The Spoken Words

 

Daily Gratitude- Year 14 - Day 93: Today, I am grateful for the spoken words. 

After the betrayal, abandonment, rejections, and the flogging that would have killed most men, Jesus was forced to carry his own cross until it was physically impossible to take another step. 

Simon of Cyrene was "compelled" or "seized" to help. It wasn't voluntary but it was life-changing. He is the only human who helped Jesus carry the cross. (Mark... typically a man of a few words... is the one who mentions Simon as the father of Alexander and Rufus... connecting the cross to future carriers of the Gospel of Christ.)   

The horrors of the past 24 hours, the casting of lots for his clothes, the swing of the hammer that pounded the nails into his flesh, the cross raised up making every breath a struggle, and the offering of vinegar when Jesus craved water exemplified man's ability to act without humanity toward other men. Still, the lost souls on each side of Him mattered. One believed and received. One rejected the opportunity. The choice we all must make epitomized. 

The spoken words of Jesus from the cross are my gratitude for this Good Friday. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John give us four views of that day that changed everything. The prophecy in Psalm 22 comes to fruition. (If you are a math person, what are the odds of this psalm reading like a picture of the crucifixion?)

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." - A plea for forgiveness for his executioners reveals the heart of Jesus. (Luke 23:34)

"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." - Assurance to the repentant thief beside him. He was still mission focused until His last breath. (Luke 23:43)

"Woman, behold your son!" - Addressing Mary, entrusting her to John. (John 19:26) “Here is your mother!”  (John 19:27) -Clarifying for John that she was now under his care. He was still a son who loved his mother.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" - A cry of anguish reflecting his suffering. (Matthew 27:46)(Psalm 22)(Mark 15:34) His prayer for another way was answered with a "no" so we might be pardoned. He felt the separation from the Father in that moment, as God put forward a propitiation for all through one. 

"I thirst." - A statement expressing his physical, human suffering. (John 19:28) 

"It is finished." - Declaring the completion of his mission. Victory! (John 19:30) He did it! He had completed the mission of the cross so we could be reconciled. 

"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." - A final act of surrender to God. (Luke 23:46) His life was not taken. It was given. 

Good Friday reminds us that love held Jesus on the cross, not nails. 

Today, I am grateful for the spoken words. 

Maundy Thursday

Daily Gratitude- Year 14 - Day 92: Today, I am grateful for Maundy Thursday. 

It was Passover week. From Palm Sunday to Thursday, the community climate around Jesus changed. From waving palms to the coming betrayals, his heart must have been so heavy. 

And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” - Matthew 20:17-20

He pressed into the Passover celebrations. He even planned for the Passover meal with his disciples that we now call "The Last Supper." Would they have described his mood as pensive? He was deep in thought and determined to follow through with washing their feet before sharing the meal. 

Peter resisted. Jesus won. 

"When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you?" -John 13:12

What were the men thinking? Jesus had repeatedly told them of what was to come, but they did not seem to process His words. Was it too unthinkable? For three years, he had masterfully escaped the challenges from the temple priests when they tried to set him up. The traitor would come from within. He was successful because... "now was the time." 

Maundy Thursday was monumental in the historical context. Nothing was accidental. Everything that was to pass was allowed by the hand of the Father and according to His purpose. The plan for the execution was executed. 

Jesus knew it. What did He do? He gathered them, fed them, and explained the new covenant... after he washed their feet. Kings are known to be demanding and unreasonable. Jesus served first. He healed those broken by sin and circumstance. Our little ones at church sing a song to the tune of "What Do you Do with a Drunkin' Sailor?" 

We have a King with a bowl and towel (x3), Servant King is Jesus!
Jesus the King is Risen (x3), Early in the morning.

How do our hearts respond to this Servant King? Eternity hangs on the question. 

Today, I am grateful for Maundy Thursday. 

No One Is Good

Daily Gratitude- Year 14 - Day 91: Today, I am grateful for the humbling reminder that no one is good. 

In Jesus's last days before the crucifixion it must have felt like everyone was pressing in on him. The Jewish king, Herod, wanted to see a miracle like Jesus was some type of a magician. The disciples were fighting over who would sit next to him in Heaven. The Father was giving no sign that he would be spared the cross. His emotions were deep, real, and... human. 

The "modern" world and culture was full of religions and other gods that were held up in high esteem. Humans felt very enlightened while missing the Messiah that had come 33 years ago. They missed seeing the many ways Jesus fulfilled the prophecies they had heard for many centuries. 

Religion became something they did, but it was not rooted in their hearts. It was more of a clubhouse than a house of worship. Many went on the appointed days, but they did not keep the Word of the Lord in their hearts. Perhaps some kept the traditions honoring parents, but did not wholly invest in their faith. They were taught the commandments and the covenants, but to many, it was "outdated." 

The people were many years out of Egypt, morning manna, and the desert days. Many did what was right in their own eyes. They had lost their sense of awe when it came to God. 

"The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none that does good." -Psalm 14:1

The Psalm of David was as relevant then as it is now. It is much easier to judge others than it is to see our own sins reflected in the mirror. Jesus spoke these words to the disciples at his last meal with the disciples before he was arrested. It was their Passover meal. 

"But behold the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of man goes as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it was that would do this." -Luke 22:21-23

They all would remember His words at different moments at the time of the crucifixion and beyond the resurrection. They were beloved, chosen, forgiven, and redeemed... but they were not "good." 

Today, I am grateful for the humbling reminder that no one is good. 

Mission Minded Focus

 

Daily Gratitude- Year 14 - Day 90: Today, I am grateful for mission-minded focused. 

I appreciate mission minded focus. It is so easy to get distracted. Distractions are abundant and focus can be hard to maintain. Something is always ringing, dinging, beeping, or vibrating. 

Did someone say, "Squirrel?" If our Daisy Mae hears that word, she bolts for the door to be let out. If she doesn't see a squirrel, she heads to the place she last saw one. She is on a mission and her focus is intent every time. 

My scripture was from John again today. It includes a voice sounding from Heaven. 

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour.  Father, glorify thy name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd standing by heard it and said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out; and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” He said this to show by what death he was to die." -John 12:27-36 (RSV)

Jesus remains mission focused, even when he is not excited about what is ahead. He could have asked the Father to save him, but he didn't. The crowd was stunned to hear a voice from Heaven affirming. Jesus commits to the cross ahead in submission saying, "I have come to this hour. Father, glorify thy name." 

Commissioned. Committed. Conquering death so we might live! 

Today, I am grateful for mission-minded focused. 

A Hunger to See

Daily Gratitude- Year 14 - Day 89: Today, I am grateful for a hunger to see.

What or who do we "hunger to see?" There are many different answers, as we are all unique in our experiences. There might be far away places our hearts desire to visit or it might be a full night of sleep for those with new babies in the house. 

The Lent passage for today is long because I could not decide where to start and stop. It all fits together to show the fear mounting around Jesus. Raising Lazarus from the dead created quite a stir. Everyone was talking about it. Four days in the grave, and Lazarus comes out fully alive, whole, and with no stench of death on him. What a miracle! 

The chief priests plotting Jesus's death decided they should kill Lazarus, too... again. Jesus and Lazarus were a dangerous combination. Too many people were seeing and believing in Jesus. The church leaders had a hunger to see both Jesus and Lazarus eliminated. 

Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii[a day's wages for a laborer] and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

The Plot to Kill Lazarus

9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. -John 12:1-11 

There it was. The real threat was the evidence of the power in Jesus's hands and commands. Lazarus was living proof. The people wanted to see Lazarus for themselves. Imagine the conversations! But, quietly in the whispers, others wanted to see Jesus dead and Lazarus dead again. 

Today, I am grateful for a hunger to see.

Signs of Rebirth

Daily Gratitude- Year 14 - Day 88: Today, I am grateful for signs of rebirth. 

There is something about dead things coming back to life that never ceases to amaze me. That from a hard, lifeless seed, life sprouts when living water is applied.  

This is Holy Week! It is all about the dead coming back to life. Sin causes shame. Shame leads to separation and loss of relationship. Jesus came to bring forgiveness, cleansing, healing, hope, and victory over death. New life is a miracle every time! 

It’s been a full day of waving palm, washing feet, and remembering Aunt Judy with family and friends. The drive was full of new life on the ground and in the trees. It was really a gorgeous day. With each ending comes new beginnings. 

Pause. Ponder. Pray  

Today, I am grateful for signs of rebirth. 

Third Times a Charm

Daily Gratitude- Year 14 - Day 87: Today, I am grateful that the "third time's a charm." 

Honestly, by the third attempt at something, we have a chance to tweak what is wrong and finally "get it right." Bakers rarely feel the first time they bake something that it is perfect. The saying is old, but still in our lexicon. French and Spanish have similar sayings, too. 

Communications 101 taught us that we must tell people something three times for it to be committed to memory. Somehow, things stick on the third telling. 

For today's Lent passage, Jesus is taking his third attempt at telling the disciples that his death is coming. They did not want to hear it. Was it selective hearing? In retrospect, it would all become clear, but at the time it did not sink in. 

"They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.”-Mark 10:32-34

Not a pleasant prediction, so did the disciples close their ears to the possibility? It made no sense. Jesus was healing people. He raised Lazarus from the dead. He did not pick a fight, but he did not back down when the religious leaders poked at him, trying to catch him breaking a law. They were out to get him, and he was fully aware. 

Three times Jesus tried to tell them, but they were still surprised. At that moment, Jesus was being sought out and celebrated by many. The idea of everyone turning on him seemed unlikely at the height of his popularity with the common people as well as some of the powerful Roman citizens. 

Were they too caught up in the Passover festivities? Did the Palm Sunday triumphal entry make them overly confident? With Holy Week ahead, are we preparing our hearts? 

"Three days later he will rise.” Oh, that third day is coming! 

Today, I am grateful that the "third time's a charm."