24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and
who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.
25 And there are also many other things that Jesus did,
which, if every one of them were written down, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the
books that would be written.
These are the final words of John’s Gospel. He wrote guided
by the Holy Spirit, he wrote knowing every word to be true (v. 24).
At many points in the Gospel of John, we see its purpose
stated outright. He tells us plainly that he recorded these things so that we
would believe and, by believing, have life in Jesus’ name. The very first verse
of John describes Jesus as the very Word of God. So, in a very real sense, to
read these words is to encounter Jesus. Above, at the very final verse (v. 25),
we see the results.
You know the fact that you are reading the Gospel of John at
all is quite amazing. Jesus sent His disciples out and put them to work doing
things like, well, writing the Gospels. He even prayed first for His disciples
and then for everyone who would believe because of their testimony (John 17)!
That means Jesus was praying for you, reader of John’s Gospel, in that moment!
Upon sending this writing out into the world, the disciple
became a teacher, a rabbi, in his own right and put his readers to work just as
Jesus had put him to work. So, the mission and purpose of John’s Gospel is a
cycle. Jesus put John to work. John puts us to work. People believe John 3:16,
and the cycle continues through to today until it now engages with you. So, what
now? Does this cycle end with you?
We have inherited a costly and precious truth. People risked
and lost their lives so that we could know it. Spread the word of Jesus’
resurrection yourself. I wonder if the reason the books of the world could not contain
all the miracles of Jesus’ ministry (v. 25) is because He is alive and still miraculously
changing lives today!
Know this, you are one of the miracles described in verse
25. Thanks be to God!!
18 “Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” 19 He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After saying this, he told him, “Follow me.”
20 So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them, the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is the one that’s going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”
22 “If I want him to remain until I come,” Jesus answered, “what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”
23 So this rumor spread to the brothers and sisters that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not tell him that he would not die, but, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”
Historical tradition maintains that Peter was crucified upside down. This is likely what Jesus was describing in verses 18 and 19. How profound that the purpose behind this gruesome death was to glorify God (v. 19). Take that truth and compare it to your understanding of your experience of personal affliction. Have you ever been angry at God over the pain or difficulties in your life and wondered why He would allow you to face it? I am going to suggest something to us all in my next question which may not be what we want to hear. Here goes, have you ever considered that affliction, pain, difficulties may be part of what God uses to shape you into his faithful follower? That instead of looking for a way to escape the uncomfortable challenges we experience in life, we are invited to surrender, to lean in and patiently wait for God to do his shaping in our lives?
In Jeremiah 18, in the Old Testament, there is a beautiful image of God’s care and purpose. There we read:
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you, … , as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.
We walk the path that God has laid out for us purposely. I am not sure about your reaction, however, when I hear Jesus voice in verse 22 as He speaks to Peter, it sounds harsh in my imagination. What is it to you, Peter, if Jesus wants John to live his whole life until I come? Note Jesus words “as for you” in verse 22 as they focus completely on Peter.
Then, in verse 23 come these words, Peter, “Follow me.” The words to Peter in vs 21 are an interesting challenge to all Jesus followers. Do not, as Peter did, compare your life situation to another believer’s. Do not complain to God that you are suffering more than some other follower. No matter the cost, “as for you” Jesus says follow me, remembering “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand,” declares the Lord.
9 When
they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it,
and bread. 10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus told them. 11
So Simon Peter climbed up and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish—153 of
them. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 “Come and have
breakfast,” Jesus told them. None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are
you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread, and
gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third
time Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15 When
they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you
love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love
you.” “Feed my lambs,” he told him. 16 A second time he asked him, “Simon, son
of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love
you.” “Shepherd my sheep,” he told him. 17 He asked him the third time, “Simon,
son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved that he asked him the third
time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I
love you.” “Feed my sheep,” Jesus said.
I remember
from childhood that charcoal fires take time. The beachside barbecue described
in verse 9 could be one of the most overlooked miracles of Jesus’ ministry.
Look at
the intimacy in this text. The resurrected Jesus knew it was a priority to eat
a meal with his disciples. He blessed them with overwhelming abundance that was
dragged in despite the fact that it was beyond their nets’ capacity to handle
(v.11). He lovingly confronted Peter and then restored Peter. It must has been painful
for Peter to be reminded of the three times he denied Jesus and failed to come
through on his bold promise, made that very same night, to die before he would
forsake Jesus. According to Luke 22:61, there is this little detail that always
moves me, it tells us that Jesus looked directly at Peter the moment Peter
denied him for the third time the night before the crucifixion. This act of
denial broke Peter. At this beachside breakfast, however, Peter is restored. Back
in his proper place. That’s what saving and restoration is, it means to be reinstated, to
be returned to your proper place among God’s people.
Notice that with each
confrontation and confirmation was a commission. Peter was put to work in
ministry. This is deliberate on God’s part. We are not to feel sorry for ourselves
over our failures, forever!! Rather, as I see the Bible's promises, we are to “rise
up and be healed” and then go about the work God has prepared for us in freedom.
Don’t we believe those beautiful words from John
8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” So, arise, Jesus
Followers, get to work, “serve the Lord with gladness and with praise. Amen.
After this, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples by
the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas
(called “Twin”), Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others
of his disciples were together. 3 “I’m going fishing,” Simon Peter said to
them. “We’re coming with you,” they told him. They went out and got into the
boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 When daybreak came, Jesus stood on
the shore, but the disciples did not know it was Jesus. 5 “Friends,”
Jesus called to them, “you don’t have any fish, do you?” “No,” they answered. 6
“Cast the net on the right side of the boat,” he told them, “and you’ll find
some.” So they did, and they were unable to haul it in because of the large
number of fish. 7 The disciple, the one Jesus loved, said to Peter, “It is the
Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tied his outer clothing
around him (for he had taken it off) and plunged into the sea. 8 Since they
were not far from land (about a hundred yards away), the other disciples came
in the boat, dragging the net full of fish. The whole scene had to be familiar
to Peter, the sons of Zebedee, and the other disciples.
This Gospel reading is similar to the moment at least three
of the Disciples were first called to be Jesus’ disciples in Matthew 4:18-22.
They were fishing when Jesus said to them, “Follow me.” You may recall they
just dropped their nets and followed. It was no small thing for these fishermen
to drop their nets.
For fishermen, to drop their nets was to drop their means of
making a living and take a huge step of faith to follow Jesus. In John 21,
though, we are told that they pick up their nets and go back to the things they
were doing before they met Jesus. It leaves us with the impression that it was
almost as though Jesus’ ministry had never happened. That the things they had
heard and seen had become a faded memory.
I wonder, does that sound like your life right now?
Have you picked back up the things you first put down to
follow Jesus? It happens in tough, painful moments in life doesn’t it? We return to what we know, what has helped us cope in the past.
Like Peter, drop all “your nets” once more.
Like Peter, swim the length of a football field (vv. 7-8)
just to be with Jesus again.
Here is what I know. Jesus loves you. He has plans to restore you. Thanks be to
God!!
24 But Thomas (called “Twin”), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were telling him, “We’ve seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “If I don’t see the mark of the nails in his hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were indoors again, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be faithless, but believe.”
28 Thomas responded to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Tradition
has it that Thomas was likely the missionary who first brought the gospel of
Jesus Christ to India. When I think of that I think of the surprise of
Christian missionaries who thought they were pioneering new territory in this
subcontinent only to find that believers were already waiting for them.
Today, Thomas’ body is buried in India.
The first words
of verse 26 are crucial to grasping the purpose of this bible passage. Why
would Jesus wait a week before proving His resurrection to Thomas? Certainly,
Jesus could have appeared to Thomas at any point over the course of those days,
but He chose instead to give Thomas the chance to believe his
friends.
Picture the
moment the other disciples told Thomas that they had encountered the
resurrected Jesus, only for Thomas to shoot them down with disbelief. I was reading
recently where Jesse Campbell says “This was arguably the first instance of
evangelism in the New Testament and it was initially a failure!”
Let’s notice
something about Jesus appearance to Thomas in our reading, again he does not
scold his follower for needing proof of his resurrection, rather he says “Put
your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my
side.” It us like Jesus was saying “Thomas here is the evidence you have been
wanting for.”
This is one of
those teachable moments though. At the end of verse 27 above Jesus offers a
challenge to Thomas, “Don’t be faithless, but believe.” Thomas does indeed
believe. In verse 28, Thomas responded to him, “My Lord and my God!”
I wonder
about the days between Thomas first hearing from his colleagues about Jesus
resurrected appearance, and the day of the big reveal. What might Thomas thought
life have been like?
I suppose we will never know that, but here is something
that we can know. With each day that passed Thomas missed out on a blessing.
Jesus words indicate as much: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet
believe.”
Today, we have
the opportunity to experience the very blessing Jesus described in verse 29. We
who believe without having physically seen Jesus are blessed. This, according
to verse 31, is the whole purpose to the Gospel of John in the first place!
Read, believe, and come alive in His name.
LET US PRAY
Jesus you did not abandon Thomas in his unbelief, and we are thankful that you will not abandon us to ours.
Our Lord and Our God, we confess our preoccupation with Proof. We confess our frequent failure to trust you. Hear us and help our unbelief, we pray.
19 When it was
evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together
with
the doors
locked because they feared the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to
them,
“Peace be with
you.”
20 Having said
this, he showed them his hands and his side. So the disciples rejoiced
when they saw
the Lord.
21 Jesus said
to them again, “Peace to you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” 22
After
saying this, he
breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins
of
any, they are
forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Note the first
words Jesus spoke to them. Consider their purpose and remember their
background. Jesus knew (of course) that they had betrayed and abandoned Him. He
even knew about Peter’s three denials of Him the night of His trial, but He did
not bring up any of it. I’m not sure I wouldn’t have. We would not have been
shocked if Jesus had immediately rebuked them, but His first words were, “Peace to you.” In
fact, He said it twice (vv.19, 21)!
You see this
reminds us that Jesus’ heart toward us is full of mercy and grace and affection.
Look to verse 21 and see Jesus lovingly put His disciples to work. He is now sending
them out just as He was sent.
Then, verse 22
says that He breathed upon them. I want you to know that when God breathes this
way, the dead are brought to life. It is by the breath of God that the universe
was spoken into existence out of nothingness. This same holy breath brought the
vision of the valley of dry bones to its feet in Ezekiel 37.
Ask God for
this same breath upon your life today, well, everyday!
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
We prepare our hearts in anticipation of Easter. We reflect on the cross
and its significance. We feel the long, heavy pause between Good Friday and
Easter Sunday, waiting for the discovery of an empty grave and a risen Savior.
And then it comes. He comes! HE IS RISEN! ALLELUIA we say.
And then it’s Monday. Now What?
It
is a temptation to let down spiritually after Easter when the events and the
excitement are over. We are drawn back into the routine and commonplace
repetition of our jobs and responsibilities.
Sometimes,
even unintentionally, we tend to put Easter carefully back on the shelf as a
holiday until next year kind of like we do with the Christmas Nativity sets.
So what is
next for those who believe in Easter, in resurrection?
If there was ever a time for significant life changes, it should be the
Monday after Easter. Because Easter is a beginning, not an ending. That is essentially the theme of Easter Sunday worship.
It’s THE beginning, the fresh start all our hearts long for. It
is about the radical death, relentless love, and revolutionary power of our
God. The cross, the empty grave and the resurrected Jesus not only give us a
reason to hope for change, they give us the power to change. Resurrection
changes us.
In Romans 8 Paul reminds us: “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from
the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give
life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” And in 2
Corinthians 5:17, Paul writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he isa new
creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Perhaps
Frederick Buechner’s words are helpful, he wrote:
In
the end, God’s will, not ours, is done. Love is the victor.
Death is not the
end. The end is life.
His life and our lives through him, in him.
If Jesus’
death on the cross has been defeated by the empty tomb at Easter, what other
victories is God working on?
How
is God working in your life and in mine to bring resurrection and new life in
those “dark, dead places”?
Where does God keep showing up in our daily
walk now?
LET US PRAY
Risen Savior, may the power of your
resurrection, fill me today and for the rest of my earthly life. May the memory
of your sacrifice never be far from my mind. And May I be an example of your
unselfish love and care for all, today and every day. In your most glorious
name, I pray. Amen.
62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first." 65 "Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
This passage is the only text that speaks of the Saturday between Crucifixion (Good Friday) and Jesus' Resurrection (Easter Sunday).
Sometimes, I feel we rush to Easter Sunday and the celebration of Resurrection. I don't know how you feel about it, but I have found in my walk with Christ, that lingering a while at the cross, and the moments of Good Friday has become good practice to be reminded of Jesus sacrificial love for each all, and that this pause prepares me for resurrection celebration.
I want to invite you to watch and listen to the video below as a way to linger at the cross and the stand outside the sealed tomb and somehow by the Spirits presence step into the experience of the followers of Jesus. These moments today may just serve in GETTING READY FOR EASTER.
Look for things you may have overlooked in
the past.
Isaiah 53:4-9
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
MARK 14:53-15:41
53 They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together. 54 Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.
55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. 56 Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.
57 Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’” 59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree.
60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” 61 But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.
Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”
62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
63 The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”
They all condemned him as worthy of death. 65 Then some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists, and said, “Prophesy!” And the guards took him and beat him.
Peter Disowns Jesus
66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.
“You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.
68 But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.
69 When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” 70 Again he denied it.
After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”
71 He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”
72 Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Jesus Before Pilate
15 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.
3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.”
5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.
6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.
13 “Crucify him!” they shouted.
14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.
27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
The Death of Jesus
33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”
36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.
37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”
40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
“Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
On Maundy Thursday the church remembers the last evening Jesus shared with his disciples in the upper room before his arrest and crucifixion. Maundy Thursday marks three key events in Jesus’ last week: his washing of his disciples’ feet, his institution of the Lord’s Supper, and his new commandment to love one another.
The name “Maundy Thursday” comes from the Latin “mandatum novum”, referring to the “new commandment” Jesus taught his disciples (John 13:34). In other words, this is “new commandment Thursday.”
“A new commandment I give you, that you love one another.” Jesus, speaking to his disciples, continues, “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (John 13:34). When Jesus commands his disciples to love another, he chooses the Greek work “agape”, which refers to self-sacrificing love, like of a parent for their child, like God’s love toward us, “agape” also carries the promise of an ongoing and permanent welcome.
Jesus commands his disciples, then and now, to act in a loving way, to care for and serve each other as he has cared for and served each of us.
LET US PRAY
God of love, it is because of your immense love for us that you came among us to serve and to willingly suffer to give us life. For that love we give you thanks.
You have given us a new command to love each other. We ask that in all our thoughts and actions may we be your servants and reflect your love. We pray this in the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen
4 The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. 5 The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away. 6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. 7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! 9 It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me. Who will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.
JOHN 13:21- 32
Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” 22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. 24 Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.” 25 Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. 29 Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.
31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.
Most of us have experienced betrayal at some point in our lives by someone close and beloved. Have you ever shared the deepest parts of yourself, only for that trusted person to turn on you and become an adversary?
I feel like by reflecting on our own experiences of betrayal, can bring us closer to the cross, closer to Jesus’ Passion, closer to the experience of Jesus. I don’t know if you agree with me on this, but I find in reading today’s scriptures there is a connection between our experiences of betrayal, and the magnitude of Jesus’ betrayal by Judas.
There is something here really important for us in the details of our readings. Since Jesus was betrayed so painfully by Judas, we can be sure that he knows the dreadful pain and shame we feel from the betrayal of our friend or loved one. Like so many of our experiences, the Gospels tell us that we are not alone for Jesus has been there too. The message is that we can take our pain and brokenness to the cross in the confidence that Jesus knows it and feels it. When I was growing up there was a hymn that we used to sing that said “no one understands like Jesus.” In the throes of betrayal it is helpful to remember that Jesus lived it before we did. Best news ever is that Jesus lives it with us now. One of the most meaningful phrases in the Bible to me is found in the story of Lazarus, we are told “Jesus wept.” He wept because he knew the pain. Every human emotion we experience, Jesus knows it.
I admit this knowledge doesn’t eliminate the pain and hurt, there is a healing journey in the wake of betrayal. Yet, don’t you find there is a comfort in the reality that Jesus has walked it all before us and that he is able to sympathize with us.
LET US PRAY
Lord Jesus, just as the disciples had no idea what was playing out before them, so we have many things going on in our lives that we cannot understand. Help us to trust that you have the full picture, and our times are in your hands. It is comforting to know that you share our pain, and you weep with us. Amen.
“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. “He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. “A bruised reed He will not break And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. “He will not be disheartened or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”
Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it, “I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
HEBREWS 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, Isaiah prophesied about His coming, His ministry, His Spirit. How can this reassure you in your walk with God?
Hebrews 12:1 talks about the reality of “so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us.” How might this truth make a difference in how we live day to day ?
In what ways can we fix our eyes on Jesus, and run in perseverance and faithfulness?
TODAY’S PRAYER
Ask God for a fresh vision, that the things that weigh you down may be put into proper perspective in light of today’s readings.
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” So the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true.” Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. “You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. “But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. “Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. “I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.” So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.” These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come.
Then He said again to them, “I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.” So the Jews were saying, “Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “What have I been saying to you from the beginning? “I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.” They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father.
Today look for Jesus' willing obedience to the Father.
What do you note about His innocence versus His willingness to die for our sins?
What would it take to see our obedience and trust in Christ as a priority, as the most significant “thing” we do?
How do you “keep entrusting yourself ” to God no matter what your worries, fears, circumstances, injustices… tell you?
