The Offense of the Cross

Then is the offense of the cross ceased–Gal 5:11

Paul Longed for the Salvation of the Jews

One thing which marks the ministry of Paul is how he lovingly yearned over the Jews. With a quenchless and intense desire, he prayed that they might be brought into the fold. Never did mother so long for the saving of her son as Paul longed for the saving of his countrymen. He was willing to suffer anything or everything, if only his people Israel might be won.

It is when we remember that deep longing that we realize what the cross meant for Paul. For the great stumbling block of faith to the Jews–the offense that made the Gospel of Christ smell rank to them–was, as our text indicates, the cross. Take that away, and it would be a thousand times more easy to win the Jews to the acceptance of the Lord. Say nothing about that, just slur it over, and you would take half the difficulty out of the way of Israel. Yet in spite of his yearning to see Israel saved, that was the one theme which Paul would not ignore. God forbid, he says, that I should glory save in the cross of Jesus Christ my Lord. There is a great lesson there for Christian teachers and for all who are trying to advance Christ’s kingdom. The more earnest and eager they are to have men saved, the more willing are they to go to all lengths to meet them. And that is right, for we must be all things to all men–to the Jews as a Jew, to the Romans as a Roman; but remember there are a few great facts we cannot yield, though they run counter to the whole spirit of the age. It were better to empty a church and preach the cross than to fill it by keeping silence like a coward. It were better to fail as Paul failed with the Jews than to succeed by being a traitor to the cross. Religion can never be a pleasant entertainment. When the offense of the cross ceases, it is lost.

The Cross an Offense to the Jews

Now I want to make it a little plainer to you why the cross was an offense to the Jews and to put things in such a way that you may see at once that the same causes are operative still.

It Blighted All Their Hopes

First then, the cross was offensive to the Jews just because it blighted all their hopes. It shattered every dream they ever dreamed, every ideal that ever glimmered on them. No telegram of news full of disaster, plunging a man into unlooked-for poverty–no sudden death of one to whom the heart clings, laying a man’s life in ruins at his feet–not these more certainly shatter a man’s hopes than did the cross the vision of the Jews. They had prayed for and had dreamed of their Messiah, and He was to come in power as a conqueror. “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”–you can almost hear the tramp of victorious feet. That was the light which burned in the Jewish darkness; that was the song which made music in their hearts. Then in the place of that triumph, there comes Calvary. In place of the Christ victorious, Christ crucified. And was this the Messiah who was to trample Rome, pierced in hands and feet by Roman nails? To the Jews a stumbling block: you cannot wonder at it when every hope they had formed was contradicted. Yet in spite of it all Paul preached Christ crucified, and that was the offense of the cross.

Now I venture to say that that offense of Calvary is just as powerful now as it was then. If I know anything about the ideals men cherish now and about the hopes that are regnant in ten thousand hearts, they are as antagonistic to the cross as was the Jewish ideal of Messiah. Written across Calvary is sacrifice; written across this age of ours is pleasure. On the lips of Christ are the stem words, I must die. On the lips of this age of ours, I must enjoy. And it is when I think of the passion to be rich and the judgment of everything by money standards; of the feverish desire at all costs to be happy, of the frivolity, of the worship of success; it is when I think of that and then contrast it with the “pale and solemn scene” upon that hill that I know that the offense of Calvary is not ceased. Unto the Jews a stumbling block–unto far more than the Jews: unto a pleasure-loving world and a dead church. Therefore say nothing about it; let it be; make everything interesting, pleasant, easy. Then is the offense of the cross ceased–and with it the power of the Gospel.

Second, the cross was an offense to the Jews because it swept away much that they took pride in. If there was any meaning in Calvary at all, some of their most cherished things were valueless. The Jews were preeminently a religious people, and this is always one peril of religious people. It is to take the things that lead to God and let the heart grow centered upon them. There was the ceremonial law for instance, with its scrupulous abhorrence of defilements. No one who has not studied the whole matter can ever know what that meant to the Jew. And there were the sacrifices smoking upon their altars, and the feasts and festivals and journeys to Jerusalem. And there was the temple, that magnificent building, sign of their hope and symbol of their unity. At least let this be said of that old people, that if they were proud, they were proud of worthy things. It is better to be proud of law and temple than to be proud of battleship and millionaire. Yet all that pride, religious though it was–that pride, deep-rooted as the people’s life–all that was swept away like autumn leaves if there was any meaning in the cross. No more would the eyes of men turn to Jerusalem, no more would sacrifices fill the altars, no more was there room for ceremonial law if the Son of God had died upon the tree. And it was this crushing into the very dust of all that was dearest to the Jewish heart that was so bitter an offense of Calvary.

A Man Must Come with Empty Hands

And today has that offense of the cross ceased? Has that stumbling block been removed out of the way? I say that this is still the offense of Calvary, that it cuts at the root of so much that we are proud of. Here is a woman who strives to do her duty. God bless her, she does it very bravely. Here is a student proud of his high gifts. God prosper him that he may use them well. But over against reliance upon duty and all attempts of the reason to give peace, there hangs the crucified Redeemer saying, “No man cometh unto the Father but by me.” Here is the offense of the cross in cultured ages. It is that a man must come with empty hands. He must come as one who knows his utter need of the pardoning mercy of Almighty God; and in an age like ours that leans upon its heritage and is proud of its magnificent achievement, that call to unconditional surrender is the offense of evangelical religion. We are all tempted to despise what we get freely. We like a little toil and sweat and travail. We measure the value of most things not by their own worth, but by all that it has cost us to procure them. And Calvary costs us nothing though it cost God everything; the love and the life of it are freely offered; and to a commercial age and a commercial city there is something suspicious and offensive there. Ah sirs, if I preached salvation by good works what an appreciative audience I could have. How it would appeal to many an eager heart! But I trample that temptation under foot, not that I love you less but that I love Christ more, and I pray that where the gospel is proclaimed, the offense of the cross of Christ may never cease. I do not believe that if you scratch a man you will find underneath his skin a Christian. I do not believe that if you do your best, all is well for time and for eternity. But I do believe–

Not the labors of my hands

Can fulfil Thy law’s demands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All for sin could not atone:

Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Third, the cross was an offense to the Jews because it obliterated national distinctions. It leveled at one blow those social barriers that were of such untold worth in Jewish eyes. It was supremely important that the Jews should stand apart; through their isolation God had educated them. They had had the bitter-sweet privilege of being lonely, and being lonely they had been ennobled. Unto them were committed the oracles of God; they were a chosen nation, a peculiar people. The covenants were theirs, theirs were the promises, the knowledge of the one true God was theirs; until at last, almost inevitably, there rose in the Jewish mind a certain separateness and a certain contempt, continually deepening, for all the other nations of mankind. They had no envy of the art of Greece. They were not awed by the majesty of Rome. Grecians and Romans, Persians and Assyrians –powerful, cultured, victorious –were but Gentiles. There is something almost sublime in the contempt with which that little nation viewed the world. Then came the cross and leveled all distinctions; it burst through all barriers of nationality. There was neither Jew nor Gentile, Greek nor barbarian, but Christ was all and in all. Let some wild savage from the farthest west come to the cross of Christ pleading for mercy, and he had nothing less to do and nothing more than the proudest Jew who was a child of Abraham. One feels in an instant the insult of it all, how it left the Jew defenseless in the wild. All he had clung to was gone; his vineyard-wall was shattered: he must live or die now in the windswept world. And this tremendous leveling of distinctions–this striking out Jew and writing in humanity–this, to the proud, reserved, and lonely people, was no small part of the offense of Calvary.

At the Cross, All Distinctions Are Obliterated

Now I would not have you imagine for a moment that Christ disregards all personal distinctions. If I sent you away harboring the thought that all who come to Christ get the same treatment, I should have done Him an unutterable wrong. In everything He did Christ was original because He was fresh from God into the world, but in no sphere was He so strikingly original as in the way in which He handled those who came to Him. So was it when He was on the earth; so is it now when He is hid with God. There is always some touch, some word, some discipline, that tells of an individual understanding. But in spite of all that and recognizing that, I say that this is the “scandal” of the cross, that there every distinction is obliterated, and men must be saved as lost or not at all. You remember the lady from a gentle home who went to hear the preaching of George Whitefield? And she listened in disgust to a great sermon and then, like Naaman, went away in a rage. “For it is perfectly intolerable,” she said, “that ladies like me should be spoken to just like a creature from the streets.” Quite so: it is perfectly intolerable–and that is the stumbling block of Calvary. Are you who may be cultured to your fingertips to be classed with the savage who cannot read or write ? It would be very pleasant to say No–but then were the offense of the cross ceased. A friend of mine who is a busy doctor in a thriving village not ten miles from Glasgow was called in the other day to see a patient who, as was plain at the first glance, was dying. And the doctor, a good Christian, said, “Friend, the best service I can do you is to ask, Have you made your peace with God?” Whereon the man, raising his wasted arm and piercing the questioner with awe-filled eyes, said, “Doctor, is it as bad as that?” I want to say it is always as bad as that. I want to say it to the brightest heart here. You do need pardon and peace with God in Christ as much as the wildest prodigal. Accept it. It is freely offered you. Say, “Thou, O Christ, art all I want.” And then, just as the wilderness will blossom, so will the offense of the cross become its glory.

http://devotionals.ochristian.com/george-h-morrison-devotional-sermons-devotional.shtml

 

Riding the Donkey

“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.” — Zechariah 9:9

In describing the coming of the Messiah, the prophet tells us that he will be riding on a donkey. Jewish tradition teaches that this donkey is the same one that Abraham rode when he went to sacrifice Isaac and the same donkey that Moses used when he went to speak to Pharaoh.

Why is it important for us to know the Messiah’s mode of transportation? And what difference does it make whose donkey it is?

The Sages explain that Abraham began a mission that was carried on by Moses and will be completed by the Messiah. The mission is to unite spirituality with physicality. This is symbolized by “riding the donkey.” Learning to ride the donkey is the mission of our lives.

In Hebrew, the word for “donkey” stems from the same word that means “material.” A donkey represents everything in our material world. “Riding the donkey” means to harness physicality and to tame it. We use the physical world to reach our spiritual goals.

How do we do that?

Just as a donkey can take a person to places he could not go on foot, the physical world can help us reach spiritual heights that aren’t otherwise reachable. The Internet is great example. It’s definitely physical and is the product of earthly science and technology. Yes, it has its pitfalls and can lead a person to sin, but look at the spirituality it is spreading. It has given God’s word a megaphone, and we can spread His word to every land! It can bring people together and empower God’s servants. This is only one example. Everything that is physical can become spiritual when used in service of God.

What are your material gifts? Your body, your home, your money, your talents, the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the mouth you speak with –the list goes on and on. Now think about how each one can raise you spiritually. How can you use your resources to help others? How can you use them in service of God?

Our physical lives are a gift from God. How we use them is our gift to Him.

http://www.holylandmoments.org/devotionals/riding-the-donkey

The Sabbath Experience

“O Israel, put your hope in the LORD,        for with the LORD is unfailing love        and with him is full redemption.” — Psalm 130:7

If you have ever been on a spiritual retreat, you know how difficult it can be to “re-enter” into the daily routine. Those closing moments are bittersweet as you savor the fellowship time you have spent with God and with others, coupled with the knowledge that soon it will be over.

In many respects, that parallels our experience as the Sabbath comes to a close. The Sabbath is to be experienced as “an island in time” — we are to live fully in that moment and find the pleasure and holiness that comes from relaxing, studying the Torah, and having fellowship with family and friends. If we fully partake of the Sabbath experience — rest, study, and fellowship — then we have achieved our spiritual goal.

As the Sabbath comes to a close, we formally conclude this time with an evening prayer service and the Havdalh, or “separation ceremony.” During that time, we reaffirm our belief in the coming of Messiah and the redemption of the world. We acknowledge again our duty to sanctify life every day and to fill it with holiness. Then, we light a long braided candle, drink from an overflowing cup of wine, and deeply inhale the fragrance of spices as we chant the prayer, “Be not afraid, my servant Jacob, for I, the LORD, am with you” (from Jeremiah 30:10).

Each step of this ceremony is very important. The light of the braided candle symbolizes the intertwining of the Eternal One and the divine spirit in man; for as the Bible says, “the LORD is our light and our redeemer.” The overflowing cup of wine symbolizes our uncontainable optimism and hope for the coming week. And the aromatic spices refresh our soul and dispel the emptiness we feel at the conclusion of Shabbat.

Observing the Sabbath for us is intentional, purposeful, and spiritual — involving all our senses and impacting all aspects of our lives. As you reflect on your own spiritual encounters with God, both daily and weekly, consider what you might add — or subtract — to make your experience more meaningful. What spiritual goals might you adopt? How can you involve more of your senses in helping you to focus on God?

As the psalm writer noted, “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8). The invitation is open; God is waiting.

http://www.holylandmoments.org/devotionals/the-sabbath-experience-2

The Final Famine

“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine through the land — not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.’” — Amos 8:11

According to the Sages, there are ten global famines in the history of mankind. The first was in the time of Adam, the second was in the time of Lamech, and the third was in the time of Abraham. There are seven more famines to go, but the last one, say the Sages, will be the harshest. It will be unlike anything else that the world has ever experienced.

The tenth famine is described by the prophet Amos as “not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.” The final famine that the world will experience has nothing to do with a lack of physical sustenance and everything to do with spiritual survival. There will be a dearth of substantial spirituality. Tradition teaches that the last famine will occur just before the coming of the Messiah.

What makes that so bad? Why do the Sages call this famine the worst of them all?

The rabbis explain that when people are suffering from extreme hunger and they are given a scrap of bread, it becomes a feast for them. When people are dying of thirst and someone gives them a canteen of water, their thirst seems to be completely quenched. The problem is that sporadic meals do not nourish the body. Such people are still in great danger and put their lives at risk.

The problem of being satisfied with too little is only compounded when the famine is spiritual. If we fail to take care of our bodies, it is sad. But if we fail to nourish our spirit – which is eternal – it’s tragic. The rabbis explain that this last famine is the worst because it doesn’t threaten our physical bodies. It threatens our very soul.

Today there are plenty of sweet and sugary opportunities out there to get our spirituality fix. A good book here, a nice lecture there, maybe even devotion once in a while. But where are your meat and potatoes? There is no substitute for daily Bible study. Nothing can take the place of consistent and meaningful prayer. Our bodies need constant nourishment and daily care. Our souls need the same.

We should be satisfied with nothing less.

http://www.holylandmoments.org/devotionals/the-final-famine

When You Can’t Understand, Trust God

“Trust in the Lord.”                                                              Pr 3:5 NKJV

The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (vv. 5-6 NKJV). But what if your path leads through pain, pressure and problems? John the Baptist’s did. He didn’t deserve imprisonment. After all, he was the forerunner of Christ and the voice of God in the community. Plus, he was Jesus’ cousin. So he sent Jesus a message asking, “Are you really the Messiah, or should we keep looking?” Paraphrased: “Lord, if I’m in your will, how come I’m in this situation?” It’s a question motivated by unfulfilled expectations. We think, “Lord, I’ve obeyed you, how come things aren’t working out for me?” And it feels worse when you’ve faithfully served Him. Writing about her daughter’s death, Meg Woodson says, “I’ll never forget those shrill, piercing screams; that the God who could have helped, looked down on this young woman who was devoted to Him…and decided to sit on His hands and let her death top the horror charts.” Talk about unmet expectations! Jesus could have saved John, but He didn’t. Instead He sent back word: “Don’t worry, everything’s on target, the kingdom is being built. You did your job well” (See Mt 11:4-5). It probably wasn’t the answer John hoped for. He was looking for solutions to temporal problems while Jesus was busy establishing an eternal kingdom. So next time God doesn’t seem to meet your expectations, it’s not that He doesn’t care; it’s that He sees the big picture and He’s handling issues you can’t even begin to comprehend. So trust Him!

http://theencouragingword.wordpress.com/2012/07/28/when-you-cant-understand-trust-god/

John the Witness-Bearer

John bear witness of him and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me–Joh. 1:15

The Large Place Witnessing Has in Scripture

The thought of witness-bearing finds ample expression in the Bible. “Witness” is one of the key words of the Scripture, occurring in the early records of Genesis and in the writings of prophets and apostles. It makes an interesting study to collect the passages in which the word “witness” is found. Sometimes it is God who is the witness; at other times it is the arching heaven above us. Then we read that when Joshua had made a covenant with the people, he took a great stone and set it up under an oak tree, and said, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us” (Jos. 24:26-27). Christ Himself is spoken of as a witness–”Behold I have given him for a witness to the people” (Isa. 55:4); Paul tells us that God had never left Himself without a witness (Act. 14:17); and it was at the feet of that same Paul that the witnesses laid down their clothes in the hour when Stephen cried, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Act. 7:59). Let us remember, too, that when we believe on Jesus, there is a witness which we have in ourselves (1Jo. 5:10). Such passages as these help to make plain to us what a large place the witness has in Scripture. The Baptist is not isolated in his witness-bearing; he is one of a great and evergrowing company. Let us try, then, to gather up some of the things to which John bore witness. It may be that we also, like the Baptist, may be sent to be the witness-bearers of Christ Jesus.

Witness to the Presence of Christ

First, then, John bore witness to the presence of Christ. The Jews were eagerly expecting the Messiah. They were thrilled with the hope that He was coming. God had awakened such a longing in their hearts that they knew the advent was not far away. So were they straining their eyes to the east and to the south; so were they anxiously awaiting some splendor of arrival; and John bore witness that the Christ they looked for was standing among them even while he spoke (Joh. 1:26). He was not hidden in the clouds of heaven; He was not lurking in some far concealment; He would not burst upon them in any visible glory, nor with any credentials that would be instantly accepted. Even while John spoke the Christ was there, moving among them as a man unknown–John bore witness to a present Lord. Now that is a witness which we all may share in. We may show our neighbors that Jesus is among them. We may make it plain to our visitors, as John did, that Jesus of Nazareth is not far away. And we do this not so much by speech or by having the name of Jesus on our lips as by revealing His love and power and patience in the general tenor of our lives. There are some men who immediately impress us with the fact that they walk in the company of Christ. There is no explaining the impression that they make unless it be that they are living with Jesus–their secret is, they have a Friend. That is true witness-bearing, and it is like the Baptist’s. It is a witness to the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Witness to the Greatness of Christ

Again, John bore witness to the greatness of Christ. Of course the Jews were expecting a great Savior; all their long history made them sure of that. The threefold dignities of king and priest and prophet were to mingle in the person of Messiah. But greatness has diverse meanings; it is touched with a thousand differences on a thousand lips; and when a nation falls from its high ideals, as the Jews had fallen in the time of John, the great man of the popular imagination is not the great man in the sight of God. Now this was part of the witness-beating of the Baptist, to reveal the true greatness and glory of Messiah; to single Him out as He moved amid the people, and proclaim that He was greater than them all. There were no insignia on Jesus’ breast; He was not clothed in any robes of state; there was nothing in His adornment or His retinue to mark Him off as one who was truly great. And it was John’s work to pierce through all disguise and see the grace and glory of the Man and cry that though He had no beauty that men should desire Him, yet none was worthy to unloose His shoe-latchet (Joh. 1:27). In different ways, and yet in the same spirit, we should all be witness-bearers to Christ’s greatness. It is always possible so to think and act and live that men will feel we serve a great Commander. He who thinks meanly and does petty and foolish deeds and has no lofty ideals clearly before him is not commending an exalted Savior. It is in a spirit that is so touched to reveal spiritual greatness, however humble be the believer’s daily round, that witness is borne to the greatness of the Lord.

Witness to the Lowliness and Gentleness of Christ

Once more, John bore witness to the lowliness and gentleness of Christ. I think that if John had been a time-server, and had cared only to flatter Jewish prejudice, he would have told his audience that the Spirit had descended, not like a dove, but like an eagle. It was not a dove for which the Jews were looking. They wanted a power to expel the Romans. What a chance for a false prophet this would have been, considering the symbolism of the Roman eagles! But John could only tell what he had seen–a faithful witness will not lie (Pro. 14:5)–and he bare record saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove” (Joh. 1:32). That means that almost in the teeth of his own stern heart, John bore witness to a dovelike Savior. There was to be a brooding peace about Messiah, a lowly gentleness, a still small voice. And when we remember what John’s own nature was and think of the Christ of common expectation, we see how true and faithful was this witness-bearing. May not we, too, bear witness in our lives to the lowly tenderness of our Redeemer? May we not make it plain, as John did, that the Lord whom we know is filled with the dovelike Spirit? We do that whenever we master temper or check the bitter word or take the lowest place. We do that when our unforgiving hearts and our stubborn and proud and selfish wills become imbued with that love and thoughtful tenderness which is the very spirit of Christ Jesus.

Witness to the Sacrifice of Christ

Lastly, John bore witness to the sacrifice of Christ. “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (Joh. 1:29). John had roused the conscience of the people; he had awakened in them the sleeping sense of sin. Jewish missionaries tell us that today that is still the first thing they strive to do. But when the sense of guilt was roused in them–what then? Then John’s great work of witness-bearing reached its peak. So it may be with every one of us. We, too, may be witness-bearers of the sacrifice. We may so hate and abhor and shun all sin, we may so feel the price of our redemption, we may so live in the sweet sense of pardon, we may be so hopeful for the lowest and worst men, that our life (unknown to us perhaps) shall be a witness-bearing to Christ crucified.

http://devotionals.ochristian.com/george-h-morrison-devotional-sermons-devotional.shtml

 

It’s Okay To Ask

It’s perfectly natural for fear and doubt to creep into our minds at times. “What if heaven isn’t real after all?” “Is Jesus the only way to God?” “Will it matter in the end how I lived my life?” Questions like these should not be given quick or trite responses.

John the Baptist, whom Jesus called the greatest of the prophets (Luke 7:28), had questions shortly before his execution (v.19). He wanted to know for sure that Jesus was the Messiah and that his own ministry had therefore been valid.

Jesus’ response is a comforting model for us to use. Instead of discounting the doubt or criticizing John, Jesus pointed to the miracles He was doing. As eyewitnesses, John’s disciples could return with vivid assurances for their mentor. But He did more—He used words and phrases (v.22) drawn from Isaiah’s prophecies of the coming Messiah (Isa. 35:4-6; 61:1), which were certain to be familiar to John.

Then, turning to the crowd, Jesus praised John (Luke 7:24-28), removing any doubt that He was offended by John’s need for reassurance after all he had seen (Matt. 3:13-17).

Questioning and doubting, both understandable human responses, are opportunities to remind, reassure, and comfort those who are shaken by uncertainty.

When my poor soul in doubt is cast And darkness hides the Savior’s face, His love and truth still hold me fast For He will keep me by His grace. —D. De Haan

Reassurance comes as we doubt our doubts and believe our beliefs.

http://odb.org/2012/07/10/its-okay-to-ask/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+odb%2Ffeed+%28Our+Daily+Bread%29

Called By A New Name

In the article “Leading by Naming,” Mark Labberton wrote about the power of a name. He said: “I can still feel the impact of a musical friend who one day called me ‘musical.’ No one had ever called me that. I didn’t really play an instrument. I was no soloist. Yet . . . I instantly felt known and loved. . . . [He] noticed, validated, and appreciated something deeply true about me.”

Perhaps this is what Simon felt when Jesus renamed him. After Andrew was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, he immediately found his brother Simon and brought him to Jesus (John 1:41-42). Jesus peered into his soul and validated and appreciated something deeply true about Simon. Yes, Jesus saw the failure and impetuous nature that would get him into trouble. But more than that He saw the potential of Simon to become a leader in the church. Jesus named him Cephas—Aramaic for Peter—a rock (John 1:42; see Matt. 16:18).

And so it is with us. God sees our pride, anger, and lack of love for others, but He also knows who we are in Christ. He calls us justified and reconciled (Rom. 5:9-10); forgiven, holy, and beloved (Col. 2:13; 3:12); chosen and faithful (Rev. 17:14). Remember how God sees you and seek to let that define who you are.

I am so glad for the day that I came Seeking relief for my soul; Jesus the Savior gave me my new name; Now by His grace I’m made whole. —Hess

No one can steal your identity in Christ.

http://odb.org/2012/04/20/called-by-a-new-name/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+odb%2Ffeed+%28Our+Daily+Bread%29

“He Showed Them His Hands”

“Jesus…showed them his hands.” Jn 20:19-20 NCV

Dr. Paul Brand, a brilliant surgeon who worked at the Christian Medical College in Vellore, India, writes: “I work with the marvels of the hand nearly every day…But one time of the year holds special meaning for me…When the world observes Passion Week…I reflect on the hands of Jesus…those hands that had done so much good were taken, one at a time, and pierced through with a thick spike…Roman executioners drove their spikes through the wrist, through the carpal tunnel that houses finger-controlling tendons and the median nerve…maiming the hand into a claw shape, and Jesus had no anesthetic…Later his weight hung from them, tearing more tissue, releasing more blood. Has there ever been a more helpless image? The disciples, who’d hoped he was the Messiah, cowered in the darkness or drifted away.” But that’s not the last time we see Jesus’ hands. The Bible says: “When it was evening on the first day of the week, Jesus’ followers were together. The doors were locked, because they were afraid of the elders. Then Jesus came and stood…in the middle of them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After…this, he showed them his hands…His followers were thrilled when they saw the Lord.” Dr. Brand adds: “For the remainder of his time here, Jesus chose [to minister through] scars in each hand. That’s why I believe God hears and understands our pain…he kept those scars as a lasting image of wounded humanity. He knows what life on earth is like because he has been there. His hands prove it.” So bring your wounds to Jesus today and let Him make you whole—body, mind and soul.

http://theencouragingword.wordpress.com/2012/04/08/he-showed-them-his-hands/

The Seventh Station: Jesus Takes Up His Cross by Mark D. Roberts

Mark 15:20

After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

Mark 15:20

Jesus had said this would happen. For quite some time, he had predicted his suffering and death. The first time came right after Peter confessed him to be the Messiah. Jesus responded: “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Luke 9:22). So, even though the Roman soldiers led Jesus out to crucify him, they were only doing what he had said they would do.

Indeed, they were doing what he chose to happen and in many ways caused to happen. After all, Jesus had been preaching that God alone was the true King and that his kingdom was at hand…not exactly the kind of message Rome liked to hear. Moreover, Jesus had been in regular conflict with Jewish leaders, who saw him as a nuisance and a threat. Then, he stirred up the crowds by riding into Jerusalem as a messianic king. He disturbed the Jewish officials by ransacking the temple and halting its sacrifices, accusing the temple leaders of being no better than a bunch of thieves. Jesus seemed even to know that Judas was planning to betray him and Jesus appeared to consent to the betrayal. Jesus did not defend himself before the Sanhedrin, perhaps because he knew this was a lost cause. But he didn’t try to set Pilate straight either. And, of course, Jesus did not call down legions of angels to deliver him.

So, though “they led him out to crucify him,” Jesus was no passive victim. He picked up his cross and walked to Golgotha because he had chosen the way of suffering. He believed this to be the will of God, the way by which he would realize his messianic destiny. Jesus chose to suffer and die so that he might fulfill Isaiah’s vision of the Suffering Servant of God, the one who was “despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity.” As this Servant, Jesus “has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases.” Moreover, “he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed” (Isa. 53:3-5).

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: Have you ever sensed that God wanted you to “take up your cross” and follow Jesus? In what way? Are you struggling to be faithful in some area of your life or work right now, knowing that you should “take up your cross,” but not being sure if you can do it?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, you chose the cross. Yes, the Jewish leaders accused you. And, yes, Pilate sentenced you. And, indeed, Roman soldiers led you to Golgotha. But in a very real sense, they were simply working out what God had willed and you had freely and painfully chosen.

How I thank you for this costly choice! Because you took up the cross, I can take up life in all of its fullness. Because you were led to die, I can be led into the eternal life. Because you bore my sin, I can enjoy your forgiveness. How good you are to me, dear Lord, my Savior! Amen.

P.S. from Mark: You can see Linda’s painting for the Seventh Station here. You may also be interested in a blog series I have written called Why Did Jesus Have to Die? Roman, Jewish, and Christian Perspectives.

http://www.thehighcalling.org/reflection/seventh-station-jesus-takes-his-cross