DAY 6 - COUNTING TO ASCENSION

DAY 5:  POST RESURRECTION

BACKTRACKING TO ‘GOOD’ FRIDAY:  LESSON 3

(6 p m ‘Thursday’ to 6 p m Friday)

Specific readings for today:
John 13:18-30
Luke 22:24-30

Timeline for this portion of the evening:
Jesus told them that one of them would betray him and identifies Judas Iscariot as the one – the writers of the Gospels disagree on the timing of when that happened in the dinner
Matthew 26:21–25
Mark 14:18-21
Luke 22:21–22
John 13:18-30 Judas went out – and it was night….

While they were eating Jesus broke bread and said, “Take. Eat. This is my body.”
Matthew 26:26
Mark 14:22
Luke 22:20

Took the cup and instructed them to drink from it, telling them ‘This is my blood of the new covenant.”
Matthew 26:27-29
Mark 14:23-25
Luke 22:17-18 (says it was after the supper)
I Cor 11:23-25

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial – accounts disagree on placement
Matthew 26:31-35
Mark 14:27-31
Luke 22:33-34
John 13:31-38 John has this in the upper room – he was there….

Jesus tells Simon ‘When you have turned back’ strengthen your brothers
Luke has this happening before they go out to the Mt of Olives
Luke 22:31-32

Luke adds a bit about carrying swords….
Luke 22:35-38

Luke adds Jesus’ citing the prophecy that he was to be numbered with the transgressors
Luke 22:37

A dispute arose among them as to whom was considered to be greatest
Luke 22:24-30

After being questioned why I didn’t include some of the most significant events during Jesus journey to the cross – I decided to go back and play catch-up. In that pursuit of trying to figure out the exact timeline I spent several hours going through all of the gospels and linking where and when….

We are still in the upper room in what I am referring to as Lesson 3….but by their accounting of time, it was part of Friday. The 24 hours I am addressing in this part of the ‘post-resurrection reversal to events that preceded it’ is linear from 6 p m – 6 p m…. I’m being redundant in stating that – but someone may pop in to take a look midstream and be totally confused otherwise.

When Judas went out and ‘it was night’ that was true in more than one sense. He had just had his feet washed by the Lord, knew that it was he who was ‘not clean’ with Jesus’ statement during the foot-washing – and yet he stayed, tried to act normal, until at last Jesus identified him specifically as the one who would betray him. Still, not everyone ‘got it.’ They supposed he was ‘going quickly’ to do something for Jesus. They weren’t paying attention. But, then, there was a lot of wine – and a lot of conversation. To them this was just another Passover commemoration. They had no idea, no clue…they hadn’t ingested Jesus’ prophetic warnings. Their ears couldn’t have helped but hear the words – but their hearts hadn’t received the message.

When Judas left that night – he knew what he was about to do. He had already made the arrangements, and now all he had to do was go alert those who would arrest Jesus. Was Judas trying to manipulate Jesus into ‘revealing His true power and showing who He really was?’ We aren’t told. The lesson for me is to pay attention to is the climate of my own heart and attitude. That Judas could walk with Jesus for all that time, and reject him compels me to pay attention. I know that my Redeemer lives. I believe in Him. And now I walk – beyond belief – to follow in His footsteps. His will. His way. His timing. It is a daily challenge.

It is very possible that Judas grew impatient with Jesus and tried to force Him to ‘play his hand’ and become the kind of Messiah the Jewish world awaited. Instead, Jesus was who they needed, not who they wanted. They wanted a vanquishing king who would rid them of the heavy yoke of Roman tyranny – but Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world, and He didn’t come in their preconceived way.

(Thank you, Lord, that so often you give me what I need – not what I think I want. Help me trust you completely for the entire journey….)

The other thing I want to comment on briefly for today is the dispute that Luke reports. Hello!?! They had just had their feet washed by Messiah, God incarnate – and now they are arguing about which one of them is top dog? It is even possible that this conversation occurred during the foot-washing. The message fits. “I am among you as one who serves.” They liked the part about having a kingdom conferred on them – the part about sitting on thrones and judging – but they didn’t understand what that would mean.   Not yet….

In fact, it occurs to me that their conversation fit perfectly with the notion that Judas could have been motivated by good intentions taken into his own hands. Palm Sunday had just occurred. They were still basking in the glow of the proclamation of the Messiah – and they believed him to be the Messiah. They were focused on his kingdom coming in the way they had presupposed it would, so they were thinking about position – and who would be greatest….

Their misconception of reality was about to be challenged…seriously challenged.


Sharing for today:

WHOM?
By Lola Cain

I cannot say that I am truly a poet by set standards.
What do I remember of sonnets and iambic pentameter,
rules of line and meter,
the labor of rhyme and verse.

I can barely say that I write poetry,
but I have attempted such in times past,
spilling words onto a page
…evoking memories still.

And what is this now called poetry
which is snippets of prose –
intentional phrases woven together
to elicit response.

It is, it seems, the heart that is the poet;
the way of seeing the world,
the hand rushing to record
what the eyes of the soul perceive.

Life is poetry
and the one who absorbs it
and writes what is thereby gleaned
is a poet, by whatever means.

Written January 10, 2007

(Inspired by reading the poetry of Donald Hall in 2007, and Ted Kooser in 2006; both have been U S Poet Laureates – both write wonderfully – but neither write what I call poetry….so I played with their method, and this was the result.

It certainly doesn’t satisfy my criteria for ‘poetry’ – but I think there is a place for ‘Snippets of Potpourri’ aka ‘free verse.’)

JOURNEY TO RESURRECTION, Day 30

Day 30. Three/fourths of the way to Resurrection! Today is a peek into the final verses of John 13. When I read it this morning it occurred to me that Jesus was still protecting His disciples, even though it was only hours before He would be crucified.

Once Judas left the room, the irreversible path to the cross was set in motion. Jesus' response was to inform His disciples gently, with words that they would later recall and find comfort in, able to realize after the fact that the kingdom the Messiah came to rule was not of this world.

But in that moment, even though He spoke the words He did, they still couldn't grasp what He was saying. They had just experienced the adulation of Palm Sunday a few days before. They still believed He was going to make His move and become the King their perception of Messiah entailed. And - they had had a few glasses of wine during their celebration.... Their ears might have heard the tones of His voice, and their brains might have tried to wrap around what He was saying, but they didn't get it.

"Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, 'Where I am going you cannot come.' A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (ESV)

God will glorify him at once.... God was glorified in Jesus' death on the cross.... For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.... And it was going to happen very shortly...at once. For this He came....

I love the tenderness of His heart as He draws them under His wings for the last moment of peace they would experience.... Little children.... What comes quickly to mind is the image Jesus provided when He stood looking out over Jerusalem, longing to draw them under the protection of His Almighty wings, as a hen draws her chicks under her wings for protection.

'Where I am going you cannot come.' Cannot - and wouldn't want to.... Other people were crucified, but no one else had to bear the weight of the sin of the entire world in the process. There is no other name under heaven by which men can be, must be or will be saved.... Jesus paid the price for everyone who would accept His sacrifice. The other part of cannot, of course, was the timing. It was not yet their time. It was His.

And then He gave them a new commandment. It was a commandment to love to the same degree He was going to model. To love so deeply we would be willing to die for others. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. That is a love we cannot do on our own. It is agape love that comes straight from God's heart through ours...through the power of the Holy Spirit.... But they didn't know all of that yet....

By this will all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. There is a demonstration of Christian love that sets itself apart. It is love for one's enemies. The law of Christian love is to love freely. "Freely you have received. Freely give." It is a law of love that demands we hate sin but love the sinner. It is a law of love that constrains us to hold others in higher esteem than we hold ourselves. It is a law of love that places us perpetually in the role of servant, serving others' interests above our own. It is impossible without the infusion of the Holy Spirit and a daily dose of God's grace....

John was all about focusing on the incredible love of God.... Within hours, in John's account, love will be painfully powerfully perfectly poured out.

The final verses of John 13 record Jesus' prophecy of Peter's denial. Peter latched right onto Jesus' statement that He was going somewhere.... "Where are you going?" Peter asked. Jesus tells Peter that where He is going Peter cannot follow, but will follow later. Peter's proclamation of total dedication, even his proclaimed willingness to lay his life down for Jesus, elicits Jesus' responding to Peter, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times."

That had to hurt! It was already late at night. The rooster would be crowing in less than 8 hours. What on earth could Jesus mean? Peter would soon find out....and one of the huge lessons he would learn in the process is the extent and expanse of Jesus' love and forgiveness.... I have to telegraph that. I don't want to leave Peter feeling hopeless....

Jesus knew Peter - knew his weakness, and loved Him anyway. It comforts me to know that God knows me completely. He is El Roi, the God-who-sees-me. He knows my heart. He also knows my human frailty and my weaknesses. And He loves me anyway! And He loves you!

JOURNEY TO RESURRECTION, Day 29

Day 29 of my Lenten journey 2012 brings me to the story of Jesus' washing the disciples' feet as recorded in John 13. I'm actually amazed at the scarcity of detail in John's account. He doesn't provide any of the backdrop for the location or preparation of the meal. He provides very specific vignettes. Snapshots, if you will, of parts of the evening that stand out to him in retrospect.

From other writers' information, we know that it was Thursday evening, which, once sundown arrived, was the beginning of their Friday. John reminds us that it was Passover week. That's important to remember throughout this section of His story. John telegraphs so much information to us that he didn't figure out until later. I want to skip past that for a moment and try to view that night as they would have seen it then.

It was Passover. They were in the middle of eating the traditional Passover meal, a tradition that had begun with the exodus from Egypt approximately 1400 years earlier. (There are differing views of precise dates, but a general number suits my purposes for pointing out that this celebration had been faithfully happening annually for a very long time!)

The Hebrew day began at sundown, so while their celebration started on a Thursday, it was definitely Friday for them by this point in their evening - meaning it was the beginning of the last day of Jesus' life on earth - the day He would die for our sins...but there I go, telegraphing like John did....

It was unusual to do what Jesus did in the middle of dinner. Very out of context. But, then, when Mary came in to the dinner just a few nights earlier and anointed his feet with the ointment of nard, and wiped His feet with her hair, that was unusual, too.... I wouldn't be at all surprised if that came to their minds in that moment as Jesus, the Master, the Teacher, the One they had come to believe was the Messiah - - the One sent from G-d took off his outer garments, tied a towel around his waist, fetched an empty basin from its place by the door, and began filling it with water. And then - unbelievably, He knelt before each of them in turn and washed their feet! He demonstrated the role they were to mimic: to be true followers, they had to be servants to others. No egos or self-aggrandizing self-worth. They were to serve. Washing feet was a servant's job.

When Jesus got to Peter, Peter emphatically declined. He knew this act was was topsy-turvy. Jesus should not be washing their feet. He was the Lord of Glory! But when Jesus told Peter that if He didn't wash His feet, Peter had no part of Him, Peter wanted the full meal deal. He wanted everything exposed to be washed - his feet, his hands, his head. Jesus explained that one who is bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet...and then he declared "...you are clean, but not every one of you." The disciples didn't have a clue what that meant at the time.

Judas Iscariot had his feet washed by Jesus that night. That brings tears to my eyes.

And then Jesus teaches them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? (No - they didn't!) You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. (Another clear claim that He was One with God!) If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example.... Wow! Did He ever!

Then Jesus tells them that 'he who ate my bread has lifted up his heel against me.' (A quote from Psalm 41:9.) "I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he."

And then He tells them, "Truly, truly I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me." He was passing the baton - commissioning them to be His salt and light to a hurting world. They just didn't realize it yet. But what powerful words to ruminate on later once the night was relived in their minds as future days unfolded.

In that moment, however, the pain of what was to come was overwhelming. John reports that Jesus' spirit was troubled. Then He clearly told them, "...one of you will betray me." Peter asked John to ask Jesus who that might be, and Jesus' response was, "It is he to whom I give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it." Jesus dipped the bread, handed it to Judas, and with His eyes piercing Judas' very soul, He told him, "What you are going to do, do quickly."

Judas...who was greedy for money, who held the purse for the disciples so he could dip into it for his own selfish use, who was angry that Mary didn't sell the expensive ointment of nard 'to give it to the poor' knowing that the money would have gone through his hands as keeper of the purse - - and was money he might have had available to him - Judas...who had made a God of mammon instead of the Lord who was present with them, went out from among the celebratory Passover gathering. John's words in verse 30 are very telling: And it was night. Not just the darkness that was the beginning of every Jewish day. It was night in the most horrific sense. There was a darkness so thick it was palpable. Jesus definitely felt that darkness...so did Judas.

To be continued....

................

Last night I was privileged to be present when a man of God was honored with the gift of being proclaimed 'Minister of the Gospel'. It was an honor not sought, but gifted. He is a man with a servant heart - and he lives it. He is a man who defers acclaim and who serves the Lord well. When I think about reaching heaven's portal I will be fortunate just to hear, "You made it - not on your own merit, but on my mercy." But this is a man who will definitely hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord." He defers all praise and honor to the Lord and keeps none of it for himself. He lives and breathes what he believes. I am blessed just to know him....and in deference to him will not name him, because I know he would not want the personal attention directed to him. He would want it diverted as praise to God. Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful man who models Your sacrificial servant life! I pray that his model of servanthood will inspire others to selflessly serve. Thank you for the privilege and inspiration of knowing him and for so visibly seeing the fruits of Your Spirit lived out in his life.