Love God | Understand Yourself | Serve Others

Mark 15:42-47 (New International Version)
It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

How heartbreaking. “The body.” To the disciples, to the people, to Joseph of Arimethea, that is all that Jesus is now: “the body.” The Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate “gave the body to Joseph.” Joseph has the body removed from the cross, and has it carried to the tomb where the body will be laid down for eternity. After all that has happened, after all that Jesus has done… this is how it ends: “the body.”

Why is it that time goes by so quickly during the happy times in our lives, but drags by so slowly during the difficult hours? The moments we would like to go on forever pass by in a blink, and the painful times linger and linger, and linger.

I imagine that the time following the finality of their Messiah’s excruciating death must have been a heart-breaking experience for the disciples. Jesus’ body had been placed in the tomb, which his followers couldn’t even visit because it was the Sabbath. So they sat, and they mourned. They were full of fear: if the authorities would crucify Jesus, perhaps they were next! Now that Jesus was gone, where was their hope?

Life, it must have seemed, was over.

Questions:
When have you felt hopeless, helpless, and afraid?

Luke 23:39-43 (English Standard Version)
One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Jesus has been mocked by Herod and his soldiers. He has been sentenced to death by Pilate, even though Pilate declared, “I find no basis for a charge against him.” Jesus has been stripped of his clothing, beaten, mocked again, and now hangs on a cross between two criminals, one of whom ridicules Jesus.

The criminal on the other side of Jesus, though, looks at Jesus and asks him to remember him when he enters his kingdom.

“What kingdom?” those standing around the crosses might have wondered. This man Jesus was about to die! What kingdom would he ever rule?

The second criminal somehow understood what the first did not: Jesus’ kingdom is not of temporary earth, but of eternal heaven. And Jesus promises him that this very day he will be with Jesus in Paradise.

Questions:
What does it mean to you to worship the King of Heaven?

John 18:33-38 (Today’s New International Version)
Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus asked, “Is that your own idea, or did others talk to you about me?” Pilate replied, “Am I a Jew? Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” Pilate said, “You are a king, then!” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Pilate retorted, “What is truth?” With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.” 

Pontius Pilate asks Jesus, “What is truth?” The two main words translated as “truth” in the Bible are ’emeth (in Hebrew) and aletheia (Greek). ‘Emeth means truth, but it also implies “firmness, faithfulness, reliability.” Aletheia involves “certainty, validity, true-to-fact statements, truthfulness, uprightness, fidelity.”*

Jesus is all of the above. Every word he has spoken, every action has taken, every gesture of compassion, every word of wisdom has radiated truth. A few chapters before this, Jesus had told his followers that “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

God is honest and authentic. God is consistent and reliable. God is trustworthy and unchanging in faithfulness. God is true and loving and real.

That is a God I want to follow!

Questions:
What do you recognize as “truth” in your life?

* Hebrew translation from the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Greek translation from the Analytical Greek New Testament.

Luke 23:8-12 (The Message)
Herod was delighted when Jesus showed up. He had wanted for a long time to see him, he’d heard so much about him. He hoped to see him do something spectacular. He peppered him with questions. Jesus didn’t answer — not one word. But the high priests and religion scholars were right there, saying their piece, strident and shrill in their accusations. Mightily offended, Herod turned on Jesus. His soldiers joined in, taunting and jeering. Then they dressed him up in an elaborate king costume and sent him back to Pilate. That day Herod and Pilate became thick as thieves. Always before they had kept their distance.

For Herod, Jesus is nothing more than a curiosity. He has heard so much about this miracle worker, this would-be king of the Jews, this radical teacher and powerful leader. Herod is hopeful that Jesus will entertain him with a miracle, a mighty act, or a really good show of power. He has lots of questions for Jesus, too, and now he has a private audience.

How frustrated he must be when Jesus refuses to act, or even to utter even a word in Herod’s presence. It’s easy to imagine his escalating anger as Jesus ignores the questions directed at him. Herod must ask himself whether this man really understands what is at stake. Doesn’t Jesus know the kind of power Herod has over him? Why does Jesus show such a lack of respect for his authority and position?

Deprived of the fun they were expecting, Herod and his soldiers amuse themselves by dressing Jesus up in the finery of an earthly king, and then shipping him off to the Roman authorities for further punishment.

All through this, Jesus says not a word.

Questions:
What does it mean to you that Jesus endured such disrespect and ridicule without responding?

Luke 22:49-51 (New American Standard Bible)
When those who were around him saw what was going to happen, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus answered and said, “Stop! No more of this!” And Jesus touched his ear and healed him.

Betrayed by one of his closest friends. Attacked in a garden that had been a place of refuge and prayer for him. Falsely accused, treated unjustly as a criminal. Torn from the presence of his followers.

It would be very understandable for Jesus to be angry and fight back. After all, this is the Son of God we’re talking about, with the ability to control nature’s forces and to call upon armies of angels to come to his defense.

But he does not.

It is Jesus’ disciples who resist the arrest. In John’s telling of this encounter, it’s the impetuous Simon Peter who leaps to Jesus’ defense, cutting off the slave’s ear. In that gospel, the slave’s name is also recorded: Malchus. The temple guard has come with swords and clubs — they were obviously expecting a fight. This Jesus, they had undoubtedly been told, was the dangerous leader of a rebellion against the government. How amazed they must be when Jesus yells out: “Stop! No more of this!” Shockingly, they hear Jesus order his followers to stand down, and to allow him to be taken away.

But… how much more amazed they would have to be when that same man reaches out tenderly to Malchus the slave, touches his damaged ear, and heals it.

“What kind of man is this?” some of them must have wondered. “What kind of man responds to violence with such love and grace?”

Questions:
When you or someone you love is threatened, what is your first, gut response?

Matthew 26:7-13 (New Living Translation)
While Jesus was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head. The disciples were indignant when they saw this. “What a waste!” they said. “It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”  But Jesus, aware of this, replied, “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

It’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t it? The disciples see a reckless woman wasting a valuable resource. We see an insightful follower who understands that Jesus is far more precious. They see how much money the sale of the perfume could bring in, and how much good those funds could do for the needy people they encounter each day. We see how Jesus came to free and redeem the lost and hurting, and how the example of his self-giving love would forever motivate people to reach out in practical ways to those in need.

God sees the big picture. We can only know our limited bit. We often struggle even to see our next step, but God knows our part in the vast story of humanity. And, yet, even with that complete, history-spanning knowledge, God loves each and every person with deep and intimate compassion.

While the disciples see how Jesus is being distracted in the middle of a meal, this unnamed woman knows that she is preparing Jesus for his sacrifice. Hers is a reverential gift of honor and gratitude.

Questions:
How can you show honor and gratitude to God this Holy Week?

Matthew 22:36-40 (New International Version)
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Jesus is approached by a group of Pharisees who want to trick him into saying something that would be in violation of Jewish Law. They ask him to choose one commandment out of the entire Jewish scriptures (what we call our Old Testament). Which of the commandments is the most important, they ask. There are over 600 commandments in the Jewish scriptures. How could one stand above all the others?

But Jesus doesn’t blink an eye. He answers with today’s passage: love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as you love yourself.

As Jesus progressed into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday long ago, he went into the city with full knowledge of what was about to happen to him. In his obedience to his Father’s plan, he demonstrated powerfully how he loved God with all that was in him: all his heart, soul, and mind. And he showed his love of neighbor — his compassion for humanity — in his willingness to endure all that this Holy Week would encompass, ultimately going to the cross, giving everything he had to show us the depth of God’s love.

Questions:
What actions can you take this Holy Week to deepen your love for God and for the people in your life?

Luke 7:20-23 (The Message)
The men showed up before Jesus and said, “John the Baptizer sent us to ask you, ‘Are you the One we’ve been expecting, or are we still waiting?'” In the next two or three hours Jesus healed many from diseases, distress, and evil spirits. To many of the blind he gave the gift of sight. Then he gave his answer: “Go back and tell John what you have just seen and heard: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the wretched of the earth have God’s salvation hospitality extended to them. Is this what you were expecting? Then count yourselves fortunate!”

On April 3rd, we looked at Peter’s declaration that Jesus was the Messiah. Making that statement was a turning point in Peter’s life. But in today’s passage it appears that John the Baptist had not yet entirely made that leap of faith. It’s interesting, because John was the first person to proclaim Jesus as “God’s Chosen one” back in the first chapter of John’s gospel. (See the posting from March 5th.) So what has happened between that encounter and this one?

The New Interpreter’s Bible suggests four possibilities: “(1) failure of nerve in which John, in prison, is troubled by uncertainty; (2) surprise that whereas he had expected a fiery reformer and prophet of judgment, Jesus has come bringing grace and healing; (3) hopefulness that Jesus is indeed the one whose coming he had announced; or (4) an effort either to encourage Jesus to make a public announcement of his identity or as a witness to his own disciples” (vol. IX, 160).

Whatever the reason behind John’s question, Jesus’ answer is remarkable. He doesn’t answer the question directly. He tells John’s disciples simply to look at the evidence, to consider all the things that Jesus has done: “the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor” (New Living Translation).

Jesus knows that each of just must weigh the evidence, experience God’s love in our lives, and make the decision for ourselves. No one can — or should — force it on us. And here Jesus gives John’s disciples the opportunity to decide for themselves.

Questions:
How has the Jesus of your experience been different than you initially thought he would be?

John 9:1-5 (English Standard Version)
As he passed by, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

This begins an encounter between Jesus and a blind man. But in our verses for today, the conversation is not between Jesus and that man, but between Jesus and his disciples.

The disciples assume that the man’s physical disabilities are a consequence of — and a punishment for — sin. This would have been a common assumption of that time. Jesus challenges this understanding of suffering, saying that the man’s illness will be used to demonstrate God’s work in his life. Jesus then walks over to the blind man, places mud on the man’s eyes, and tells him to walk over to the Pool of Siloam and wash the mud off. The man follows these directions (odd as they must have seemed to him at the time)… and he is healed, to the astonishment of all who knew him.

Jesus, the light of the world, brought light — for the first time — into this man’s life.

God constantly uses the circumstances in our life to show us God’s love. Painful circumstances, joyful circumstances. Every circumstance. God doesn’t waste an opportunity.

Questions:
What difficulty or adversity in your life has God used to demonstrate God’s power and love? How do you imagine God might use your current circumstances?

John 8:3-7 (Today’s New International Version)
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing Jesus. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”

It strikes me, every time I read this passage, just how differently it could have gone. All it would have taken was one man to throw a stone. If one person was willing to start the stoning, others would immediately have followed.

In his book Moral Man and Immoral Society, Reinhold Neibuhr asserted that people are much more likely to engage in damaging behavior in groups than as individuals. This phenomenon is often called “mob” or “herd mentality.”

Did Jesus look into the souls of those gathered in the crowd, and see that at their core they would be honest about their own sins and failures? Or was Jesus’ calm, peace-filled presence enough to make each person consider how shameful it would be to claim to have lived a sinless existence?

While we may never know the reason, we do know that — one by one — each man dropped his stone he was holding. And walked away.

Questions:
When in your life have you most needed a second chance?