You Will Be With Me In Paradise

Luke 23:42&43 The he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

For the thief on the cross to hear those words of comfort must have been a true blessing.  An indescribable feeling if you will.  And while one thief was hurling insults, the other was acknowledging that Jesus was Lord and worthy of praise and worship.  And of all the phrases captured in the bible for Jesus, verse 43 of Luke 23 seems to bring the most hope to all of us.  If we look at the situation of the thief on the cross we can find a ton of hope.  Here is a sinner, sentenced to death for his crimes.  He is a man of unknown religious background.  And he is hanging from a cross just like Jesus.  We do not know if he knows of Jesus. From some portions of the bible we know that at one point he too was hurling insults. But something changed his heart.  We are not privy to what changed, or caused the change in heart. All we know is that his heart was changed by something that he saw, or heard. Something triggered a profound change to go from insulting Jesus to acknowledging that Jesus Christ is Lord.

In each of us rests a part that wants to sin and rebel from being a Christian. At times that part may own the day and we speak out, act out, or live out the sinfulness we seek to avoid.  We are incapable of perfection. We are lost in sin. We are sinful by nature.  And in sin is death. But we hold our sole hope of salvation in Christ Jesus.  In Jesus we are saved. And without Jesus we are lost.  The promise given to the thief on the cross is that same promise we hold onto. In Christ is salvation.  This is our hope that was born on the cross when Christ died on the cross and arose again. The apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 6:3-4 of our redemption through Christ.  Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.  We hold onto the same hope that the thief on the cross-held onto. In spite of ourselves, we have been saved. Friends of the risen savior, hold onto that promise of salvation when times are tough.

Prayer: Lord we are so truly blessed. We who are incapable of redeeming ourselves have been saved by the love of Jesus. His sacrifice on the cross-paid a price we were, and are still today, incapable of paying. The love of the Father has been shared with we who are so undeserving. For that we offer this humble prayer of thanks giving, Amen.

The Disciple Took Her Into His Home

John 19:26-27 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is you son.” And to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

When was the last time you called your own mother “Woman”?  I’ll bet you have never called her that before. And are not likely to call her “Woman” in the future.  In the case of Jesus, this happened one other time. In John 2: 1-12 we can read of the miracle of turning water into wine. The mother of Jesus tells Jesus “They have no more wine.” Jesus replies “Woman why to you involve me? My hour has not yet come.”  And in a true mother knows best fashion His mother tells the servants “Do whatever He tells you.”

            In presenting His mother Mary to the disciple John as John’s mother we see a passing of the torch so-to-speak.  And the confirmation to Mary that John is now her son is equally as important.  Mary was there to see the ministry of Jesus start. She bore Jesus in her womb and was with him in his early years. We can see from the John 2 passage above that she was not a hands-off parent.  Mary was involved actively in his life and ministry. So we can see the logic of Mary being given to John as his “Mother”. The role of mother to Jesus was without a doubt important. And the desire of Jesus to have His mother involved in the continuation of His ministry with one of His most important disciples is readily apparent.  There is so much more to this moment than Jesus telling John please take care of His Mom!

            How are you passing to torch in your ministry activities? Are you a single resource filling a big need?  That’s what is called a single point failure in the engineering world.  We all need help in what we do serving the Lord. There is joy in serving the Lord. And there is joy is serving the Lord as a member of a team.  We can support each other, we can mentor less experienced, and we can hold each other accountable.  Can you imagine if Mary had not pushed Jesus to turn water into wine?  Often we need someone to give us encouragement, support, and occasionally a gentle shove to achieve what we are really capable of.  Take a moment friends. Do you have someone like that in your ministry team? Or are you a lone wolf?

Prayer: Almighty God we ask that You bless us with people in our lives to encourage us, to hold us accountable, and to give us the shove we need when we need it. We ask that our lives be blessed with people who share the love of Christ as we do. We ask that in serving You we are able to share the experience with others. These things we ask in the name of Jesus, who showed us how to share Your love with the world, Amen.

That We May See And Believe

Mark 15:31-32 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved other,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Just reading the Mark 15 passage above makes my head hurt. The words are not difficult to read. No, the words are very simple and to the point. It is the message contained in the words that makes my head hurt.  The completely two-faced statements, the outright hate towards Jesus is so beyond cruel. It makes my head hurt.  On one hand the chief priests and teachers of the law acknowledge that Jesus saved others.  They mockingly call Him “this Messiah, this king of Israel’ and in the very next breath they taunt Him to come down from the cross so that they can see and believe.  The world really has not changed all that much in the past 2000 or so years. 

Even today we have those in this world who mock Jesus. They chose to ignore the prolific evidence that Jesus Christ is Lord.  They distort the truth in an effort to elevate their own belief system.  They go to considerable effort to remove any evidence of the cross from memorials or public forums.  They will seek to blame inanimate objects to the cause of evil in this world while pointedly ignoring an entertainment industry rife with violence, immorality, and any reasonable sense of decency.  Friends of the risen Savior, our world is truly broken.

            And just when you think things could not get any worse, along comes “The Bible”.  As a very wonderful counterpoint to the usual Hollywood violence filled offerings, The History Channel runs a mini-series based on the bible.  The episodes I have seen are just filled with great illustrations of how blessed we are to have a loving God.  The episode that airs Easter Sunday evening covers the trial, crucifixion and resurrection.  At just the right time a well done production comes out that allows those who may not know or believe to see that they may believe.  The funny thing I have seen is the number of people talking about “The Bible.”  It even made it onto the Sirius-XM satellite radio NASCAR channel show “The Morning Drive.”  The two hosts of the show had an interesting discussion on the episode that had run the night before.  If you have not taken time to watch, do so, please.

Often we do not know what it will take to change the heart of an unbeliever or someone with a weak faith. It may be our words or words someone else has written. It may be a movie or a TV show.  The one constant is that when we pray for change, God hears our prayer and we can ask for His will to be done in our lives and the lives of those we pray for.  Let’s all take the time to offer up a prayer for a fundamental change in the hearts of those who are lost in this world.

Prayer:  Father our world is corrupt in sin. It is lost in worship of false idols, false gods, and even the worship of itself.  Help us Lord for without You we are lost. Guide those who are lost to follow the Good Shepherd.  Fill their hearts with the faith to change their lives and to follow the light of Christ.  This we ask in the name of the Good Shepherd, our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

What I Have Written

John 19:22 Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

For me this has been a Lent of evolved thinking about Pontius Pilate.  I have looked more closely at his role in the Passion of the Christ than at any other time in my life.  And the result has been an evolution in my thinking of his role.  He was for many years a villian. He was blamed for killing my Jesus.  His act, as bad as it may seem even after all these years was what was required to fulfill the will of God.  He was an instrument of God’s will.  I am not making any excuses or apologies for Pontius Pilate.  What I am doing is to look at his role in a different light.  As the Roman ruler of the area at that time, he delivered cruelty on a routine basis. Living under Roman rule was not a pleasant experience if you were a conquered people. And yet God chooses to use anyone to fulfill his will. The Old Testament is filled with examples of this concept.  What I find interesting, and the basis of this devotional are Pilate’s words captured in John 19:22. Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”  He is standing firm by what he as directed to be written on the sign over the cross of Christ. He is not backing down.  He is standing strong.  And his true purpose, lost in time, is eluded to in several verses of scripture.  He suspects the chief priests of being jealous of Jesus and they have brought Him to Pilate to be eliminated. Pilate’s wife cautions Pilate to have nothing to do with Jesus because of what she experienced in a dream.  Pilate asks Christ if He is a king and receives confirmation that Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world.  And to answer all the above Pilate has a sign made to remind all who come to view the crucifixion that Jesus of Nazareth is King of the Jews.  A bold statement then, and a bold statement now.

            You and I are also called to make that very same statement each and every day of our lives.  1 Corinthians 16:13 reminds us to Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.  We often encounter those in the world that wish to silence our declaration of Jesus of Nazareth is King of the Jews.  Some will go to great lengths to attempt to suppress what we hold to be the Gospel and the truth.  As believers we need to stand firm by our convictions and we also need to share that truth in love with others.  Angry words will not win hearts. But sharing the love, and words of Christ will.  We need to stand our ground and not back down when we declare our faith. It is one good take away from how Pontius Pilate acted during the Passion Week.

Prayer: Lord we are often called be be a strong witness for You. Our world would shut us down to hide from the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord. Help to share the right words when they are needed. Help us to stand firm in our convictions, Amen

A Notice Prepared And Fastened To The Cross

John 19:19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."

            Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews is a bold statement. Not everyone in Jerusalem wanted to hear those words, let alone read the words from the sign on the cross. And Pilate was really trying to make a point when he ordered the notice to be written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.  Pilate was trying to drive home the point that, as we learned from our earlier reading, Jesus was innocent of any wrongdoing. And yet the chief priests wanted Him crucified because He threatened their very existence.  The truths and teachings of Jesus called into question the teachings of the chief priests.  They had gone so far astray from God’s will, and he was calling them on the carpet for their wanderings.  They did not like to have that simple truth thrown up in their face. 

Interestingly enough our society today holds the same opinion.  When you hold Jesus up in front of them they do not like what they see.  The premise that God is in charge and not us is something many do not want to hear.  Many chose to believe there is no God and Creator of the universe.  Many chose to worship a god that is a god of hate who requires the sacrifice of their lives in killing innocents. This god tells you to kill unbelievers to save them.  Many chose to worship a god who exists in the form of animals or man-made objects.  Still others chose to worship a god of the flavor of the month. This is a god who conforms to man-chosen standards. This god would be as constantly shifting as the sands of the desert.  It’s a god of convenience.  Yet, when we Christians show the world the one true God, Father-Son-Holy Spirit, they are uncomfortable.  For this God, the God who created the universe, does not fit their flawed view of the divine being. How could a God give His only Son to die on a cross to save the world?  How could a God let grace flow like the rivers during a spring flood?  And how could a God not require some supreme sacrifice to eliminate unbelievers?  The God we know is foreign to so many out there in our world.  Yet the sign on the cross says it all. I did a little research and this is what the sign probably looked like

That looks like a good sign to share.  The sign says it all. Jesus of Nazareth is King of the Jews. He is our Lord and our God. Share the sign and the news with others.

Prayer. Lord, Thank You for Your sign. Thank You for being our King, Amen.