Category: Lent

Read: John 19:30

²⁸ After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” ²⁹ A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. ³⁰ When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

³¹ Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. ³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. ³³ But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴ But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. ³⁵ He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. ³⁶ For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” ³⁷ And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

Many of us have heard people say, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Cynically, when we see an offer that seems to good to be true, it usually is. Those hugely discounted Disney tickets? Just survive through a three-hour high-pressure sales pitch for a time-share! That free booklet on how to make a million dollars a week flipping houses? Yes, it’s free but only tells you to buy the program for $525! Get that procedure done for $39.99! Sure, but did we mention the taxes and fees that come along with it? That will be $139.99! What a deal!

The Gospel is one time the message is too good, but it’s also completely true! There is nothing hidden. No extra costs down the road. Confess you are completely unable to save yourself; admit your sinfulness and your need for Jesus; give him your life and put your trust in him, and you will be saved. Give up your life for Jesus and he will give you back a life that is eternal, filled with purpose and the Holy Spirit!

In today’s passage, Jesus has said he is thirsty. After he is given sour wine to drink, Jesus declares, “It is finished,” the sixth word from the cross. Jesus had obeyed the will of the Father perfectly. He had finished every task God had given him to do. From the moment of his birth until this moment on the cross, Jesus had obeyed the Father’s will perfectly. He had brought glory to God by accomplishing the work the Father had given him to do (John 17:4). It is finished.

There is a difference between completing a task and accomplishing it. When we complete something, we finish it. We’ve done all that is required. Perhaps we completed it correctly, but perhaps not. The point is all the boxes have been checked and there is nothing left to do. Accomplishment has the sense of finishing successfully. The task has been completed, but more than that, its purpose was accomplished.

Jesus’ purpose in the incarnation was to do the will of the Father. He was to live a sinless life despite experiencing all the temptations we go through (Hebrews 4:15). He kept the Law perfectly. And though he had done no wrong, he went to the cross in our place, taking our sin upon himself (2 Corinthians 5:21). Isaiah 53:5 looked forward to the Messiah dying in our place, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”

Jesus paid it all. The debt we owed because of our sin, Jesus took upon himself. Paul wrote in Romans 3:23-24, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” And in Romans 6:23 he wrote, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Many people live feeling that they need to either earn their salvation or they need to somehow pay God back for what he has done. Their lives are spent trying to justify the price Jesus paid on their behalf. They hope they’ve done enough. They hope God will see all their efforts and bless them.

We can never, ever do enough for God. We have to confess our sin. We have to accept Christ’s death as our payment. We need to trust in him completely and obey what he says – not to earn anything, but because faith moves into action. Our obedience does not save us. Our obedience does not gain us points with God we can cash in for answered prayer. Our obedience is simply the evidence that we really believe what we claim to believe. If we trust in Christ, we will do what he says.

As we saw in Matthew 7, many will come to Jesus on that day and say, “Lord, Lord! Look at my accomplishments!” but they did not do God’s will to surrender their lives to Jesus and he will say, “I never knew you.” Others will come to Jesus on that day and say, “Lord, Lord! Have mercy on me a sinner.” Those who humbled themselves and surrendered to Jesus will hear him say, “Well done my good and faithful servant, enter your rest.”

Where do you find it hard to surrender to Jesus? Have you trusted completely in his finished work on the cross or do you still feel compelled to do something to earn it?

When you face difficult times in your life, what does it do to your faith? It is natural to have doubts and questions, but do you find yourself fearful, ready to give up, sure that God is out to get you? Your reaction may help you to see if there are areas you still need to surrender to Jesus.

It is finished. Jesus has accomplished all that must be done so we might be restored to the relationship God always intended for us. Let us surrender and trust him completely every day!

Read: John 19:28

 

²⁸ After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” ²⁹ A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. ³⁰ When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

 

Jesus has been beaten and mocked. He’s been marched from Gethsemane to the High Priest and from the High Priest to Pilate. He has been spat upon and condemned. He has been forced to carry his cross, the weight of which caused him to stumble and fall. Simon of Cyrene had to be pressed into service to help him.

 

Jesus is in shock. Blood loss was not the usual cause of death in a crucifixion, suffocation was. The weight of the body pulled down on the diaphragm making it hard to breathe. Jesus would have to try to push up with his legs and pull up with his wrists to open things up. Over time, his leg muscles would cramp.

 

In the midst of all this, Jesus has been up all night. He has not had anything to eat or drink since he celebrated Passover with the disciples. Until the darkness settled on the land for three hours, we can expect the sun was beating down on him.

 

It his context, Jesus knew the end had come. He knew he had accomplished all God had sent him to do. He says, “I thirst.” This is the fifth statement Jesus made from the cross. It is unclear what Old Testament passage this points to.

 

Some have suggested Psalm 22:15, “my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.” This has some weight because several verses in Psalm 22 are quoted in connection with the crucifixion. Others see Psalm 42:2 or Psalm 63:1, “My soul thirsts for God.” This would mean that Jesus’ words are symbolic – a thirst for God, not literal thirst – which seems less likely.

 

Most likely, Jesus is alluding to Psalm 69:21, “They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.” John has already quoted this psalm in reference to Jesus in two other places (John 2:17 and 15:25), and after Jesus says he is thirsty, someone runs and gets a sponge full of sour wine and offers it to him to drink.

 

Professor C.F.D. Moule suggested the connection to Psalm 69:21 is even tighter. He suggested that if Jesus knew he was fulfilling Scripture, he knew that if he confessed his thirst, someone would bring him sour wine to drink. Scripture would be fulfilled.

 

The point of all this, is that John wants us to understand that nothing that happens in the passion of Jesus is random or coincidental. Every single event, even the smallest thing like Jesus saying, “I thirst,” was a part of God’s plan for redemption and a result of Jesus’ direct obedience to it. He knew all things would be fulfilled and he had a key role in that process. It is his obedience which brings them all to pass.

 

When you see how specifically and minutely God planned for Christ’s death that we might receive life, what is stirred in your heart?

 

What does his willingness to go to such lengths to not only have Old Testament writers record specific verses, but then to have them be fulfilled in the New Testament in the life and death of Jesus?

 

Though we can imagine the pain and the suffering Jesus endured, we can’t truly understand the depth of all he went through. The physical and emotional pain; the weight of our sin laid on him; it’s a burden no mind can conceive.

 

When you consider Jesus’ willingness to obey to the point of death – even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8); that he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21), how do you respond? What does such love do to your heart?

 

Take time to meditate on God’s love and tell him what it means to you!

Read: Matthew 27:46

⁴⁵ Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. ⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ⁴⁷ And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 

⁴⁸ And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. ⁴⁹ But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” ⁵⁰ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

In the process of being made more like Jesus, the Christian life can sometimes feel more like death than life. The old self and the old ways are dying in order for the new ways, the new life in Christ to emerge. A young church leader facing this season in her life asked, “Does everyone have to go through this painful place in the spiritual life?” Her mentor stopped and thought for a moment before answering, “Well, even Jesus had to die in order for the will of God to come forth in his life.”

The fourth word Jesus spoke on the cross speaks of the suffering and pain Jesus endured as he bore our sin on the cross. After Jesus was nailed to the cross, darkness came over the land from noon until three o’clock. It was a sign of judgment and tragedy; a sign that the light of the world’s life was being snuffed out. It was a sign to the Jewish people that their actions, their sin, had propelled them into spiritual darkness.

Not only is the judgment on the land and on its people, it’s a judgment on Jesus. It’s not a judgment that results from any sin or wrong in his life – he was a perfect, sinless man, but as he hanged on the cross, as he suffered and drew near to death, the darkness pointed toward the judgment for our sins which Jesus bore on the cross. His cry of desolation, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” echoed the pain and agony of your sins, and my sins, and the sins of the world laid upon our Lord and Savior.

Jesus was forsaken, abandoned in some sense to take upon himself the sin of you and me so we would never be. Jesus has said that if we are to follow him, we too must take up our cross and die daily. We must deny ourselves and forsake our old self and the ways of the world in order to be made new.

Does everyone have to go through a painful place in the spiritual life? Dying to self is often painful. It is rarely easy. We cling to our old, comfortable ways. We don’t like surrendering our will to anyone else…even God! But if we are to be made into the image of Jesus; if we are to experience the resurrection life that is ours in Christ; we must die. We must join our hearts and lives with Jesus in his death…so we can be resurrected!

Reflect on the grace of our Lord Jesus in going to the cross to endure the penalty for your sin. Thank him. Think about what it is he has saved you from and give him praise for his love, mercy, and grace.

What needs to die in you in order that God’s will might come forth more in your life?

Is there something new that God is doing or wants to do in your life that requires more of the old things to pass away?

Where do you sense God wants to teach you obedience through the things you are suffering?

If you feel led, pray this prayer adapted from Henri Nouwen in Spirituality of Waiting:

Yes, Lord, I have to die – with you, through you, and in you –

There is so much in me that needs to die: false attachments, greed and anger, impatience and stinginess. O Lord, I am self-centered, concerned about myself, my career, my future, my name and fame. Often I even feel that I use you to my own advantage.

I see clearly how little I have died with you, really gone your way and been faithful to it. O Lord, let me find you again.

Amen.

Jesus endured the pain our sin. He died a death he did not deserve so that you and I might live. We must die in small ways day-by-day as we seek to love Him and learn obedience; as we surrender our lives and our will to the One who loves us with an undying love. May our old ways, our old self die away completely that we might grow to truly reflect the new creations we are in Christ!

Read: John 19:26-27

²³ When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, ²⁴ so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.”

So the soldiers did these things, ²⁵ but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” ²⁷ Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

Shelly Golay from Casper, Wyoming got a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Valentine’s Day from her husband, Jim. She was shocked to get them, as her husband had passed the previous July from an inoperable brain tumor. Jim had arranged to have flowers delivered to his wife every single Valentine’s Day for the rest of her life.

Often when a person knows they are going to die, they make arrangements for those who will live on. In most cases, people make sure there is life insurance or the house is paid off. Jesus had been trying to prepare his disciples for some time about his death, but in today’s text – the third word spoken by Jesus on the cross – he makes arrangements for his mother while in the pain of dying on the cross!

As Jesus is dying, his mother and three other women are standing nearby. “The disciple Jesus loved” (most people believe this is John himself) is also present. Looking at his mother and John there at the cross, Jesus tells Mary that John is now her son and tells John that Mary is now his mother. What did he mean? Why would Jesus say this, especially considering Mary had other children?

It is common to assume that Joseph, Mary’s husband and Jesus’ adoptive father, has died. Joseph is mentioned when Jesus was twelve years old (Luke 2:41-50) and then disappears. Now, as he hangs on the cross some twenty years later, it is most likely that Joseph has died and Jesus as his oldest son had been responsible for his mother. Now, knowing he is about to die, Jesus wants to honor his mother and make provision for her.

But why? Why not assign this responsibility to James or one of his other brothers (Mark 6:3)? But, we know from John 7:5 that his brothers did not believe in him. They did not accept that Jesus was who he claimed to be. They even seemed a bit antagonistic toward his claims trying to goad him into going up to Jerusalem to do his works (John 7:3). Later, after the resurrection, Jesus would appear to James (1 Corinthians 15:7) which may have been the catalyst to his faith. Eventually, James would write the book he is named for.

If his brothers did not believe in him at the time of his death, it makes sense that Jesus would entrust his mother’s care to one of his closest friends. It may be that a mother’s love and devotion to her oldest son created tension and jealousy that could hinder another brother’s care. It could be that Jesus wanted someone who believed and shared his mother’s faith caring for her. It may simply be that he knew the next few days would be extremely difficult and he wanted to know someone would care for and protect his mother in her moment of darkest pain.

It is tempting to see Jesus’ actions in some symbolic way. But, more profoundly, it seems that Jesus is illustrating for us the kind of love and concern each of us should have for our parents. Even in his darkest hour; even as he faces death and is in excruciating pain, he loves his mother so much, he cares for her.

How does seeing Jesus’ love for Mary from the cross influence how you understand Jesus’ love for you?

Are there relationships you’ve neglected or not shown the kind of love and concern you should because of pain in your own life? How can Jesus’ example encourage or enable you to choose love despite the pain?

Read: Luke 23:43

³² Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. ³³ And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 

³⁹ One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Mohammad took his first steps toward extremism as a teen. His cousin took him to hear many of the most radical of jihadist preachers. He joined their ranks and was ready to kill or do whatever it took to help advance his agenda.

But, after years of watching and aiding the violence; of harboring an anger so volatile it frightened his relatives, he realized it made no sense for Muslims to kill Muslims. He left the terrorist group he was involved with and fled with his new wife to Turkey.

Initially he was still zealous for Islam, but then his wife became ill. As her condition grew worse, Mohammad called the cousin who had initially introduced him to extreme Islam. Shockingly, his cousin was now living in Canada and had converted to Christianity! He asked Mohammad to put the phone close to his wife and the prayer group meeting at the cousin’s home in Canada began to sing and pray for her health.

Within a few days, his wife was feeling better! Her healing prompted Mohammad to a journey that ended in his faith in Christ. Now, Mohammad leads a group of former Muslims as they seek to know Jesus more deeply. God has transformed his anger and given him a humility and love for others.

Many don’t believe God could forgive a Muslim – especially one as extreme as Mohammad. Yet such persecution was exactly what Paul himself did to Christians in the book of Acts before he was miraculously met and converted on the road to Damascus.

In today’s text, Jesus is crucified between two criminals. As the mocking of the religious leaders dies away, one of the criminals mocks Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” If you are who you say you are, get us down from here! Prove your power!

Jesus is silent, but the second criminal speaks up. “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” How can you say such things to Jesus? He’s done nothing wrong!

This criminal had a clearer understanding of who Jesus is than even some of his disciples at that point. He fears God and knows his judgment is deserved. But, watching Jesus and perhaps hearing him speak or the people talk about him, he sees something different. He believes. This really is the Son of God. He really has a kingdom. He says to Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 

Even on the cross, as he struggles for breath and draws closer to his own death, Jesus is all about forgiveness. First, he asked the Father to forgive those who had mocked, beaten, and killed him. Now he tells this criminal who looks to him with faith and repentance and tells him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” The forgiveness you seek; the life that you want…you have found it in me.

When we repent, when we turn to Jesus in faith, our forgiveness and eternal life and hope and transformation is instantaneous. There isn’t delay or probation. A man like Mohammad; a criminal like the thief on the cross; you and me…Jesus promises that when we turn to him, the moment our life on earth ends, we will be with him in Paradise.

What a glorious hope! What a beautiful promise! When we put our trust in Jesus, we are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:13-14). Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 54, 55, 58).

What thoughts go through your mind when you read about someone like Mohammad or the thief on the cross? Why do you think that?

Do you find it difficult to believe God could forgive certain people? Do you find it difficult to believe God could forgive you?

How does the promise of going from this life directly to Jesus’ presence in paradise encourage you? How does Paul suggest we live in light of this truth?

Read: Luke 23:34

³³ When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. ³⁴ Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. ³⁵ The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

³⁶ The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar ³⁷ and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

³⁸ There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Recently I’ve been reading the book, Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson. Stevenson is a lawyer who defended many death row inmates who had not received fair trials or treatment. At the center of the book is the story of Walter McMillan. As Stevenson becomes connected to McMillan, he uncovers layers of racial discrimination and political corruption that led to the conviction. In the end, the conviction is overturned, and Stevenson is able to prove McMillan had been falsely accused and convicted.

Have you ever been falsely accused? Our natural reaction is to defend ourselves and protest our innocence – and often that is appropriate! But sometimes people refuse to believe us or circumstantially, we can seem to be guilty. The more we protest, the worst it can become.

Rarely do we respond like Jesus. In the face of false accusation and complete misrepresentation, he kept silent. Here was a man who had lived a perfect life. He had done God’s will perfectly at every turn. He exposed the hypocrisy of religious leaders. He comforted and blessed the poor and the outcasts. He took time to eat with and preach good news to “sinners and tax collectors”. The more he did to honor and obey God, the more the religious establishment wanted to kill him. They accused him of using the power of Satan to cast out demons. They condemned him for healing on the Sabbath. They questioned and opposed him at every turn.

And then they had him arrested and brought to the High Priest. After a sham of a trial, he is sent to Pontius Pilate who recognizes his innocence and tries to free Jesus. But the people who had praised him with loud hosannas now shout that they do not want him released, they want him to die.  Finally, Jesus is condemned to death by Pilate, led away by soldiers to Golgotha, and crucified (Luke 23:23-33).

On the cross, as he endured the pain of the nails and as he struggled to keep his lungs open enough to take a breath, he does not curse. He does not protest his innocence. He does not demand justice. He does none of the things we might expect him to do. Instead, he asks his Heavenly Father to forgive them. Perhaps “them” was the soldiers or the Jewish leaders or the people who had demanded his crucifixion; perhaps it included you and me and all of humanity who sin and fall short of God’s glory. Forgive all of them. They do not know what they are doing.

Jesus, who had taught his followers to pray, “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us” (Luke 11:4); who had told his followers to forgive their brothers seventy times seven times (Matthew 18:21-22); and forgave an adulteress caught in the act (John 8:1-11); now demonstrates his forgiving heart.

Jesus went to the cross to close the Old Covenant and initiate the New. Jesus told his disciples at the Last Supper, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you (Luke 22:20). Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22). But Jesus in his words and in his actions makes possible forgiveness for all who will believe.

Take a moment to reflect on where your life is today. Is there any sin in your life that you have not confessed to Jesus and sought forgiveness? 1 John 1:9 reminds us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The blood of Jesus has paid our debt, but we need to appropriate our forgiveness when we sin. Give thanks to God for his loving, gracious forgiveness and ask him to fill you afresh with his Spirit.

Now take a moment to reflect on your life from a different perspective. Is there anyone you need to forgive? Perhaps they don’t deserve it. They may not have not sought it. You might be afraid your forgiving them will somehow excuse what they’ve done.

Betty Russell writes:

• To forgive does NOT mean that you condone wrongdoing.
• Reaching a place of true forgiveness is NOT about you deciding that what someone did is okay if it was not.
• Forgiving does NOT mean you have to forget.
• Forgiveness is for our own growth and happiness. When we hold on to hurt, pain, resentment, and anger it harms us far more than it harms the offender.
• Forgiveness frees us to live in the present. Reliving the wrong that was done to us keeps us living in the past and missing today’s beauty.
• Forgiveness is a way we imitate our God who has forgiven us of far greater offenses than anyone has ever done to us!

Lastly, ask God if there is anyone you have wronged or offended. Resolve to ask forgiveness and seek to restore the relationship.

 

Read: James 3:13-18

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.¹⁵ Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Two teachers were once applying for the same Vice-Principal position at a local high school. One had been in teaching for eight years and the other for twenty. Everyone expected the teacher with more experience to get the job, but when a decision was made it was the person with less teaching experience who was chosen. The more experienced teacher complained to one of the School Board members, “I’ve got many more years of teaching than her, I’m far more qualified.”

The School Board member answered, “Yes sir, you do have much more teaching experience, but where she has eight years of teaching experience you have one year experience repeated twenty times.”

We sometimes assume that wisdom and intelligence are the same thing. They aren’t! Wise people have a variety of experiences – they get out and live – and they learn from those experiences. They don’t simply rely on theories, they put ideas into practice and learn from what happens – good or bad. They do the same thing every year for twenty years, they grow and develop and mature and adapt.

Intelligent people know things, wise people can take knowledge and apply it appropriately in different situations or environments. Intelligent people will often lack empathy or compassion for those who don’t know what they do. Wise people develop compassion and empathy and do not think their knowledge a reason to be proud or impatient.

Our actions (and words) reveal our wisdom. In today’s passage, James begins by asking who is wise and understanding. They should demonstrate it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. The wise person lives it out. They do good. They show kindness. They bless others.

At the heart of wisdom is humility. Proverbs 11:2 tells us, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” Humble people see themselves the way God does. They do not think too much of themselves; they don’t take themselves too seriously; and they don’t think the universe revolves around them! Instead, they know they have received grace and they show that same grace and mercy to others.

James contrasts humble wisdom with its counterfeit. He says if we have bitter envy and selfish ambition in our hearts, if we are proud and want things for ourselves and claim to be wise, we are lying. Wise people do not think too much of themselves. Such “wisdom” that elevates self does not come from God, but is the wisdom of the world. In fact, James says it is unspiritual, demonic.

When we put ourselves first, we are acting like everyone else in the world. When we put our own interests first, we deny God His rightful place. Our envy and ambition will not lead to wisdom, but to disorder and evil. We will do whatever we need to do to protect our position and undermine others. It might be subtle and “passive-aggressive” or more “in your face”, but it is selfish, evil, and wrong.

James contrasts the worldly wisdom that is earthly and unspiritual with wisdom the wisdom that comes from heaven. Such wisdom is characterized by purity. A wise life keeps itself free from sin and impurity. It chooses God’s ways over its own. Pure living is humble, wise living.

James says wisdom is peace-loving, considerate, submissive. Wisdom wants to bring peace, not discord. It considers others’ needs and honors them with kindness and consideration. It is willing to submit its own desires to God. These are people who are teachable. These are people who see themselves and others the way God does. These are people who want to win hearts more than arguments.

Those how have godly wisdom are also full of mercy and good fruit. Out of the previous attitudes come actions. Wise people are merciful. They bear good fruit. They seek to do God’s will in all their lives and to respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in such a way that people know they are loved and are drawn to the grace of God.

James concludes the fruit of wisdom by saying it is impartial and sincere. Wisdom does not play favorites. It does not give the “movers and shakers” first place and ordinary people a lesser place. It does not defer to the rich or the powerful. They are sincere and true in their actions. They wisely see people’s value in Christ and live without hypocrisy in their actions.

James concludes by saying, Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. At first glance, this might seem to be an odd way to finish his thought. But, worldly wisdom focuses on self and brings discord. It does not make peace but leaves people feeling used, dishonored, unvalued, disrespected.

Wisdom like that described here humbly invites people to something better. It shows value for others. It honors them. It shows respect. Such wisdom lives in a way that people see the love of God in action and are invited to experience peace with Him and with the person of wisdom!

Which wisdom leads your life? Are you following the wisdom from above or earthly wisdom?

Reflect on your heart. If you find jealousy, envy, ambition that is actually selfish, then you are living by the world’s wisdom. But, if you find purity, peace, gentleness, and mercy, you are living the wisdom of God.

Depending on where your heart is, take time to confess your wrong attitudes or actions to God. Ask for forgiveness. Know that when we confess our sin, God does forgive us (1 John 1:9). Ask God if there might be anything you need to do to make things right. Ask him for the grace to do it!

Read: Romans 12:1-2

¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)

Have you ever read a familiar passage of Scripture – one you’ve read many times before – and in that moment it seems like you’ve never read it before? There is something so fresh; something so specific; something so insightful…and you wonder how you could have missed it before.

M. Robert Mulholland once wrote:

“Here is my set of working assumptions as to the nature of scripture: (1) The Word became text (2) to provide a place of transforming encounter with God (3) so that the Word might become flesh in us (4) for the sake of the world” (The Way of Scripture, p. 16).  His premise is that the Word of God is far deeper than we realize.  We often come to it with preconceived notions and already formed ideas of what we will find, but when we let the text of God’s Word speak for itself – as much as we are able – we find there is much more than meets the eye.

Let’s look more closely at his statement…

(1) The Word became text…We are familiar with John 1:14, “The Word became flesh…” It is the mystery of Jesus as fully God and fully man.  Mulholland suggests the fact that the Word was written down is also an incarnational mystery.  The text of Scripture also has a sense in which it is fully divine – inspired, inerrant – and fully human – written down by human authors under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration for human readers who need the same Holy Spirit to make clear it’s message and meaning.

(2) …to provide a place of transforming encounter with God…The text of Scripture confronts our preconceived notions.  It challenges our “sacred cows”.  It presents a radically different normal that challenges our cultural understanding of what normal is.  In the Bible, we encounter a kingdom turned upside down.  Mulholland suggests “our problem lies in assuming that life should be understood from within the framework of our worldview” (p. 20, emphasis his).  We need to be open to the reality that a biblical worldview may not be synonymous with my worldview – no matter what home culture I come from.  To open our hearts and lives to God’s Word is to open ourselves to being confronted and transformed.  “Through the transformation process we grow ever deeper into the loving union with God for which we were created and into which God continually nurtures us” (pp. 22-23).  We become the people God wants us to be.  We become people who are Christlike; who touch other’s lives with love, mercy, and grace.

(3) …that the Word might become flesh in us…Paul teaches us that “In (Jesus) all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Colossians 1:19).  We know and have heard that.  But Paul also prays for the Ephesians, “that you would be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19).  Peter suggests much the same when he tells us that we “may become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).  As we are transformed by God’s Word, as we are conformed into Christ’s image, we grow into the image of Jesus.  We become like him.  We live like him.  Christ is formed in us (Galatians 4:19).  The Word becomes “enfleshed” or incarnated in our lives.

(4) …for the sake of the world.  In Jesus’ prayer in John 17, he prays that we would enjoy the kind of unity with the Father that he himself enjoyed with the Father (John 17:21). The purpose for this unity with the Father is “that the world might believe that [God] sent [Jesus}” (John 17:23).  More than perfect doctrine or nice church buildings or great worship music or inspiring liturgy… “the world will know and believe when it sees Jesus in us. The Word becomes flesh in us so that God’s transforming love might touch a broken and hurting world through us” (p. 26, emphasis his).  God’s Word takes root in us – not as an end in itself – but so that we know and love God more intimately and out of that transformational love, we love and touch others.  Mulholland states, “We will not find the ultimate meaning of scripture in an intellectual construct or formula.  The meaning of scripture is incarnational.  We never know scripture until we have allowed it to be a means of God’s transforming grace, empowering us to live the reality of the Word into our world” (p. 26, emphasis his).

May we come daily to God’s Word and in it truly encounter God in a way that changes us at our very core.  May we be a people who are steeped in God’s Word so much that it becomes flesh in us in such a way that we impact the world around us with God’s love for His glory!

Read: Matthew 12:33-37

³³ “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴ You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.³⁵ The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. ³⁶ I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, ³⁷ for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Just a few days ago was the spring equinox marking the beginning of Spring. In Washington D.C. it’s time for the Cherry Blossom Festival (March 20-April 14). Cherry trees all over our nation’s capital are producing beautiful flowers. While people may flock to see them, we might ask, do they produce fruit?

In today’s passage, Jesus says a tree is known not by its flowers, but by its fruit. Flowers are for “show”, but fruit is what reveals the character of the tree. Good trees produce good fruit; bad trees produce bad fruit – no matter how beautiful their flowers or how the fruit might appear from the outside!

Jesus says we can either make a tree good or a tree bad. In farming or gardening, we can care for a tree and feed and nurture it so it will be healthy. We can prune branches and protect it from insects and disease.

In our lives, we can become good trees or bad trees. It’s a matter, ultimately, of the heart. While our conduct, especially our speech, reveals our character – whether we are good or bad trees – our conduct or words do not make us good or bad. They simply what we treasure. They reveal what is in our hearts. Good people bring forth good actions and words; evil people bring up evil actions and words.

In verse 34, Jesus calls the Pharisees a “brood of vipers”. In the previous passage they had seen Jesus heal a man and when some who were present asked if Jesus could be the Son of David they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” Out of the evil stored in their hearts, they spoke words of spite and hate. They rejected the work of God and credited it to Satan. Though people would have said the Pharisees were good trees, they produced bad fruit. They rejected the work of God in their midst.

Words and actions will not save us. But, if we are to become the good trees that produce good fruit; if we are to be the kind of people who speak from a heart full of good treasure; we need the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to change us. We need new hearts. When our hearts have been transformed, our words and actions will reflect it. Our lives will bear good fruit and it will be fruit that lasts.

It starts with faith. We trust in Jesus and his work on the cross. We accept our spiritual emptiness and accept his gracious offer to take our place. In his death and resurrection, we find life and become new creations. In this new relationship, we receive the Holy Spirit as the guarantee of our future with God.

Now, we work out our salvation with fear and trembling knowing we cannot transform ourselves, God is doing that, but we must cooperate with him (Philippians 2:12-13). Grace is not against effort, it’s against earning. We must seek after God through spiritual practices like meditating on Scripture; conversational prayer; solitude; fasting; worship; service; self-reflection; confession; gratitude. When we pursue Jesus with our whole hearts, we give the Holy Spirit space to transform us…to prune what doesn’t belong; to fertilize what is good; to make us more like Jesus.

Take time to consider the major parts of your life – family, work, church, friendships, your personal relationship with God. Ask God to show you places where you fall short of Christlikeness. Ask God to do whatever work needs to be done to make you a “good tree” in that area. Be as honest as you can about areas in your life that are not producing good fruit. Invite him to transform every area. Consider what he would invite you go do to cooperate in that process!

Read: Psalm 127:1-2

From time to time, stories appear on the news about sinkholes, usually caused by water erosion, that swallow up cars, houses, and people.  We’ve all observed the frightening problems that result when houses are built on top of less than solid ground, and erosion creates a sinkhole.  The refrain of a familiar old hymn concludes, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”  Faith in Christ is the solid foundation for every undertaking.

Self-reliance.  Ambition. Diligence.  These are values that we applaud in the United States in the 21^st century.  And they should be applied to the tasks that we undertake.  However, as Christians, no matter how diligently we work, unless our life rests securely on a foundation of faith in Jesus Christ and we ask the blessing of the Lord on our work, neither the work we undertake, nor our very life, will be of lasting value.

Three times in today’s Scripture, the word vain appears.  The sense in which vain is used here is “producing no result or useless.”  These verses refer to builders laboring in vain, guards standing watch in vain, and to the futility of rising early and staying up late toiling for food to eat. . . in vain.   At the end of the day, God grants sleep to those He loves.

Ten years ago this June, the world was jolted by the news that Michael Jackson, the “King of Pop,” had died of cardiac arrest caused by an overdose of drugs.  As he rehearsed for an upcoming concert tour, Jackson was desperate for sleep.  After Jackson’s death, it was revealed that he had been given the drug Propophol for sixty consecutive days.  Although Propofol leaves a patient feeling as if they have experienced genuine sleep, it is an anesthetic.   It disrupts the normal sleep cycle and offers no REM sleep. If Jackson had not died of an overdose, the lack of sleep may have resulted in his death within days anyway, according to the testimony of a sleep expert from the Harvard Medical School.

What’s the foundation for your life and your work?  Are you resting securely on the solid rock of Jesus, or is there erosion happening beneath the surface that could result in a collapse?   To be secure requires God’s grace and your faith.  Keep your eyes on Jesus who, as Scripture tells us, is the “founder and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2)    As Resurrection Sunday draws closer, and we reflect on the awesome work of our Lord Jesus, let us rest in him, seek his blessing on our work, and depend on the sure foundation of the cross in every aspect of our lives.

Pastor John