- [Announcer] The followingprogram is sponsored by CBN.

- [Woman] Coming up...

Remember Holy Week witha 700 Club classic.

- He would see the Roman soldiers,

who would give Him mock salutes.

- [Woman] Sculptor Gil Ameliorecreates the final night

of Jesus.- He knew

what was about to happenwithin a matter of hours.

- [Woman] From the taunts of the soldiers.

- How many of you men have seen

one of these tricks that Jesus has played,

just like Christ?

- [Woman] To the nails on the cross.

- They would drive thesenails in His wrists.

- [Woman] Experience thedeath and resurrection

of Christ.- So that we would be free.

- [Woman] On today's 700 Club.

(dramatic music)

- Well, welcome to thisedition of The 700 Club.

Today is what's known as Maundy Thursday,

and as a part of our Holy Week tradition,

we'll be sharing communion with you,

the members of our audience,

so I invite you right nowto get some bread and wine,

or juice, whatever, soyou can join us later on.

But first, in the news,

an in your face maneuver.

China is pouring hundredsof millions of dollars

into Iran, America's arch enemy.

Well, what does this meanfor the Islamic regime?

And what imminent danger does this pose

for the U.S. and other parts of the world?

Shocking, George Thomas explains.

- First off, the dealmeans China gets to pour

billions of dollars into Iran's banking,

telecommunications, transportation,

and infrastructure sectorsover the next 25 years,

including huge investmentsin nuclear power,

ports, and oil and gas industries.

The cash infusion comingas the Islamic regime

continues to endure the economic strain

of U.S. imposed sanctions,

and looks to China to ease their pain.

- The investment for Iranmeans that China is backing it,

and that is perhaps the mostimportant benefit for Tehran.

It knows that come hell or high water,

Beijing will be behind it.

- [George] In exchange, Iran gives China

a steady supply of oil tofuel its expanding economy.

China imports more than 300,000 barrels

of Iranian oil every day.

This deal gives it evenmore oil at a deep discount.

- Remember, the U.S. hassanctions on purchases

of Iranian oil, and China,for the last year or so,

has been buying it openly inviolation of those sanctions.

This is another indication,

it's sort of an in your face maneuver

on the part of Beijing.

- [George] The partnershipmeans the Communist government

now has a strategic foothold in a region

historically dominated by U.S. influence.

- The Chinese are solidifyingeconomic relationships,

not just with the Iranians,

but across the Gulf as well,

and I think most importantly,

they are looking to usethe Iranians as a pawn

in the larger game ofstrategic competition

against the west, and inparticular against the Americas.

- [George] The agreementcalls for closer military ties

and more intelligence sharing.

(gunshots and yelling)

Experts warn the new China-Iran axis

could mean potentially more money

to fund the Islamic regime's proxy forces

in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq,

and further destabilize the Middle East.

- Because it gives Iran backing,

undermines every other country'sdiplomacy in the region.

This is going to be a problemnot only for Washington,

but also for Jerusalem.

It's going to be a problemfor the Sunni-Arab states.

- [George] Xiyue Wang, a Chinese American,

spent 40 months in an Iranian prison

on alleged spy charges,gaining his freedom

in a prisoner swap in 2019.

He says the China-Iran deal

is likely to force theBiden administration

to give up more concessions

as it seeks to rejointhe 2015 Nuclear Deal

forged by President Obama,

and scrapped by President Trump.

There is talk of a newproposal for Tehran,

with possible sanctionsrelief in coming weeks.

- The Biden administration's eagerness

to reengage Iran is creating

a conducive environmentfor China to entrench

its influence and interests in Iran,

and then if China can do that,

other countries in the Middle East

would be compelled towork with China closer.

- [George] As America pivots to Asia

to confront Beijing's rise,

it leaves a potentialvacuum in the Middle East

that has global powerslike China and others

only too happy to fill.

- China, as well as Russia,are looking to capitalize

on vacuums that the U.S. may leave,

whether it's in the Levantor in the Persian Gulf,

and use their military relationships,

their economic relationships,

and their political relationships

to offset what they perceiveto be declining U.S. power.

- [George] George Thomas, CBN News.

- You know, folks, there was a time

that I looked very hopefully to China.

I thought China was gonna be the largest

Christian nation on the face of the Earth.

Things were moving in that direction.

The Chinese are wonderful people,

and suddenly this Xi Jinping took over,

and it's a totalitarian dictatorship,

and it's not just China.

It used to be they calledit the Middle Kingdom,

but he wants to take hegemonyover the entire Earth,

and he's a major, majorfigure in challenge

to the United States.

His total goal now is tosurpass the United States

in terms of economic power,

in terms of military power,

and do we have theability to confront him?

He's gonna confront us in terms of Taiwan.

He's gonna confront usin the Middle East now.

He's gonna confront us interms of the South China Sea.

He's gonna confront usin everything he does,

including nuclear weapons,

and it's a dangerous world.

If there was ever a timeto seek God in prayer,

we're going to bechallenged by the Iranians,

by the North Koreans, by the Turks,

and the Chinese, the Russians.

They all now hate America,

and they want to destroy the freedom

that you and I enjoy.

It's not a pleasant scenario,

and we better do some praying on this one.

Well, in other news,tossed into the river,

dropped from the top of the wall,

targeted for sex, littlechildren and teenagers

are suffering horrific abuse

in the escalating catastrophe

that's taking place at our border.

John Jessup has more on that story

from the CBN News Bureau in Washington.

Here's John.

- Pat, as we have beenseeing for weeks now,

thousands of children aremaking the journey alone.

New video shows some ofthe horrors they're facing,

both at the hands of smugglers

and at the crowded conditions

they're enduring in U.S.detention facilities.

Heather Sells reports.

- This Border Patrol video shows smugglers

dropping two sisters, ages three and five,

over a 14-foot border wall,

leaving them in the middleof the New Mexico desert

in the middle of the night.

Agents rescued the girls,taking them to a local hospital

for a checkup.

The girls are just two in a sea of 18,000

unaccompanied migrantchildren in U.S. custody.

Border Patrol agentssay many have suffered

unimaginable atrocities atthe hands of drug cartels

and smugglers.

- As I got closer to her, Inoticed that she couldn't speak.

And I asked the medicalstaff what happened,

and the reason she wasgoing to the hospital

because she had gotten gang raped,

and the reason that she couldn't speak

was because she had losther voice in the process

while she was getting raped.

- [Heather] Texas Rangers say they rescued

a six-month-old baby girl,

who was thrown intothe river by smugglers.

This, just days after anine-year-old girl lost her life

trying to cross the river.

This week the Bidenadministration allowed journalists

to access its main holding center.

Here, 500 children occupyrooms meant for 32.

- We're starting to seeyounger and younger kids

being brought over by their sponsors,

by relatives, by grandparents,

whoever it is in the family

that is actually asking for these kids

and paying the fees to smuggle these kids

into the country.

- [Heather] In this facilitythey're forced to sleep

on cold floors with foil blankets.

- This is a reflection ofthe desperation you see

in parts of Central America.

- [Heather] Migration expert Andrew Selee

says poverty, made worse by two hurricanes

has led parents to sendtheir kids on alone,

knowing the Biden administrationwill hear their cases.

Many teenagers are comingto escape violence.

- There are other alternatives

to be pressed into service in a gang,

or if they're girls,sometimes they're to be

pressed into service as agirlfriend of a gang member,

and if you don't want that life,

and you want to be ableto help your family,

sometimes heading up to the border,

as dangerous as that is,and as scary as that is,

is a better option.

- [Heather] Heather Sells, CBN News.

- Thanks, Heather.

Pat, clearly an overwhelmed system here.

- You know, folks, it breaks our hearts

to see this going on.

I know there's trouble in Latin America,

but it's not that much trouble.

I mean, these people need to be helped,

and if we want to help them,

possibly a major

entrepreneurship project,

a major relief project in their country

would be the way to go,

but we cannot allow themto just invade our country.

It's hurting them andit's certainly hurting us,

and for the laboring people in America,

they're gonna take your jobs away,

and they're gonna geteducation that, a lot of times,

is being denied our own children.

I mean, there are badthings happening to us

because of this invasion,

and now they're being bused

into the other parts ofAmerica, not just on the border,

but into the central parts of our country,

and not to mention the COVID infection

and all the rest of it,

but we've got to stop it,

and the Biden administrationseems to be just

incapable of stopping it,

or somehow they don't want to stop it,

but they will not acknowledge the fact

that Donald Trump did some good things

while he was President,

and so they want tosay we're gonna reverse

everything he did,whatever the consequence.

John.

- Pat, right here in Washington,

where lawmakers are considering

the multi-trillion dollarinfrastructure plan

the President laid out Thursday,

Mr. Biden detailed the costs

and how he plans to pay for it.

CBN White House correspondentEric Philips explains.

- This infrastructure planis already facing opposition

all the way around, fromthe left, center, and right.

Still, the President isforging ahead on a plan

that his administration says cannot wait.

- It's a once in a generationinvestment in America,

unlike anything we've seen or done

since we built theinterstate highway system

and the space race decades ago.

- [Eric] In blue-collar Pittsburgh,

the President made his pitch

for the American Jobs Plan.

- I'll begin with the heart of the plan.

It modernizes transportationinfrastructure,

our roads, our bridges, our airports.

- [Eric] Key items includereplacing lead piping

across the country, 5000 charging stations

for electric cars, improvingthe nation's power grid,

and a focus on research and development.

- Markets like battery technology,

biotechnology, computer chips,

clean energy, in competitionwith China in particular.

- [Eric] In the process,the President says,

putting Americans towork on good paying jobs.

- Not a contract willgo out that I control

that will not go to a company

that is an American company,

with American products,

all the way down the line,and American workers.

- [Eric] The price tag, about $2 trillion

spread over eight years.

The Biden payment plan,tax increases for those

making more than $400,000 ayear as well as businesses.

- This is not to target those who made--

Not to seek retribution.

This is about openingopportunities for everybody else.

We're gonna raise the corporate tax.

No one should be ableto complain about that.

It's still lower than what that rate was

between World War II and 2017.

- [Eric] The President alsowants to close loopholes

that allow Fortune 500companies to escape paying taxes

and eliminate deductions for corporations

that takes job overseas.

- It's honest, it's fiscally responsible.

- This is really a Green NewDeal through a back door.

- [Eric] Joel Griffith, withthe Heritage Foundation,

says not only will theplan hurt the economy,

it won't deliver what Biden is selling.

- The vast majority ofthis is really diplomat--

A socialist far left agenda.

Buried within this plan are actually

hundreds of billions of dollars

to reorient our entire energy system.

- A group of top Republicanshas come together

to form a coalition to push back against

what they say would beunavoidable tax hikes.

Meanwhile, the President is set to hold

his first cabinet meeting today,

one day after one of the biggest speeches

in his first 100 days of office.

In Washington, Eric Philips, CBN News.

- Thanks Eric.

Pat, with such a hefty price tag,

it'll be a hefty lift to get that to pass.

- The left doesn't understand economics.

It's just too bad.

They just want to soak the rich,

and they want to reward their own people,

and they want to reorient the society,

but if they raise thecorporate income tax,

he wants to raise it up now,

it'll be probably thehighest in the world,

it'll even be higherthan China of all places,

and we're in the death knell

of a competition with people like China,

and the Biden administrationwants to cripple

our corporations in the nameof quote "tax fairness."

And you know, the UnitedStates corporate income tax

was one of the highest in the world.

It was brought back andsuddenly our corporations

are much more competitive.

That means they hire more people,

they buy more goods,

they have more productive activities,

but if the money's beingsoaked up by taxation,

then they don't have it,and if they can't compete--

I mean, if we're sellingin the global market

and our corporationscan't compete with prices,

then somebody else isgoing to take the business.

It's just that simple.

I mean, you know, it's notlike it's a closed system

we're working in.

There's a global market,market for stocks,

market for steel, market for cars,

market for airplanes,market for everything we do,

and if our corporations can't compete

because of burdensome taxes,

who do the Biden peoplethink is gonna pay the bills?

They can't hire workers,they can't buy goods,

so the economy stagnates.

Well, that's what you got, folks.

I don't know who put him in,

but I must confess, it wasn't me.

Terry.(chuckling)

- Well, up next, bringinga giant back to life.

See the massive restorationproject that's saving

a historic church's pipe organ.

How is the sound beingelevated up to Heaven?

Stay tuned, you'll find out.

And then later, the passion of the Christ

as told through a sculptor's hands.

You don't want to missthis master artist at work.

Plus, we're gonna besharing communion together,

so be sure to get some juice and bread

so you'll be ready to join with us.

(dramatic upbeat music)

(soft dramatic music)

- Well, here's one for you,

a white pastor pastoring a black flock.

That's what Father JimCurran calls himself.

Father Jim is the priest of the only

African-American basilicain the United States.

This historic church is now undergoing

a multi-million dollar renovation

that includes bringing new life

to a pre-Civil War pipe organ.

So why is this majestic organ described

as a cherished friend?

Well, Mark Martin has that.

- [Mark] This towering treasure

has looked over theheart of downtown Norfolk

for 162 years.

A major reason the Basilica of St. Mary

of the Immaculate Conception still stands

is because of the compassion of donors.

- Incredibly generous people,

and you know, it was also very affirming

that the importance of this church

to the city of Norfolk,

everybody seemed to care about it.

It has stood in this spot since 1858.

- [Mark] Another key historic note,

this is the only African-Americanbasilica in the country.

Father Jim Curran calls himself quote,

"A white pastor pastoring a black flock,"

something he tells CBNNews is not an issue.

- And they have accepted me and loved me,

and really formed me

in so many ways in my faith.

That's the real beauty.

This is gorgeous too.

- [Mark] Father Jim sayswhat started six years ago

as a leaky roof repair

exposed greater problems.

The entire structure was compromised

due to rotted out support beams.

It led to a restoration effort

that's grown into an almost$7 million renovation project.

- The Lord saw it through andHe gave us what we needed,

and enough so much that wecould even include the organ,

which again, was not part of our plan,

but we had it, so we decided to restore

that beautiful organ thathasn't been played in decades.

- [Mark] The majestic pipeorgan is the original instrument

believed to have been built in 1858.

Former organist, Dr. Brandon Spence

calls the organ an old friend,

and says it's a blessingto be able to play

the pre-Civil War instrument.

- Not everyone has accessto an instrument like this,

with its history and thebeautiful sound that it makes,

and just so many things.

I don't know that there's enough time

for me to adequately describe

what it's like to just be here again

and to have played it in the past

and still be associated with it.

- [Mark] Spence sat downand played it late last year

for the first time in more than 40 years.

- I was a kid when Iwas playing this before,

and it's like getting reacquainted.

It was actually like coming home.

When I was here, I spentmost of my time here.

I would come in early inthe morning, late at night,

or after classes to practice here,

so a tremendous amountof my life was spent

not just working with the instrument,

but in being a musician,

learning from all that thisinstrument had to teach me here.

So it's like greeting a very dear friend,

a cherished friend.

- [Mark] Spence showed my crew and me

the capabilities of the organ,

and then introduced me personallyto his cherished friend.

(organ playing)

It's remarkable that aninstrument of this age

is intact and playable.

The case that the organsits in is 36 feet high,

and it has around 2200 pipes.

- And to see the tears of the faces

of parishioners when they heard it.

They haven't heard it in decades,

and they come in to this beautiful church

and they can hear the beautiful sound,

and it was just so complete.

I cannot imagine whatit's gonna sound like

when we have the fullcapability of that organ.

It's just going to elevateall the way to Heaven.

It's just incredible.

- [Mark] The restoration ofthe organ is 30% complete.

To finish it, FatherJim says it will require

another capital campaignto raise a million dollars,

with the goal of completingit in two to three years.

Pope John Paul II gave St. Mary's

the special designationminor basilica in 1991,

making it the only one in Virginia.

Spence says it helpedencourage black Catholics

and show them the churchcherishes their involvement,

and this massive pipeorgan in their midst,

full of history and sound

can also be inspiring.

- You know, it's all apart of prayer and praise,

and thanks to God, you know,

so don't come to justlook at an instrument.

It's much of the intimate connection

with people who come and worship here

and who have, for acentury and a half now,

so it's not a museum piece.

It's something living.

I guess our liturgiesare prayers of the church

throughout history, and this organ,

it certainly is very much a part of that.

- [Mark] Mark Martin, CBNNews, Norfolk, Virginia.

- Isn't that amazing?

They're playing Jesu, Joy ofMan's Desiring at the end.

I mean, it's beautiful.

- It's quite a place.

The basilica's gorgeous.- It's lovely.

- Wow.- Yeah.

- Well up next, a younggirl watches Superbook

right before the COVID lockdowns.

How did what she learned from that show

help her family get through the pandemic?

And then later on, the700 Club Easter classic.

Watch as Gil Amelio tells the story

of Christ's final hoursthrough a lump of clay.

(upbeat music)

(soft upbeat music)

Like most children, Linahad lots of questions,

especially about God,

but no one in her Buddhistfamily had any answers,

so who told Lina what she wanted to know,

and when COVID-19 hit her village,

who helped her and her family survive?

She's gonna tell you herself, just watch.

- [Reporter] 10-year-oldLina and her brother

are being raised by their grandmother.

Lina's mom works far fromhome to support them.

Until recently, they wereall practicing Buddhists.

- [Translator] I worshipthe idols with my grandma.

I burn incense and prayto my ancestor who died.

- [Reporter] But even as shetook part in the ceremonies,

Lina had questions.

- [Translator] I alwayswondered if God is real,

why can't I see him?

Where does he live?

- [Reporter] One day, beforethe COVID-19 pandemic,

Lina and her brother wereinvited to watch CBN's Superbook.

- [Translator] The storythat really touched my heart

was the story about Moses.

With help from God, he separatedthe sea into two parts.

It was an amazing story,

so I started to believe that God is good,

and helps people when they ask.

- [Reporter] After watching the story,

Lina prayed with a teacherto become a Christian.

- [Translator] Every morningI pray for my brother

and our friends to receivethe good news about Jesus.

- [Reporter] As the COVIDpandemic worsened in Cambodia,

the economic downturn madeit hard for Lina's grandma

to provide food for the grandkids,

so Lina prayed and askedJesus to help them.

- [Translator] That'swhen Orphan's Promise come

with food packs and rice for us.

Now I know for sure thatGod heard my prayer.

- [Reporter] This isLina's grandmother, Ree.

- [Translator] Thank Godyou helped my grandchildren.

Now because of Lina, Ibelieve in Jesus too.

- [Translator] Thanks toyou, God used Superbook

to bring the good news to us.

(giggles)

- Superbook, it's bringingthe stories of the Bible

to children just likeLina all around the world.

When you join the Superbook Club,

we want to send you three DVD copies

of the latest episode.

You'll also get instantstreaming access to that episode

and all the ones fromseason one through five.

Doubting Thomas, thenewest release is perfect

for the Easter season.

You can join today, and we'll send you

three copies of Doubting Thomas,

and as an Easter bonus,you'll also receive

two additional episodes, TheLast Supper and He is Risen.

That's five DVDs, all yoursfor a recurring gift of $25,

so be sure to go to CBN.com,

or you can call ourtoll-free number and join.

It's 1-800-700-7000.

But join the Superbook Club today,

because you are bringing the good news,

the message of God's love tochildren all around the world.

Well, still ahead, weinvite you and your family

to join us for a specialcommunion service,

but first, the face of Christ comes alive

in a powerful work of art.

You don't want to missthis moving performance

by sculptor Gil Amelio.

Stay tuned, we'll be right back.

(soft music)

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- Welcome back to Washingtonfor this CBN News Break.

Tomorrow is Good Friday, andCBN is excited to let you know

about a special serviceon the CBN News Channel.

It's the Good Friday Worldwide Broadcast.

Pulse Ministry createdthe service last year

because churches couldn'tmeet due to the pandemic.

It reached 115 million homesin 120 different countries.

Pulse's Nick Hall tells CBN News

it's gonna be even bigger this year.

- This year's program isgoing into 39 languages.

It's literally going around the globe.

Last year we saw over 120,000 people

respond to the gospel.

We believe this year itcould be double that.

- [John] The event featuresguests Francis Chan,

Ebony Small, for King & Country,

Michael W. Smith, TashaCobbs, and Kari Jobe.

You can watch it on the CBN News Channel,

and across all ourplatforms on Good Friday

and throughout Easter weekend.

Simply go to CBNNews.comfor times and dates.

Well, a time honoredtradition at the White House,

just in time for Easter.

The American Egg Board unveiled the 2021

First Lady's Commemorative Egg.

This year's design featuresan image of the White House

and D.C's cherry blossoms,

and while eggs are a cornerstone

of Easter and Passover celebrations,

egg farmers wanted to makesure everyone has access

to their great nutritional value,

pledging to donate morethan 90 million eggs

to food banks across the country.

Well, you can always getthe latest from CBN News

by going to our website at CBNNews.com.

Pat and Terry will be backwith more of The 700 Club

right after this.

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- The night Jesus was betrayed,

he and his disciplesgathered in an upper room

to celebrate the Jewish Passover.

In a few minutes, togetherwe're going to commemorate

that Last Supper bysharing communion together,

but first we're going towatch a dramatic portrayal

of the sacrifice ofChrist's body and blood.

It's told by the late sculptor Gil Amelio

through an image of Christ

called The Face of Christ.

- In the beginning was the word,

and the word was withGod, and the word was God.

And the word became fleshand dwelled among us,

and we beheld His glory,

that glory as of the onlybegotten of the Father,

full of grace and truth.

Words like these have been the words

that have inspired the artistup through the centuries

to portray the face of Christ.

Let's go back into some ofthat history and scripture

as the artist speaksabout our Lord and Savior,

Jesus Christ.

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The early Byzantine appearance was long

and rather ugly, and yet the early artist

was inspired by the words of Isaiah,

where Isaish spoke about thesuffering servant to come.

In his 52nd chapter, Isaiah said

that this suffering servant, this Messiah,

would suffer a beating

so that His form would be marred

more than all the sons of men,

and then in his 53rd chapter,

and even now in the 1stand early centuries,

we see the split Nazarene beard,

the 53rd chapter spoke about

the despised man, abject among men,

a man of sorrow, as He would be,

as if it were a root

that would not bear fruit through the seed

that was planted upon it ordropped upon a dry ground.

There would be nothingabout His appearance

that would make us desirous of Him.

If you can imagine thewords prophesied by Isaiah,

this Jesus would eventuallywould be beaten and battered

so that we couldn'trecognize Him any longer,

and these are the verybasic scriptural pieces

that inspired the early Byzantine artist.

Let's now move further tocapture the Eastern appearance

where it really began.

(orchestral music)

(orchestral music continues)

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And so we see these long features.

Holding there for a minute,let's jump the gap in centuries

and move from the 1stthrough the 11th century

to the Renaissance

and see the appearancethat we generally accept

as the face of Christ.

(dramatic orchestral music)

(dramatic orchestral music continues)

(dramatic orchestral music continues)

(dramatic orchestral music continues)

(dramatic orchestral music continues)

(dramatic orchestral music continues)

So we see the warmer appearanceof the face of Christ,

the beard remaining the samefrom the very 1st century.

What were the words thatnow move this artist?

We can explain thatthrough three paintings,

The Agony in the Garden,

The Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem,

and the ConfrontationBefore the Roman Soldiers.

Remember when the soldierstook His clothing off,

and placed about Him the gorgeous robes

of a king.

They would make sport of Him,

and they would place thispurple robe about Jesus,

who claimed to be the king of the Jews,

and they would make fun of Him,

and then they gave Him a scepter.

But before we go into that painting,

let's look at the other two.

Recently, most of the Christian world

celebrated Palm Sunday,

where Jesus rode into town

on a donkey that hadn'tbeen ridden before,

according to prophecy.

Jesus, as He would rideinto those narrow streets

of Jerusalem, a place thatany tactician would advise

He shouldn't have been at that time,

people would throw palmleaves at His feet,

and as He made his waythrough the narrow crowds,

He would not only hear hosannas,

blessed is he who comesin the name of the Lord,

and the higher acclamation hosanna,

in the highest, blessed is he who comes

in the name of the Lord,

but those others who didnot believe Him as Jesus,

He would see the Roman soldiers

who would give Him mock salutes,

and Jesus would answer that from the tree,

and as He made his way through,

He would hear that beautiful prayer

in His own language, and inHebrew as we understand it,

the Shema, and thosepeople would shout to Him,

"Rabbuni, Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu,

"Adonai Echad,"

Hear O Israel, the Lord our God,

the Lord is one.

Jesus would ride intoand through that crowd,

and then claims the temple.

In the other painting, Jesusin The Agony in the Garden,

we read about it in Luke 22:44.

As Jesus was in that garden,

He knew what was about tohappen within a matter of hours.

This Jesus, born of a woman, as any man

or woman is,

eight days after hisbirth, he would shed blood,

according to the custom of his parents,

but Jesus was born to die,

and in that scene, wesee Jesus lying there,

and then praying on a rock.

Some of the apostles werenot awake at that time,

and as He sweat, Luke,the physician, tells us

after the fact, after hehad gathered the evidence,

Luke wasn't there at that time,

that His sweat turned intogiant droplets of blood.

And that's when He began to die medically.

Jesus would then lookup into a beam of light,

and the artist Hofmannportrays this scene,

and Jesus would say to the Father,

"Let this cup pass, letme out of this moment,

"but let not my will be done, but Thine."

And the artist can relate to Him

because Jesus prayed that prayer,

and even after that prayer,

He could hear the tinker of armor

as one of His own would bring the soldiers

to arrest Him and giveHim the kiss of death.

And then, in that giant painting,

the confrontation scenebefore the Roman soldiers,

we can see the Centurion,

the commander of the guard.

We're told about it in scripture

that it was known as a cohort.

Jesus at the cohort, a battalion of men,

900, a thousand, 1200 men,

and coming off his horse, the commander

would make sport of Him,

and he would place a blindfoldaround the eyes of Jesus.

After all, he heard aboutthese great tricks and miracles

He had performed, and allhe had to do at that time

was to prove and convince the cohort,

the Roman soldiers, and soin front of his own men,

he would ask Jesus to play a trick.

Come on, Christ, you know,you've been around Judea.

You've heard about all these prophets

who heal people of leprosy

and then a month later or something,

the leprosy comes back.

Are you one of those prophets, Christ?

Tell my men because we haven'tseen these great tricks.

How many of you men haveseen one of these tricks

that the Jesus haveplayed just like Christ?

None of them, nor I.

Come on, Christ, how was it?

You're a young man.

You're not like the rest of us.

You know, Christ, youdon't have to go to Herod

and be a politician.

Tell us about that blindman along the road.

They tell us that when he was there,

you actually healed him.

How did that go, Christ?

Hey, Christ, can you seethrough that blindfold?

Come on Christ, if you're the king,

you can see through a mere blindfold.

On this side, Christ,

who was it that spit on thee?

Was it me, one of my men, six of them,

how many of them are here, Christ?

Thy reed, oh king, can you see thy reed?

Which way do I hold it, oh Christ,

straight up and down, cross way?

Come on, Christ, speak to us.

Play some kind of a trick.

Look through the blindfold.

On this side, Christ, who smote thee here?

And on that side, and on that side,

can't you see througha mere piece of cloth?

And this foolishness would go on.

But Jesus didn't say one word,

and they would remove theblindfold and let Him go.

We'll see your own will do,

and they would release Himto the mob at the Praetorium.

At that time, they wouldfashion a crown of thorns,

and then according to law and custom,

Jesus would be scourged.

Paul spoke about the stripes,

40 stripes minus one,according to the law.

In this setting, would thesoldiers actually count the 39.

Jesus then would be delivered up.

He would carry that crosssome eight, 900 yards

to Golgotha, the Hill of Skull, Calvary,

and when they got Him there,

they would crown Himwith a crown of thorns,

and they would crucify Him.

Oh, the Persians invented it,

but the Roman soldierswere quite expert at this,

and so then we see thesescenes through paintings.

We're referred back to it in scripture,

Jesus fulfilling every iota of prophecy.

(orchestral music)

(orchestral music continues)

(orchestral music continues)

They would then take Him

in this condition,

they would place Him on a cross.

They would fix Him with nails

in a special area in the wrist.

They would drive thesenails in His wrists,

one down below on a footoverlapping the other,

and Jesus didn't stand on the cross

as some art would have it,like some kind of a king.

Jesus, the man, total man,

minus one thing that we are all heir to,

He didn't sin, and on that cross,

they wondered about this one.

He couldn't exhale His air,

and at that particularmoment Jesus would look up

into the Heavens and they became dark.

He couldn't see the Fatheranymore, and He would rise,

trying to exhale Hisair, in this condition.

And they could hear Him.

(gasping and moaning)

Jesus would rise onthat fulcrum down below.

(gasping)

Father.

Forgive them, for theyknow not what they do.

And then the night guard,

even then He could have been tempted.

Come down, Christ,

you don't have to go through with this.

He would hear the adversary, Satan,

spoken about in Isaiah 14:14.

Jesus would rise again, and then He knew

the Father wasn't there.

And in His humanity, He didn'tturn divinity on and off.

Jesus would look up and shout something

that they didn't quite understand.

"Eloi Eloi

"Lama sabachthani,"

My God, my God,

"Why has thou forsaken me?"

And at the very end Jesus would say,

"But into Thy hands,

"I commend my spirit," and He would die.

But Jesus, as He promised,came back on the third day.

Not to be Jesus, the crucified,

but Jesus Christ, theking, as He said He would,

raising Lazarus from the dead,

healing a woman, healinga blind man, nothing.

Jesus came back, and He saidHe would come back again

a second time.

Are we living as if we whocall ourselves Christians,

as if we believe this?

That Jesus had to die this death

and the Father would let Him go,

as He did Ephraim.

You are so bent on leaving,He said in Isaiah 10,

that I must let you go,

and Jesus, the lamb, took upon himself

all the sins of men

so that we would be free under grace.

If the world of art gives us nothing more

than to think about these matters,

it will have achieved its grandest goal.

- He suffered for you and for me,

and like it or not, it was my sin,

your sin that put Him on the cross,

'cause He bore the sins of many.

He took our sin upon himself,

the son of God,

and that's what Easter's all about,

is that He didn't just die, He rose again,

but He paid the price for my sin.

He's my Savior, and I thank God for Him,

because He set me free from sin and death,

and so on this particular special time,

I ask you right now,

have you received Him?

Will you accept the sacrificethat He made for you?

Should He die in vain?

Would you turn down a gift

of such magnitude?

You see, He died for you,

and He died for me,

and I want to pray with you right now,

wherever you are.

Don't touch the dial, just hold steady.

If you don't know Him, Iwant you to say this prayer

on this special occasion,

as we look forward to this Easter time.

I want you to bow your head,

and I want you to praywith me these words.

Lord Jesus Christ, that's right,

I am a sinner.

That's right, say it, I am a sinner.

I haven't lived for You,

and Lord, it was my sin

that nailed You to the cross,

and right now Lord, I repent of my sin,

and I ask You to come into my heart.

Live Your life in me, be my Savior,

and from this moment on,

I am yours, and thankYou that You are mine,

and I receive You, Lord,

as my Savior and as the Lord of my life.

From this moment on, I am yours.

Thank you, Lord, amen.

Now if you prayed with me just then,

I want to give you somethingthat I think will bless you.

It's a little booklet.

We've had it out for some time now,

but I went into our audio studio,

and I did a teachingabout 72 or three minutes

of intense teaching aboutwhat happens to you,

what it means to have an exchanged life,

what it means to have your sins forgiven,

what it means to be born again,

what it means to be anew creature in Christ,

and what happens if youfall away from time to time,

you commit an act of sin.

How do you get forgiveness?

It's all here,

and we even talk about the time

He's gonna come back again,

and I'll give this to you free.

No money involved.

But if you prayed with me,

I want you to just go toyour telephone and call in.

1-800-700-7000.

It's easy to remember.

Just say look, I prayed with Pat.

I gave my heart to the Lord.

Telephone operators areon the phones right now

waiting for your call,

and we'll send this to you as our gift,

but no money involved.

We're not talking about money,

we're talking about your salvation.

1-800-700-7000.

Now, there's something elsethat I want to do for us today.

The Bible says that on the nightbefore Jesus was crucified,

He met with His disciples

in an upper room

to celebrate the Jewish Passover,

and He said to them,

I am coming before you right now,

and we're going to havethe Passover together,

so right now, I want youto share with Terry and me

the bread and the wine, and the--

The Bible says that after they had supped,

He took bread, and He broke it,

and He says this bread is the new--

Is the bread of my body

that is broken for you.

This do as oft as you eatit in remembrance of me.

And so right now, we will share--

This bread, is my body

broken for you.

This do a oft as you eat it

in remembrance of me.

And the Bible says in like manner,

after they had supped,

He took the cup, and He says this cup

is the New Testament in my blood,

the new covenant, notlike the old covenant

that was sealed by theblood of bulls and goats,

but by the blood of the Lord Jesus.

This is the new covenant

that He died once, He died for your sins,

and this is a new covenant in His blood.

He takes away the powerof the old covenant,

the power of ordinances thathave been written against you,

and He substituted, by His power,

His blood, because He died for you,

and he says when as oft--

The Apostle Paul said asoft as you eat this bread,

and you drink this cup, youshow forth the Lord's death

'til He come, so the newcovenant in His blood.

Drink ye, all of it.

And then, the Bible says

that well--

When they had summoned him, they went out

and our Power Minute todaycomes from 2 Corinthians,

"For though He was crucified in weakness,

"yet He lives by the power of God."

And we leave you this song from the city,

the Church of the City,

and they sang a hymn, and they went out,

and this is the song He Lives.

(soft music)

(upbeat music)

♪ See the tomb where He laid ♪

♪ See the stone rolled away ♪

♪ He is risen, He is risen ♪

♪ He's alive ♪

♪ See His hands, see His feet ♪

♪ Touch his scars and believe ♪

♪ He is risen, He is risen ♪

♪ He's alive ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ He's alive ♪

♪ He lives ♪

♪ All honor and power ♪

♪ Are His ♪

♪ All glory ♪

♪ Forever amen ♪

♪ Jesus lives ♪

♪ Hear the shackles breaking free ♪

♪ Hear the song of the redeemed ♪

♪ He is moving, He is moving ♪

♪ He's alive ♪

♪ Oh, so take this freedom ♪