pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: Jesus


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Blessed Is He

“Hosanna in the highest!”  He who saves comes today in a parade.  We celebrate Palm Sunday for the same reason we celebrate Christmas: it is a significant event.  Jesus was born with one purpose: to show us the way, the truth, and the life.

The celebration and words we say today remind us of this.  People were cheering for a king that day.  Jesus is a king.  He just as not the kind of king people along the parade route were seeking.  They sought the only kind of king they knew.  They sought a king like King David, someone to lead them out of Roman oppression.

As our King, we know that Jesus leads us out of oppression.  On the cross he freed us from sin and death.  Because of the eternal life He offers, sin and death no longer have power over our lives.  Jesus also calls us to be agents who end oppression.  He calls us to help the weak, to care for those trapped by need, and to triumph justice.

“Hosanna in the highest!”  “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”  Jesus is indeed mighty to save.  Today we celebrate this idea.  Then we go forth to bless others as we serve in the name of the only one who can save: Jesus Christ.

Scripture reference: Psalm 118: 26-29 and Luke 11: 8-10


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The Parade

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday.  Many children in many churches will parade into places of worship waving palm branches and singing songs.  It will be festive.  It will be joyful.  It will be like a good parade.

Parades usually accompany a special holiday or a special event.  It can range from a holiday like St. Patrick’s Day to an event like winning a big championship.  Parades are a celebration of something or someone.  The folks along the route cheer, encourage, and support those in the parade.  The folks in the parade wave, smile, thank people for coming, and maybe pass out candy.

On that first Palm Sunday, there certainly was a parade, although it was kind of an accidental parade.  The Jewish people were gathered to celebrate the Passover, a remembrance of great significance in the Jewish faith.  The spontaneous parade that broke out was for this prophet Jesus.  He too was born and raised a Jew so many in the crowd would assume He was also coming to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.  And partly He was.  Even the disciples and followers who went along with Jesus did not really know what was about to unfold in the week ahead.

As Jesus rode along He must have smiled and waved to the crowd – you know, the parade wave.  Upon entering the city He went to the temple.  He took it all in and then went out to Bethany for the night.  He would return to the temple the next day, but, for now, He was just observing.

For us, Palm Sunday is a little like that.  We see and observe but know what is coming too.  Tomorrow may we celebrate with Jesus, the King.  May we be a part of the parade and may we celebrate His willingness to walk into the week ahead.

Scripture reference: Mark 11: 8-11 and 15-18


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It Narrows

“Jesus arrives on the scene disinclined to greatness but inclined to goodness.”  This line really stood out in one of the devotionals I read this morning.  Just a bit earlier in Mark, Jesus referred to himself as “Lord.”  But His definition of ‘Lord’ is a bit different that the people He will encounter as they enter Jerusalem.

The excited people gathered for the Passover with shout “Hosanna!” and declare him ‘Lord’ and will call in the kingdom of David as Jesus arrives.  Hosanna means ‘Save!” – they had such high expectations for Jesus.  They were ready to anoint Him.  Riding in on a donkey probably wasn’t what most had imagined for the day a king would return to save Israel.  The crowd was so charged that Jesus could have been easily lured in.  But He was not.  As He slowly progressed His mind remained resolutely focused on the cross.  He could have chosen greatness but instead He chose to be the good servant.

Jesus’ life was never about power or status or accolades.  His life was always about service and the offering of self for others.  To follow Him is to do as He did.  It is hard.  Remember, when the teachings got really tough and the road narrowed, then the crowds thinned and the followers fell away.  His teachings were challenging and required a cost or sacrifice – most often to self, to status, or to possessions.  In Jesus’ economy the things of value are love, mercy, justice.

In the week ahead, as we enter Holy Week, the road gets really narrow.  It will take a bit to walk through the week ahead with Christ.  This Lenten season of self-denial and introspection makes us ask some hard questions.  He is calling us to read the Word, to feel the tug of the emotions, to be a part of His Holy Week.  Happy trails!

Scripture reference: Mark 11: 4-7


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Lord of All

In the book of Mark, Jesus is most often referred to as “teacher.”  Mark used “Messiah” once and “Son of Man” a couple of times.  In encounters with demons, Mark tells us they called Jesus “the Holy One of God.”

Jesus adds a new name himself when he tells the two disciples to go and retrieve the colt.  He instructs any who ask to tell them, “The Lord needs it.”  In the language of the day this term was reserved for royalty and divinity.  As in Caesar and God.  As His final week drew near, Jesus was adding a new and important definition to who He is: divine presence.  In several places Jesus uses the term “Lord” to refer to God.  Now He is applying it to himself.

This claim implies more for His followers.  It draws a new level of commitment and attachment.  Believing in Jesus as a good teacher was easy.  All who heard Him speak were amazed and He seemed to draw knowledge from a higher source.  And the healings!  These pointed to something special about this Jesus.

When we claim Jesus as Lord there is something more to it than there was before.  But to simply call Jesus ‘Lord’ feels incomplete.  It really needs to be “Lord of my life.”  As in all of me.  As in over all of my life.  It is not a partial commitment.  Jesus did not go half way to the cross.  Nor does He expect us to go half way in following Him.  To call Jesus “Lord” offers our total being to Him.  What do you call Jesus?

Scripture reference: Mark 11: 1-3


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Together

As we move toward Holy Week, we must have a sense that we need to be prepared to walk with Jesus through the trials of the last week of His life.  At times on that journey, the forces of evil were in full force.  It is at times physically painful, at times emotionally painful and at times it is even spiritually painful.

Psalm 118: 24 reads, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  This verse can apply to each day in the week ahead.  Every morning when we begin our day, we can use this verse to garner strength for whatever may come personally and for being present in the events of the week as we walk with Jesus.  Every day God has made.  All things of that day too.  It is a mater of attitude to give each day to God.

It is also a matter of company.  The ‘let us rejoice’ is plural.  We are all in this together. All Christians should walk through Holy Week together with Jesus.  Whether your community is your small group, your church, or the group that reads this today, there is power in practicing our faith together.  There is unity and there is strength.

Holy Weeks is a week of highs and lows.  At times the forces of evil seem to rule the day and at times God is clearly triumphant.  It is as important to celebrate the highs together as well as to walk through the tough stuff together.  May our faith draw us together as we prepare to journey with Jesus through Holy Week.

Scripture reference: Psalm 118: 19-24

 


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Bringing Glory

Jesus seeks to draw all people to himself.  In today’s story Andrew and Philip bring some Greek Gentiles to meet Jesus.  The religious leaders note that this Jesus is drawing “the world” to himself.  Their exclusivity is just the opposite of Jesus’ desire to bring all people together.

Jesus declares that the time of judgment is near and that the prince of peace will soon drive out the rulers of this world.  As His death is drawing very near, He again states that it is why He came – to glorify God.  Did the religious leaders see their role in these two things?  Or were they like the disciples, only becoming fully aware after He had risen?  Or were they so blind and jaded that they never got it?

Jesus, our Prince of Peace, came not to drive people apart but to unite them in love.  He came to break down barriers between Jew and Gentile, between haves and have-nots, between religion and faith.  Jesus came to forge a new community based on love, peace, and forgiveness.

Do we today, as His disciples, see our role in this plan?  Do we, as His followers, walk where Jesus walked, inviting all into our fellowship?  Do we, like our Prince of Peace, seek to remove all barriers to our community of faith, encouraging all to share in His love, peace, and forgiveness?  May we too bring glory to our King!

Scripture reference: John 12: 27-33


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Following Along

In John 12 Jesus parallels our faith with that of a seed.  If a single seed remains sitting on the counter or in the package, then that is all it is.  In a similar way, if we just believe in God then that is all our faith is: just belief.

When the seed is placed in the soil though, it can produce much more.  But in order to produce a crop, the seed itself must die and grow into a plant.  The old is gone and the new goes on to produce a crop.  In a similar way, our old self must be given up so that our new self can grow to live our life for Christ instead of for self.

If we are willing to set aside self and to live for and with Christ, we too can bear much ‘fruit.’  And here too Jesus gives insight.  He tells the disciples and us that whoever serves Him, must follow Him.  Whoever follows must go where He goes.

Here Jesus is calling us past belief.  He is calling us to action: follow, serve, go.  In order to bear fruit in our lives, it requires us to put God and others ahead of ourselves.  This means we cannot ask “Go where?” or “Now?” or “With whom?”  Jesus ministered to anyone, anywhere, anytime.  If we are to follow, we must do the same.

Scripture reference: John 12: 20-26


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Suffering and Faith

For many, many years most images of Jesus show his miling and gentle.  Art generally depicted Jesus’ life and rosy and carefree.  But in recent times, we have begun to see a different side of Jesus’ life.  Most notably in the movie “The Passion of the Christ” we saw a suffering Jesus.  Other movies and television shows have allowed the public to see the sacrifice and pain Jesus experienced.

Jesus did have a lot of pain and suffering in his life.  He wept when Lazarus died, he was sorrowful when John the Baptist was killed, shed tears like blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, lamented over the lost children of Israel, and personally endured the pain and suffering of being beaten and crucified.

All of Jesus’ suffering was for us.  Because He experienced these emotions and feelings, Jesus can have empathy for us and can intercede more directly when we suffer trials and pain.  He has walked through these things and can relate to us.

He also suffered to give us an example. Jesus could have chosen to not suffer by calling in angels or exerting power himself.  Instead He gave us the example – be obedient to God, pray through our trials, trust in God’s big plan, lean into His love.

Although no one chooses to suffer, it is often in the trials that our faith grows the most. As we follow Jesus’ example, we learn that we can only make it through some things with God’s help.  Our relationship then grows, deepens, becomes more trusting.  God will carry us through.  We just need to call upon Him and follow Christ’s example.

Scripture reference: Hebrews 5: 5-10


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Go Forth

When asked, Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God with all our heart, soul, mind,  and strength.  He quickly added a second that was like the first: love neighbor as self.  These two are alike in two ways.  First, they both involve love, arguably the highest human emotion.  Second, they both involve a two-way relationship.  God’s love for us is unfathomable yet Jesus calls us to love Him back as close to this as we can.  In essence, with every fiber of our being.  In the second, our neighbor are also called to love us back.

Jeremiah 31 speaks of a time when God’s ways and laws do not need to be taught anymore because they will be written on all of our hearts. In our church communities we start to see what this looks like.  In these microcosms people know God and strive to obey His teachings.  People who gather together for worship, fellowship, and so on are known by God and are connected together through this relationship.  Once each is in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then their relationship with each other is changed.  All are loved equally by God.  Loving each other in the same way is the basis for this new community.

But… clearly not all are part of these loving communities.  In fact, the majority of people live their lives outside of a church family, outside of a relationship with Jesus.  I believe that if asked, Jesus’ third greatest commandment would be the great commission: go forth and make disciples (Matthew 28:19).  Jesus didn’t say to always stay in our churches.  He didn’t say to closely guard our little communities.  He said go forth.  Into the world.  The great love of and for God compels us to share it with others.  Is not the highest form of loving neighbor to share what is most important to us?  Go forth.

Scripture reference: Jeremiah 31: 33-34


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Called to Light

In the Gospel of John he speaks frequently of the light and eternal life.  He speaks of Jesus being the light that shines in the darkness and how the lights shows things as they are.  We are intended to live in the light that is shed by Jesus, God’s Son.

John draws some contrasts for us: living and perishing, saved and condemned, doing right and doing evil.  Depending on the day and the moment, we all live somewhere along these continuums.  We all want to permanently be on the living/saved/doing right end of the line, but the reality is that we are imperfect and fail now and then.

The messages of the world and our own human tendencies pull us towards the perishing/condemned/doing evil end of the spectrum. It is a constant battle.  The Holy Spirit, through the power of Jesus, is always shining the light into our darkness.  The light dispels the dark and exposes us for what we are.

Broken yet redeemed.  Sinful yet forgiven.  Lost yet found.  Human yet loved by God Almighty.  We are each loved enough that God sent His only Son to die for each of us.  Jesus came, died, and was resurrected not to condemn but to save.  He came to bring eternal life.  He came to shine light into darkness.  We are called to live into these truths.  What is our response?

John 3: 14-21