Before Emma's nap, I was reading to her. She chose two books and gave me one, "reading" the other for herself. I still read mine out loud.
The book included the word "hat." When Emma heard me say "hat," she burst out laughing. Don't ask me why. She just did. And she kept going. She would say, "Hat!" and then laugh some more. And she wanted me to say, "Hat!" too. Every time I did she kept laughing hilariously.
Kids are amazing!
In this section John summarizes the rest of chapter 3 (or seems to – scholars might differ from my view here):
I should probably correct myself at this point. It seems as though John's summary here involves more than chapter 3. He is retracing his major thoughts through the gospel so far – that's what it seems like. And his conclusions here – before arriving at the end of the gospel – are staggering.
How much do I believe that all things are actually in Jesus' hands? The way this world operates, it is very easy to think that we have some measure of control over valuable aspects of our lives. Don't our choices make a difference? Can't we enjoy life do some degree apart from Jesus? Yes. And no. What John teaches us is that there is one ultimate decision in our lives that makes all the difference for everything else. This one decision sets the course for the rest of our lives. It changes everything.
We start off as men. We have some degree of life. Some degree of health. Some degree of community, of wealth, of achievement, of reality. But all of this is nothing. Yes, it is something, but compared to what is found in Jesus, it is nothing. Because what we have is condemned. We are condemned. We are under the wrath of God. And the illusion that we are healthy, successful, wealthy – the illusion that we have something worth holding on to – will one day be shown to be an illusion. All that we value will be stripped away and will reveal that everything of true value is found in Jesus Christ.
Nothing in all of creation exists apart from Jesus Christ. Glory resides in Him. Truth resides in Him. Life resides in Him. These are the good things we want. And God sent Jesus Christ into the world so that those who believe in Him can have these good things. But the point is not really the good things. The point is that Jesus Christ is good for us. God loves Him and has put everything in His hands. If we choose Him, we have everything worth having. We may feel like we lose out. We may feel like we lose money, or time, or personal glory, or prestige, or relationships, or health, or property. Because in earthly terms, we will lose these things. But John is trying to show us what is true in heavenly terms. And in heavenly terms, we gain everything when we gain Jesus Christ. Everything worth having.
Wrath? Or Christ, and everything in Him? Father, why is the choice so difficult for so many? Why do I experience temptation when I have all that is good for me already? Why, when I have Jesus Christ, are lesser things still appealing? And why is it not more obvious to those men who do not have Jesus that He is the one treasure they need? Why is this so hidden? Forgive us for our sinful inclinations! Forgive us for our sinful choices! Overlook our weaknesses, and in Your grace lead us to Jesus Christ. Those of us who know Him – remind us repeatedly of His goodness! Those people who do not know Him – make their wretchedness and Jesus' value obvious to them! Father, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One! May I and all I know be found in Jesus Christ!
I'm not sure what the argument between John the Baptist's disciples and the Jew mentioned in this passage was about. Perhaps they were disputing whether John's baptism or Jesus' baptism provided appropriate ceremonial cleansing. In any case, when John's disciples approach John with the problem that everyone is going to Jesus, John's response is a model for all of us.
He says first of all that God is sovereign over the ministries of His servants. Servants need not worry when one servant has a greater ministry than another servant. That is overseen from heaven, and God's perspective is best.
But John goes on. He reminds his disciples that they know John testified that Jesus was greater. John was not the Christ, but the one sent ahead of Him. It is fitting for people to follow Jesus.
John the Baptist then paints a beautiful picture for his disciples – an analogy from weddings. The one who gets the bride is the groom. All the people are going to Jesus, so He is the groom. The best man does not get bitter when he sees the groom with the bride; instead, he rejoices at the bridegroom's happiness! In the same way, John says, he has been given abundant joy because of Jesus' ministry! It is right. It is good for Jesus to overshadow John the Baptist. It is not sad! John understands and says, "He must become greater. I must become less." And he says it with joy rather than sadness, rejoicing rather than bitterness!
For those of us who follow and proclaim Christ now, the same is true. Jesus did not save us so that we could have great ministries. He saved us so that we can point others to Him! To His salvation! The more people follow Jesus, the more we should rejoice! Father, grant me such an understanding of Jesus' glory, grace and truth that I am eager to exalt Him at all times. May my speech and my actions point always to Him. Always to Jesus.
The classic passage from John. Nicodemus – a Pharisee among the rulers of the Jews – visits Jesus and states that he knows that Jesus is from God; Jesus' miraculous signs confirm it.
Jesus launches off from Nicodemus' confession that He is from God to point out that only those born again from above can see the
Jesus scolds Nicodemus for his continued confusion; Nicodemus is, after all, one of
Nicodemus began the conversation by noting that Jesus "came from God". Now Jesus tells Nicodemus that no one has ascended into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man. Essentially Jesus says, "I've been there! Listen to me!" And just as temporary salvation from death by snakebite came when Moses lifted up a snake in the desert, so also eternal salvation from spiritual death will come to those who believe in the Son of Man when He is lifted up! This is the good news Jesus came to preach and live! Spiritual salvation has come!
Why? How? Here's how! God loved the world, and in His love God gave His one and only Son so that all who believe in Him may have eternal life! We don't have to die! God did not send Jesus into the world to judge us, but to save us through Jesus! The whole world was already condemned, already judged! But God sent Jesus into the world so that those who believe in Him will no longer be condemned! The message about Jesus can be nothing but good news. Bad news has been around since the Fall; we all stand condemned. That changes, though, because of Jesus. There is a way out of condemnation, and it is by trusting in Jesus!
Here's the sad thing. Men who already stand judged and condemned refuse to come to the light, to Jesus, for life. Why? Because their deeds are evil. So they prefer to hide in darkness, even though life is found in the light of Jesus.
But still, those who live in truth come to Jesus. They do not fear the light. And the light reveals the truth that practicing the truth is done by the grace of God. Those who are in the light have been born spiritually, just as Jesus told Nicodemus they must be.
Father, I believe in Jesus! It is so obvious that any good I do is not my own. I get angry too quickly, impatient too readily, unkind too hastily for me to believe that I am any good on my own. It is so easy to try to make myself look good, to cover up all my flaws and sins. But when I step into the light of Jesus, I see that all my efforts to hide and justify my shameful deeds are pointless, and serve only to keep me condemned in my sins. May I step into the light always. And when I am there, help me not to sin against You!
Jesus goes from Cana to
A couple of events are significant during Jesus' visit to
Since today's churches do not serve the function of the Jewish temple (they are not "the" place where people meet with God), it is debatable whether today's church-based bookstores and coffee shops are wrong. As a Christian, my primary concern should be to examine my own heart. I ought to make sure that my focus is God rather than convenience in worship. My sinfulness is exhibited when I become frustrated with those who misspell words in powerpoints designed to help me sing songs of praise, when I refuse to sing with others because I do not like the style of music, when I focus on the fumbling attempts of communion-plate passers rather than on the truth of the gospel declared in communion. Worship is not about my convenience; it is about recognizing God's glory, my sinfulness, and His redeeming love. Worship is about learning to recognize these truths in every aspect of life so that I depend absolutely on God, not men. But this is not the main point of the passage.
The main point here, from John's view, is that Jesus is fulfilling His messianic role: "Zeal for Your house will consume me!" – the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Word in flesh, is living this zeal out before the disciples' eyes. Those who read this should also recognize the truth: Jesus is the Messiah! Here is another reason to believe! Look at His zeal for God's house! And the response? I should follow Him!
This activity in the temple raised some eyebrows (as it might in a church today). The religious leaders, appropriately, confronted Jesus. No authority figure seeing this kind of violent activity should just let it happen. Now I'm not sure that their methodology was correct, but here it is: they ask Jesus to prove His right to act this way by giving them a sign – probably asking for a miracle.
And Jesus is up to the task. He tells them the sign they should look for: "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days."
It is entirely understandable that the Jews thought Jesus was actually talking about the temple. After all, they were standing in its courts. So their incredulity makes sense; how could Jesus possibly rebuild – on His own and in three days – a temple that had taken 46 years to erect? In fact, John indicates that the disciples did not understand Jesus at the time. But John has seen the truth of Jesus' resurrection. What? Did he say resurrection? Yes, resurrection. At this point in the gospel, John is already letting us know that we should anticipate a resurrection story. John is already claiming that this man, Jesus Christ, has risen from the dead! And he makes the claim now so that the reader can understand that Jesus was not talking about the Jews' temple, but about His own body. The disciples themselves had a hard time believing Jesus when He said He could raise a destroyed temple in three days... but John tells us here that, after His resurrection, they remembered Jesus' claim and believed Him! This is a claim that everyone who reads John's testimony in this gospel will have to confront: Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus' sign of authority is His resurrection from the dead! I believe!
John concludes this section by noting two choices. The first choice was made by many of those who saw Jesus' signs while He was in
John's gospel moves so differently from the others. He never specifically mentions Jesus' baptism; instead, He focuses only on John the Baptist's testimony and the Spirit's descent upon Jesus. John also doesn't mention a temptation period in the wilderness. Following Jesus' Spirit-baptism, the next day John's disciples follow Jesus. The next day Jesus finds Philip, and we hear about Nathaniel coming to Jesus. And then John moves to this story, introducing it by saying, "On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in
But none of the other gospels mentions the wedding at
In the midst of all these questions (questions I'm not sure I want to try to answer), John gives us some straightforward facts. First, the conversation between Jesus and Mary resulted in Jesus directing the servants of the house and performing a miraculous sign. Second, there were quite a few witnesses to this miracle. The servants and Jesus' disciples (whether they were all there or not I do not know, but those who were there) all knew what had happened. Third, events seemed simple enough: Jesus had the servants fill up six stone water jars with water. Fourth, Jesus performed a miracle – the water was turned to wine... good wine. Fifth, the miracle displayed Jesus' glory and resulted in faith; the disciples put their faith in Jesus.
John began this gospel writing that "we have seen His glory." John's letter tells me that John saw the glory of the Word, God in the flesh. And this is one example of Jesus' glory. Jesus changed water to wine. I can't quite wrap my mind around that. It is easy to look at this as a fact. "The gospels testify that Jesus turned water into wine." But thinking about the implications is hard. Do I believe John's testimony? Did Jesus really turn water into wine? No one can do that. No one. But John says that Jesus did it. Really? Did He really turn water into wine?
Father God, help me to believe. The way the disciples believed. Except that I don't get to see the miracle myself. I have to believe John's testimony. Jesus is the Word, who was in the beginning with God, who is God. All things were created through Him. If He was involved in all of creation, of course He can change water into wine! Of course He can! Help me to remember that Jesus was a man, but that He was and is more than a man. Help me to live my life trusting in the Jesus who holds all of Creation in His hands, in His control. My life is in His hands. My provisions are in His hands. Father, help me to trust Him. I do trust Him. May I remember how great Jesus is continually. May I remember Jesus' glory.
Not only has John the Baptist pointed people toward Jesus, but Jesus Himself is recruiting followers. As Jesus heads from the area where He was baptized toward
We find out that Philip was from
Nathaniel is skeptical, especially when he finds out that Jesus is from
Philip's approach worked. Nathaniel came with him to meet Jesus, and Jesus Himself convinced Nathaniel. He spoke up as though He already knew Nathaniel, giving Him a glowing recommendation as though He had known Nathaniel for a long time (I can't imagine giving even a job recommendation for someone I had just met). Nathaniel was surprised by Jesus' seeming familiarity with his life, and Jesus indicates that He knows Nathaniel because He has seen His life; in fact, He "saw" Nathaniel before Philip called him and knew that he had been sitting under a fig tree. Apparently neither Philip nor Nathaniel had mentioned yet that a fig tree was involved in their meeting, so Nathaniel was rightly astonished.
Given Jesus' testimony that Nathaniel is "a true Israelite in whom there is nothing false," Nathaniel's testimony about Jesus is telling for me: "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel."
The Son of God? Wow! We debate whether Old Testament believers would have seen the Messiah as the Son of God or would have called Him by such titles. But at least some of them expected no one less than the Son of God to come as their Messiah! Either that, or Nathaniel was a complete oddity among the Jews of his day. By Jesus' divine knowledge of him, Nathaniel knew that Jesus was the Son of God from day one. This is the testimony of a "true Israelite in whom there is nothing false."
The King of
I'm not sure what Jesus was referring to when He told Nathaniel that he would see greater things – that he would see the angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man. But it sounds unlike anything recorded in the gospels. Nathaniel was not one of the three disciples close to Jesus in the
However, what Jesus describes sounds very much like a scene from heaven. I think Jesus was confirming to Nathaniel the following: "You have believed because of something relatively small. You will see all that there is to see, for You will be a part of my everlasting kingdom. You will be there in heaven, so continue to follow Me."
What an encouragement this must have been to Nathaniel! If I understand correctly, Nathaniel had just received the promise of the Son of God that he would be in heaven! From that point on, could Nathaniel have ever wanted to follow anyone else?
Father, how can I be so easily distracted and disturbed by my earthly desires and the challenges of unbelievers when I have heaven waiting for me as I follow Jesus Christ? Help me to throw off everything that hinders, to run the race before me with my eyes fixed on Jesus! Lord Jesus, You are worthy!
Emma is really enjoying saying people’s names. Their full names. She likes telling people that she is Emma Rachel Harner. She likes telling people that her brother is Michael Jeremiah Harner.
This morning I went into her room. She had woken up and I was trying to give her some water and help her get back to sleep. She began this name thing again. But this time, she was mixing them. She said, “Emma Daddy Rachel.” And then she just giggled.
Crazy, wonderful girl!
So John the Baptist saw his role in the divine plan being that of a person who would prepare the way for the LORD Himself. John (the Evangelist) records that the very next day – the day after John the Baptist identified himself as the LORD's forerunner – John the Baptist saw Jesus and announced that He was the one John was there to point toward. He called Jesus "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" and announced that "this is the one I meant."
But John said that he had not known the identity of the LORD, the one he came to point out, until now. The ironic thing is that John and Jesus may well have known each other. Luke records how both of them came to be born. We know that Jesus' mother Mary and John's mother Elizabeth were relatives (Luke 1:36). John was born only months before Jesus. But apparently John did not know that Jesus was the LORD until now.
How did John know? God had told the him that the Word in flesh would be identified when John saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and remain on Him. That is precisely what John testifies that he saw. And therefore he makes this bold statement: "I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."
There was a ripple effect. Some of John's disciples followed Jesus the next day. One of them was Andrew, and he told his brother Simon Peter. The ministry of John the Baptist was to prepare the way for the Word, and that he fulfilled his ministry. Because of John's testimony, John's followers became Jesus' followers. Exactly as was supposed to happen.
Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is the Word of God. And now that I know this, I have had to make a choice just as John's disciples did. Will I follow Jesus? Or will I cling to my own ways of doing things?
So who was John the Baptist? Obviously, we know his name. But who was he? Why was he significant?
When the Jews asked him who he was, John the Baptist said that he was not the Christ, the expected Messiah. But they weren't satisfied with knowing who he wasn't. They wanted to understand his ministry, to see where he fit into God's purposes. So they kept asking him who he was. Elijah? No. The prophet? No. Who?
And this is how John defined himself: "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way of the LORD,' as the prophet Isaiah said."
John knew he was fulfilling Scripture. John knew his place in God's plan. He was there to prepare the way for God Himself.
All these questions and John's answer took place in
Why do we care? We should care because we need life. We need light. We need the Word. We need God Himself, our Creator. Even John the Baptist recognized that he was unworthy of any attention compared to the Word. But he also knew that he was there to prepare the way for this Word, for our God. If John the Baptist is really the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, then his testimony is important for identifying the LORD. If we want to know God, we need to follow the one John points to. In history. John was really there at
Father, thank you for giving us a sign to point to the Word. Thank you that John the Baptist knew what his assignment was. May I also fulfill my assignment. But most of all, help me to listen to the truth and receive the life that You have made available to me through the Word, Jesus Christ. May I believe Him and accept what He has to say. He comes from You.
In the context of all that John has said so far, this next statement is astonishing! The Word became flesh and lived/camped among us! The Word became flesh? The one through whom everything was created clothed Himself with His far inferior creation? Perhaps "clothed" is too gentle a term. After all, we clothe ourselves with cloths and other substances that are inferior to us. Perhaps the term "bound" would be better. The Word bound Himself in His creation. He subjected Himself to the limitations of His creation. The idea is not that He merely put on His creation as a garment, but that He restricted Himself within His creation. If you and I were willing to identify with our clothes – to live in drawers with them, be folded like they are, sit there passively waiting for someone to come by and put us on, and then do nothing but cover other humans, taking on stains and rips and stretching, and then be thrown into a washing machine for a cycle, and then into a dryer, and then back into the drawer after being folded – if we could do that, we might begin to understand what it meant for the Word to take on flesh.
And yet John writes that "we have seen His glory". The Word displayed the life that was in Him, the glorious light intended to free men from darkness, even when limited by our weak flesh. The Word was full of grace and truth.
The man who came as a witness to the light, John the Baptist, cries out concerning the Word in flesh, "He who is coming after me has surpassed me... because He was before me." In other words, the one I point to is God. He has always been. My job is to point you to Him so that you begin to watch Him and recognize that God is among us.
He is the one from whom all grace has come. You can only say this about God. John even goes on to define this grace. Apparently, it does not include the Law, for after saying that grace upon grace has come through the Word, John specifically states that the Law was given through Moses (not the Word); therefore, the Law is not included in God's works of grace. Grace and truth happen through Jesus Christ. This is the first time that John mentions Jesus' name; he identifies the Word, who is God, who holds life for all men – he identifies this person who has come in the flesh as Jesus Christ.
No one has seen God. But this Jesus Christ, God the only begotten, has explained the Father to us so that we may know Him.
In other words, we have the opportunity to know God. And it has come through Jesus Christ. This is the best of news! We should listen to it eagerly.
Lord Jesus, I believe that You are the Word. I believe that You are God. I believe that You came as a real man. And I cannot explain how all these things work together, but I believe You. I want the life You offer, even though I certainly don't deserve it. May I pay attention to Your words, Your life, Your everything!
John's introduction to his gospel shifts slightly here from a focus on the light to a focus on John (the Baptist). The first thing to know about John is that he was a man sent from God. He came as a witness to point people toward the light, that all might believe through him. John could recognize the light, the life. John, sent from God, could recognize God. What John says about the light is something we should all learn from; that is why he was sent from God. John was there to point to the light, and the light was coming into the world.
And then the light was in the world. The world had been made through the light, who was the Word. But the world did not know the light. John (the author) had noted earlier that the darkness did not receive the light, so now we see that the world is in darkness; the world does not know the light. Even though the world belonged to the Word – the light, the life, God – the world did not receive the Word.
And yet some did, apparently. Or at least, some would receive the Word. Because John writes that the Word, the light, gave the right to become God's children to as many people as received Him. It was not their right because they received Him. It was not their right because they trusted in His name. They did not earn the right to become God's children by receiving Him. It was their right because, having received the Word and trusted in His name, He gave them the right. He had the authority to withhold that right from them. But in His authority, He gave to those who received Him the right to become children of God. All who receive the Word are therefore very blessed! They have the right to become children of God!
How are they made children of God? John makes it clear that this birth has nothing to do with man's activity or will. Man cannot choose to be born of God. God must produce His own children. All that man can do is to receive the light, the Word, the God who gives life. But God gives life. Man never earns life by his own choices. But God graciously gives life to those who receive the light.
Again, I am reminded that "the world did not receive Him." This is maddening! Confusing! Frustrating! How can we reject the Word? How can we reject the One who has life? How can we reject our Creator, our God? Father, be gracious toward Your Creation! Continue to offer Your grace! Open our eyes so that we can see the light and no longer walk in darkness, please! May those whose eyes are open let Your light shine before men! May Your name be praised!
I know I just started on Luke, but I actually read through Luke very recently, so I have decided to turn to John. John begins the gospel of Jesus Christ in a very interesting time – the beginning. Not the beginning of Jesus' life on earth. The beginning. And he doesn't seem necessarily to be talking about Jesus at first. He begins by talking about "the word".
We learn several things about the word from John. The word existed in the beginning. The word was with God. The word was God.
What does that mean? On the one hand, the word was distinct from God. On the other hand, the word was God. Had I been there in the beginning, I could not have looked at or considered the word and said, "That's just the word. God is over there." No, the word was God. When we consider God, the word is included in what we think. So I will capitalize the Word from this point, partially to honor and recognize by saying "the Word" I mean "God" and partially to make sure I don't get confused by what I mean when I write "word" from this point forward. The Word is God. And the Word is the Word. Not a part of God (what does a Word look like, after all? What is its shape?), but a distinctive element of all that we can talk about when we describe God. Confusing so far, I think, but this is what John has taught me to this point.
One might be able to write that last part with the next verse in this way: "And the Word, who/which was in the beginning with God, was God." That would summarize well both the clear and confusing points I've been trying to work through.
Next John teaches that all things, without exception, were made through the Word. Life was in the Word, and John equates that life with the light of men. There is a connection between the Word and us men. The connection is a light, a life that is found in the Word, who is God. That sounds pretty good. I want, even need, light. I need life. So I must need the Word, who apparently created me – the Word who is God. I need God.
But then John introduces a problem: The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood/received the light. If I am reading this gospel, I need to ask myself whether that darkness includes me. Am I included in the darkness that has not taken in the light? But I need the light, because I need life. So I need the Word, I need God, but apparently, if I am included in the darkness, I have not received God.
That's a problem. Thankfully, as a Christian, I now know the Word. I have the light. I have life. But it is good to remember that I came from darkness. 1 John 1:6 says, "If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth."
Father, protect me from such a dark deceit that I could walk in the darkness and convince myself that I am in the light. What a danger would await me in that situation! Please, guard me in the light. It may be that my sins are more evident in the light, but at least life is found there... with You! Please, help me to choose life over the cover of darkness. Always. And may those who walk in darkness receive the light, that they may live!
These verses seem almost unimportant. They're introductory material. They're just trying to prepare the reader for the good stuff. Right?
That might be a quick judgment on these verses.
I think it is really interesting that Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and after careful research, felt that he should add another account to the gospels already written (Luke 1:1-3). What was his main reason for writing up this "orderly account"? Luke wrote this gospel so that Theophilus would know the certainty of the things he had been taught.
Did Theophilus have doubts about what he had been taught? Perhaps. I know that people today struggle with doubts about Jesus' life. Christians today sometimes have a hard time remembering that Jesus is worthy of their faith and complete devotion. So why not back then?
What if Theophilus didn't have any doubts? This gospel would still have been worthwhile, because its message confirms all over again the message that is found in the other gospels. Luke, who was not an apostle, did the research to find out what all the apostles had to say about Jesus. He may have interviewed others, too, perhaps even people who weren't Christians. He could certainly have verified many of Jesus' miracles by contacting men and women in the villages where Jesus performed them. There were many witnesses besides the apostles, for instance, to the feeding of the 5000. Basically, because Luke was not an eyewitness and yet did the research to find out what Jesus' life had been like, this gospel stands as a great way of strengthening our faith in what we already know from the other gospels.
We have four different gospel writers who all tell us that Jesus lived, was crucified, was buried, and was raised from the dead to save us from our sins. That same message permeates the rest of the New Testament, and various passages in the Old Testament from many different authors predict the very same things. Between the testimony of Old Testament prophets, kings, priests, shepherds, and others who claimed to have prophetically written the very testimony of God; and the New Testament fishermen, doctors, and religious leaders who claimed to have been eyewitnesses of what God did among them through Jesus – a combined testimony that covered over a thousand years – surely we have a faith that is sure. Jesus truly is worthy of our faith, our service, our love!
Lord Jesus, help me always to listen to You, even when I struggle with doubts! Help me to submit to You, even when I don't understand Your reasoning! Help me to trust You, even when You lead me through painful and hard times! May I join in with those who can testify that You are worthy of all devotion!
Again, I see in the actions of these women a faithfulness to Jesus that must have been pleasing to God. They spend their money to buy spices so that they can anoint Jesus' body. They rise early in the morning, as soon as they are free to do so, and go to the tomb.
But the main point of this passage is not their faithfulness. The main point here is that Jesus rose from the dead! The stone was rolled away from the tomb. Jesus' body was gone! A young man was sitting there, telling the women that Jesus was alive! He even gave them instructions to tell the disciples, especially mentioning Peter, to head for
Mark indicates that the women's initial response was fear so great that they did not tell the disciples. They were confused, and didn't immediately tell anyone that Jesus was alive, probably not sure themselves whether to believe this young man.
But the rest is history. Over the course of the next forty days, Jesus appeared to many people, convinced His disciples that He was alive, taught them again about the necessity of His death, and left them a mission to proclaim the good news of salvation in His name to all people everywhere.
That task is still before us. Because He lives.
This is the first time we've heard of Joseph, but his faithfulness and love for Jesus are evident. He gathers up his courage and approaches Pilate to ask for Jesus' body.
My understanding is that Pilate was not very sympathetic toward the Jews. On this day he might have been especially miffed, having crucified a man he knew to be innocent. I suppose Pilate could have been glad to see someone coming to care for Jesus' body, but even the fact that Pilate had Jesus crucified tells us that he's not really a respecter of human life – even innocent human life. Approaching Pilate – especially a disturbed Pilate – took courage.
Pilate had to make sure that Jesus was dead, but once the centurion had confirmed this, he granted Jesus' body to Joseph. Joseph had to hurry because it was Preparation Day and he needed to finish his work with Jesus' body before it was too late in the evening. He bought a linen cloth, wrapped Jesus' body in it, and put Jesus' body in a tomb cut out of the rock. To secure and protect the body, Joseph rolled a large stone in front of the tomb's entrance. Mary Magdalene and another Mary saw where Jesus' body was laid.
It all seems simple enough. But given the events of the prior 24 hours, this was anything but simple. Joseph was caring for the body of a man who had been condemned by the high priests and the whole Sanhedrin. He was caring for the body of a man who had been condemned to death on a cross by the Roman authorities. And to do this, he had to approach the very authorities who had condemned Jesus to death, showing himself to be someone who loved and identified with this condemned man. Joseph was not family. He wasn't even one of the twelve closest disciples. But Joseph loved Jesus enough to identify with Him after he had been condemned to death, when there was no chance in his mind that Jesus could reward him or return his gesture of love.
Today, we know that Jesus has risen from the dead! We know that He will reward those who follow Him – for sure. Yet we still struggle at times to identify ourselves with our wonderful Jesus. How can this be? Father, strengthen our love! Strengthen my love for my Lord, Jesus Christ!
Darkness from the sixth hour to the ninth hour – creation itself was responding to the dying of its King. Jesus' death for our sins – for our terrible, thoughtless, arrogant sins – was the saddest moment in the history of Creation. Ironically, it was also began the greatest process in the history of Creation, culminating in Jesus' victory over sin and death through His resurrection!
"My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" – We think the union of our man and woman relationships is special, but our marriages are nothing compared to the divine union and love found between the eternal Father and Son. The blessed Son of God was cursed. The righteous Messiah was condemned. The Prince of Peace felt the wrath of Almighty God. The best relationship in the world felt the most excruciating agony in the universe. And this was because of our sins, because of the Father's love for us, and because of Jesus' desire to glorify the Father. So much sacrifice for our redemption by a God who didn't have to redeem us at all! When we understand this, how dare we deliberately continue sinning against Him?
"Let's see if Elijah comes to take Him down." – Human misunderstanding, human mockery. Our blindness is amazing! At the most significant time in human history, men can't even see what is happening! And men continue to obscure the truth with their petty thoughts today. They're thinking, "Wouldn't it be amazing if Elijah showed up? Yeah, right! That's not happening." As amazing as that would have been, what Jesus did was more amazing: He gave His life to redeem mankind and restore Creation. His death and resurrection are the foundation of the new heavens and the new earth!
He breathed His last – Jesus' death rips the curtain of the temple in two from top to bottom! The physical representation of the separation between God and man is torn in two! When Jesus was torn apart and died, He opened a new and living way for us, through Him, to God! "There is therefore now no condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus."
"Surely this man was the Son of God!" – What about Jesus' death convinced the centurion that Jesus was God's Son? The centurion had executed many criminals, but no death was ever so amazing as this death. Why did the centurion associate the darkness over the land and other events of the day with Jesus' death rather than with one of the robbers' deaths? I can't tell exactly why. But we know that the centurion executed Jesus and put over His head the written charge against Him: "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." The centurion probably had some knowledge about Jewish beliefs regarding the Messiah. The focus of the day was on Jesus. The darkness came as Jesus died. And anyone who had heard about Jesus' activities over the last several years must have wondered what the source of Jesus' power was. In Jesus' death, the centurion found his proof: "Surely this man was the Son of God!" And we see the beginnings of faith, though still without a full understanding. People would gain understanding only after the resurrection.
Some women were watching from a distance. – Bless them, they kept watching over Jesus. These women loved Jesus dearly, and had proved their love by their service. Some of these women would be the first to receive the good news of Jesus' resurrection. But for now, they were standing and watching as Jesus died. Sometimes this is all that faithful followers can do. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – all four – mention that the women were there, so we know that this faithful attentiveness was significant to God. May we be faithful in the midst of times when we don't understand what is happening! May we be faithful to Jesus when all seems to be going wrong! May we continue to serve Him even when everything seems to be at an end! May we never turn away from Him. Ever.
The King of the Jews
At least the Romans got one thing right. At both the Jewish and Roman trials, the only charge to which Jesus responded was the charge that He claimed to be the King of the Jews. Both times He identified Himself as the King of the Jews. Jesus was claiming to be the God-anointed king who would set all wrongs to right, and this is why He was crucified.
While Jesus was on the cross, they mocked Him. Everyone mocked Him. Those who passed by. The chief priests and scribes. Those crucified with Him. And their refrain went like this: "You claim to be special. Prove it by coming down from the cross." Those who passed by mocked Jesus' for claiming to have power to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. Ironically, this is the very claim Jesus was proving at that moment, for the claim had referred to His body (John 2:19-22). Jesus was destroying and rebuilding His body in three days. Their mockery was void.
Similarly, the chief priests and scribes mocked Jesus for not being able to save Himself. But they never asked whether He was trying to save Himself. As frail men afraid of death, they assumed that He, too, was frail and afraid of death. But Jesus was on the cross to fulfill His Father's purpose in accomplishing a salvation far greater than anything the chief priests had yet seen. He wasn't afraid of death! He was in the process of binding and destroying death! He would not stay dead, and He knew it! Jesus did not need to save Himself. He rose from the dead on the third day! They said that He should come down from the cross right then if He was truly the Messiah; then they would believe! They did not understand that they would have had nothing to believe in – nothing redemptive, at least. Jesus was proving that He was the Messiah by staying on the cross!
How blind we are! How much we believe we know, when in fact we understand nothing! God must explain to us every detail. He must show us, after the fact, what He had in mind all along. Even though Jesus told the disciples about the Father's plan before His death, they did not understand until after His resurrection. Jesus had to explain it to them Himself! And the Spirit is still at work, explaining to foolish men the wisdom of God and pointing them to Jesus Christ's glorious work on the cross!
Father, Your wisdom is astounding! Your plans are beyond comprehension! You did not sit down with men to ask for counsel on our salvation; we could never have come up with such a marvelous plan. Thank You for doing "what Your power and will had decided beforehand should happen" (Acts 4:28) without consulting us. Open our eyes to Your wisdom, that we may trust in You!
Having small children can be such a blessing! We have a large, inflatable yellow ball with a smiley face on it. Just before her naptime, Emma wanted to play with the ball. We went out into our (tiny) front lawn. She began to carry and throw the ball. She would get up on the sidewalk, throw the ball down into the lawn, chase the ball, then bring it back. I began to swat the ball out of her hands and throw it back onto the lawn. She laughed hysterically! She loved it. We played that way over and over again, and over and over she laughed as though there was nothing more delightful in the world!
For me, there is nothing more delightful! It’s amazing how perfect the simple pleasures of life are!
I suppose that in
We need to understand that, in many parts of the world, condemned criminals are not considered to have rights. They are totally despised, worthy of contemptible treatment. Maybe treating Jesus like He was worthless helped the soldiers to work up the nerve to crucify a man. Who knows? But this is perfectly understandable for human activity. Don't we, don't I, find it extremely easy to mock people in my mind? I begin to despise people for the most unimportant reasons: perceived stupidity, lack of "class", too much TV time, dirty or ugly appearances. As though I am a paragon of excellence in all these areas. Instead of realizing that we're all equal, we try to classify ourselves in the hope that we will look good in our own eyes and to others, too. And when we look down on others, we find it very easy to mistreat them. In today's world, that mistreatment can range from neglect to abuse. These soldiers were not so different from us. Their behavior just displays that they needed a Savior, too.
Father, help me as I read such horrible things. Help me to remember that these horrors flow from people who have the same nature I had before You redeemed me, the same nature I still struggle to subdue by Your power and Spirit. Keep me humble. Keep me horrified at sin – not just at the sin of others, but at my sin which led to Jesus' death. May I not regard Your grace lightly. Instead, I come to You in complete awareness that I deserve to die. You would be completely in the right if You destroyed me and all of humanity. We are despicable in our pride and selfishness. Forgive me. Forgive us. Thank You for the display of Your love – Jesus on the cross – a display sent while we were still sinners. Thank You! Thank You! You are glorious in Your grace, in Your mercy, in Your faithfulness!
Custom vs. Justice
Pilate tried to take the easy way out and ended up doing exactly what he did not want to do: sending Jesus to be crucified.
It had all seemed so easy. Jesus was so clearly innocent of any real wrongdoing. The reason for His appearance before Pilate was so obviously the envy of the chief priests. And Barabbas was so bad, so evil. Surely, when Pilate offered the crowd their choice of criminals to free, Jesus would be set free. The crowd always sided with someone considered innocent and just. Barabbas did not match the portrait of the kind of prisoners the crowd usually released.
So Pilate gave the crowd a choice. And the crowd chose to free Barabbas rather than Jesus. Now Pilate was stuck in the same mess he'd started with – an innocent man was before him, but there could be a riot if Pilate declared Him innocent. "What should I do with this Jesus, this one called the King of the Jews?" Pilate asked. And the crowd insisted that Pilate crucify Jesus. And Pilate submitted to the masses.
What happened to justice? What happened to righteousness regardless of pressure? It was gone! Thrown out the window, all because Pilate was too afraid to do the right thing from the beginning and declare Jesus innocent. The representative of
We men are so weak! We tend to fear people more than God. We would rather save our skins for now than our lives forever. Father, teach our justice officials to live for what is right. And teach us, Your people, Your children, to stand for what is right regardless of the pressures brought against us. May we be able to hear Your voice through the shouts of the multitudes, to see Your hand above the clenched fists of the mob! May we know You, and may we take courage!
Posts
All Comments
