Category Archives: Lent

The Emmaus Road

07 Wednesday Apr 2021

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“That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. He asked them, ‘What were you discussing as you walk along?’ One of them, Cleopas, said to Him in reply, ‘Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?’ They said to Him, ‘The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. But we were hoping that He would be the one to redeem Israel. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that He was alive.’ And He said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!’ “ — Luke 24: 13-55

https://www.flickr.com/photos/adrianpak/5217693560

Did you know that Easter is not just one day? It’s actually a 50-day period that ends on Pentecost. It marks the time of Jesus’s ministry from his resurrection to his ascension. It’s an important time for Christians to reflect upon their baptism and how their lives are meant to change as a member of God’s Kingdom. It’s a time for us to examine how Jesus is included in our daily lives.

For me, it’s impossible to think of Eastertide without thinking of the Emmaus story. This story of two disciples encountering Jesus, on the road to Emmaus, is one my favorite scriptures. Two men were walking toward Emmaus on that first Easter. They were grief-stricken over Jesus’ death. Along the road they encountered a stranger, the unrecognized Jesus.

Cleopas and his companion were surprised that the man had not heard of the recent events that had Jerusalem in turmoil. They proceeded to tell the stranger of Jesus’ crucifixion and the report of His empty tomb by the women that morning. Jesus responded, “‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

Even as he said these words, the two men failed to see Jesus in front of them. They failed to see the truth that they faced. They chose to ignore the presence of God in their moment of grief and fear.

The word “Emmaus” means “an urgent longing”. Is it really surprising that of all the places for Jesus to have this encounter, it would be Emmaus — an urgent longing? Of course not!

I believe that the road to Emmaus is a road that must be walked, in one sense, by every Christian. If you are a Christian, then your urgent longing for Jesus Christ is the driving force of your life. We should long for him in the joyful moments as well as the despair. But woe to us. How often do we fail to see Jesus Christ in our daily moments? How often do we choose to ignore the truth of all the scriptures because our eyes are not open? We aren’t so unlike the two men on the Emmaus Road. And we even know the ending!!

In this account, we know that one of the men was Cleopas. But the other is not named. What if that companion is you? What if the story of the walk to Emmaus is about you and your failure to see the risen Christ … to really see him by your side?

This story ends with an awakening by these disciples as their eyes were opened upon the breaking of the bread.

They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?”

And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, who said, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

The crucified and risen Christ comes to meet us on our daily walk, to restore joy to our heart when we need it. The road to Emmaus becomes a symbol of our own faith journey: the Scriptures and Holy Communion are the incredible ways we have be given to encounter the Lord. We too carry worries, difficulties and disappointments into our worship time, preventing us from seeing Christ before us. So we go away feeling sad, towards our ‘Emmaus,’ turning our backs on God’s plan. We distance ourselves from God. But the scriptures invite us into God’s heart while Communion gives us strength. This is what happened to the disciples of Emmaus: they received the Word; they shared the breaking of bread and from feeling hopeless and defeated they became joyful.

Are you on the Emmaus Road right now? If so, is your heart burning? Perhaps you are urgently longing for the only One you will ever need.

Resurrection Sunday!

04 Sunday Apr 2021

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When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so they could go and anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb at sunrise. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?” Looking up, they observed that the stone—which was very large—had been rolled away. When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; they were amazed and alarmed. “Don’t be alarmed,” he told them. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been resurrected! He is not here! See the place where they put Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there just as He told you.’” So they went out and started running from the tomb, because trembling and astonishment overwhelmed them. — Mark 16:1-8

Jesus Christ is risen!

We are so accustomed to hearing of Jesus risen from the dead that we could say, “Oh yea…i know” and miss the power of this holy season. But y’all, Jesus rose from the dead! Death is not the end! We cannot force the resurrection of Jesus Christ to have to fight for room in our lives; Jesus’s resurrection should be the center of our lives.

Humanity has been waiting for this moment for thousands of years. In the Old Testament prophets gave us the message from God that outlined God’s plan for the resurrection. It wasn’t just a guess. It was a profound promise from God to us thus making Easter the greatest celebration of the Church. Jesus’s resurrection tells us that there is life beyond the grave. It is a reminder that each of us has an immortal soul. Although our body will return to dust, our soul will live forever with God.

Each of the resurrection accounts are slightly different but each one ends at the same place — the tomb with stone rolled away. It’s a powerful image. The stone, which required many men to move, just rolled away. It makes me wonder about the tombs in our lives and how we stay locked inside. Our tombs prevent us from having authentic relationships with others as well as Jesus Christ.

Have you allowed a stone to prevent you from meeting the risen Jesus? Have you allowed the stone of the world to block your way to Jesus? You were adopted as God’s son or daughter on the day you were baptized. If you are not living like a son or daughter of God then roll away the stone. If you are not at peace, the stone needs to be rolled away in your life.

Today is the day. Stones are rolled away. Tombs are empty. Christ is alive!

Holy Saturday

03 Saturday Apr 2021

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But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. — Micah 7:7

Today, we wait. Today, the silence is deafening. Today, we stand stranded between dark and Light. And so we wait. But it is within such dark moments, when fear and hiding are our temptations, that we must recall relentless hope and enduring life.

Holy Saturday is a solemn day for mourning. We are asked to consider what it would have been like if we were close friends of Jesus when his life was taken. How would we have spent this day? Would we, like the disciples, have given up hope? Would we have found ourselves hiding in an upper room?

Our world today is not so different. It kind of feels like we have been in a period of spiritual silence for over a year, locked in our homes for fear of the world. Holy Saturday offers a remedy. “The entire Christian message stands as a countercultural emblem that shouts out to a suffering world that hope truly does reign. Hope is not blind trust nor a mental exercise in spiritual roulette that an outcome will turn out exactly as we desire. Hope is a condition in friendship when you know your friend is with you, even when he is not physically next to you. Hope is the capacity to see that we are never truly alone and that God can overcome any obstacle, even death.” [1]

Passion Week is not an easy week to sail through. If you really stop to ponder each day, it can feel like roller coaster, full of ups and downs. And then you have to face Holy Saturday and the silence that darkness brings. But silence offers a chance to ponder. Would we have left Christ all alone in his suffering? How are we being asked to journey with others in their suffering today?

The day in between Jesus’ death and resurrection stands at a pivotal juncture between despair and hope, fear and courage, death and new life. Holy Saturday was a real point in time, but it also symbolizes the current state of our world.

We are in time and place between darkness and light, destruction and renewal. We are in desperate need of looking toward brighter days for our country, politics, church, and world.

When intense, widespread suffering strikes again — and it will — we should not turn to the fear that evil wins. Instead, when the Holy Saturdays enter our lives, we must remember there is hope in the waiting. Trials and darkness never last forever. The tomb always turns up empty and our lives always recover if we hold fast to the Hope only found in Jesus Christ.

1 Thomas Griffin. EmptyTombProject.org

Good Friday

02 Friday Apr 2021

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After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. — John 19:28-30

Passion of The Christ

Good Friday. It’s a strange name for a day when an innocent man was condemned and crucified. But the “good” in Good Friday actually comes from has a different origin. The word “good” used to have a sense of “pious” or “holy”. The day was called Good Friday in the sense of it being a holy day.

It’s important to remember that on that Holy Friday, it was not good. It was a day when evil rejoiced and those who opposed Jesus’ ministry thought they’d gotten rid of the Nazarene once and for all. They did not realize it was a day God had planned from time eternal, from before the foundation of the world when God would begin to undo what Satan had done in the Garden of Eden.

It was a day when the earth trembled. Darkness reigned. Hope was lost. A ransom was paid. Chains were broken. Death’s defeat begun. Judgment finished. A glimmer of hope found in the midst of a darkness.

What Jesus endured on our behalf is nothing short of incredible. Unlike you and me, Jesus did nothing wrong, but He paid the price of sin. His feet never went where they were not to go, His hands never did what they should not have done. He never spoke an inappropriate word and never entertained an inappropriate thought. Yet, from the foundation of the world, God the Father allowed His only begotten Son to be put on trial for you and me. He gave His only Son as a sacrifice, that you and I might have freedom. The wonderful, free gift of God’s grace!

Perhaps a better name for that Friday so long ago would be “Grace Friday” because on that day, God did for you and I what we could not do for ourselves. Jesus took upon himself the pain of our sins and the punishment we deserved.

“Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt…by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities…he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” — Isaiah 53:10-12

When we were lost in sin and unable to save ourselves, Jesus died in our place by boldly placing our sin on his shoulders. Falsely accused, beaten, and mocked, they crucified the King of glory. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved. —Ephesians 2:4-5

Good Friday is a time of somber reflection, but it is also a time of joyful anticipation. The struggle between good and evil is finished. The debt is paid. The disciples didn’t understand it. And perhaps you struggle with it too. Friday is indeed a dark day. But, my friend, Sunday is coming! A day will dawn when our tears will become joy; the tomb will stand empty; and hope will be restored!

If you don’t know Jesus Christ, you simply must not allow this glorious weekend to pass without confessing Him as Lord and allowing Him to come into your life. He carried your sin….and mine. He died for me…and He died for you. But glory of glory…the grave could not hold Him and He rose again, forever defeating death, so that we might have life. Eternal life. Forever with Him!

Isn’t it time to accept the beautiful gift Jesus is offering you? To invite Jesus to come into your life, sincerely pray this prayer (or something similar) with all your heart:

Heavenly Father, I have done wrong in my life. I have sinned against you and I am sorry. I want to turn from my sinful ways but cannot do it on my own. I acknowledge that I cannot save myself, but that You can save me. Please come to dwell within me and change me from the inside out. I confess that You are Lord and I want to follow You all the days of my life. Thank You for Your amazing grace that is saving me this very moment! Now send Your Holy Spirit to empower me to live the way I should. I give myself to You as best I know how. Amen

Maundy Thursday

01 Thursday Apr 2021

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Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And so said all the disciples. — Matthew 26:35

The triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The cleansing of the temple. The teaching and the miracles. All displayed their leader’s power and the faith of the disciples soared.

Now, on this Holy Thursday, came the most intimate moment of all, the Passover meal. He joined his friends, the 12 whom had answered his call, for one last meal. It would be here that the newest command would be given to all humanity — “love one another.” He showed that love by humbling himself as he washed their feet.

Jesus took this moment to prepare them one last time for the testings and trials that lay just ahead. “Lord,” Peter assured Him, “I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” (Luke 22:33)

Maundy Thursday isn’t just a Holy Week service, it corresponds to those times in our own lives when our faith feels shaky. Surrounded by so many proofs of His love, how could we ever doubt? And yet, just like the disciples, we do!

Thursday is the most perilous day of our journey. Because when the test comes, we so often fail. Before daybreak Peter was swearing he’d never heard of Jesus. Maundy Thursday represents our failures too—the ones which swiftly follow our moments of high commitment. The times when, having made great promises, we fall on our faces. When we let God down and let ourselves down and are left with only the certainty of our own weakness.

Yet strangely, Thursday also ushers in the most hopeful part of our journey. Because at last we are truly on the road to Easter. We have learned better than to place our trust in ourselves. “I tell you, Peter,” Jesus replied to Peter’s confident boast, “the cock will not crow this day, until you three times deny that you know me.” (Luke 22:34)

But He said it without condemnation, without rejection. Jesus knew that the way leads through death. Death of self-satisfaction and self-sufficiency. He knew that on the other side of Easter, Peter would find the power that never fails. Eternal salvation!

Yes, Maundy Thursday is often the day we remember the first Lord’s Supper. But it’s much more than that. It’s a love that took our sins upon himself. It’s a love that anguished in Gethsemane. It’s a love that was arrested. It’s a love that was tried, beaten, condemned, and crucified… for you.

Holy Wednesday

31 Wednesday Mar 2021

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Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present. — Luke 22:3-6

Every day of Holy Week is marked with special events of Jesus’ life, and Holy Wednesday is no different. After Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, his cursing of the fig tree on Holy Monday, and his Olivet Discourse on Holy Tuesday comes Holy Wednesday.

“ONE OF THE TWELVE, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I deliver him to you?’ And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him”(Mt 26:14-16).

Judas Iscariot had been personally chosen by Christ. Alongside Jesus, he could have been as joyful as the others, and become one of the pillars of the Church. However, he chose to sell, at the price of a slave, the one who gave him everything. And it was God’s will that Holy Scripture should not silence this fact.

The tragic outcome takes place at the Last Supper, when Jesus is assailed by the anguish of the approaching Passion and the heartbreak of abandonment by those he loved. When they were at supper, he said, “Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me” (Mt 26:21). The other eleven apostles, with experience of their own failings and great trust in Christ’s words, exclaimed in surprise: “‘Is it I, Lord?’ He answered, ‘He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me, will betray me. The Son of man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.’ Judas, who betrayed him, said, ‘Is it I, Master?’ He said to him, ‘You have said so’” (Mt 26:22-25).

We do not know what Judas must have felt when he looked into Jesus’ eyes again. He would have discovered no anger there. Jesus was still looking at him with the same love with which he had called him a few years earlier to be an disciple. “What can we do before a God who served us even when he experienced betrayal and abandonment? We cannot betray what we were created for, not abandon what really matters. We are in the world to love him and others. The rest passes away, love remains.”[1]

JUDAS’S BETRAYAL began much earlier. First, Judas criticized Mary of Bethany’s apparent waste in anointing Jesus with precious ointment, a few days before the Passover.

But here’s the grace of God: Nothing we do nor any human weakness, is strong enough to overcome the love of a God who calls each person constantly and who always awaits our return. Saint Josemaría saw in God’s way of being, so full of mercy, our true armor: “We all have shortcomings. But these defects of ours should never lead us to turn our back on God’s call, but to take refuge in it, to clothe ourselves in this divine goodness, as the warriors of old clothed themselves in their suit of armor.”[2]

Saint Augustine, specifically referring to Judas Iscariot, said: “After he betrayed Him, and repented of it, if he prayed through Christ, he would ask for pardon; if he asked for pardon, he would have hope; if he had hope, he would hope for mercy.”[3]

Our Lord didn’t want Judas to perish, just as he does not want anyone to perish. Even in his own arrest he tries to bring him to his senses, calling him “friend” and accepting the disciple’s kiss.

Commenting on this Gospel passage, Saint Josemaría said: “Look how great the virtue of hope is! Judas recognized Christ’s sanctity, and repented of the crime he had committed. So much so that he took the money that was the price for his treason and threw it down in front of those who had given it to him as his reward for his betrayal. But he lacked hope, which is the virtue needed to return to God. If he had had hope, he still could have been a great apostle. In any case, we don’t know what took place in the heart of that man, whether he responded to God’s grace in the last moment. Only God knows what happened in his heart. So never lose hope, never despair, even though you have done the most foolish thing possible. All you have to do is speak out, repent, and let yourself be led by the hand, and everything will be put right.”[4]

I would venture to say we have all had moments where we questioned our salvation. At times, perhaps you’ve wondered if your offenses were simply too great for God’s forgiveness. Hear these words. No matter how great our offenses, God’s mercy is always greater. “Fear and shame, which stop us from being sincere, are the greatest enemies of our perseverance. We are made of clay; but if we speak clearly, the clay acquires the strength of bronze.”[5]

The shadow of the cross grows darker as we draw closer. His sacrifice is the complete culmination of our faith. Yes, this week continues to get darker but the Hope of the world is about to prove once and for all that Light still shines!

[1] Francis, Homily, 5 April 2020.

[2] Saint Josemaría, Letters 2, no. 47a.

[3] Saint Augustine, Commentary on Psalm 108, no. 9.

[4] Saint Josemaría, Notes from his preaching, 8 December 1968.

[5] Saint Josemaría, Letters 2, no. 41a.

Holy Tuesday

30 Tuesday Mar 2021

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And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.” And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept. —Mark 14:66-72

Why did Peter deny Jesus? He was the rock, the first to follow Jesus, leaving so much behind to walk the uncertain road of discipleship. He had witnessed incredible miracles as his Master healed the sick, cast out demons, and even raised the dead. Peter had a front row seat to the miracle of the transfiguration. And he had even walked on water. So why did Peter deny Jesus?

Fear.

Fear is the four-letter word that causes us to lock our doors. It’s why we keep a light on in the middle of the night. It prevents us from reaching for our dreams or from reaching out to others in love. Fear cripples our souls and binds our hearts. It locks us in prison and throws away the key. In fearful moments, all we think of is how to protect ourselves, perhaps at any cost.

Peter was no different than we are when faced with fear. All that he had hoped seemed to be crumbling before him. The one he believed to be the Messiah, the Savior of Israel, was now arrested. Jesus’ death seemed certain, and with his death the end of Peter’s reason for living.

Add to that the overwhelming sense of seeing his powerful Teacher so helpless must have confused Peter. Why didn’t Jesus just call down a legion of angels? Why did the one with the power to still the storm not use that power now? And if Jesus was helpless to defend himself, what did that mean for Peter? How could he escape a fate like that of Jesus…arrest, abuse, execution?

In fear, Peter did what he swore he would never do. He denied Jesus Christ, not once, but three times, just as Jesus had promised. Fear had overtaken Peter.

Though you may say you would never deny Jesus, I would challenge you to examine yourself. Truth be told, I think we’ve all denied Jesus for the simple reason of fear.

Have you felt like you were supposed to do something, but then you chickened out because you were afraid? Have you known what it’s like to downplay the significance of your faith in some conversation because your were afraid of offending someone?

What is the antidote to such fear? Trusting God. It’s believing the Word of Christ. It’s experiencing the perfect love of God that casts out fear. In today’s world, Christians must battle against fear faithfully. We must learn to fully trust God and not the world. Jesus spent Holy Tuesday avoiding traps and teaching. The priests set four traps for Jesus, the first questioning His authority, to which He answered with a question and then taught three parables: The Parable of the Two Sons, The Parable of the Tenants, and The Parable of the Wedding Banquet. The second trap challenged Jesus’ allegiance, the third trap attempted to ridicule Jesus’ belief in resurrection, and the fourth Jesus answered by claiming God’s greatest command to be “Love.”

Jesus knew what was coming but he didn’t walk through Holy Week in fear. His life was in God’s hands. That was all he needed to know.

Holy Monday

29 Monday Mar 2021

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The next day when they came out from Bethany, He was hungry. After seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, He went to find out if there was anything on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples heard it. Early in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. Then Peter remembered and said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that You cursed is withered.” Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. 23 I assure you: If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for—believe that you have received them, and you will have them. 25 And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing. [26 But if you don’t forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your wrongdoing.]” — Mark 11:12-14,20-26

Holy Monday is the second day of Holy Week, right after Palm Sunday. It is often forgotten but incredibly important.

While walking from Bethany to Jerusalem, Jesus saw a fig tree with no fruit. He cursed the fig tree, which immediately withered. Jesus told the disciples that if they had enough faith, they could not only tell a fig tree to wither, they could tell mountains to move.

Jesus also showed his righteous anger when he entered into the temple and found it being used for things which did not honor God.

There are many important things to observe about Holy Monday, but two are particularly important.

First, Holy Monday set up the events which happened on Maundy Thursday. By clearing the temple, Jesus criticized the leaders who allowed and promoted the deeds happening in the temple. The religious leaders had been concerned about Jesus before this, but his actions on Holy Monday and Holy Tuesday clinched it: they wanted him dead.

Second, Jesus describes these teachings and parables as being about the kingdom of God. God will offer the kingdom to unexpected people, and when the kingdom arrives in full there will be judgment.

The parable of the two sons, the evil farm tenants, and the great feast all deal with God offering the kingdom to people and varying responses, which results in God offering it to others. The son who initially does not obey the father is ultimately honored for doing what he’s asked in the end, and Jesus ends it by telling the religious leaders, “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of Heaven before you do”.

Jesus wasted no time on that Monday telling those around him that things were about to change. He knew that his entrance into Jerusalem was noticed but now he was targeted. But his mission was clear. Prepare humankind for the kingdom of God.

And the mission remains the same today. We cannot be prepared for the coming kingdom if we don’t put our full self into the hands of God by way of Jesus Christ.

Jesus knew the cross was looming. And even in his final days, his entire focus was saving you from eternal death. Isn’t it time you said yes to Jesus? He has made the way clear for you.

Passion Week: Who Is This?

28 Sunday Mar 2021

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And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him. And they laid hands on him and seized him. But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” And they all left him and fled. And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. — Mark 14:43-52

It was just a few days before He would be crucified, and Jesus had just entered Jerusalem. You can picture it, can’t you? The crowd was waving palm branches and shouting hallelujahs. But many in the crowd where wondering what was happening.

When [Jesus] had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, ‘Who is this?’ 

This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee. — Matthew 21:10-11

Not a wrong answer. He really was the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee. But it was only a half correct answer. He was more than the crowds understood or even his very own disciples understood. Not only a prophet, he was the focal point and fulfillment of all the prophecies.

And I would offer that Jesus is still not known today. Instead of being known as the Son of God, our Redeemer and Savior, Jesus is only known half-way. He is known with half-truths, bringing a half-salvation, applying a half-remedy to the magnitude of our needs — and it is easy to settle for that. Too many Christians settle for a meek, passive Jesus who is not reflected in the Biblical text. But then we wonder why it isn’t working for us. Why do we still feel so empty and lost and without hope? It’s because the Jesus we have come to know is not the authentic Jesus who died for your sins. The real Jesus, the whole Jesus, is better than we know. But we CAN know him if we ask, “Who is this?”, and then really listen for God’s answer!

When He entered Jerusalem, the whole city was shaken, saying, “Who is this?”

The whole city was shaken! Oh to see my whole city shaken over Jesus. I would love to see just our churches shaken. Our homes and our schools. Just to have people so moved by his presence is something I have longed for and continue to do so. What about you? Have you been shaken by Jesus Christ? Perhaps you have asked, “Who is this?” Who is this who put your life back together from the ashes? Who is this who redeemed you? Who is this who healed your broken heart? Who is this?

As we make the final steps to the cross, we must do so through what is known as Passion Week, the week of suffering. But to really understand what this week is about you need to know what passion really means. Passion originally meant, “A willingness to suffer for what you love.” Did you hear that? A willingness to suffer for what you love. The Passion of Christ is the unfailing, everlasting love of the Almighty Triune God, miraculously confined in a human body, suffering of His own volition for His beloved creation. So, who is this? Well, let me tell you.

  • “God is love.” 1 John 4:8
  • “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.” John 3:16
  • “No one shows greater love than when he lays down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
  • “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 
  • “We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
  • “And the angel answering, said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore also the Holy One being born will be called the Son of God.’” Luke 1:35 
  • “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).” Matthew 1:22-23 

The Passion of Christ is unconditional love on display in living color. Who is this? He’s the savior of the world.

Lent Day 33: For God So Loved…

26 Friday Mar 2021

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And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
— Mark 14:32-42

From now until the end of Holy Week, the verses which begin each devotion will be the telling of the single greatest event in history. It’s something we need to constantly hear because the foundation of our faith is being buried more and more all of the time. No matter how much some people want to change the very nature of Christianity, the truth can never be lost because darkness will never defeat the Light.

I worry sometimes, however, if the false prophets have planted so many seeds of doubt that your faith is shaken. Do you struggle to believe God truly loves you – regardless of what you’ve ever done or said? As difficult as it is, you must know that it’s truth.

Are you family with the story of Gomer? She is known to us as a prostitute in the book of Hosea. Hosea was Gomer’s husband. Although Gomer left him, their children, and sold herself for money, Hosea found her, fought for her, and bought her back. You see, Hosea didn’t see her as a prostitute. He saw her as his beloved bride, the mother of his children, the one worth fighting for.

In our culture today, too many discount the Bible as useless stories. But these historical narratives are our stories. We feel much of the same things. So this story of Gomer is worth looking at because we can relate. Gomer would have been tossed aside, considered worthless. But because of Hosea’s love for her, he saw who she really was and did everything to get her back.

This is a picture of God and us. This story is a foreshadowing of what was to come: when God sent Jesus to pursue us and do everything to win us back. His love goes beyond the ways we turn from Him to do what we want regardless of how it hurts us or others. It goes beyond what our culture says and what we tell ourselves about who we are. We are so loved and sought after by a God who is able to free us now and forever. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” This is the message we are to take to the world. This is the IT message from God to each of us. He died so you may live!