Lent devotional

Read it and Weep

Posted on by Betsy

John 18-19 (The Message)

18 Jesus, having prayed this prayer, left with his disciples and crossed over the brook Kidron at a place where there was a garden. He and his disciples entered it.

2-4 Judas, his betrayer, knew the place because Jesus and his disciples went there often. So Judas led the way to the garden, and the Roman soldiers and police sent by the high priests and Pharisees followed. They arrived there with lanterns and torches and swords. Jesus, knowing by now everything that was imploding on him, went out and met them. He said, “Who are you after?”

They answered, “Jesus the Nazarene.”

5-6 He said, “That’s me.” The soldiers recoiled, totally taken aback. Judas, his betrayer, stood out like a sore thumb.

7 Jesus asked again, “Who are you after?”

They answered, “Jesus the Nazarene.”

8-9 “I told you,” said Jesus, “that’s me. I’m the one. So if it’s me you’re after, let these others go.” (This validated the words in his prayer, “I didn’t lose one of those you gave.”)

10 Just then Simon Peter, who was carrying a sword, pulled it from its sheath and struck the Chief Priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. Malchus was the servant’s name.

11 Jesus ordered Peter, “Put back your sword. Do you think for a minute I’m not going to drink this cup the Father gave me?”

12-14 Then the Roman soldiers under their commander, joined by the Jewish police, seized Jesus and tied him up. They took him first to Annas, father-in-law of Caiaphas. Caiaphas was the Chief Priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it was to their advantage that one man die for the people.

15-16 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. That other disciple was known to the Chief Priest, and so he went in with Jesus to the Chief Priest’s courtyard. Peter had to stay outside. Then the other disciple went out, spoke to the doorkeeper, and got Peter in.

17 The young woman who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “Aren’t you one of this man’s disciples?”

He said, “No, I’m not.”

18 The servants and police had made a fire because of the cold and were huddled there warming themselves. Peter stood with them, trying to get warm.

The Interrogation

19-21 Annas interrogated Jesus regarding his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered, “I’ve spoken openly in public. I’ve taught regularly in meeting places and the Temple, where the Jews all come together. Everything has been out in the open. I’ve said nothing in secret. So why are you treating me like a traitor? Question those who have been listening to me. They know well what I have said. My teachings have all been aboveboard.”

22 When he said this, one of the policemen standing there slapped Jesus across the face, saying, “How dare you speak to the Chief Priest like that!”

23 Jesus replied, “If I’ve said something wrong, prove it. But if I’ve spoken the plain truth, why this slapping around?”

24 Then Annas sent him, still tied up, to the Chief Priest Caiaphas.

25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was back at the fire, still trying to get warm. The others there said to him, “Aren’t you one of his disciples?”

He denied it, “Not me.”

26 One of the Chief Priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?”

27 Again, Peter denied it. Just then a rooster crowed.

The King of the Jews

28-29 They led Jesus then from Caiaphas to the Roman governor’s palace. It was early morning. They themselves didn’t enter the palace because they didn’t want to be disqualified from eating the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and spoke. “What charge do you bring against this man?”

30 They said, “If he hadn’t been doing something evil, do you think we’d be here bothering you?”

31-32 Pilate said, “You take him. Judge him by your law.”

The Jews said, “We’re not allowed to kill anyone.” (This would confirm Jesus’ word indicating the way he would die.)

33 Pilate went back into the palace and called for Jesus. He said, “Are you the ‘King of the Jews’?”

34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you this about me?”

35 Pilate said, “Do I look like a Jew? Your people and your high priests turned you over to me. What did you do?”

36 “My kingdom,” said Jesus, “doesn’t consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king.”

37 Then Pilate said, “So, are you a king or not?”

Jesus answered, “You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice.”

38-39 Pilate said, “What is truth?”

Then he went back out to the Jews and told them, “I find nothing wrong in this man. It’s your custom that I pardon one prisoner at Passover. Do you want me to pardon the ‘King of the Jews’?”

40 They shouted back, “Not this one, but Barabbas!” Barabbas was a Jewish freedom fighter.

The Thorn Crown of the King

19 1-3 So Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped. The soldiers, having braided a crown from thorns, set it on his head, threw a purple robe over him, and approached him with, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they greeted him with slaps in the face.

4-5 Pilate went back out again and said to them, “I present him to you, but I want you to know that I do not find him guilty of any crime.” Just then Jesus came out wearing the thorn crown and purple robe.

Pilate announced, “Here he is: the Man.”

6 When the high priests and police saw him, they shouted in a frenzy, “Crucify! Crucify!”

Pilate told them, “You take him. You crucify him. I find nothing wrong with him.”

7 The Jews answered, “We have a law, and by that law he must die because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

8-9 When Pilate heard this, he became even more scared. He went back into the palace and said to Jesus, “Where did you come from?”

Jesus gave no answer.

10 Pilate said, “You won’t talk? Don’t you know that I have the authority to pardon you, and the authority to—crucify you?”

11 Jesus said, “You haven’t a shred of authority over me except what has been given you from heaven. That’s why the one who betrayed me to you has committed a far greater fault.”

12 At this, Pilate tried his best to pardon him, but the Jews shouted him down: “If you pardon this man, you’re no friend of Caesar’s. Anyone setting himself up as ‘king’ defies Caesar.”

13-14 When Pilate heard those words, he led Jesus outside. He sat down at the judgment seat in the area designated Stone Court (in Hebrew, Gabbatha). It was the preparation day for Passover. The hour was noon. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your king.”

15 They shouted back, “Kill him! Kill him! Crucify him!”

Pilate said, “I am to crucify your king?”

The high priests answered, “We have no king except Caesar.”

16-19 Pilate caved in to their demand. He turned him over to be crucified.

The Crucifixion

They took Jesus away. Carrying his cross, Jesus went out to the place called Skull Hill (the name in Hebrew is Golgotha), where they crucified him, and with him two others, one on each side, Jesus in the middle. Pilate wrote a sign and had it placed on the cross. It read:

jesus the nazarene
the king of the jews.

20-21 Many of the Jews read the sign because the place where Jesus was crucified was right next to the city. It was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. The Jewish high priests objected. “Don’t write,” they said to Pilate, “‘The King of the Jews.’ Make it, ‘This man said, “I am the King of the Jews.”’”

22 Pilate said, “What I’ve written, I’ve written.”

23-24 When they crucified him, the Roman soldiers took his clothes and divided them up four ways, to each soldier a fourth. But his robe was seamless, a single piece of weaving, so they said to each other, “Let’s not tear it up. Let’s throw dice to see who gets it.” This confirmed the Scripture that said, “They divided up my clothes among them and threw dice for my coat.” (The soldiers validated the Scriptures!)

24-27 While the soldiers were looking after themselves, Jesus’ mother, his aunt, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene stood at the foot of the cross. Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her. He said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that moment the disciple accepted her as his own mother.

28 Jesus, seeing that everything had been completed so that the Scripture record might also be complete, then said, “I’m thirsty.”

29-30 A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, “It’s done . . . complete.” Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit.

31-34 Then the Jews, since it was the day of Sabbath preparation, and so the bodies wouldn’t stay on the crosses over the Sabbath (it was a high holy day that year), petitioned Pilate that their legs be broken to speed death, and the bodies taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man crucified with Jesus, and then the other. When they got to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. One of the soldiers stabbed him in the side with his spear. Blood and water gushed out.

35 The eyewitness to these things has presented an accurate report. He saw it himself and is telling the truth so that you, also, will believe.

36-37 These things that happened confirmed the Scripture, “Not a bone in his body was broken,” and the other Scripture that reads, “They will stare at the one they pierced.”

* * *

38 After all this, Joseph of Arimathea (he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, because he was intimidated by the Jews) petitioned Pilate to take the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission. So Joseph came and took the body.

39-42 Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus at night, came now in broad daylight carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. They took Jesus’ body and, following the Jewish burial custom, wrapped it in linen with the spices. There was a garden near the place he was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been placed. So, because it was Sabbath preparation for the Jews and the tomb was convenient, they placed Jesus in it.

It is Finished by Michelle Robertson

Open Palms

Posted on by Betsy

I have an aversion to palm trees.

Not the trees themselves: Truly, palm trees swaying in the warm breezes on a sunny beach are some of the prettiest things you will ever see. But I don’t like seeing palm trees in the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Florida, yes, Puerto Rico, okay, but Colington Harbour? Nope. God did not design the palm tree to live in the harsh weather conditions of our barrier islands, and so people who plant them in hopes of making our chilly island more “tropical” end up having to create burlap blankets for them to wear all winter long and some don’t survive because they really don’t belong here.

You had no idea that I am so narrow minded, did you??

Palm Sunday is this Sunday, and it is one of my favorite days. While palm trees don’t belong in the Outer Banks, palm branches surely belong in the hands of young children as they parade up and down the aisles of our churches. The sweet smiles, awkward waving, and innocent cries of “ho-thanna” make the celebration complete. Our hearts join in on the declaration that Jesus is our king and deserving of a king’s entrance. We almost have to turn a blind eye to the fact that in less than a week, it will all turn dark. But on Palm Sunday, we rejoice.

Mark 11:1-11 (New International Version)

1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

An unbroken colt fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

By choosing an unbroken animal, the Creator God in Jesus established his dominance over all the beasts of the field in one striking visual. Rather than come on a prancing stallion, as an army general might, Jesus sets the scene for the humility and servanthood that his leadership will bring.

4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

“Hosanna!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

The darkness that is quickly coming is prefigured in this last sentence. Jesus couldn’t stay around to enjoy his parade because “it was already late.” His appointed time was coming, shortening his moment of looking around at everything.

How will we respond to this? I suggest you take a look at your hands. Lay them open in your lap, palms up. In this position, may we ask God to give us every good gift he has planned for us as we seek the coming kingdom of our father David. And remember that in order to open your palms, you have to let go of everything else you are holding on to.

What do you need to let go in order to receive God’s blessing?

Hosanna in the Highest by Becky Strickland

Do More, Talk Less

Posted on by Betsy

We are rounding the corner toward Holy Week, when the events of Jesus’ last days will begin to cascade. I read recently that one third of what we read and know of Jesus’ ministry happens in this one week. It makes your head spin. But for today, as you read the plotting, the scheming, the indignant rebukes of men sitting in judgment, and the final betrayal plan, pay attention to the unnamed woman who speaks not a word, but provides the only moment of pure adoration:

Mark 14:1-11 (New International Version)

14 Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

John identifies this woman as Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She is not to be confused with the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with perfume and then wiped her tears from his feet with her hair. (See Luke 7: 37 for that story.) In this Scripture, she is observed by others who are dining at Simon the Leper’s home, and they are highly critical of her actions.

4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

Now remember which Mary this is. This is Lazarus’ sister, who observed Jesus’ resurrecting her brother from the dead. This Mary rebuked Jesus for being late when she sent for him to come and heal her ailing brother, arriving after he had died. This Mary put her understanding of Jesus’ power in a very small box, thinking that once her brother was gone, it was over. This Mary then watched as Jesus called Lazarus to come out of the grave, proving that Jesus was the resurrection and the LIFE. So Mary knew what to do. She anointed Jesus’ body for the burial that was impending, in the full hope and expectation of the resurrection that he had promised.

6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Mary’s example encourages us to take action. To not waste time planning, talking, arguing, and debating (I’m looking at you, church committees!) but simply to do.

What is Jesus calling you to do today?

Don’t say a word.

Just do it.

Talk Less by Becky Strickland

Thank You!

Posted on by Betsy

As we’ve been studying the openings to the letters of Paul over the last few weeks, it is striking how every single time he begins with a word of thanksgiving for the people in his churches. He truly appreciated their support, faithfulness, their partnering in ministry with him, and their witness.

This will be a shorter devotional today, as I am celebrating a milestone that you all provided. Earlier in the week, my website at WordPress sent me this message: “Congratulations! You have just published your 1,000th post.”

How crazy is that?? And it’s all because of you. If I didn’t have your faithful support, your comments, and especially those of you who share my devotionals on your social media platforms, At Water’s Edge would never exist. Writers can’t write without readers. You are the reason I write.

You are important to me, and I thank each and every one of you.

On to the next thousand! Let’s do this together.

Philippians 1: 3-5 (Common English Bible)

3 I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers. 4 I’m thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy. 5 I’m glad because of the way you have been my partners in the ministry of the gospel from the time you first believed it until now.

God Bless you all!

Betsy

Dirty Feet

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever participated in a foot washing? It can be a lovely and symbolic event or an uncomfortable experience, depending on your perspective. When you know it is part of the program you are attending, you are likely to think about the condition of your feet as you get ready for the event. Footwear, clean socks, pedicures, or even a quick soap and water rinsing before you leave might be part of your preparation. If a foot washing is a “surprise” part of a spiritual event, you may have experienced some anxiety in the moment. I remember attending a clergy retreat back in the day where the male leader excitedly announced that we would end our session by washing each other’s feet, causing much consternation to the women in the room who were wearing pantyhose. But in any case, the ritual foot washing we may experience in a church or retreat setting is not like the foot washing we read about the 13th chapter of John.

Of course the most striking difference is the position that our Lord took in the foot washing ritual:

John 13 (Common English Bible)

2 Jesus and his disciples were sharing the evening meal. The devil had already provoked Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew the Father had given everything into his hands and that he had come from God and was returning to God. 4 So he got up from the table and took off his robes. Picking up a linen towel, he tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he was wearing. 6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

In that time, it was common for a house servant to provide a foot washing as soon as the guests arrived. This did not happen at this dinner, and so the disciples gathered around the low table and began the meal. Mind you, feet were extremely dirty in those days. Everyone walked everywhere in open toed sandals. The roads and passageways were less than hygienic, and it was likely that feet encountered all manner of refuse, mud, animal droppings … well, you get the picture. We also know that this meal was served at table a known as a triclinium. This was a low U-shaped table, about the height of a coffee table. Because the table was low, they didn’t sit on chairs. They leaned on pillows, with their feet behind them. Their unwashed feet were easily seen and perhaps easily smelled as well.

And so in the midst of this, Jesus quietly got up, left the room, and returned clad only in a towel. Then he went around the table and washed the grime, dirt, and unmentionable gunk from his disciples’ feet.

His actions confused the disciples and Peter objected for a while. But Jesus then gave them one of the greatest lessons of all time, which is an important lesson to us as well. It was intended to settle their previous argument about who among them was the greatest: 24 An argument broke out among the disciples over which one of them should be regarded as the greatest (Luke 22:24). Jesus showed them in no uncertain terms what “greatness” was really all about.

12 After he washed the disciples’ feet, he put on his robes and returned to his place at the table. He said to them, “Do you know what I’ve done for you? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you speak correctly, because I am.14 If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you too must wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example: Just as I have done, you also must do.”

The Master washing the feet of the servants who wash the feet of each other. This lesson in humility is one that we seemed to have missed. The “my theology is purer than your theology” crowd would do well to read this again. Surely we grieve God with all of our denominational posturing and our holier-than-thou attitudes. You think you’re great? Try getting on your knees and washing the unwashed for a season. Then we’ll talk about greatness.

Where is Jesus calling you to humble yourself before him? Is there an act of ministry that makes you squirm, even as you recognize its vital importance to the kingdom? Have you been on a high horse about the righteousness of your beliefs?

Remember the one who truly was the greatest and how he abased himself in order to teach us how to serve and love one another. That humility enabled the Son of God to submit to his arrest, beating, torture, and death on a cross for you.

Thanks be to God. 

The Father Has Given Everything by Hannah Cornish

Imitation Game

Posted on by Betsy

It is said that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. I suppose that is true, as it means you have something so appealing, others want to emulate it and have it for themselves. In second grade, I liked my friend’s cat-eye glasses so much, I insisted to my mother that I needed glasses, too. My mild astigmatism allowed an eager eye doctor to fulfill my request, and I was thrilled. I looked sharp and I knew it! Now, when I see the school picture from that year, I wonder what in the world I was thinking!

We are going to look at 1 Thessalonians 1 again today, this time from The Message:

1 Thessalonians 1 (The Message)

2-5 Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you’re in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn’t just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.

5-6 You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!—taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble.

Paul’s comment that the church had become “imitators” of his work is not Paul arrogantly patting himself on the back. Indeed, their imitation of him to accept the joy that came along with suffering is a direct compliment to their work on behalf of the message they had all received and accepted. Thus his praising them for imitating him was simply a nod from teacher to students that they had learned well and aced their exams. Their actions were praise-worthy as they stood in direct opposition to the people of Thessalonica, who worshipped national and local gods. To be a people who stand against a strong cultural norm is a difficult thing.

The modern church experiences this when it calls out the idol worship of politicians, political agendas that contradict Scripture, celebrity infatuation, and social media vitriol. Is there suffering when we stand up for what’s right? Yes. Do our actions imitate our forefathers and foremothers who also stood against injustice and evil? Yes. We, like the church of Thessalonica, are invited to become imitators, not imitations. Look again at our verse 6: “You became imitators of us and of the Lord when you accepted the message that came from the Holy Spirit with joy in spite of great suffering.” Can there be any better calling than to imitate a great apostle and the Lord, empowered by the Holy Spirit? I think not.

Paul invites us to “imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). The Thessalonians then went on to become examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia (verse 7) and thus the imitation game continued. Thessalonica was a metropolitan trading center, giving them the opportunity to effectively sound forth the good news to every region.

Lent is a season of imitation. We wake up every morning and ponder what Jesus would do with the day. How are you imitating Christ in your life? If it were a crime to be a Christian, would there be enough evidence in your life to convict you? May we imitate him so effectively, people know to Whom we belong just by watching.

Day and Night by David Jones

I Am the Life

Posted on by Betsy

We finish our study of Jesus’ Farewell Discourse today as we focus on his statement, “I am the life.” We will read it in the Amplified Bible:

John 14 (Amplified Bible)

“Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe[confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and I will take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.4 And [to the place] where I am going, you know the way.”

 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

I very much appreciate this translation’s use of “the [real} life.” What does “real life” mean to you? Are there different ways of living, and should we be seeking the real life that God offers? Is there a difference between earthly life and eternal life?

Consider this passage from John 17:  “This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent” (John 17:3). Notice that John says, “This IS,” not “this will be.” For John, eternal life was a quality of life lived in the here and now. Eternal life began with the advent of Christ’s birth on earth and continues to the very end of time. Jesus’ self-revelation of “I am the life” harkens back to the Lazarus story and claims God’s life-giving powers for Jesus. Thus it is Jesus who brings God’s gift of life to the world.

In the Greek language, there are several words used for life. One is “bios,” referring to “existence,” and another is “zoe,” referring to a special quality of life, a zestful life of hope and abundance that only Christ can bring. It is an eternal life that is in the present reality of living. Guess which Greek word Jesus used in this scripture? Zoe.

 Let me ask you this. Are you living a zoe life, or a bios life? Is your life a joyful expression of one who is living an exuberant life, or are you merely existing? 

 I think many of us live a bios life because we think that this is all there is. We hold earthly life so dear and precious that we forget that eternity is a lot longer than the average 83.5 years of life on earth that you get. If you think about it, earthly life is just a blink of an eye compared to living forever, yet we let so many things defeat us every day: sin, selfishness, petty jealousies, habits we can’t seem to break, addictive behaviors, social media nonsense, gossip, bitterness, arguing, needing to be right all the time, needing to control everything …. there is no zoe in that, just mere existence.

 Friends, Jesus died on the cross so that you could have Zoe here and now. In John 10:10, he stated that he has come so that you may have zoe and have zoe abundantly. He died on the cross so that you could have zoe for eternity. One life blended into the other, with just a thin veil separating the two. Praise God!

Waters of Life by Hannah Cornish

I Am the Truth

Posted on by Betsy


Today’s Scripture is a continuation of our study this week of Jesus’ “Farewell Discourse,” which runs through John 16:33. Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension were imminent, and he explained the significance of the events that were about to unfold and tried to direct his disciples to the life they would soon be living without him. If the first verses of John 14 sounds familiar to you, it is because they come from one of the preferred readings in our United Methodist funeral liturgy. If you’ve been to funerals in your church, you most likely have heard this passage read.

In a very real sense, Jesus was preaching his own funeral.

John 14 (The Message)

1-4 “Don’t let this rattle you. You trust God, don’t you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I’m taking.”

5 Thomas said, “Master, we have no idea where you’re going. How do you expect us to know the road?”

6-7 Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!”

We struggle today with finding and knowing the truth about many things. Biased news reporting, social media substituting for “truth,” bent politicians who habitually lie to keep their power … what is truth, and where can we find it? John would point us back to the only absolute truth, which happened when the Father was revealed in the Son. It is an everlasting truth, and the only truth we can count on.

The epiphany Jesus hoped to reveal in that moment was that he was the incarnate God, the Word of God made flesh, and in him all truth could be known. The word “truth” in this passage is taken from the Hebrew understanding of truth, which implies an intentional commitment and connection to God’s righteousness and the absolute guarantee of God’s promises. God’s steadfast love was fulfilled in Jesus on the cross, where the truth of God’s plan of salvation was finally revealed. Thus nobody gets to the Father without Jesus, as it took knowing the son to understand the father.

The mystery of the incarnation confused the disciples and may be confusing to us as well. We can see by Thomas and Philip’s questions that the truth of Jesus’ relationship with his father was still troublesome. John 3:16 assures us that God loved the world so much that God sent his only son. But in the moment of standing in front of this man named Jesus who had been their friend and had led them for three years, the disciples still couldn’t receive or process the truth.

So Jesus asked them simply to trust him. To trust what they could not see; to trust what they could not know; to trust what they could not understand. God-made-flesh is a beautiful mystery that requires faith and an unencumbered belief, because seeing it is not possible. Perhaps that is the best kind of epiphany: One we see with our heart, not our eyes.
Do you believe Jesus is the only way to the Father? Do you trust him with all your heart?

God’s Beauty by Michelle Robertson

I Am the Way

Posted on by Betsy

This week we are going to study Jesus’ Farewell Discourse from John 14. As we move though Lent to Easter, we want to be focused on Jesus’ last weeks, activities, and words. Today we will consider what Jesus meant when he told his disciples that he was “the way” to the Father:

John 14 (Common English Bible)

14 “Don’t be troubled. Trust in God. Trust also in me. 2 My Father’s house has room to spare. If that weren’t the case, would I have told you that I’m going to prepare a place for you? 3 When I go to prepare a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me so that where I am you will be too.4 You know the way to the place I’m going.”

5 Thomas asked, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you have really known me, you will also know the Father. From now on you know him and have seen him.”

  Jesus is the way to the Father just as surely as the front door is the way into the house. Because of that one, single, profound action of taking the sins of the world upon himself, Jesus is the only way. Without that moment, our sins would never be forgiven. In its essence, sin is separation from God. Without Jesus, there is no entryway of repentance/forgiveness/grace. All who believe in him will be saved.

We can see in this passage that even toward the end of his ministry, Jesus still struggled with his disciples for understanding and acceptance. He was not the Messiah they had been looking for, and so they still were unsure about exactly who Jesus was. The mystery of the incarnation was still confusing to them. How could Jesus really be the Son of God?

The disciples didn’t yet know the end of the story, but we do. We see all the promises of God, the foretelling of the prophets, and the works of Jesus himself come together in this passage and we know without a doubt that Jesus made good on his word. He returned to the Father to get the house ready for our arrival. And because he lives, we shall live also.

We can glean a deeper meaning from “way” by studying John’s use of the word “hodos.” Hodos is more than just finding a route to a location, but rather a way of living that leads to eternity. In the Psalms, the word “way” is used as a metaphor to describe a life lived in accordance to doing the will and desire of God. Thus the “way” describes a person of faith’s connection to God.1 Jesus is not just the path, but the lifestyle that must be adopted in order to reach the Father. Jesus’ proclamation that he is going before us to prepare things is a direct invitation to follow him in all of his “ways” by following his teachings and example.

In John 15, Jesus makes the way crystal clear: “This is my commandment: love each other just as I have loved you” (John 15:12). When we love each other in the way that Jesus loves us, we know our feet are on the right path.What is God asking you to do in order to follow his way? Is there someone you need to forgive? Is there a task yet undone, or some loose end to tie up?

 I hope this brings you a moment of joy today. Even when things seem very dark in this world, knowing that Jesus is holding the front door of heaven open gives us strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Jesus reminds us that he is in the Father and the Father is in him: This is the way. Is God asking you to prepare yourself for the home Jesus has prepared for you? Best get to it. You know the way.

The Way by Kathy Schumacher

Self-Denial

Posted on by Betsy

One of our Lenten disciplines is self-denial. Other than fasting (!), this may be one of the hardest of all the practices to adopt. It is the one comprehensive discipline that really forces a change. To deny oneself means to stem all the urges we experience that lead us down the road of temptation, laziness, distraction for distraction’s sake, and greediness. What in your life has you so consumed that you neglect your personal discipleship? Is it food? Substance abuse? Social media? Hours of Netflix?

I spoke to a women’s group two weeks ago on the subject of Lent. I asked them to thoughtfully commit to three Lenten practices this year that would make a permanent difference in their walk with Christ. We talked not only about giving something up, but adding something in. One very thoughtful person told us that she knew she needed to give up her Amazon shopping habit, which had become a daily activity for her. She was almost afraid to say it out loud but she trusted her friends around her to receive this without judgement and to hold her accountable for the next six weeks. Dang, I admire this woman! I suggested she calculate the money that she would have spent and do something positive with it after Easter. I can’t wait to see how this turns out for her.

In our Scripture today, Jesus explained the upcoming crucifixion to his hard-of-hearing disciples. The most tone deaf among them was Peter, who shoved his fingers in his ears and “la-la-la’d” away the reality of what was about to happen:

Mark 8 (Common English Bible)

31 Then Jesus began to teach his disciples: “The Human One must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and the legal experts, and be killed, and then, after three days, rise from the dead.” 32 He said this plainly. But Peter took hold of Jesus and, scolding him, began to correct him. 33 Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, then sternly corrected Peter: “Get behind me, Satan. You are not thinking God’s thoughts but human thoughts.”

What a rebuke! In a self-serving manner, Peter thought he could talk Jesus out of doing what Jesus knew he had to do. Jesus called him Satan and shoved away any thought that the story might have a different ending. Peter didn’t want to lose his friend and possibly face the jeers and condemnation that this “failed mission” would bring to those who remained behind. In short, Peter didn’t get it.

34 After calling the crowd together with his disciples, Jesus said to them, “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me. 

Following Jesus is a process of self-denial. We are called to do God’s will at the expense of just having things our own way. We are taught to follow the commandments and to serve the Lord with gladness. We are expected to love, give, and put others first in the same way that Jesus did. We are led to deny our own desires and put Jesus’s cross on our shoulder.

35 All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me and because of the good news will save them.36 Why would people gain the whole world but lose their lives? 37 What will people give in exchange for their lives? 38 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this unfaithful and sinful generation, the Human One will be ashamed of that person when he comes in the Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

Self-denial requires the courage of my retail addicted friend. Self-denial is an eye-opening experience that helps you balance your life and put your feet on the path of righteousness. Self-denial is challenging, but the reward is gaining back your life. Isn’t that worth a try?

The Father’s Glory by Hannah Cornish