Ravel, Louisiana, you're going to know that there's a cross that represents Jesus, which I think, you know. But it makes you reflect.

It's so much more. Yeah. It makes you reflect. your own heart and the reality of that and that movie we talked about the passion gives you the visual image of it which i think is important and but that those you know i said a lot about those secret moments you know when he made that analogy in matthew six it says three different times about when you give and when you pray and when you fast he had this slogan three different times that says, your father who sees what is done in secret.

And his brothers, the reason they were giving him terrible advice is because they were looking at the symbolic images of everything, from a political narrative, from a religious thing, and even we're talking about a cross in Ravel. Does that physically mean anything? No. But it causes people to go back a couple thousand years ago and then look at their own life.

on what led that walk to salvation for their mistakes. And all of a sudden, you have some secrecy going on where God is moving. And I think there's something to that. And the reason I'm stressing this is because here this Nicodemus, when Jesus dies and is buried, well, who is the one secretly going to check on his body? The same fella where this all started off,

I think at first it started that he was embarrassed to be seen with Jesus and now he's taking huge risk because his heart had been pricked just like ours and you think about what we do in our life look that letter to the Corinthians where we read about none of the rulers understood it or they wouldn't have crucified Jesus he began that saying the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing

they see a cross going through ravel and they say that's a dumb it you don't want to waste of time and space but to us who are being saved oh it's a power of god because to them it's just a symbol and to us it goes to a reality that we believe is true and again i think the nature of how bad it was is is also a reminder to us when we endure things and you know back to hebrews 12 the Hebrew writer basically said that. He said, you know, consider the author and perfector of our faith, Jesus, you know, let us fix our eyes on him, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne. He said, consider him who endured such an opposition so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. So you've said it

before dad many times. I've heard you said somebody says something about being persecuted and you're like, well, look what they did to Jesus. And I think that's what takes you back there, time. The cross was so brutal because it had to be in its nature because of sin. But it also gives us the ability to say, you know what? Because somebody's talking bad about me on Twitter is really not a big deal compared to what Jesus went through. Just to keep it in the proper perspective. But I think it's also what you made the point about when you watch the passion and somebody said, is it good? We do the same thing by calling it Good Friday. Well, is it good? not not completely because what had to happen to save it so we're like yeah it is good because

god's grace won but we also have to look at it from an accountability standpoint that if you believe that god did that for us and we do then you also should feel a little uh about some of the things you've done and it and that's okay i think that's that's healthy i think another picture of that, Jay, is in communion because basically we talk about it being a celebration of what Jesus did, you know, by giving himself for us. And it's in that kind of meal setting. And, of course, it's a lot more ritualized now than it was in the first century. But at the same time, you can't help but self-reflect and look at yourself during that time of communion and say, man, I mean, Jesus did so much for me. I really need to think about what I'm doing,

where I'm going, am I glorifying him? So it's a double. I can't just be celebratory in communion. I'm always more reflecting about what Jesus did and gave up too. I mean, it's just a, to me, it's like a two-edged sword. Yeah. And again, it goes back to the number one principle. How he died, which is what we focus on on this day, was terrible.

But who died is way more important. Yeah. I mean, there's been other people die on a cross. There's probably been other people. You can think of a worse way to die. I mean, not saying a cross is a good one, but of all the schemes around humanity, I'm sure they've come up with, you know, some of Jesus' followers were skinned alive and thrown into bull and oil.

And, I mean, the evil schemes come up with different ways to die. But who Jesus is being innocent, doing this on purpose, knowing this is the way to save us out of love, coupled with the fact that it was a, you know, a government execution pretty much led, all of a sudden you got the recipe for something awesome. You talked about that, kind of the secrecy of it. And again, this is something you don't necessarily read in scripture, but a movie maker could capture. You remember the scene when Jesus dies and it's like a raindrop comes down out of heaven, but it hits the dirt, like almost like a tear of God, you know. And then at that exact moment,

they show the person, the being that had been depicted as Satan in the garden, you know, with Jesus, kind of a snaky looking person. I don't know. They were real weird looking character that was displaying Satan. And this being of Satan just screaming. out like in terror at the moment Jesus dies. And I've always thought that was pretty fascinating. I don't know what really happened. But what a great imagination to think that in the moment Jesus died, Satan thought, oh, no. That's why he came here.

Everything got dark. You know, like that control. It all got dark. Pretty well lights out. You know what? In that moment, my wife and I are completely the same. She's made mistakes. I've made mistakes.

and this is what it took to forgive us. And look, that's everybody on the planet, no matter where you came from, your creed, your color, your mistake. And in the history of the world, we all came together in a moment. And I think that's the power of the cross. I'll close out by saying to our audience,

because I know we've got a lot of young people in the audience, and the passion has been around a few years. And so you may not have watched it yet, but go rent it, download it, go to Fox Nation, they're live streaming it, find it and watch it if you never have. And you'll understand exactly what we're talking about. I highly recommend that you do that.

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