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By
Jon
Nessle
Imagine this: You are out crusin'
in your brand new 300M Car of the Year, keepin' all the
cubic inches crankin', the horsepowers hummin', smooth
as glass, roarin' down the highway. Then you happen to
see a small speck in your rearview mirror. Suddenly,
eeeooOOWWwww, it streaks past and you recognize that
it is the same kind of car you are driving. You think
to yourself, "Gee, I didn't think
my car could do that!" That was Jesus Christ. He was
driving the same model of Chrysler that you have!
Hebrews 2:16-17
For verily he took not on {him the nature of}
angels; but he took on {him} the seed of Abraham.2:17 Wherefore
in all things it behoved [required] him to be made like
unto {his} brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful
high priest in things {pertaining} to God, to make reconciliation
for the sins of the people.
What is the nature of angels? It
is spirit. Hebrews 2:17 says that "in all things
it required him to be made like unto his brethren". Therefore his example
is valid for us. Jesus Christ was perfect and he was sinless,
but he "drove the same model" as we drive. He
was a man of like passions as we.
Hebrews 2:18
For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted,
he is able to succour [help] them that are tempted.
Jesus Christ is the fulcrum of History. More has been
written about him than any other individual, yet he most
likely is the most misunderstood. Many of the beliefs concerning
him even contradict themselves. The Bible encourages us
to follow his example and walk as he walked and think as
he thought. It even says that he is in us who are born
again. However, it is not possible for us to think, walk
and be like him unless we clearly understand some things
about him. That is why the Gospels were written: so we
could see him as he was and begin to understand the example
he set for us to follow.
The following Bible study is a snapshot of one day in
the life of Jesus Christ. All four Gospels cover parts
of this day. When we fit them all together in chronological
order we'll see a vivid, detailed picture of him in action.
We'll be able to feel how he felt. We'll be able to perceive
glimpses of how he thought. And we'll be able to see how
he worked with the Apostles and how God his Father worked
with him. The section begins in Matthew 14 with the account
of the fate of John the Baptist.
Matthew 14:1-13a
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the
fame of Jesus,
2 And said unto his servants, This is John the
Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty
works do shew forth themselves in him.
3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound
him, and put {him} in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother
Philip's wife.
4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for
thee to have her.
5 And when he would have put him to death, he
feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.
6 But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter
of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.
7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give
her whatsoever she would ask.
8 And she, being before instructed of her mother,
said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.
9 And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the
oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded
{it} to be given {her}.
10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.
11 And his head was brought in a charger, and
given to the damsel: and she brought {it} to her mother.
12 And his disciples came, and took up the body,
and buried it, and went and told Jesus.
13 When Jesus heard {of it}, he departed thence
by ship into a desert place apart:
How would you have felt if it was
your cousin who had just suffered such an ignominious
fate? How would you feel if you had known what a wonderful
man of God he was? How would you feel if suddenly, now,
you were the only mature spiritual leader for the true
God left, and now you were alone? And there was no one
else to shoulder the responsibility. All you had left
was twelve newcomers who were still wet behind the ears.
Jesus felt the same way. He needed to get off by himself
for a while to deal with it. He "drove
the same model" as we drive. He had emotions just
like we do. He had to deal with the grief of losing such
a wonderful cousin and coworker as John the Baptist. The
impact of losing such a unique, dynamic and spectacular
man of God as he, who was born with the spirit of God upon
him must have been crushing. Matthew 14:12 says that John's
disciples had brought the news to Jesus, so not only did
he have to deal with his own shock and grief, but that
of John's disciples. It must have been a heartrending situation.
However, that wasn't the only thing that Jesus had to
deal with at the time. The twelve apostles had just returned
from being sent out two by two. They were at the opposite
end of the emotional spectrum. Flushed with success, exuberant
with enthusiasm, they were all coming together to recount
their exciting and unbelievable experiences of wielding
the power of the name of Jesus Christ. We pick up the next
part of the chronology in the Gospel of Mark.
Mark 6:30,32
And the apostles gathered themselves together
unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had
done, and what they had taught.
31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves
apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there
were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so
much as to eat.
32 And they departed into a desert place by
ship privately.
Imagine yourself in this circumstance. What a conflict!
On one hand you have to deal with your own personal grief
and also care for John's heartbroken disciples. On the
other hand is the full-speed-ahead situation with twelve
sky-high apostles which you've been patiently teaching
and now they've had their first real opportunity at practically
applying what they've learned from you. It is so important
to preserve their momentum and continue to build their
confidence, nail down their personal experiences with clear
explanations of the spiritual principles involved, and
show them how to do it even better. There only is a short
period while the experience is still fresh that an instructor
can take advantage of this kind of situation to bring about
the maximum learning impact from it. Jesus had worked so
hard to bring them to this point. He could ill afford to
not take advantage of it. But even that was not all that
was going on. There also were the crowds that followed
Jesus and the new people that the Apostles had brought
back with them. Everything and everyone was coming together
to one focal point: Jesus. It was so busy, so intense,
and there was so much need that they couldn't even get
time to eat! To make sure he didn't lose this precious
opportunity for the Apostles learning and development,
Jesus and the Apostles had to get away from it all for
a while.
Luke 9:10
And the apostles, when they were returned, told
him all that they had done. And he took them, and went
aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city
called Bethsaida.
Jesus and the Apostles somehow extracted themselves from
that situation to get some privacy. They departed by ship
to a spot in the desert on the other side of the sea of
Galilee away from all the activity.
John 6:1
After these things Jesus went over the sea of
Galilee, which is {the sea} of Tiberias.
So now we have "quadravision". All four Gospels
mention elements of this day in the life of Jesus Christ.
Just like those fancy maps on the plastic pages that we
had in our schoolbooks, we can fold over all four pages
representing the four Gospels and look at all of them at
once and see that day in a wonderful, new light. And now
the plot thickens….
Mark 6:33
And the people saw them departing, and many
knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and
outwent them, and came together unto him.
Despite their efforts for privacy, their departure was
detected and word leaked out. Just like Broadway show stars
or Orchestra soloists trying to exit privately out the
back door, they were about to be thronged.
Matthew 14:13b
and when the people had heard {thereof}, they
followed him on foot out of the cities
John 6:2,3
And a great multitude followed him, because
they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.
3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there
he sat with his disciples.
Jesus and the Apostles did get some time together. They
all must have been tired from all the recent intense work
that had to be done. They must have welcomed the time together.
John 6:3 says he sat with them. In light of Biblical culture
that means they spent some time at it. Imagine what they
talked about. Jesus probably got to share his thoughts
about the loss of John the Baptist and what was now ahead.
John's followers needed to be comforted and helped. Plans
had to be made. Things needed to be restructured to incorporate
John's disciples into those who followed Jesus. The Apostles
also needed attention. They probably got to recount some
of the high points of their recent experiences with wielding
the power they'd been given and get the personal attention
from Jesus that was so important to them. But they hadn't
yet gotten enough time with him nor had Jesus gotten the
private time he needed.
John 6:34
And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people,
and was moved with compassion toward them, because they
were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach
them many things.
The Gospel of John says "when he came out".
Maybe they were taking a break from their meeting on the
mountaintop. Jesus went out for a breath of fresh air and
discovered that they had been found. The Gospel of Mark
said that the people had run to get there. That indicates
their desire to be with Jesus. Their needs were still unmet
and the reality of John's death had set in. Jesus now had
to make a decision.
He could have said to them, "Don't you people know
that we came all the way out here to be by ourselves? Don't
you people realize that John was my cousin and I need time
to grive? Go away! Leave us alone! We need to finish making
our plans so we can take care of you!" But instead,
Jesus set aside is own needs and put God first. He decided
to forgo the rest of the meeting with the Apostles and
turned his attention to the people.
Matthew 14:14
And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude,
and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed
their sick.
He was moved with compassion. All
the planning, his own needs and the needs of the Apostles
were set aside. All his thoughts and preparations had
been to deal with the current situation in his ministry
and handle the meeting with the Apostles that he was
just in. But now here he stood before a needy multitude,
alone, with no forethought, willing to step out only
upon his prior conditioning and upon pure believing.
He knew not what was in store but trusted God for supplying
insight, direction and spiritual solutions. John 6 says "he began to teach them many
things." That word "began" emphasizes that
turning point when he set aside everything else and put
himself and the whole situation into the hands of God.
Oh, to have been there to witness it! To see how everything
was about to be reversed. To see how such a crushing blow
by the adversary was going to be absorbed, the galaxy of
emotions experienced and sublimated and then to see Jesus,
those around him and the multitude emerge changed, all
within one day! He stood up alone to lead the way. It began when
he set aside everything to help the weak, heal the sick
and teach the hungry!
But not everyone had realized the significance of this
moment. The Apostles had been sky-high when they came back
from their itineraries and they wanted their time with
the master. They had gotten some private time with him
on the mountain. But then everything changed. Jesus left
them behind and in a moment had turned his attention to
the multitude.
Mark 6:35, 36
And when the day was now far spent, his disciples
came unto him, and said, This is a desert place, and now
the time {is} far passed:
36 Send them away, that they may go into the
country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves
bread: for they have nothing to eat.
"Hey Jesus", they said, "Get rid of them!
They came all the way out here and didn't even think about
bringing something to eat!". That's all they could
see. They didn't recognize its significance. The multitude
had been distraught by John's demise, they forsook preparations
like food and had run out into the desert just for a chance
to be with Jesus. It was that important to them. Jesus
responded with compassion. The Apostles didn't. How can
I lay that at their feet? Because they were hard hearted.
Later on Mark 6:52 says so, and it took weeks for Jesus
to deal with it.
John 6:5
When Jesus then lifted up {his} eyes, and saw
a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence
shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself
knew what he would do.
The phrase "to prove him" says
a lot. Philip must have been the one who needed to be
confronted the most. It is understandable. They had just
experienced tremendous and fascinating things while they
were out two by two. To wield the power to heal in the
name of Jesus Christ is an unforgettable thing, but it
can get to your head. To walk this walk requires great
discipline. There so many ways to err. There are pitfalls
that need to be overcome to even believe that you can
wield the power. But even after getting beyond that point,
there are more subtle things to watch out for after you
are successful. The walk of power is a delicate balance.
The Apostles needed to things back into the proper perspective.
Philip didn't get it yet.
John 6:7-9
Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth
of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of
them may take a little.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's
brother, saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley
loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so
many?
Jesus continued to confront their
incorrect attitudes. He challenged them all, saying to
them, "You give
them something to eat!"
Matthew 14:16-18
But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart;
give ye them to eat.
17 And they say unto him, We have here but five
loaves, and two fishes.
18 He said, Bring them hither to me.
They still did not get his hints that he knew that something
was available. They were not in tune with the spirit because
of their attitudes. They'd looked forward to having Jesus
all to themselves and recounting what they had learned
and what they did and have him answer their questions.
It was a bit selfish. They must have resented that the
people had intruded on their time with the master. After
all, that is why they all had departed privately and taken
a boat across Galilee. Imagine how their jaws dropped when
Jesus made the next move.
Mark 6:39, 40
And he commanded them to make all sit down by
companies upon the green grass.
40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds,
and by fifties.
Now they were committed. The Apostles must have been astonished.
What on earth was he going to do now?
Luke 9:14-17
For they were about five thousand men. And he
said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in
a company.
15 And they did so, and made them all sit down.
16 Then he took the five loaves and the two
fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and
brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.
17 And they did eat, and were all filled: and
there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve
baskets.
Jesus broke off some bread and it grew back! He broke
off some fish and it grew back! Then he handed it to a
disciple who was standing right there and witnessed it
and that disciple distributed it to the people. Imagine
the thoughts of each Apostle as he stood ready to receive
the food and watched it happen. They'd wanted to get rid
of the people. What a lesson!
Matthew 14:19-21
And he commanded the multitude to sit down on
the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes,
and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave
the loaves to {his} disciples, and the disciples to the
multitude.
20 And they did all eat, and were filled [filled
according to their appetite]: and they took up of the fragments
that remained twelve baskets full.
21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand
men, beside women and children.
Imagine how Jesus felt. The adversary had just cut off
John the Baptist, the only other man of God in the world.
Jesus had put God first and instead of turning the people
away, he was moved with compassion and taught them and
believed to heal many of them. And now God had made this
tremendous miracle available. What a slam-dunk right in
the adversary's face! Satan might succeed in stopping the
people of God at one point, but then more will always arise
to take their place! More will arise to be fishers of men
and serve the bread of life.
John 6:10-13
And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there
was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number
about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had
given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the
disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the
fishes as much as they would.
12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples,
Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
13 Therefore they gathered {them} together,
and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five
barley loaves, which remained over and above [abounded]
unto them that had eaten.
Imagine what the people thought
when news of the miracle filtered through the crowd.
The expressions on the disciples' faces as they distributed
the food must have told them something incredible was
occurring. There are so many lessons here. John 6:11
has the phrase "as much as they would".
This is a snapshot of God's provision. God could have stopped
energizing the miracle as soon as everyone had received
a morsel of food, but He didn't. He could have stopped
when everyone had received a nice meal, but He didn't.
He kept it going till everyone was filled according to
their appetite. He could have stopped any time. This is
what is available whenever you pray: an abundant answer,
not a skimpy one!
John 6:14,15a
Then those men, when they had seen the miracle
that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that
should come into the world.
15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they
would come and take him by force, to make him a king,
Suddenly a situation arose that had to be stopped. Jesus
was not going to be a political or military messiah, like
many of the Jews expected the messiah to be. He had to
believe to find a way to stop this without destroying all
the good things and momentum of believing which were present.
Matthew 14:22
And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples
to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other
side, while he sent the multitudes away.
Now, apparently it was time for
the meeting to break up. The multitudes saw the disciples
rushing around getting the boats ready to depart and
had heard Jesus constraining them, "Hurry up! Let's move it!",
so they accepted the fact that they could not have any
more time with Jesus. So they all obediently departed.
Mark 6:45,46
And straightway he constrained his disciples
to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before
unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.
46 And when he had sent them away, he departed
into a mountain to pray.
But as the boats shoved off he didn't get in. Now he was
going to get what he needed, time by himself to think,
plan and pray.
John 6:15b
he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
What a day in the Word! The grief of the multitude had
been turned into astonishment. The way in which it all
was accomplished was brilliant. Satan's crushing blow was
reversed. And now all he could do was have a tantrum and
make the wind blow!
Mark 6:47, 48a
And when even was come, the ship was in the
midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.
48a And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the
wind was contrary unto them:
Now, Jesus was ready for more action. He'd had his time
alone with the Father, to pray, to deal with the reality
John's death and to face what was still ahead. Reflecting
upon the events of the day, he looked out from the mountain
and saw the disciples still rowing far off in the windy
sea. There must have been a full moon that night. But this
incredible day was not over yet. There still was the problem
with those men out there in the boats.
John 6:16-20
And when even was {now} come, his disciples
went down unto the sea,
17 And entered into a ship, and went over the
sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was
not come to them.
18 And the sea arose by reason of a great wind
that blew.
19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty
or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea,
and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.
20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.
How do think he felt when his Father
said, "Son,
how'd you like to walk on some water…" Waters, the
sea or the deep represents the adversary's spirit realm
in the Bible. Now, after the events of this day and because
he put God first when he'd had every right to send the
people away, he gets to walk on top them all.
Mark 6:48b-50
and about the fourth watch of the night [3 AM]
he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have
passed by them.
49 But when they saw him walking upon the sea,
they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:
50 For they all saw him, and were troubled.
And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them,
Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.
Picture this: Jesus was really
into this! He would have passed by them. He was walking
on water! What a gas! Every step he took healed his heartache
over John. Every step he took was walking atop the entire
spirit realm! This wasn't a placid lake either. The sea
of Galilee was treacherous in a storm. Because it was
a small body of water, waves would be coming in from
all directions. Jesus was moving through the watery chaos,
rising high and falling low and would have passed by
the crowd in the boat. Meanwhile, they too were rising
and falling with the raging waters and off in the distance
from time to time as they both were thrust upward, the
full moon illuminated something strange approaching off
in the distance…
Matthew 14:26
And when the disciples saw him walking on the
sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they
cried out for fear.
How wrong could they be! It was Jesus. They were filled
with fear. F.E.A.R is False Evidence Appearing Real. Fear
cheats us out of so many opportunities to learn, chances
to excel and times we could win. Fear caused them to assume
that what they were witnessing was from the devil. How
wrong could they be! It was the Lord.
Matthew 14:27,28
But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying,
Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
14:28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord,
if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
Now from that boat of fear someone arose. It was Peter.
How do you think Jesus must have felt. John the Baptist
was gone, he was the only one left to lead and all he had
left was these twelve blokes who were still wet behind
the ears. Now someone was rising up! Yes, Peter, its available.
Come!
Matthew 14:29
And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down
out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
All Jesus said was one word. That's all that was needed.
Peter got out of the boat, and it says he walked on the
water. How many words would you need before you'd do that?
Matthew 14:30,31
But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was
afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord,
save me.
14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth
{his} hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of
little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
When Peter got out of the boat, he was looking at the
Lord. As he took his first steps he did the same. But then
he got distracted. The raging sea got the best of him and
he lost his confidence and became afraid. Fear cheats us
all out of so many wonderful things. But all we need to
do is look at the Lord and keep God's Word in our minds.
He drove the same model as we do. His example is valid
for us. The Word is the antidote for fear.
By looking at this incredible day through all four Gospels
simultaneously we have seen many wonderful things. But
it is the additional facet of looking at it from the perspective
that Jesus Christ's example is valid for us that really
makes it personal. Realizing how he must have felt after
John's death and seeing how God worked with him to bring
him up out of that casts these familiar events in a new
light. Can't you see him more vividly now? Can you understand
why these wonderful miracles were made available? Can't
you see him? Get out of your boat. Keep your eyes on the
Lord, step over the edge and walk atop your problems, victorious!
You can do it if you keep the Word of the Lord in mind
and don't get distracted by the world.
Matthew14:32,33
And when they were come into the ship, the wind
ceased.
33 Then they that were in the ship came and
worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of
God.
After that the wind ceased. Jesus Christ and Peter had
teamed up to slam dunk it right in the adversary's face
again. Jesus didn't rebuke it, the wind just stopped. Satan
was defeated again.
Mark 6:51
And he went up unto them into the ship; and
the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves
beyond measure, and wondered.
This incident is amazing. But it teaches us a valuable
lesson. We all face seemingly impossible challenges at
times but the Lord will always provide deliverance. This
is literally spelled out in Corinthians.
I Corinthians10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such
as is common to man: but God {is} faithful, who will not
suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will
with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye
may be able to bear {it}.
When we find ourselves in a predicament, we sometimes
think we're a special case, that no one else has ever had
it so bad. That is not true. Our temptations are common
to man. Someone else somewhere has been in the same soup.
But God is faithful. That is tremendous. Not ninety percent
of the time or ninety-nine percent of the time, but one-hundred
percent of the time. God is faithful to provide a way out.
Else, if it were too big for us, God would make sure that
we wouldn't be in the situation. Let's state that another
way. The very fact that you have found yourself in a situation,
in and of itself is sufficient proof that you can be delivered
from it! God is faithful. Deliverance will always be available.
So don't fill your mind with the problem, look for and
then look at the solution! Jesus did it and because his
example is valid for us we can do it too!
John14:12
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth
on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater
{works} than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
This is an amazing promise. If Jesus Christ
did it we can do it too. The key is to believe upon him,
to believe the things he taught us. To receive anything
from God, one must believe. We believe with our heart.
In order for something to become part of our heart we must
dwell upon it in our mind and not be distracted by the
world. That is what God's Word is for. We must find the
promise of God in His Word which spells out our deliverance
and keep it in mind until it becomes part of our heart.
Then to receive it, we act upon it. That is exactly what
Peter did. Jesus gave him one word to act upon and he did
act upon it. He walked on the water. As long as he kept
his eyes on the goal of reaching Jesus, he did fine. But
when the raging contradictions of the world distracted
him, he lost sight of his goal and began to sink. We have
far more than just one word. We have a whole Bible full
of examples and promises. How many promised do you know?
Which promise applies to your situation? Find it. Fill
your mind with it. Forget what the world says and claim
it. Keep acting upon your believing till you receive it.
Jesus Christ's example is valid
because he took not the nature of angels. If he had then
what's the point? It would have just been the "Jesus Show".
Oh, here's some water. Poof! I'll walk on it. Oh, here's
some needs. Poof! They're taken care of. It still would
have been amazing, but would it have been applicable
for us? No. So what. But the Bible says that in all things
he was made like us, his brethren. So it was applicable
for us. Peter followed that example and got results.
So can we.
Hebrews 2:16-17
For verily he took not on {him the nature of}
angels; but he took on {him} the seed of Abraham.
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved [required]
him to be made like unto {his} brethren, that he might
be a merciful and faithful high priest in things {pertaining}
to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
He felt the same kinds of emotions that we do, successfully
dealt with them and blazed the trail that we can walk upon.
He did it. So we can do it too. We drive the same model
he did.
Hebrews 4:15, 16
For we have not an high priest which cannot
be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was
in all points tempted like as {we are, yet} without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne
of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help
in time of need.
We can come boldly at the time of need. Not
when everything is fine and it is easier to expect results,
but when we are in the midst of the situation, when we
are down and more apt to believe that we don't deserve
help. No, it says come boldly in the time of need. So boldly
step out of your boat. Get into the car. Put the pedal
to the metal and eeEEOOWWww! Follow his example, victorious.
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