DAY 13 – COUNTING TO ASCENSION

BACKTRACKING TO ‘GOOD’ FRIDAY:  LESSON 9

Jesus’ crucifixion

Reading for today:
Matthew 27:32-66
Mark 15:22-47
Luke 23:26-56
John 19:17-42

Some of the prophecies fulfilled:
Psalm 22:1, 18
Isaiah 53:12
Psalm 34:20
Zechariah 12:10

(In 2010 when this blog was originally posted, this entry was written on April 19.  Knowing that will make the entry more meaningful.)

I recommitted my life to the Lord in the Fall of 1970, after 2 years away from Him.  I walked away from God because I decided God didn’t exist – a decision based on a huge mistake I had made that I thought God should have prevented if He were real.  My poor decision was the foundation of my problem – but it was so much easier to blame God.  During the time I was away from God I got a divorce, and remarried.

Two months after remarrying I returned to Him because I was at risk for my body aborting ‘our baby’ when I was pregnant with our eldest daughter. I was bleeding, and I prayed and said, “God, I don’t know if You even exist, but if you are real – and if you are there – if you will save this baby, I will recommit my life to you.” He was there. He saved the baby. And He ‘saved’ me!”

What wonderful memories thinking about her life elicits. In addition to all of the memories of having her as a daughter, the miracle of her coming to full term is one that has an eternal effect for me.

Another April 19 was the day she was baptized. It was Easter Sunday –her 16th birthday. Since we were in the Presbyterian Church at that time, and they didn’t have a baptistry to do immersion baptisms, we arranged to use the one at the Church of God that afternoon for a special service. Pastor Al DeHaven was the one who baptized her. She had accepted Jesus as her Savior as a young girl, but the day she publicly professed her faith was a very special day.

April 19 is also a date tinged with sorrow. It was on another April 19 our nation was shocked with the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Because it was my daughter’s birthday, the date stuck in my mind. It was horrific. I didn’t know anyone who was directly affected until several years later – but it was incomprehensible to me that hatred could be vented against so many innocent people. I cannot write today without extending my sympathy to those still grieving.

It would be easy today to be swallowed up by the sorrow side of life.

I ache for others’ loss of one they loved so dearly. Some people never experience that depth of love. It is a love many would love to experience. But such a love lost is a grief beyond expression.

And so, with the reality of a mixture of joys and sorrows, I come to today in my ‘catching up’ to the texts recording the events surrounding Jesus crucifixion. But before I get into that, this morning’s loose ends include a bit left over from the last time I wrote. I wonder about Barabbas – wonder how being the one who was saved might have affected him later on….

And I lament Judas Iscariot’s rejection of Jesus. He had a choice – and he made the wrong one. And by the time he recognized it, it was too late. The thing is – I have made bad choices in the past, and God redeemed them. The reality is, God looks on the heart. He knew my heart, knows my heart now – that I long to live a life that honors Him. We do not walk this journey of life alone. Often our intentions are misconstrued or misunderstood. We just have to keep walking – living out our faith, and knowing He is the One who will judge men’s hearts. And – He will judge fairly! That gives me comfort…but I know today will be a grappling day.

I don’t recall previously paying such close attention to the discrepancies in the gospel reports. But the key elements are there. John tells us that Jesus carried his own cross. Matthew says that as they were going out they drafted Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross. If Simon did, I wonder what effect it had on him long term…. There is so much we do not know.

What we do know is enough. Jesus was nailed to a cross – a cruel, cruel cross. To fulfill prophecy, the promised coming of the Messiah had to fall within the span of years where crucifixion was the form used to kill criminals. It did.

He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities….

The sign above his head proclaimed KING OF THE JEWS. They meant it to be ludicrous – but it was true. He was hung on the cross at about 9 a m. At noon, the sky turned dark and remained dark until 3 p m, when Jesus proclaimed, “It is finished” and breathed his final breath. And at his death, the veil in the temple – a woven veil that was about 4 inches thick, was torn in two – from the top to the bottom. There was an earthquake, too, but it wasn’t the earthquake that tore the veil. It was God. Jesus’ death on the cross paid the price for sin forever. The wall that Adam built between man and God with original Sin, was now paid for – paid in full…by the second Adam from above.  The veil that separated God from his created was torn and the New Covenant through Jesus’ blood came into effect – with people having direct access to God for the first time since Adam and Eve walked with Him in the Garden of Eden.  Monumental!  Amazing! 

It seems to me that the most awful thing Jesus endured in all of that process was when He could no longer feel God’s presence. From birth He had always known God’s presence with Him, through every trial and temptation. At the moment that He became Sin for us, and became the sacrificial lamb, it appears God the Father could not look upon that sin, for Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” It begs the question of ‘Did God actually forsake Jesus?’ or did it just feel that way? Feeling that way certainly felt real – and for the first time in His life, an utter, empty loneliness….

When we truly walk in His footsteps we walk by faith, not by sight – and certainly not by feeling. Sometimes, we, too, feel God has abandoned us. As long as we, by our choice, remain ‘in the vine’ we are never left alone. That was Jesus promise.

What He did for us on the cross is too amazing to understand completely – but we do know that when God looks at us, He sees us through the filter of Jesus’ blood shed for Sin. The splotching of sin that stains us when we mess up is hidden by Jesus’ cleansing blood. But – we do come freely – all because of what He did on the cross. The veil represented that. It was torn in two from top to bottom. The Most Holy place – the Holy of Holies was suddenly accessible to man. What was only accessed by one priest once a year on the Day of Atonement suddenly became available to all just for entering. And the only way we can have that access is because God sees us through Jesus….

Now we can call him Abba – Daddy. God is no longer the unspeakable name – one so fearful that we cannot approach Him. We should not lose the respect for Who He is – but we should be very grateful that instead of being accessible to only a few we can be in intimate relationship with Him – the very God who created heaven and earth…. How amazing. What amazing love that God should love one such as I, leave His home in glory, be brutalized by the created, and die for mankind.

Once they killed Jesus, many realized that He was indeed the Son of God.

After Jesus died, Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. He and Nicodemus, both behind-the-scenes believers, took Jesus and laid him in a borrowed grave. John tells us that they used 75 pounds of burial spices – and they wrapped him in a linen cloth. By 6 p m – before the Day of Preparation for this very special Sabbath ended – the stone had been rolled into place. The two Mary’s saw where he had been laid before they left.

The next day, on the Sabbath, the chief priests and Pharisees who had heard His prophecies about rising again from the dead went to the authorities and asked if a guard could be posted until after the third day…just to be sure no one came and stole his body and then claimed He had risen again. Pilate accommodated their request – but later, when Jesus ‘went missing’, he didn’t execute the guards…. After what Pilate experienced personally with Jesus, did he hope the prophecy was true?

DAY 10 - COUNTING TO ASCENSION

BACKTRACKING TO ‘GOOD’ FRIDAY:  LESSON 6

(6 p m ‘Thursday’ to 6 p m Friday)
Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane

Reading for today:
Matthew 26:30; 36-46
Mark 14:26; 32-42
Luke 22:39-46
John 18:1

This is the order of events that I have sorted out in reading the above:

They went out to the Mt of Olives, across the Kidron Valley
Matthew 26:30
Mark 14:26
Luke 22:39-46
John 18:1

Went to Gethsemane
Matthew 26:36-46
Mark 14:32-42
Luke 22:40-46

Jesus wakens them from sleep and tells them his betrayer is coming
Matthew 26:46
Mark 14:42
Luke 22:46

Yesterday the weight of what Jesus was soon to endure – and was enduring emotionally even before it all began – walked with me all day long. I tried my best to exude my ‘bubbly Mary Poppins’ side of ‘practically perfect in every way’ but my heart was heavy. This morning I recognized the layers of why – and part of it is directly attributable to this journey.

When we left Jesus and his disciples in Lesson 5, they had just sung their final song, and headed out into the night. We pick up the story there – with them heading across the Kidron Valley in the dark of night to go to the Mount of Olives….

I am reminded that when John the Baptist identified Jesus to the masses, he said, “Look, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Jesus is being propelled into the weight of that finality as they leave the upper room and their Passover meal – the last food Jesus ate on this earth before his death . . . aptly named in art The Last Supper….

Jesus took all eleven of his remaining disciples with him – but left eight of them – all but Peter, James and John – in one spot, telling them, “Sit here while I pray.” I don’t think it has ever occurred to me before to wonder how it might have felt to be one of the disciples outside the inner circle. I have to believe that because we aren’t told of their having conflict with that reality, that they must have had the kind of temperaments that celebrated others’ gifts and talents, rather than be jealous or feel left out. Other than the one little tussle over “who gets first place” only one of the twelve had major issues that we are aware of and that was Judas Iscariot. And right now in the fleshing out of the story – he is fulfilling his role as betrayer . . . .

Jesus took his ‘inner circle’ of closest disciples with him a little further, and left the three of them together, telling them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch.” He went on ‘about a stones’ throw further’ and knelt to pray. What he prayed was for God to take the cup from him if there was any other way. “Nevertheless,” he ended, “Not what I will, but what you will.”

He was in deep agony. He needed the support of his friends. He had told them he was overwhelmed – and needed their prayerful support – and what were they doing? Sleeping.

He came back to the sleepy threesome, but directed his attention to Peter. “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

Then he went back to his place of prayer, and prayed again to his Father, “If there is any other way, Father, please take this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours . . . . ”

Returning to Peter, James and John, he found them sleeping again, because their eyes were heavy. He didn’t even wake them – He just went back to pray a third time – alone.

Luke tells us that an angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him, and that being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like great drops of blood falling to the ground.

This time when He returns to them He awakens them and cajoles them again for sleeping and resting – and tells them the hour has come – “Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer.”

In addition to sharing the journey Jesus walked as closely as I am capable of, there are compelling lessons to learn inherent in this portion of the story. First and foremost, if we are to avoid failing and succumbing to temptation, we also must be faithful in prayer – with everything we do immersed in prayer. Jesus fought his most formidable personal spiritual battle during those few hours in the garden – beginning just before midnight, and ending in the wee hours of the morning. His forty days in the desert following his baptism by John the Baptist had prepared Him for ministry, and this final time alone with God prepared him for what He had come to earth to accomplish. “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

This portion of the story also affirms how intensely we need friends. Even Jesus didn’t want to ‘go it alone.’ Thank God He brings others into our lives to share portions of our journeys – and even when we feel alone in this world, HE is there. He promised ‘never to leave us or forsake us.’ He meant it. We need others to come alongside. We need to be the ones who come alongside. That’s why He instructs us to ‘bear one another’s burdens – and so fulfill the law of Christ.’ His law is love, and love sacrifices . . . .  

As for the disciples that night – Peter, James and John, his trusted inner circle – only hindsight would bring all that happened that night into perspective. They were tired. It was the time of night to be sleeping. They had had an incredibly busy day. Especially Peter and John. They had prepared the entire Passover Meal. Then during dinner, they drank more than their usual amount of wine for dinner, as prescribed in the custom of the celebration. Wine relaxes and makes one sleepy. Jesus acknowledges that when he says, ‘The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ They didn’t understand what was about to go down . . . but they certainly heard Jesus’ words when he told them he was overwhelmed with sorrow – a sorrow so deep that it was ‘to the point of death.’ Yet, they couldn’t stay awake. Their spirit was willing, but their flesh was weak.

The third huge thing for me is Jesus’ obvious loving forgiveness. He has warned Peter in advance of Peter’s soon-to-come failure. He invited Peter, especially, to pray to be protected from temptation – but He knew what would happen….and He already had forgiveness in place….for even when he told him he would deny him three times before dawn – He said, “When you come back, strengthen your brothers.”

I’ve experienced that loving forgiveness.

Knowing Jesus wept alone that night pierces my soul. I do not have the capacity to experience the fullness of what He did for me by taking that cup of sorrow and shame. He didn’t want to have to endure the physical and emotional pain – but there was no other way.

No other way! That’s a message I want to convey clearly. There are people in my life whom I love dearly who do not embrace that reality. One politically correct lie of Satan that pervades modern-day Christianity says that “We wouldn’t want to limit God.  We as Christians believe salvation is in Jesus – but if God chooses to save through another way – through Buddhism or Islam or any other way – who are we to say He can’t? After all, He is God.”

The grief that Jesus’ bore in the Garden of Gethsemane informs me that God limited God. It is not the only proof that God limited God. But it clearly conveys that Truth. If there had been any other way, God – who can do all things – would have taken the cup from Jesus. He didn’t. He couldn’t. He did it for us. The only way.  Just one way to God…. The drops of blood that He sweat in those earliest moments of the morning after midnight were the beginning of a cleansing stream . . . .  His blood shed for the remission of original Sin – and all of humanities’ accumulated sins for all of measured time.

Sharing for today:

My 3-year-old granddaughter confidently – and accurately – proclaimed to her mother, “There is only one way to heaven . . . GOD!” Out of the mouths of babes . . . .  

DAY 9 - COUNTING TO ASCENSION

BACKTRACKING TO ‘GOOD’ FRIDAY:  LESSON 5

(6 p m ‘Thursday’ to 6 p m Friday)
The Upper Room Discourse as reported by John

Reading for today:
John 14 - 17

John 14 Jesus comforts his disciples
Jesus teaches He is the way to the Father
Jesus promises the Holy Spirit
John 15 Teaches he is the vine and we are the branches
Explains that the world will hate his disciples
John 16 Tells them he is telling them in advance to they won’t go astray
Explains the work of the Holy Spirit
John 17 Prays for himself
Prays for his disciples
Prays for all future believers (that’s us, folks)


I watch a fair amount of golf with my husband. Do you know what Golf stood for when the word was originally coined? It was an acronym for Guys Only Ladies Forbidden. Well – this  ‘Last Supper’ Passover night was obviously a guys-only-ladies-forbidden night too.  That is not an indictment, just a reality.  Actually in their world women were property – but Jesus is the one who changed all of that, so there is no recrimination in the reality. 

These chapters record the final messages for the male contingent of those Yeshua loves most dearly on his final night – and within hours of being brutally beaten and hung on a cross to die a miserable death. Dying messages. I’ve never read these chapters from that perspective before. It changes them, reading them as the dinner conversation Jesus shared with His disciples on that last night….

Someone I care very deeply for informed me that when Jesus declared ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’ that His intent was to model a simple way to live that they should mimic…not that Jesus was proclaiming He was the only way to God. I would not decry simple living; it has a lot of merit – for where the treasure is there the heart will be also – but that isn’t what he was saying here. He’s telling them purely and simply that belief in Him is the absolutely only way to get to the Father. Jesus as ‘the way’ is the only way to eternal life. The messages Jesus left with them as His final words oozed love…and oodles of important information, including:

‘My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.’
‘You are my friends if you do what I command.’
‘I chose you to go and bear fruit.’
‘This is my command: Love each other.’
‘You will be hated by the world.’
‘The Holy Spirit is promised.’
‘Your grief will turn to joy.’

He warns them that in this world they will have trouble – but that He has overcome the world.

Jesus prays for Himself, but makes such a clear theological statement in the process that there can be no doubt that eternal life is through Him alone; He prays for them, praying for their protection and unity in Him;
and He prays for future believers – again for unity.   (I loved that His prayer includes those of every generation who follow him!) 

He covers all the bases that need to be covered, reinforcing the message He came to earth to bring. Reading this from the perspective of the reality of when it was spoken makes it so much more tender. Jesus’ care for them in these last moments before all hell broke loose is monumental.

And – with a song and these prayers that John shares – they went out into the night.
----

I want to mention just a little more about Chapter 15. In the midst of the myriad of reminders, Jesus tells them that He is the true vine and His Father is the gardener. He uses a word-picture that they – and we – can understand. We have to be ‘in Him.’ We can do nothing without Him. God will cut off every branch that bears no fruit. Christianity is not an ‘I got mine – so good luck to the rest of you’ religion. It is a relationship. Just as the branches are connected to the trunk – so we are connected relationally – first and foremost to God – but also to each other. We are grafted in – and as long as we are connected to Him – and produce fruit – we are a healthy part of the tree.

God will prune us to make us more fruitful. Being pruned is not fun – it is painful – but God prunes us precisely so we can be more fruitful. He knows what is dead wood in us.  He prunes us.  He corrects us.  He constantly leads us. He directs our paths. He speaks to us.

God speaks to us in several ways. He also speaks in different ways to different people – but two foundational ways are through His Word and in prayer. He speaks to some through dreams; some through visions. I think that is very cool! He also can speak through others – but He has to confirm what He is saying through His Word and His Holy Spirit to me. I know I am not to rely on someone else being my connection to hearing Him. In fact when I was a Youth Leader, I told the kids to check out everything they heard me say or the pastor say against God’s Word – never to take anything someone else said as the truth without confirming it by His Word.

For me, in addition to speaking to me through the words of His written Word, He speaks in a still, small voice inside my head – but it is a voice I recognize clearly, and His thoughts are different than my own. I recognize his ‘voice,’ – and what He tells me never conflicts with His written Word . . . that is the litmus test. In fact – that is the test for all of the insights God gives. They will always line up with His Word, the Bible. Anything that adds to or takes away from the written Word is not God speaking . . . . He will illumine and bring clarity to what is already there – but there will never be ‘new’ information. It is complete as is. False religions include those that add to the written Word of God with ‘newly revealed knowledge.’ That is a huge red flag. Lights and sirens and bells and whistles should all go off in our heads if we hear someone teach anything different than the Word of God – or hear anyone twist or manipulate God’s Word to say something it doesn’t clearly say.

Once long ago when I said that God speaks to me, my daughter thought I meant audibly. It is as clear as audible – but it is not an external voice. And – God often gives me ‘large life messages’ in Charlotte’s Web fashion: Examples include: ‘Contend for what I contend for.’ And: ‘Persevere.’ When 9/11 occurred and I was praying, wondering if it was ‘the end,’ God spoke to me and said, “Keep on keeping on. Occupy until I come.” On a more daily level, He communes with me as I walk through my day, assuring me of His presence, bringing songs or scriptures to mind, nudging me when I need nudging, cautioning me when I need caution, leading, guiding, nurturing. My point is: I know His voice, and treasure my relationship with Him. I am humbled that He wants to be in relationship with me.

This passage instructs and informs me – compels me to see His enormous love: ‘Now remain in my love.’ The choice is up to us . . . . ‘If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love . . . .’

Lord, help me hear and help me obey. Help me love as you have taught me to love. I know I can’t do it perfectly; but I can be intentional in trying.

With His help, I can make a difference in the world.



Humor for today:

A grandma was out for a walk with her four-year-old granddaughter. The child picked up a piece of partially wrapped candy off the ground and started to put it into her mouth, when the Grandma stopped her and took the item away.

“Why can’t I have it?” the granddaughter whined.

“Because it has been on the ground. You don’t know where it’s been. It probably has germs, and it’s dirty,” the Grandma patiently replied.

At this point the little girl looked up at her Grandma with total admiration and exclaimed, “Grandma, you’re so smart! How do you know all this stuff?”

“Well,” her Grandma replied, thinking quickly, “All Grandmas know this stuff. It’s on the ‘Grandma Test.’ You have to know this stuff or they don’t let you be a Grandma.”

That seemed to satisfy the child – and the two walked on in silence for a few minutes; but apparently the little girl was processing this bit of new information, for suddenly a smile brightened her face and the joy of discovery was expressed in her observation: “Oh, I get it! If you don’t pass the test, then you have to be the Grandpa!”

“Exactly,” the Grandma replied, with a big smile on her face….

DAY 4 - COUNTING TO ASCENSION

Day 3: POST RESURRECTION

BACKTRACKING TO ‘GOOD’ FRIDAY: LESSON 1

(6 p m Thursday  – 6 p m Friday)

AKA – at least for me – ‘BLACK’ FRIDAY

Reading for today:
Matthew 26:20
Mark 14:17
Luke 22:14 – 16

In my passionate pursuit of the Journey to the Cross – and beyond – there was just too much to write about concerning all Jesus was going through, so this is as good a time as any to step back and look more closely at all that happened at the end of His time on earth.

It’s going to take several days to explore how it all went down according to the fused scriptural accounts, so hang in with me if you want to go for the ride!

In Jewish custom, the day began at 6 p m – so even though we celebrate Passover on Thursday evening – 6 p m Thursday was the beginning of their Friday, and ‘evening’ was after 6 p m.  As you will recall, Peter and John were the two that were sent to prepare the Passover on Thursday – and when it was prepared, all 12 disciples came together to eat the meal that commemorated the time in Jewish history when God delivered their Israelite ancestors from the tyranny of slavery in Egypt. 

God sent multiple plagues, but Pharaoh’s heart was hardened each time, until at last, with the final plague, he was broken enough to release them (even though he changed his mind within hours – but by then they had made their exit.)

In the original Passover meal that was prepared prior to their flight from Egypt, the people were instructed to choose a perfect one-year-old male lamb (either sheep or goat), take the lamb into their home and care for the lamb for 4 days, then all of Israel must kill their lamb at twilight.  (The lamb would have been chosen on Sunday – the same day Jesus rode into Jerusalem thus declaring Himself the ‘chosen one’.)

That gets really personal for me…. They would have literally made the lamb a pet – and then had to kill it. They would have felt its warm breath against their cheek, its fur under their fingers as they petted it. They would have heard it bleat when it needed something – and experienced the trust it placed in them as they became ‘friends.’ They would have seen its complete submission to them in its eyes – and then they would have slaughtered it at twilight on what would be Wednesday evening to us – the beginning of their Thursday.

What a violation of trust! The realization of what they did thrusts me back in time to childhood. We grew our own beef. We killed them. We ate them. But then, one year, my Dad bought a young calf to raise instead of an older one that he just had to fatten up a bit. This calf wasn’t just ‘steaks-on-the-hoof.’ This calf was given a name. His name was Blackie. Blackie became a pet. I felt his warm muzzle as he ate grain from my hand, thrilled to his recognition of me whenever I approached, cried when he met the intended fate for which he was purchased. And – I wouldn’t eat meat again until Blackie was gone. He wasn’t just beef. He was my friend. Just remembering makes me tear-up. And I’m a carnivore! I’m sharing that to make a point. They killed a lamb they were fond of – something dear and precious and loved.

They were to take some of the blood of the lamb and put it on the sides and tops of the exterior doorframes of the houses where they were going to eat the lambs. Then they were to stay in those houses – and when the Angel of Death came, he would ‘pass over’ all of the houses that were marked by the blood of the lamb. The only way they would be saved was by the blood of the lamb. The only way we can be saved is by the blood of the Lamb – the Lamb of God who gave his life for us.

Exodus 12 and Deuteronomy 16 outline the instructions for observing the Passover. It was to be celebrated ‘for the generations to come.’ Jesus honored that annual celebration – and then He made it into a celebration about Him – the New Covenant in His blood. That was huge!

On that first Passover night before they left Egypt they were to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. Jesus and his disciples would have done just as Scripture instructed. They would have killed the lamb at twilight, roasted the meat over the fire during the daylight hours, then had their meal together in the upper room that Peter and John had prepared for them earlier in the day.

As part of their Passover celebration Jesus washed their feet, instructed them that this bread he was breaking was his body broken for them, and that the wine was his blood poured out for them.

Several years ago I had the opportunity to hear a man who represented ‘Jews for Jesus’ explain the Passover feast and its significance. Every custom that is being practiced today has significance related to Jesus’ death and resurrection. It was a wonderful event to be part of. On two other occasions I have attended a ‘Passover Feast’ with the readings by a pastor, and the customs performed by all the participants, including the eating of the bitter herbs, and dinner with lamb – though ours wasn’t roasted over the fire as the Old Testament prescribed…. And, I’ve seen it enacted, with a low table and 13 men reclining around the table, dressed in garb reminiscent of what we would perceive men of their day wearing – and reciting the lines preserved for us in the New Testament.

Those opportunities make quite an impact – and make the event they shared that evening more clear. It is something I would love to be part of annually because it makes the parallels between the children of Israel being rescued from bondage under the Egyptians – and us being rescued from the bondage under sin so poignantly clear. We honor the New Covenant in Jesus’ blood every time we take communion. I realize that. We remember his sacrifice for us – remember his death until He comes – just as He bade his followers to do in the early morning hours of their Friday morning – late evening on Thursday in our reckoning of time…we just may not personally experience the full impact of the message quite as dramatically in our sacramental symbols as we would in the full-meal-deal remembrance observed for Passover.

For my ‘extra’ today I’ll share another of my poems:

CHOICES
by Lola Cain

My father came home with two hats and he said,
“Which color, my dear, shall I place on your head?”
I thoughtfully shrugged and replied, “I don’t care.
“Let brother choose which one he wants of the pair.”

And brother responded, as always was true,
“I want the one she wants.” So what could I do?
I promptly decided ‘I really want red,’
but quickly said, “I want the blue one” instead.

Then brother confirmed what I already knew
and cried out, “Oh, Daddy, I too want the blue.”
So sweetly, demurely and kindly I said,
“O K. He can have it. I’ll take red instead.”

When later the choice was for balls red or blue
Same question. Same answer. Same outcome was true.
The difference was – by now father knew
by my wink – I had gotten what I wanted, too.


This poem is based on fact. The hats were cowboy hats, and were brown and blue, instead of red and blue. I don’t remember the colors of the balls – but the principle is intact. When asked his preference my younger brother always responded, “I want the one Lola wants.” Now I recognize that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I treasure the warmth of when we were ‘young and very close.’ It is a time captured in memory. Oh how precious those memories are!

Journey to the Cross 2017, Day 39 GOOD FRIDAY

Friday, Day 39:  JESUS’ DEATH ON THE CROSS

Jesus was hung on the cross +- 9 a m and died at +-3 p m

Countdown – 2 days

Reading for today:
Matthew 26:47-27:66
Mark 14:43-15:47
Luke 22:47-23:56
John 18:2-19:42
Acts 1:18

Final seven things Jesus said:
Luke 23:34
Luke 23:43
John 19:26-27
Matthew 27:46 / Psalm 22:1
John 19:28
John 19:30
Luke 23:46

My heart is heavy with all Jesus suffered.  In revisiting his journey, just as He was being betrayed last night I was trying to fall asleep.  He celebrated his final Passover on earth with his disciples; at sundown Friday began.  He prayed in the Garden while his disciples slept.  Judas betrayed him.  Guards seized him as if he were a criminal.  He was put through a mock trial; then thrown into a deep, dark pit beneath Caiaphas’ house awaiting the next phase.  Scourged.  Abused and humiliated in a myriad of awful ways. Rejected.  Was hung on the cross about 9 a m, and died about 3 p m with the final sorrow being that because of our sin God turned away from him and he died alone….

It was a horrible day for Him – and we call it Good Friday. I wonder who decided that day was good... This morning I thought it should be Black Friday. It was a day of Sorrow – horrible, terrible, awful sorrow.  It was definitely good for us – but dreadful for Him.

But there was one who hung beside him on another cross who joined Him in Paradise....  In the year of 33 A D, this was April 3 and He died at 3 p m. What a ‘trinity’ pattern – even in his death! Jesus bore it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain – He washed it white as snow.

When I survey the wondrous cross....  How awful those words sound to me in this moment. It was an awful, horrible, cruel cross on which the Prince of Glory died. There is no making it palatable if you look upon Him, wounded, bleeding, chunks of flesh missing from his body, wrenched out by metal pieces in the whip that tore out his flesh during the lashing He endured. His head pierced with the mock crown of thorns that was pressed into His flesh and left to fester. Just one prick of a thorn is enough to elicit pain for me. Ridiculed, mocked, insulted, hit, spat upon – The Lord of Glory – the Creator of the Universe.

Yet in His deepest grief, we see His care for those He loves: telling Peter, ‘When you come back....’ Peter would fall away – Yes, Peter!  Peter who walked on water, who saw thousands fed from a few small loaves and fish, whose boat was filled to sinking with fish when he obeyed Jesus’ instruction to cast out his nets.  Peter would denounce His friend and Master...but Jesus knew the future, and his words would encourage Peter another day not too far distant to stand faithfully – and he did. Peter would also die on a cross, but refuse to be right side up according to history – because he didn’t consider himself worthy to die in the same manner Jesus did....

Jesus’ thoughts were for others when He was on the cross. He asked forgiveness for the perps, knowing in his darkest hour, that they didn’t have a clue.

He told the thief hanging next to Him, he would be with Jesus that day in Paradise. And He said, “It is finished.” He did what he came to do. He wished for it to be otherwise, but determined to do God’s will....

The truth is – because of what Jesus did by dying in my place, tonight, while I retrace His steps where in 33 A D He is in Paradise, and His lifeless corpse is lying in a cold, dark tomb with guards outside it, I will sleep in His peace.   That certainly wasn’t the case for those who loved Him at the time of his death.  They were in deep despair and in hiding, fearful for their lives.