Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Grow! Pray! Study! Daily Guide from the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection - Wednesday, 29 January 2014 – "He gave up his life"

Grow! Pray! Study! Daily Guide from the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection - Wednesday, 29 January 2014 – "He gave up his life"
Daily Scripture:  John 19: 16 Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
So they took Jesus; 17 and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew[a] is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth,[b] the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew,[c] in Latin, and in Greek. 21 Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” 23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says,
“They divided my clothes among themselves,
    and for my clothing they cast lots.”
25 And that is what the soldiers did.
Meanwhile, standing near 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 beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Footnotes:
a. John 19:17 That is, Aramaic
b. John 19:19 Gk the Nazorean
c. John 19:20 That is, Aramaic
Reflection Questions:
The gospel of John sought to cast light on the inner implications of Jesus' life and teachings. John wrote that Jesus said no one took his life from him; he chose to give it (John 10:17-18). So verse 17's words that Jesus was "carrying his cross by himself" weren't denying the story of Simon of Cyrene, but stressing that Jesus bore the spiritual burden alone. John wanted us to clearly see Jesus as victor, not victim, on the cross, so he wrote that "he gave up his life."
All four gospels reported the sign on Jesus' cross, with slight wording variations. John wrote it as "Jesus the Nazarene, the king of the Jews," and added a detail no one else recorded. The Romans wrote the sign in Latin, Greek and Aramaic, proclaiming Jesus as king in the three great languages of the ancient world. What kind of king reigns from a cross? What has to happen in your heart to allow you to serve that kind of king?
Mark said Jesus gave a "loud cry" and died. John was less interested in volume, and more in meaning—in his gospel, "Jesus said, 'It is completed.'" What was completed? M. Scott Peck quoted an old priest who said, "The only ultimate way to conquer evil is to let it be smothered within a willing, living human being. When it is absorbed there…it loses its power and goes no further." Are you open to allow Jesus to complete in you the work he declared completed as he gave up his life?
Today's Prayer:
Lord, you willingly gave yourself up, and in so doing you robbed evil of its ultimate power to hurt and destroy. Give me the trust to live in that victory, and to live it out as a force for good in your world. Amen.
Wednesday, 29 January 2014 – Insight from Angela LaVallie
Angela LaVallie is the Member Connection Program Director at The Church of the Resurrection. She provides oversight to our member connection efforts through the New Member Welcome Team,  the Reconnection Team, Holy Communion preparation, and our Spiritual Gifts Discovery classes and Placement.
For many years, the church I grew up in often put on an Easter musical/drama, depicting scenes from the Gospels. Some of these scenes were of Jesus’ earlier life and teachings (one year I portrayed the adulterous woman from John 8), his miracles, the crucifixion (another year, I portrayed Mary, the wife of Clopas), and the resurrection. Some of our performances included live animals, pyrotechnics, and lots of theatrics. Our goal was to bring the story of Jesus to life, to give our audience a chance to come to know who he is and what a gift his death and resurrection is.
One year, my brother portrayed Jesus, and when he struggled down the aisle of the church, carrying the crossbar of the cross while soldiers whipped him (he wore padding under his costume to soften the blows), the horror of a dear loved one being punished and tortured unjustly became more real to me than it ever had before.
One of the things that always strikes me when reading about Jesus, but especially after seeing his life animated through various actors, is his humility. Most people are drawn to a humble person. Not necessarily someone who is weak, but someone whose priority is putting others’ interests above his own. Throughout the Gospels, that’s what Jesus did. He taught about loving our neighbors, and he looked out for the lost and lonely, the sick and poor. Ultimately, he gave up his life by a humiliating death on a Roman cross. Even though he asked God to “take this cup from [him]” (Matthew 26:39 and Mark 14:35-46), he was willing to do whatever it took to put the future of humankind above his own life.
We become like whomever we emulate. When we choose to follow a king who is humble, who puts the wellbeing of others above his needs, we have a chance to become more like him. It is easy to see the grandeur of a leader who seems all powerful and strong and larger than life because of wealth or might, but we have a king who shows us a better way.
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United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, KS 66224 United States
(913)897-0120
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