Reading for Saturday of Holy Week

Mark 15:42-47

Devotion

Peace be with you!

To bury Jesus, the Son of God, is to admit he is really dead. Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the Sanhedrin, goes to Pilate and asks if he can have Jesus’s body. Joseph is also eagerly waiting for the Kingdom of God (Mark 15:43) and was probably not a part of Jesus’s trial, according to Robert H. Stein. Matthew 27:57 calls Joseph a disciple of Jesus, and Luke 23:50 calls him a “good and righteous man.” Joseph is follower of Jesus Christ who was motivated to “protect Israel from violating God’s command in Deuteronomy 21:22-23,” which states that a man who is hung should be buried the same day so that the land God gives Israel by inheritance is not cursed (Stein 2008).

When Joseph asks for Jesus’s body, Pilate is surprised he is already dead since it usually took individuals a day or two to die on the cross (Stein 2008). Pilate sends a messenger to the centurion who was present at Jesus’s crucifixion to make sure he is really dead. When the messenger comes back confirming the report of Jesus’s death, Pilate grants Joseph Jesus’s body to be buried. Pilate shows respect for Jesus Christ by allowing Joseph to give him a proper burial before the Sabbath.

Jesus dies around three in the afternoon, giving Joseph just a few hours before the start of the Sabbath at sundown to get all the preparations done. Preparing for burial included seeking Pilate’s permission to take custody of the body, obtaining a linen cloth, getting Jesus off the cross, cleaning his body, and wrapping him in the cloth before placing him in the tomb. Despite the rushed time frame, it is important to Joseph to give Jesus a proper burial in order to show him respect and honor according to the Jewish tradition.

The fact that Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses see Joseph bury Jesus adds to the veracity of the story. There are witnesses to Jesus’s death and burial. No one can argue Jesus is still alive, because Mary Magdalene and Mary can testify he is dead.

This is the darkest moment of all; Jesus’s burial seems to be the final “nail in the coffin” to any hope for Israel’s deliverance. Yes, this is a dark moment. Yet even in the darkest hour, we can see glimmers of light on the horizon. And it is because of that light that we are waiting for Easter morning. And Easter, my friends, is coming tomorrow!

Continue to follow the light. The story is still unfolding. Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for Joseph’s quick thinking and willingness to give Jesus a proper burial. Help us to bury our old selves in the tomb with Jesus as we wait for Easter morning. Thank you for giving us the light, even as we bury Jesus in the tomb. Amen.

Works Cited

Stein, Robert H. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Mark. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008.

Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

1. What are you placing the tomb today? Why?
2. What does it mean to you that Jesus died?

Photo Credit: Alan Salt via photopin cc

Reading for Good Friday

Mark 15:16-41

Devotion

Peace be with you!

After Pilate sentences Jesus to be crucified, the soldiers take him into the courtyard of the palace, which was the governor’s headquarters, and dress him a purple (the color of royalty) cloak and a crown of thorns. Then the soldiers mock him by yelling, “Hail, King of the Jews” (Mark 15:18 NRSV). The soldiers mock Jesus regarding his claim to be the king of the Jews. The word “hail” comes from the phrase “Hail, Caesar!” and mockingly equates Jesus to Caesar. The soldiers kneel down and pay homage to Jesus as a “fake” king. Their mockery is a result of their lack of belief and understanding. The mockery is the soldiers’ attempt to humiliate Jesus and show him who is in charge. No one but Caesar can just claim to be a king.

As they continue to mock Jesus, the soldiers strike his head with a reed. Imagine the pain of being struck on the head with a crown of thorns on. I can only imagine it was far worse than my worst three-day headache.

After mocking Jesus, the soldiers strip Jesus of the purple cloak and dress him in his ordinary clothes. The word strip indicates that the soldiers wanted to strip Jesus of any sense of royalty—except the crown of thorn that continued to cause him pain—and any respect he has. Yet unknowingly the soldiers are fulfilling the scriptures and God’s plan. Isaiah 50:6-7 states:

I offered my back to those who attacked,

my jaws to those who tore out my beard;

I did not hide my face

from insults and spitting.

But the sovereign LORD helps me,

so I am not humiliated.

For that reason I am steadfastly resolved;

I know I will not be put to shame (NET Bible).

Jesus understands he has to suffer according to God’s plan. Through their mockery, the soldiers unknowingly proclaim Jesus’s kingship.

Then the soldiers get Simon of Cyrene to carry Jesus’s cross as they lead him to Golgotha, “the place of the skull,” where they crucify Jesus on the cross with an inscription above his head: “The King of the Jews” (Mark 15:21-22, 24a, 26). The soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ clothes (Mark 15:24), which fulfills Psalm 22:18: “They are dividing up my clothes among themselves; they are rolling dice for my garments” (NET Bible).

A passerby mocks Jesus by saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross” (Mark 15:29-30 NRSV). And the chief priests mock him, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” (Mark 15:31-32).

Yet all of the mocking of the soldiers, the chief priests, and the passersby merely lets the truth be known, even through their disbelief. Jesus is the King of the Jews/Israel. Jesus does destroy the temple by being crucified. Jesus will rebuild the temple in three days through his resurrection, which overcomes death. Jesus is the temple that he was talking about, but the unbelievers misunderstood. The world is told the truth through the mocking of the soldiers, the chief priests, and the passersby. People just have to believe.

Jesus calls out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” and he takes his last breath (Mark 15:34, 37). The curtain of the temple is torn in two (Mark 15:38), and it is finished. Jesus is ready dead. It is a frightening fact as we realize the light in no longer in the world, the shepherd is gone, and hope of the Messiah has gone away. Even as we hate this part of the story, it has to take place to carry out God’s plan to save us from the darkness. Yet, even in the darkest hour we can see glimmers of light on the horizon.

Continue to follow the light. The story is still unfolding. Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for continuing to show us your love—on the cross, with arms spread out. Help us to understand why Jesus had to die on the cross. Remind us of your love and forgiveness as we weep at the cross. Thank you for showing us the cross. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

1. How does Jesus’s suffering affect you?
2. How do nonbelievers continue to mock Jesus?
3. How do believers reject who Jesus really is?

Photo Credit: Amber Sue Photography

Reading for Thursday of Holy Week

Mark 14:43-15:15

Devotion

Peace be with you!

As the week goes on, the story gets all the more challenging, especially since we probably can relate to the disciples. As we read about Peter’s three denials (Mark 14:66-72), we cannot help but think of times when we have effectively denied knowing Jesus. The servant girl of the high priest is certain that Peter is one of Jesus’s disciples. She inquires three times if Peter is one of the disciples, and each time he states he does not know or understand what the servant girl is talking about.

How many times do you walk quickly past a preacher on a street corner? Or how many times do you ignore the call to tell someone the good news? We have our excuses: too busy, they wouldn’t understand, not convenient, not the place, not enough energy, etc. When I am tired or not in mood, I just zone out and ignore any call to tell the person next to me the good news. Satan preys on our excuses and uses them to get what he really wants.

The chief priests and the whole council are looking for any testimony against Jesus, so they can fulfill their plan to condemn him to death, even if they are grasping for straws with false and contradictory testimony. Someone does come forward and reports Jesus said, “I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands” (Mark 14:58 NRSV). This report of Jesus’s words is only partially true in that it misinterprets a statement he once made which actually referred to his body being destroyed and coming to life again.

The high priest tries to provoke Jesus and get him to argue against the testimony. Finally, the high priest asks Jesus if he is the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus answers, “I am; and ‘you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power,’ and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven’” (Mark 14:62). This is enough for the high priest to condemn Jesus as worthy of death. If the Sadducees and Pharisees had been able to understand the majesty of the Trinity, if they had been able to understand that Jesus was not blaspheming against the one true God but rather proclaiming the truth of his nature (one God in three persons), would they have still sought to crucify Jesus? Regardless of the motives of the religious leaders, God’s plan had to be fulfilled. God used even incomplete theological understanding and the jealousy of these men’s hearts to bring about his purposes in the world.

Since only the Roman authorities can execute the death sentence, the Jewish leaders hand Jesus over to Pilate. Pilate asks Jesus if he is the king of the Jews, and he replies, “You say so” (Mark 15:2). Then the chief priests jump in and accuse him of many things, yet Jesus says nothing to defend himself. Jesus understands this needs to happen to carry out God’s plan.

Pilate is determined to release Jesus since he finds no fault in him. Since it was traditional for him to let the crowd choose one prisoner for him to release during Passover, Pilate brings Barabbas, a murderer, out and gave the crowd the choice between Jesus and Barabbas. Unfortunately, the chief priests are in the crowd and use their influence to get Barabbas released. When the crowd yells for Barabbas to be released, Pilate is confused and asks what he should do to Jesus, to which they reply, “Crucify him!” (Mark 15:7-14). To please the crowd, Pilate hands Jesus over to be beaten and crucified (Mark 15:15).

How many times have you felt helpless like Pilate? You know the right thing to do, and yet [whatever “it” is] stops you. Pilate failed because he did not own up to his responsibility. To know what is right and fail to do it is sin and cowardice.

Yet as human beings, we can relate to Pilate’s weakness, just as we could relate to Peter’s. I believe Jesus understands our inadequacy to give the good news every time we get the chance. We continue to fall short of his glory. He understands our battle with the devil and with our own sinful nature. Even as we hate this part of the story, it has to take place to carry out God’s plan to save us from the darkness. Yet even in the darkest hour we can see glimmers of light on the horizon.

Continue to follow the light. The story is just unfolding. Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for forgiving and loving us even when we deny you and fail to do what is right. Help us to be more faithful to you, for you have given all for us. Thank you for Jesus’s willingness to go through such suffering for us. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

1. Have you ever effectively denied Jesus through your words or actions?
2. When have you failed to do what was right out of fear?
3. How can Jesus’s love and forgiveness empower you to put the past behind you and move on with the future?

Photo Credit: Amber Sue Photography

Reading for Wednesday of Holy Week

Mark 14:32-42

Devotion

Peace be with you!

After Jesus has the Passover dinner with his disciples, he goes and prays in Gethsemane. In his human nature, his nerves are beginning to get the best of him. He is distressed and agitated about the coming days, plus he knows Judas Iscariot is about to arrive with a mob ready to arrest him. Jesus prays, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want” (Mark 14:36 NRSV). Jesus, in his human nature, would like to avoid the coming suffering, but, in his divine nature, he knows it is God’s will for him to suffer so much pain on our behalf. Jesus loves God the Father with his whole being, and so he will do what he is instructed to do. Jesus prepares for the suffering ahead by asking for endurance and strength to go through the crucifixion and dying process. Jesus knows God the Father will raise him again, but that will not take away the potent pain of the cross.

When Jesus prays, he tells his disciples to stay awake and keep watch (Mark 14:34). Jesus seems to be telling Peter, James, and John, who follow him to Gethsemane, to pray for their own courage and strength so they do not run away in fear. Jesus comes back three times to his three disciples, only to find them asleep. Each time, Jesus tells the three disciples to keep awake and to pray for their own safety in this time of need (Mark 14:38). The third time Jesus returns, he wakes his three disciples up saying it is time for him to be betrayed into the hands of sinners (Mark 14:41).

As sinners, we are the ones who betray Jesus and have him crucified. We are joined to both the Jewish people and the Roman people who together nailed him to the cross, united in our guilt because of our sin nature which takes us away from God. We are the ones he dies for in the name of forgiveness of sins. We are the ones Jesus comes for, the ones he saves on the cross.

Judas comes with the mob sent by the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders and tells them he will kiss Jesus on the cheek. When he does, Jesus is arrested. Jesus questions why the crowd comes armed with swords and clubs since he was accessible—not hidden—in the temple daily. He points out that they didn’t arrest him then when they had easy access (Mark 14:48-49). Yet Jesus knows the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders arrest him now to fulfill the scriptures (Mark 14:49b) in order to carry out God’s plan. We know the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders believe they are punishing a false prophet since they do not believe he is God in human flesh. We also know that they feel threatened by Jesus’ growing popularity and power among the people. Despite both well-meaning and selfish motives, God uses the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders to carry out his plan.

Out of fear, the disciples scatter and desert Jesus just as he predicted (Mark 14:50). We can relate to their fear so well. Surely they feared also being put to death. Running is easier—and safer—than sticking around to watch things unfold. Yet their betrayal is hard to stomach, even as we acknowledge ways we betray God daily. Even as we hate this part of the story, it has to take place to carry out God’s plan to save us from the darkness. Yet, even in the darkest hour, we can see glimmers of light on the horizon.

Continue to follow the light. The story is just unfolding. Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for continuing to unfold the Passion Story in front of us, even as we dread that it had to happen. Remind us that the Passion Story happened according to your will to bring us back into a relationship with you. Keep our eyes fixed on the unfolding light to come in the story. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

1. How can Jesus’s example of prayer in the midst of fear and anxiety guide you in your own struggles? How can you watch and pray?
2. How does Jesus’s willingness to undergo suffering for your sake make you feel? How can knowing his love for you motivate you to follow him?

Photo Credit: Amber Sue Photography

Reading for Tuesday of Holy Week

Mark 14:17-31

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Saying goodbye to close friends is always difficult. Recently, I found myself walking with a colleague and a friend, Barb, during her final days on earth. Last August she was diagnosed with cancer. Over the next six months, a Facebook group was created to keep friends, family, and colleagues informed of Barb’s progress. Barb’s final two months on earth were focused on reflection and spending time with friends and family. A week or so before Barb died, she gathered with her fellow diaconal ministers and presented them with her “blessing” basin as a community. The basin is the symbol for the diaconal ministers and is used in foot washing. Barb gave the diaconal community the “blessing” bowl to continue her ministry in the world after she passed away.

Jesus knows this Passover dinner with his disciples will be his last meal with them until his resurrection. He has a lot to do before his crucifixion, death, and resurrection, including giving them ways to honor God. Jesus also understands the coming days will be just as hard on his disciples as they are on him. The days will come when his disciples will be facing similar fates due to their belief in and loyalty to the Triune God—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Somehow Jesus needs to give his disciples the strength, courage, and hope to make it through difficult times in order to spread the good news, like Barb did with her fellow diaconal ministers.

During supper, Jesus takes bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to his disciples saying, “Take; this is body” (Mark 14:22 NRSV). Then he takes the cup, gives thanks, and gives it to his disciples to drink saying, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” (Mark 14:24-25 NRSV).

Compared to today’s standards, taking bread and wine seems like such a simple act. But it is what Jesus does with the bread and the wine that makes it special. Jesus blesses the bread and the wine before giving it to his disciples. The bread and the wine become symbols of Jesus’s body and blood and become holy to us as Christians. When Jesus alludes to the fact that his blood will be poured out for many, he is saying his blood will seal a new covenant between God and the people. Jesus will become the sacrifice that will repair their relationship with God the Father.

When Jesus says he will not drink again until he drinks it anew in the kingdom of God, he alluding to his resurrection. Jesus will usher in a new era when he goes to heaven where there will be a grand banquet, and there will be a new covenant between God and the people. We are made new through Jesus’s crucifixion, death, and resurrection. Our relationship with God the Father is made new with the new covenant. The Last Supper is important, because it gave the disciples and gives us as Christians a reason to keep going. In the face of the darkness, we have something to remind of God’s love. We live in a world where the deceptive devil reigns; the Lord’s Supper is a needed point of connection between Christ and his disciples in such a world.

But Jesus does not stop with the bread and the wine. He makes three predictions about his disciples. The first prediction is that one of his disciples will betray him (Mark 14:18b). We already know from yesterday’s reading that Judas is planning on betraying Jesus by leading the chief priests to arrest him. It is hard news for the eleven disciples to hear. How could one of them betray Jesus?

Then Jesus says they will desert him, citing Zechariah the prophet, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (Mark 14:27; Zechariah 13:7). Jesus is our shepherd, and we are his sheep. Jesus endures crucifixion and death on our behalf. We and the disciples run away because we are scared of the unknown, of what people will think, and of the uncertainty life gives us. Running is easier than standing around waiting for the next punch.

Finally, when Peter says he would never desert him, Jesus tells him Peter will deny him three times before midnight (Mark 14:30). Peter argues he would never deny Jesus, even if he had die with him (Mark 14:31). In the perfect world as perfect individuals, we would never deny Jesus, even in the face of death. But let’s face it: dying is a little scarier than we would like to admit. When faced with the decision between life and death, we prefer life.

These predictions are hard to accept, let alone accept that they have to happen. Judas has to betray Jesus so that Jesus will be sentenced and crucified and then rise again and ascend into heaven. This all must happen for the forgiveness of our sins. The disciples have to desert Jesus in accordance with the scriptures. Even as we hate this part of the story, it has to take place to carry out God’s plan to save us from the darkness. God’s path is not the easiest to accept, but even in the darkest hour we can see the light.

Continue to follow the light. The story is just unfolding. Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for coming into the world to experience our personal struggling. Help us to accept the parts of your plan that we do not like, so your plan continues to unfold according to your will. Thank you for unfolding your plan through us as your children. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the blehavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

1. How has God used you to unfold his plan?
2. Which prediction of what is to come do you find hard to accept? Why?

Photo Credit: Kieran Lynam via photopin cc

The liturgical season of Lent, followed by Holy Week, is my favorite time in the church year. For pastors and lay leaders, Holy Week is like marathon—at least four different sermons in an eight-day span that covers every emotion imaginable. You have to reflect on the Passion story—following Jesus to the cross, finding an empty tomb, and rejoicing over the risen Lord. Holy Week plays upon every emotion—excitement at Jesus’s possession into Jerusalem, resentment and jealousy of the chief priests and the scribes, confusion for the disciples, sorrow for Jesus’s mother and other women, pain and anguish of the crucifixion, and joy at seeing the risen Lord. Every detail builds upon the next, and if you miss a detail, you are easily confused.

I love reflecting on the events of Holy Week, because they remind me Jesus Christ feels every emotion I feel. Jesus is celebrated when he processes into Jerusalem, seeks relief and strength as he prays in Gethsemane, is betrayed by Judas Iscariot, feels resentment and scrutiny from the chief priests and the scribes, undergoes pain and suffering when he is beaten and crucified, and enters into joy in his resurrection. Jesus goes through it all on our behalf, so we never have to be separated from God the Father again.

I love reflecting on the events of Holy Week, because they remind me how I am never alone when I struggle and how I have prevailed over the devil. I have experienced my own “holy weeks”—when I got divorced, when I had MRSA, when I am at odds with a friend or family member, when I had my skiing accident, and at other times as well. I have struggled with having cerebral palsy and not being “normal.” After thirty-two years, I have finally accepted my cerebral palsy as a blessing and have felt raised to a new understanding of purpose in the world. Each time I suffer a loss, God raises me back up again, and I feel anew again. God finds me in the darkness and leads me to the light through Jesus Christ.

I love reflecting on the events of Holy Week, because they reminds me God is with me through the good times and the bad times. Jesus praises God the Father at his baptism and prays to God the Father before Judas Iscariot betrays him. I can go to God the Father in times of need and rejoice with him in good times because he understands my most inner feelings and thoughts. I do not have to hide anything from God because he has been in the world—been there, done that—and has the scars to prove it. And Jesus has no problem doing it again and again and again and again and again and again…

Holy Week is a love letter to us from God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God the Father loves us so much that he sent his only begotten son to die for our sins so that we can be in a relationship with him. God will not allow our sins to get in the way of us being in a relationship with him, even if he has to pay the ultimate price by sacrificing his only son for the forgiveness of our sins through his grace and love.

Thanks be to God!

Photo Credit: Amber Sue Photography

Reading for Monday of Holy Week

Mark 14:1-16

Devotion

Peace be with you!

The characters in today’s Gospel reading all have a role in setting up Jesus’s betrayal, arrest, and ultimately his crucifixion, death, and resurrection. But their roles may seem odd: a woman pouring ointment on his head, the chief priests plotting against Jesus, and Judas making a deal to betray Jesus. To us, these events seem odd to us. There is really no reason for any of this to take place. What is the significance of the woman pouring ointment on Jesus’ head? What do the chief priests have against Jesus? Who betrays their faithful leader? Why does this all have to take place?

Jesus visits Simon the leper in Bethany two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread (Mark 14:1, 3). When a woman pours ointment on Jesus’s head, the disciples object because such an expensive item could have been sold and the money given to the poor (Mark 14:4-5). To the disciples, the woman is wasting money that could have been used to help those in need. The ointment of nard could have paid for a family’s expenses for a year. It seems a ridiculous waste. However, Jesus stops the disciples in their tracks and explains the importance behind the woman pouring ointment on his head. Jesus states that the poor will always be with his followers, but he would not (Mark 14:7). For us today, this makes sense: we have never physically seen Jesus. We do see the poor all the time. Since Simon is a leper and not able to work, the household Jesus and his disciples are visiting is, yet the woman anoints Jesus with expense ointment.

The woman was actually anointing his body for burial beforehand (Mark 14:8). The woman gives Jesus the honor and dignity that he deserves before he suffers crucifixion and death. The woman gives up money to give honor to Jesus. Anointing before burial was often reserved for important individuals, such as kings.

Then we come to Judas Iscariot and the chief priests who set devastating events into action. Chief priests were already plotting to arrest and kill Jesus (Mark 14:1), though it could not be during the Passover, because it would cause a riot (Mark 14:2) unless a disciple came forward to help them (Perkins 1995). When Judas comes forward willing to betray Jesus (Mark 14:10), the chief priests are able to carry out their plans.

Now, Judas does not care why the chief priests want to arrest Jesus. Judas’s only concern is himself, and the chief priests are willing to pay him money for giving them Jesus (Mark 14:11). Because of his greed and desire for personal gain, Judas is willing to hand Jesus over.

Readers cannot help but compare the woman who poured ointment on Jesus’s head with Judas. While Judas plans to betray Jesus for money, the woman who poured ointment on Jesus’ head sacrifice expensive nard to show him respect and dignity. The woman gives up money for Jesus, whereas Judas takes money as he betrays Jesus. When the woman prepares Jesus for his burial by anointing him, Judas puts into motion the events leading up to the crucifixion.

It would be easy to mark the woman who poured ointment on Jesus’s head as a saint and Judas Iscariot and the chief priests as sinners, but we are not called to do that. Each of these characters play an important role in the Passion story. As I stated above, the woman who poured ointment on Jesus’s head gives him the honor and dignity he deserves before fulfilling the scriptures. In the same way, Judas and the chief priests play an important role in allowing Jesus to fulfill the scriptures, even though that is not their goal. Ultimately, Jesus has to die on cross for our sins and rise again to overcome death. The woman who poured ointment on his head, Judas Iscariot, and the chief priests help Jesus to carry out God’s plan, even without their knowledge.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the woman, Judas, and chief priests who played important roles in carrying out your plan. Help us to recognize the way in which you use us Christians—and even those who do not believe—to further your plan, even unknowingly. Thank you for using us as you continue to unfold your plan. Amen.

Works Cited

Perkins, Pheme. “The Gospel of Mark: Introductions, Commentary, and Reflections.” In The New Interpreter’s Bible, by Leander E Kirk. Nashville: Abringdon Press, 1995.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

1. How has God used you in a tough situation to continue to unfold his plan?
2. Where do you find yourself in the story?

photo credit:  Listening to Jesus via cc

Reading for Palm Sunday

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29.

Mark 11:1-11

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Jesus’s entrance into Jerusalem for the final time before his crucifixion takes a bit of preparation, but Jesus has it planned out to a “T.” While still on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Jesus sends two disciples to a village to get a colt and to bring it back to him. Roman officials commonly requisitioned animals and human labor. The fact that Jesus instructs the two disciples to say, “The Lord needs it” (Mark 11:3), tells the owners that a powerful man needs the colt. However, Jesus’s promise to return the colt immediately sets him apart from other rulers.

Now, the colt is significant for a few reasons. First, Jesus was the first one to ride it, which would have been an honor to an important Roman official. Jesus enters Jerusalem on a young colt as a king. Second, Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a colt fulfills Zechariah 9:9:

Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Lo, our king comes to you:

triumphant and victorious is he,

humble and riding on a donkey

on a colt, the foal of a female donkey (NRSV).

Jesus presents himself as the long-awaited king of Israel, the Messiah. Even though the disciples and the crowd may have missed the significance, Jesus has now made it known to all that he is the Messiah. The crowd and his disciples may have acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah but may also have understood his role as being the one who would conquer the Romans as a military hero, not as the Son of God who would die for their sins and redeem them to be in a relationship with God the Father.

As we celebrate Palm Sunday, we cannot help but get caught up in the excitement of welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem. A crowd welcomes Jesus into Jerusalem by laying down their cloaks and palm branches in his path. The crowd yells, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Mark 11:9-10 NRSV). One cannot deny the excitement of the crowd, excitement that Jesus would rescue them at last from the Romans.

Jesus carries out a careful plan to reveal himself as the Messiah—the one sent by God to free believers from their sins. As readers, we can identify Jesus’s entrance into Jerusalem as a messianic action. We understand the significance behind every little details. Jesus is beginning to prepare for the events of redemption.

As we begin the Holy Week journey, put yourself in the different characters’ mindsets. Feel their fear and joy as they watch the unfolding of Jesus’s crucifixion. Ask yourself where you are in the story.

Go out into the world and shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Mark 11:9-10 NRSV). Welcome Jesus into your town and into your home. Celebrate Jesus’s Messianic claim. Jesus may not be a king in quite the way we expect, but he is still King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for how Jesus entered Jerusalem as king, giving us a reason to celebrate his Messianic claim. Help us to claim Jesus as our Messiah in a world where it is easier to deny him or reject what his kingship means for us. Remind us of your glory this coming Holy Week as we walk beside Jesus and watch him be the ultimate sacrifice for our sin. Thank you for your glory. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

1. Where are you in the story of Palm Sunday? Are you with the crowd shouting “Hosanna”? Or are you hiding in fear of the Pharisees? Are you understanding Jesus’s goal and confusing it with your own?
2. How would your congregation welcome Jesus into your church?

photo credit:  Waiting for the Word on Flickr via photopin cc

Reading for Fifth Sunday of Lent

Jeremiah 31:31-4

John 12:20-33

Devotion

Peace be with you!

During their time wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites made a strict covenant with God. The prophet Jeremiah has the unfortunate task of revealing the way the Israelites have failed to live up to their covenant with the Lord. Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry is to a nation who became involved with idol worship for decades under the rule of Manasseh and Josiah’s father. Since the sins of the Israelites run deep, Judah and Jerusalem are facing destruction.

In the wilderness, God gives Moses a covenant for the Israelites to live by and to be in a relationship with him. The covenant outlines how the Israelites can remain holy in the Lord. However, the Israelites live in the world where they face temptations by Satan every day. Since they are not perfect like God is, the Israelites fall short of his expectations and become unholy. This separates the Israelites from God and breaks their relationship with him.

God understands that the covenant that he made with the Israelites in the wilderness no longer reflects the kind of relationship he wants to have with them. He realizes that the covenant that he currently has with the Israelites is too unforgiving and too destructive to his relationship with them, especially since his children live in the world where Satan reigns. The Israelites struggle every day to uphold the Ten Commandments and to beat Satan at his deceptive ways. Darkness surrounds the Israelites as they try to live in the world according to God’s ways.

God makes plans to create a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:32) to reclaim his relationship with the Israelites. The new covenant will reclaim the Israelites as his people (Jeremiah 31:33) and bring them back into a relationship with the Lord. The Lord promises to be their God, and to make the Israelites his people again (Jeremiah 31:33). The Lord desperately wants to be their God by being in a relationship with them. However, God knows the current covenant will never allow this to happen. A change needs to occur to allow this to happen.

Instead of having the laws written on tablets, God wants to write them on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). In the Old Testament, “heart” does not reflect an emotional attachment, but rather it reflects a cognitive reaction. The Israelites will know and understand the laws and be able to follow them to their best ability.

And there is more: God promises to forget the Israelites’ shortcomings by forgiving them. God will no longer remember the Israelites’ sins or hold their sins against them (Jeremiah 31:34). Both we and the Israelites will be freed from our sinful pasts through God’s forgiveness.

These changes allow us to be in a more stable relationship with God the Father. Forgiveness gives us the opportunity to really know God and to be able to carry out his plan.

Allow God to create a clean heart in you and to make a new and right spirit within you (Psalm 51:10). We need spiritual cleansing in order to know the Triune God.

With a clean heart, we must allow our old selves to die to give way to a new life with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (John 12:24). When we do this, we receive the promise of eternal life in God’s kingdom. However, we must despise the world and the actions of Satan, because they stand in opposition to God (John 12:25). When we follow and serve Jesus, God the Father honors us (John 12:26). This is why we share the good news with everyone who will listen to us. We want to be in a community with our friends, family, and the Triune God.

We know the beginning of the ending: Jesus came to walk on earth beside us, to feel our pain and joy. Then he does something incredible: he becomes God’s living sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus suffers at the crucifixion, dies on the cross, goes to hell for three days, rises again, and ascends to heaven all for our sins. Jesus does all of this out of divine love and to express the truth in order to draw us closer to God the Father.

And still God’s promise is not fully fulfilled. Jesus is coming back for us—those who believe in the Triune God—to take us to heaven to be with God the Father. Can I get a social media AMEN? So as we look toward Holy Week and eventually toward Easter, remember this is not the end: it is just the beginning.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the new covenant to extend forgiveness to us in order to be in a relationship with you. Help us to understand that this is just the beginning of the end. You have greater plans for us than we can imagine. You have claimed, continue to claim, and will claim us as your children by redeeming us from our sins. Thank you for creating a clean heart in us. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

1. Where do you see God’s divine love?
2. What does the cross mean to you?

Reading for Fourth Sunday of Lent

Numbers 21:4-9

John 3:14-21

Devotion

Peace be with you!

Every new beginning starts with a struggle, even if you are excited. Going off to college requires you to learn discipline and to create good study habits. Starting a serious relationship makes you evaluate your habits, including your ability to compromise and to work with your partner. These examples are usually met with excitement. However, some new beginnings are just plain scary and require finding and redefining yourself as an individual. Getting a divorce or breaking up with a long-time significant other causes you to question everything in your life and requires you to do a lot of soul searching. Losing a loved one to cancer creates an empty place in your heart. Both of these examples leave you wondering where life is taking you. It takes all of your energy to perform the simplest tasks, such as changing bank accounts and simple social exchanges. You feel lost and incomplete.

God has led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the wilderness to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land, yet they are still wandering in the wilderness for what seems like an eternity. The Israelites have nothing exciting to eat or drink—just manna and water—in the wilderness. If they knew there would be such monotonous food and drink for forty years before entering the Promised Land, the Israelites might have thought twice about leaving Egypt. Although the Pharaoh made them work as slaves and do hard labor, the Israelites always had plenty of food and drink (or at least that’s how they remembered it). They could eat and drink anything they wanted—especially leeks and onions! But—in the wilderness?—all the Israelites have is manna and water. What were they thinking?

When the Israelites complain about only having manna and water, God becomes angry and sends poisonous snakes to bite them. As a result, many of the Israelites die from the bites. Although this seems cruel, when that first generation dies, it does move the Israelites closer to the Promised Land. However, Moses pleads with God not to kill off the first generation all at one time (Numbers 14:13-19). Moses eloquently says in Numbers 14:19, “In accordance with your great love, forgive the sins of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now” (NIV). God is responsive to Moses’s intercession. God tells Moses to make the image of a poisonous snake on a rod and to have anyone bitten by a snake look at it. By this act of obedient faith, the sick person would be healed from the snakebite.

Despite his anger, God provides a way for the Israelites to be healed—and tries to have a personal relationship with them. God wants the Israelites to start a new life in the Promised Land by living as his chosen people, people who are in a relationship with him.

When Jesus enters the world, the Israelites (now called Jews) have had great political influence in the Roman Empire and have their religious center in Jerusalem. The Jews have done well to stand out as God’s people, but there is also corruption among the chief priests and scribes who do not always do things God’s way and have interpreted the Torah though their own eyes instead of God’s. Jesus comes to bring change once again to the identity to God’s people. Jesus’s message is not new, though it challenges the chief priests’ and the scribes’ ways of thinking. The change of interrupting the Torah calls out the sins of the Jewish people. No longer can the Jews justify the exclusion of Gentiles and Samaritans, because God includes everyone. Jesus shares God’s love with all the people, not just the Jews, in the world, because God wants to be in a relationship with all people.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17 NRSV).

God sends Jesus into the world to save everyone from their sins and to give them eternal life. How is this possible? God witnessed how impossible it was for the Israelites to keep his laws and commandments as long as Satan has power in the world. God expresses his love for us by sending his only Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for our sins. Jesus is crucified, dies, and rises again to overcome the power of death. With God the Father, Jesus Christ makes the impossible possible by taking away Satan’s power of death through his resurrection.

Through Jesus Christ, you are able to have a relationship with God the Father. Jesus made the ultimate price by dying on the cross for our sins. The chief priests and the scribes have difficulty accepting Jesus’s teachings on God’s forgiveness, grace, and love for all people, not just the Jews. Jesus spreads God’s message of inclusion throughout the world. Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles are all included in God’s family.

Taking the first step to changing a situation is the most difficult. However, the good news is God takes the first step in repairing your relationship with him by sending Jesus to die for your sins. Nothing else has changed. His love lasts forever. Will you take the next step?

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for leading the Israelites through the wilderness to the Promised Land. Help us to understand the depth of your love for us. Lead us to welcome everyone who will believe in the good news. Lead us to extend your forgiveness, grace, and love to others. Thank you for paying the ultimate price for our sins through Jesus’s crucifixion, death, and resurrection. Amen.

Reflective Questions

Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the behavior covenant by commenting on it.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.

1. How have you experienced God’s love?
2. How do you help to create inclusive faith communities?