“Living Out the Lyrics: What Does That Even Look Like?”
During youth group and on Sunday mornings we sometimes sing Judson W. Van Deventer’s, “I Surrender All.” The refrain is repeated throughout the song and goes…
“I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.”
Whenever I sing this song I get a little scared inside. I’m hesitant to commit to my words. Surrendering ALL is an extreme statement. When we sing praise to and worship God we want to mean the words we say and offer them up from the bottom of our hearts, but how can we make such a big commitment without knowing what it means or looks like?
Slowly Read Colossians 2:6-15
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
When you think about Christ’s physical suffering and death on the cross, do you see a triumph? Honestly, it’s easy for me to see the shame, the pain and suffering, and the degradation. Yet here the Bible tells us that the powers and authorities of this world were paraded around in humiliation by the cross. I think deep down it’s easy for most of us to look away from the sight of Christ on the cross; a suffering and bleeding savior makes us uncomfortable, so we only think of it when we have to. What should really make us uncomfortable is that Christ’s body reflects our sin and brokenness. Take a good look inside and you don’t have to go very far before you see your own humiliation and degenerateness apart from Christ. However, Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf turned the world upside down. Those of us in Christ understand the triumph that Christ has over sin, over the powers that bound us. We can look at the cross and see that Jesus in being humbled to death absorbed our humiliation and brokenness. Is there any brokenness that you still need to surrender?
In versus 6-10, Paul starts off by reminding us that accepting Christ is no one time spoken proclamation, but a process to be lived out. We forget so often that we are living to glorify God, and in the large scheme of things, nothing else matters. The world might be saying otherwise, but we need to kill the selfish mindset and pointless stress, look heaven-wards, and become alive in Christ. We know that HE is the ruler of everything, and already has great plans for us. HE is the one who loves us and died for us. Take Christ off the back burner, and give everything else to Him, the one who controls everything. What is holding you back?
In versus 11-12, Paul again reminds us of the past when we accepted Christ into our hearts. He gets metaphor heavy and throws two big ones at us; “circumcised” and “buried with Christ.” In the NLT, it does a great job of telling you straight up what he’s talking about, “When you came to Christ, you were ‘circumcised,’ but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.” Also, not all of us have been literally been baptized, but when we accepted Jesus into our hearts, we surrendered our sinful nature and were raised to new life. In 12-15, he stresses the importance of the cutting away, and in verse 14, he explains why we can be alive in Christ. “He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.” We’ve all sinned plenty in our lives but we don’t need to be fixated on it because Jesus took it to the cross and wiped us clean. He loves us and wants to be with us; we shouldn’t be ashamed to go to him. Surrendering shouldn’t be a mundane task we’re hesitant to perform but a joyous one that we are more than willing to do in order to have a closer relationship with Christ.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Christ Takes Our Debt
Read Luke 7:36-50
The woman, labeled as a “sinner” by the Pharisee, was probably looked down on by her whole community. However, not only did the woman receive forgiveness from Jesus, but He used her as an example of how we should respond to God taking our debts.
Her sins were not forgiven as a result of her sacrificing expensive perfume or wetting Jesus’ feet with her tears. As Jesus said, “her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown”. No human “good works” we do can gain forgiveness. The woman’s faith in God saved her, and her grateful actions reflect this.
The Pharisee, high in rank and in “religiousness”, is represented by the person in Jesus’ story that borrowed fifty denarii. He borrowed less, was forgiven for less, and thus loved Jesus less. Jesus makes it clear that this response is erroneous, and rebukes him for it. I read the sentence “but whoever has been forgiven little loves little” almost as a sarcastic statement—does Jesus ever forgive “little”? According to God’s standards, no sin is little. God is perfect and just; even as His heart breaks as His sheep sin against Him, He extends endless mercy for the world’s endless waywardness.
Jesus ungrudgingly forgave both the woman and the Pharisee, and Jesus loves both the woman and the Pharisee—regardless of how much they love Him. God sent His only begotten son to die on the cross; He not only endured tremendous physical pain but also shouldered for us the burden of our sins and absorbed for us God’s wrath. His sacrifice extends past Bible times and into our daily lives. Our appropriate response should be a constant outpouring of gratitude, a lifestyle of worship.
Being sinful human beings, living a lifestyle of worship is not easy. Jesus says, “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Mathew 16:25). The spiritual discipline of stewardship means realizing that everything we have, including time, money, abilities, relationships, etc. is a gift from God and should be used for God’s glory and God’s kingdom. I have learned from my failures, and am still learning, that I cannot always make the right choices by myself. True strength and comfort always comes from God. We must pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit first, before the Fruit of the Spirit blossoms in us.
Spend some time in thanksgiving for God’s endless and unconditional mercy and friendship.
The woman, labeled as a “sinner” by the Pharisee, was probably looked down on by her whole community. However, not only did the woman receive forgiveness from Jesus, but He used her as an example of how we should respond to God taking our debts.
Her sins were not forgiven as a result of her sacrificing expensive perfume or wetting Jesus’ feet with her tears. As Jesus said, “her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown”. No human “good works” we do can gain forgiveness. The woman’s faith in God saved her, and her grateful actions reflect this.
The Pharisee, high in rank and in “religiousness”, is represented by the person in Jesus’ story that borrowed fifty denarii. He borrowed less, was forgiven for less, and thus loved Jesus less. Jesus makes it clear that this response is erroneous, and rebukes him for it. I read the sentence “but whoever has been forgiven little loves little” almost as a sarcastic statement—does Jesus ever forgive “little”? According to God’s standards, no sin is little. God is perfect and just; even as His heart breaks as His sheep sin against Him, He extends endless mercy for the world’s endless waywardness.
Jesus ungrudgingly forgave both the woman and the Pharisee, and Jesus loves both the woman and the Pharisee—regardless of how much they love Him. God sent His only begotten son to die on the cross; He not only endured tremendous physical pain but also shouldered for us the burden of our sins and absorbed for us God’s wrath. His sacrifice extends past Bible times and into our daily lives. Our appropriate response should be a constant outpouring of gratitude, a lifestyle of worship.
Being sinful human beings, living a lifestyle of worship is not easy. Jesus says, “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Mathew 16:25). The spiritual discipline of stewardship means realizing that everything we have, including time, money, abilities, relationships, etc. is a gift from God and should be used for God’s glory and God’s kingdom. I have learned from my failures, and am still learning, that I cannot always make the right choices by myself. True strength and comfort always comes from God. We must pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit first, before the Fruit of the Spirit blossoms in us.
Spend some time in thanksgiving for God’s endless and unconditional mercy and friendship.
Christ Takes the Wrath
The very first time I spoke at youth group, I remember Pastor Ben gave me the topic of “God’s Wrath.” I remember thinking, “That’s so hard! How am I going to speak to a bunch of youth on the subject of God’s wrath.” But as I prepared the message, it became increasingly clear that the sermon wasn’t so much about God’s wrath as it was about God’s righteousness, with His wrath being an exceedingly important aspect of His righteousness.
Read Romans 4:13-5:11
Just a quick synopsis from Romans 4:13-25. Abraham and his descendents (Israel) were not justified (or declared righteous) because of obedience to the law. The law doesn’t bring righteousness rather, it demonstrates with certain clarity that we are sinners. Rather, our righteousness is based on faith as was Abraham’s. Faith in God’s promise to accept the death of Christ as a fully sufficient atoning sacrifice for our sins.
So where does this idea of wrath fit into this? Because of our sinful nature, made clear by the law, we know that we’re objects of wrath (Eph 2:3). God’s wrath exists because it is the perfect reaction to His righteous judgment. God’s wrath is what we deserve, and His perfect justice demands His wrath be poured out against sin. The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus bore the wrath for us. He took the punishment, bore the full weight of God’s righteous fury against sin and its complete opposition to His holiness.
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:8-9)
Jesus took it for us. If there’s no sacrifice by his death on the cross, once for all for our sin, then we stand with nowhere to hide from God’s wrath. But if there’s no wrath, if we eliminate God’s righteous anger from the conversation (as some would misleadingly have you believe) then we empty the cross of its power. Jesus’ death is meaningless if there’s no wrath for Him to bear. No wrath means no need for a Savior.
But the reality is this: God’s wrath is real. It is the perfect outpouring of His holiness on sin. But His love is also real. And it’s His great love for us that sent His son to die on the cross to bear the wrath and condemnation for us. That’s what we’re looking forward to at Easter, the reminder that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
As we continue through this Lenten devotional series, the spiritual discipline we want to highlight today is Bible Study. Why is it important to study the Bible? Psalm 1 says that the blessed man’s “delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does prospers.” The knowledge of God’s Word produces transformation in us and draws us into deeper relationship with Him. Take some time this week to really commit to studying God’s word. Keep in mind that God’s word was made to be communicated to us in community. Meet up with some friends this week and talk about what God has been teaching you through His word.
Read Romans 4:13-5:11
Just a quick synopsis from Romans 4:13-25. Abraham and his descendents (Israel) were not justified (or declared righteous) because of obedience to the law. The law doesn’t bring righteousness rather, it demonstrates with certain clarity that we are sinners. Rather, our righteousness is based on faith as was Abraham’s. Faith in God’s promise to accept the death of Christ as a fully sufficient atoning sacrifice for our sins.
So where does this idea of wrath fit into this? Because of our sinful nature, made clear by the law, we know that we’re objects of wrath (Eph 2:3). God’s wrath exists because it is the perfect reaction to His righteous judgment. God’s wrath is what we deserve, and His perfect justice demands His wrath be poured out against sin. The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus bore the wrath for us. He took the punishment, bore the full weight of God’s righteous fury against sin and its complete opposition to His holiness.
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:8-9)
Jesus took it for us. If there’s no sacrifice by his death on the cross, once for all for our sin, then we stand with nowhere to hide from God’s wrath. But if there’s no wrath, if we eliminate God’s righteous anger from the conversation (as some would misleadingly have you believe) then we empty the cross of its power. Jesus’ death is meaningless if there’s no wrath for Him to bear. No wrath means no need for a Savior.
But the reality is this: God’s wrath is real. It is the perfect outpouring of His holiness on sin. But His love is also real. And it’s His great love for us that sent His son to die on the cross to bear the wrath and condemnation for us. That’s what we’re looking forward to at Easter, the reminder that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
As we continue through this Lenten devotional series, the spiritual discipline we want to highlight today is Bible Study. Why is it important to study the Bible? Psalm 1 says that the blessed man’s “delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does prospers.” The knowledge of God’s Word produces transformation in us and draws us into deeper relationship with Him. Take some time this week to really commit to studying God’s word. Keep in mind that God’s word was made to be communicated to us in community. Meet up with some friends this week and talk about what God has been teaching you through His word.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Gethsemane – Solitude
Read Mark 14:32-52
V 32-52 Jesus is troubled – His heart is heavy so he goes off to pray. What do you do when you are sad or upset? Bring your troubles to God first, and ask Him to bring you peace.
V35-36 Jesus calls out to God, in full faith that God is sovereign. Jesus doesn’t ask God to give him what he wants, but he asks what God wants for him. Ask God for His will to be done in you, and have faith that God will take care of you if you trust in Him.
V 37-42 When Jesus returns, He finds his disciples sleeping – 3 times! Verse 38 says, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Be honest now; do you fall asleep during your quiet times with God? I remember last fall, my discipleship group met in the evening, and at every meeting, one of us would fall asleep. The evil one was trying to distract us from seeking God, the same way he interferes with your devotional time when you find yourself dozing off. But ask the Spirit to fill you with energy and passion for Christ so you don’t become weary throughout your walks with God.
V 43-52 So even in Jesus’ final hour, he was…alone. He had asked his disciples to stay awake and pray while he spent time with God, but when he returned, he found that they had fallen asleep. And then, one of his disciples betrayed him! Think of how Jesus felt during his last hour. Maybe he was alone in this world, but he was with the Father. In our lives, we often get caught up in doing things with others. Don’t take for granted the time you can spend with God alone, in solitude. Plan out times during the upcoming week when you can turn off your phone, computer, and all connections to the outside world in order to sanctify your time with God.
V 32-52 Jesus is troubled – His heart is heavy so he goes off to pray. What do you do when you are sad or upset? Bring your troubles to God first, and ask Him to bring you peace.
V35-36 Jesus calls out to God, in full faith that God is sovereign. Jesus doesn’t ask God to give him what he wants, but he asks what God wants for him. Ask God for His will to be done in you, and have faith that God will take care of you if you trust in Him.
V 37-42 When Jesus returns, He finds his disciples sleeping – 3 times! Verse 38 says, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Be honest now; do you fall asleep during your quiet times with God? I remember last fall, my discipleship group met in the evening, and at every meeting, one of us would fall asleep. The evil one was trying to distract us from seeking God, the same way he interferes with your devotional time when you find yourself dozing off. But ask the Spirit to fill you with energy and passion for Christ so you don’t become weary throughout your walks with God.
V 43-52 So even in Jesus’ final hour, he was…alone. He had asked his disciples to stay awake and pray while he spent time with God, but when he returned, he found that they had fallen asleep. And then, one of his disciples betrayed him! Think of how Jesus felt during his last hour. Maybe he was alone in this world, but he was with the Father. In our lives, we often get caught up in doing things with others. Don’t take for granted the time you can spend with God alone, in solitude. Plan out times during the upcoming week when you can turn off your phone, computer, and all connections to the outside world in order to sanctify your time with God.
Friday, March 25, 2011
We All Crucified Jesus
Read Mark 15:21-32, John 19:16b-30
When I was little and I did something wrong (lie, get in fights with my siblings, etc), my mom would sometimes say that I was “nailing Jesus to the cross all over again.” She had a valid point that I understood back then, but she might have been more right than she realized. On reading different accounts of the crucifixion in the gospels, I see a plethora of different people and they all were involved in the crucifixion of Christ. Let’s take a brief look at where they all were:
Disciples Herod Pilate Mob
Simon of Cyrene Pilate’s Wife Women Soldiers (Roman)
Guards ( temple) Criminals Joseph Nicodemas
Scribes Pharisees Barabas Sanhedrin council
And brief list is not even including Judas, the high priest’s servant, the girl accusing Peter, or the random guy in Mark that ran away naked. It’s a lot of people and quite varied at that. Some of their roles were more passive, while some had a direct hand in his death. Are they any different from us? If Christ were “crucified” today would you be a passive onlooker watching from the convenience of your tv or youtube? Would you have been the follower who ran away and hid so people wouldn’t link you two together? Would you be the helpless committed that watched on the side as he died? Would you be the unconcerned trying to nab a piece of Jesus memorabilia while you still could? Would you be the mob crying out for his death because your leaders told you to? Or would you be the one watching on the side secretly congratulating yourself that you’d rid the world of a menace to the social order? Sometimes I think we can judge those involved a little too harshly, we expect them to somehow act differently or better than us, when it comes down to the fact that everyone involved in Christ’s death was fallen, as are we without Christ. While we were not actually there, our sin did put him there, each and every one of them; and not just the ones that we have already committed, but the ones we will do today and every other day until we die. Everyone of those is another nail, another thorn, another splinter in the already marred flesh.
Fellowship
So how do we respond? All of us are involved in Christ’s death, but those of us who find our life in Christ are also involved in the body of Christ and our new life in him. I remember Michael Card saying something at a meeting where I heard him speak that has stayed with me, “When God gives a gift, he wraps it in a person.” God’s gift to us for salvation was wrapped in Christ. God’s gifts through the Holy Spirit to the body of Christ are each wrapped in Christians. People are created for community, and when we get together we can either do something terrible, or as Christians we can accomplish the will of God. Reflect today on how you’re working communally with the body of Christ. Are you allowing God to give his gifts to the body of Christ through you? Are you accepting the gifts he is sharing through others?
O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Saviour, the Prince of Peace:
give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions.
Take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may henceforth be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
When I was little and I did something wrong (lie, get in fights with my siblings, etc), my mom would sometimes say that I was “nailing Jesus to the cross all over again.” She had a valid point that I understood back then, but she might have been more right than she realized. On reading different accounts of the crucifixion in the gospels, I see a plethora of different people and they all were involved in the crucifixion of Christ. Let’s take a brief look at where they all were:
Disciples Herod Pilate Mob
Simon of Cyrene Pilate’s Wife Women Soldiers (Roman)
Guards ( temple) Criminals Joseph Nicodemas
Scribes Pharisees Barabas Sanhedrin council
And brief list is not even including Judas, the high priest’s servant, the girl accusing Peter, or the random guy in Mark that ran away naked. It’s a lot of people and quite varied at that. Some of their roles were more passive, while some had a direct hand in his death. Are they any different from us? If Christ were “crucified” today would you be a passive onlooker watching from the convenience of your tv or youtube? Would you have been the follower who ran away and hid so people wouldn’t link you two together? Would you be the helpless committed that watched on the side as he died? Would you be the unconcerned trying to nab a piece of Jesus memorabilia while you still could? Would you be the mob crying out for his death because your leaders told you to? Or would you be the one watching on the side secretly congratulating yourself that you’d rid the world of a menace to the social order? Sometimes I think we can judge those involved a little too harshly, we expect them to somehow act differently or better than us, when it comes down to the fact that everyone involved in Christ’s death was fallen, as are we without Christ. While we were not actually there, our sin did put him there, each and every one of them; and not just the ones that we have already committed, but the ones we will do today and every other day until we die. Everyone of those is another nail, another thorn, another splinter in the already marred flesh.
Fellowship
So how do we respond? All of us are involved in Christ’s death, but those of us who find our life in Christ are also involved in the body of Christ and our new life in him. I remember Michael Card saying something at a meeting where I heard him speak that has stayed with me, “When God gives a gift, he wraps it in a person.” God’s gift to us for salvation was wrapped in Christ. God’s gifts through the Holy Spirit to the body of Christ are each wrapped in Christians. People are created for community, and when we get together we can either do something terrible, or as Christians we can accomplish the will of God. Reflect today on how you’re working communally with the body of Christ. Are you allowing God to give his gifts to the body of Christ through you? Are you accepting the gifts he is sharing through others?
O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Saviour, the Prince of Peace:
give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions.
Take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may henceforth be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Jesus Lifted on the Cross
If you were asked to summarize Jesus’ death on the cross, explaining its complete significance, and put it into a nice, concise, and understandable paragraph or so, could you do that? That was a rhetorical question by the way. As much as we know of Jesus’ sufferings for all of us, I don’t think we can ever write a summary as well worded and packed with imagery as the prophet Isaiah did. So let’s read what exactly did this prophet say about Jesus.
Read Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12
Whoa. That was my initial reaction to reading this. Now the words used in this “servant song” may seem familiar to you – and they should – because many are quoted in the New Testament. In fact, by reading this entire passage, you essentially have the whole gospel of Jesus. Isaiah walks the audience through the rut of Jesus’ mission to the eventual glorification of it. I know you probably already know the majority of this passage so let’s focus on some key aspects of Jesus’ death.
Look at verse 15: “so will he sprinkle many nations…” The word sprinkling is often used to describe ceremonial cleansing and/or consecration seen in the Old Testament. Okay, so what? The significant part of this verse is the “many nations” part. So put those two together and you get Jesus cleansing many nations. Many times, people take for granted that Jesus died for everyone. We say it so often, but do we really grasp that concept? Jesus purified all nations, which means everyone is included – even the looked-down-upon gentiles in the old days. Gentiles, during this time, were basically segregated from the Jews. They weren’t the “chosen ones,” so they had less rights to worship God than the Jews. But with Jesus’ sprinkling death, everyone is included. The arms that were spread wide upon that cross covered all nations.
So what does this mean to me? Well, simply stated, Jesus died for everyone. Yes, I know that’s extremely general, but can you put those words into action? Are you kingdom-minded, in that you seek to grow God’s kingdom with everyone and not just the people you like? Remember, Jesus’ death welcomed the nations, regardless of who the inhabitants were.
Pray and ask God to be help you be kingdom-minded. Pray that you would make disciples of all nations. The more genuine our prayers are in wanting to be kingdom-minded, the clearer God’s kingdom here will be shown.
Read Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12
Whoa. That was my initial reaction to reading this. Now the words used in this “servant song” may seem familiar to you – and they should – because many are quoted in the New Testament. In fact, by reading this entire passage, you essentially have the whole gospel of Jesus. Isaiah walks the audience through the rut of Jesus’ mission to the eventual glorification of it. I know you probably already know the majority of this passage so let’s focus on some key aspects of Jesus’ death.
Look at verse 15: “so will he sprinkle many nations…” The word sprinkling is often used to describe ceremonial cleansing and/or consecration seen in the Old Testament. Okay, so what? The significant part of this verse is the “many nations” part. So put those two together and you get Jesus cleansing many nations. Many times, people take for granted that Jesus died for everyone. We say it so often, but do we really grasp that concept? Jesus purified all nations, which means everyone is included – even the looked-down-upon gentiles in the old days. Gentiles, during this time, were basically segregated from the Jews. They weren’t the “chosen ones,” so they had less rights to worship God than the Jews. But with Jesus’ sprinkling death, everyone is included. The arms that were spread wide upon that cross covered all nations.
So what does this mean to me? Well, simply stated, Jesus died for everyone. Yes, I know that’s extremely general, but can you put those words into action? Are you kingdom-minded, in that you seek to grow God’s kingdom with everyone and not just the people you like? Remember, Jesus’ death welcomed the nations, regardless of who the inhabitants were.
Pray and ask God to be help you be kingdom-minded. Pray that you would make disciples of all nations. The more genuine our prayers are in wanting to be kingdom-minded, the clearer God’s kingdom here will be shown.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The Contradiction of the Cross
Read: John 12:20-32
Also read: John 19:1-2, 13-15.
John’s gospel is a very murky gospel for Jesus often says things that aren’t clear. But the great thing about John is that the murkiness clears away eventually, revealing the glory of Christ in the process! An example of this is Jesus’ trial before Pilate. In John 19:13, we read that Pilate brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat (the bema). But in the original Greek, the word for “sat down” could mean that Pilate sat Jesus down on the judgment seat. Can you imagine the supreme irony of the situation? Here is Jesus, crowned with thorns and wearing a purple robe, sitting on the judgment seat before the chief priests and all. The chief priests think that they’re the ones casting judgment on Jesus, when in reality it was Jesus who is judging them at that very moment. Any king with a crown and purple robe on a judgment seat gets accolades of “Hail to the King!” but Jesus gets (in 19:15), “Crucify him!” What a strange contradiction! The King of all Universe sits in judgment of those He created, and the response was not praise, but an angry call for his crucifixion.
But we see the greatest contradiction in the Cross, the instrument of execution reserved only for traitors and enemies of the Roman empire. It’s interesting to note that only in John’s gospel did he not record Jesus as having taken off his purple robe. Thus, the Cross was not a mere execution instrument, but Jesus’ throne; his crucifixion was not his execution, but his coronation. At the Cross will the world know who Christ is!
Crucifixions – or, executions in general – are public events. Parents bring their children to crucifixions to tell them not to be like the people who are on the cross. But Jesus’ crucifixion was different. The Cross no longer was a place where people come to shame the crucified, but the Cross became a place where people come to experience forgiveness and grace from the Crucified One. It is a place where we – we, who have put Jesus on the Cross – come on our knees and beckon to our Crucified Christ because we know that no matter our estate, only Jesus will never turn us away. It is a place where we are reconciled to God, not because we want it to happen, but because He wants it for us. What a King! What a Savior! What a Friend, who desires nothing more than to wipe the tears of shame away from our faces so we can look towards the sun and glorify God!
And, having all our shames washed away, we can honestly look at our neighbors in the eye and truly love them as God taught us to. That is why the Cross is a place of reconciliation. That is why we cannot truly love God and love our neighbors unless we are kneeling at the foot of the Cross.
Spend some time in thought. Imagine that you and your youth groupies are kneeling at the foot of a huge cross with Jesus on it, with his purple robe and crown of thorns. This is a holy place where God reconciles all to Him and to each other. Maybe we feel little compared to our brothers and sisters because they get all A’s, and we only get A-‘s. Maybe we feel distant from God because we feel cast aside, alone. Maybe we feel that our sins are so manifold, God can’t possibly accept us. Or maybe we feel like we don’t need to be at the foot of the cross because we’ve got our stuff together. May God reveal to all of us the utter depravity of our natures, but at the same time show us that the unfathomable nature of his love and grace covers a multitude of sins. May He wipe our tears of pride or shame which cloud our eyes, so that we can see and behold His glory.
Also read: John 19:1-2, 13-15.
John’s gospel is a very murky gospel for Jesus often says things that aren’t clear. But the great thing about John is that the murkiness clears away eventually, revealing the glory of Christ in the process! An example of this is Jesus’ trial before Pilate. In John 19:13, we read that Pilate brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat (the bema). But in the original Greek, the word for “sat down” could mean that Pilate sat Jesus down on the judgment seat. Can you imagine the supreme irony of the situation? Here is Jesus, crowned with thorns and wearing a purple robe, sitting on the judgment seat before the chief priests and all. The chief priests think that they’re the ones casting judgment on Jesus, when in reality it was Jesus who is judging them at that very moment. Any king with a crown and purple robe on a judgment seat gets accolades of “Hail to the King!” but Jesus gets (in 19:15), “Crucify him!” What a strange contradiction! The King of all Universe sits in judgment of those He created, and the response was not praise, but an angry call for his crucifixion.
But we see the greatest contradiction in the Cross, the instrument of execution reserved only for traitors and enemies of the Roman empire. It’s interesting to note that only in John’s gospel did he not record Jesus as having taken off his purple robe. Thus, the Cross was not a mere execution instrument, but Jesus’ throne; his crucifixion was not his execution, but his coronation. At the Cross will the world know who Christ is!
Crucifixions – or, executions in general – are public events. Parents bring their children to crucifixions to tell them not to be like the people who are on the cross. But Jesus’ crucifixion was different. The Cross no longer was a place where people come to shame the crucified, but the Cross became a place where people come to experience forgiveness and grace from the Crucified One. It is a place where we – we, who have put Jesus on the Cross – come on our knees and beckon to our Crucified Christ because we know that no matter our estate, only Jesus will never turn us away. It is a place where we are reconciled to God, not because we want it to happen, but because He wants it for us. What a King! What a Savior! What a Friend, who desires nothing more than to wipe the tears of shame away from our faces so we can look towards the sun and glorify God!
And, having all our shames washed away, we can honestly look at our neighbors in the eye and truly love them as God taught us to. That is why the Cross is a place of reconciliation. That is why we cannot truly love God and love our neighbors unless we are kneeling at the foot of the Cross.
Spend some time in thought. Imagine that you and your youth groupies are kneeling at the foot of a huge cross with Jesus on it, with his purple robe and crown of thorns. This is a holy place where God reconciles all to Him and to each other. Maybe we feel little compared to our brothers and sisters because they get all A’s, and we only get A-‘s. Maybe we feel distant from God because we feel cast aside, alone. Maybe we feel that our sins are so manifold, God can’t possibly accept us. Or maybe we feel like we don’t need to be at the foot of the cross because we’ve got our stuff together. May God reveal to all of us the utter depravity of our natures, but at the same time show us that the unfathomable nature of his love and grace covers a multitude of sins. May He wipe our tears of pride or shame which cloud our eyes, so that we can see and behold His glory.
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