Mark 15:16-24

“And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting him, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’” vss, 17-18

Once Pilate’s decision had been made, the Roman soldiers took custody of Jesus and had their way with him. They knew nothing of him, only that he was said to be the King of the Jews. As soldiers forced to live in a strange and foreign land they decided to use this information to make sport of his crucifixion. Someone had the idea to strip off his clothes, clothe him in a purple cloak, and fashion him a crown of thorns. They found it amusing to bow down before him, strike him with a reed and spit on him. It’s the kind of torture that would enliven the day for bored recruits. What they didn’t know was that the man they were ridiculing really was the King of the Jews. What they also didn’t know was that their actions actually elevated Jesus among those who had become his disciples. Their torturing efforts were forever remembered and the image of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns has become iconic, and it really is the reason so many continue to be drawn to him. He is our suffering savior and in his wounds millions have seen the sacrificial love of God. Because of what he endured we know that we have a companion in our own suffering. However bad life might be, we are not alone!

Thought for the Day: What’s the point of torture?

March 15:1-15

“As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.”  vs. 1

Visitors to Jerusalem often visit the Church of St. Peter Gallicantu, just outside the walls of the city. According to tradition the church is located on the site of the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest at the time. While the church itself is beautiful, many pilgrims are drawn to the cisterns that have been excavated under the building, near first century steps that lead up from the Kidron Valley, where Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. According to some archeologists, one of these cisterns could have been used as a prison cell by the chief priests. It’s a claustrophobic space with a hole in the ceiling through which prisoners were lowered. While we can doubt the authenticity of many Jerusalem historical sites, this one can actually be dated to the time when Jesus was kept prisoner on that Thursday night. It’s a place for believers to perhaps sense his presence! Standing in that cell we can imagine his anguish as he awaited the dawn and his appearance before the whole council. Of course it was all rigged–Jesus was a threat to the religious establishment, and now that they had him, they intended that he would die! They did need Pilate’s verdict to ensure his death, and in the end, they got exactly what they wanted.

Thought for the Day: Alone in the dark, where did Jesus get his strength?

Philippians 2:5-11

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.” vss. 5-7a

The Greek word kenosis occurs only a couple of places in the New Testament, but it appears here in verb form to describe what Christ Jesus did in becoming human. The translation reads “he emptied himself,” and Paul tells the Philippians to be imitators of him in their lives. Much has been written about what this self-emptying might require, and some even consider it to be the key to Christ-like living, maybe even the first step in spiritual growth. Sometimes people will use the phrase, “learning how to get out of my own way,” as another description of how this kenotic process might work. It begins with recognizing that each of us is created in the image of God with unique and wonderful gifts. But then as we live we discover that the world has another agenda for who we are and what we should become. In that environment it’s not unusual for the image of God in us to be distorted and almost disappear. Our kenotic task then is to peel away the layers of the image that the world has made of us, and gradually return to our true and natural selves.

Thought for the Day: What is my true self like?

Psalm 31:9-16

“I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel.” vs. 12

As we age it’s not unusual for us to forget which of our many friends and relatives have died and which remain alive. Occasionally the very elderly will be shocked when they are told that their mother or father is dead. It can be almost impossible for them to believe such a thing, even if they were in attendance at their funeral. That’s just how our brains work. Sometimes the information that’s been stored securely in our memory banks becomes suddenly inaccessible, and whatever passwords we’ve been using just don’t work any more. The psalmist seems to have been aware of that too, and what’s even more frightening to him is the feeling that he too will one day pass out of mind. While we know that someday this will take place, we would just as soon that it didn’t happen until we were dead. We would like to be remembered and have value in our circle of friends and family as long as possible. But rather than dwell on that time when we will be forgotten, it’s far more productive to focus on the present, this moment in which we live and breathe and have our being. God is in charge of our future, and we know that in Christ, everything is going to be just fine. But for now our best course is to rejoice in this day that the Lord has made and has so graciously dropped into our laps!

Thought for the Day: What will I rejoice about today?

Isaiah 50:4-9a

“The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens— wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught.” vs. 4

We know from the gospels that Jesus looked to the prophet Isaiah for inspiration and direction. According to Luke, his first day on the job, as he taught in the synagogue in Nazareth, he used Isaiah 61 to describe how he had been anointed by the Spirit of the Lord to bring good news to the poor. Later we can imagine him regularly reviewing the words of Isaiah 51. The Lord had given him the tongue of a teacher that he might sustain the weary with a word, and now, morning by morning he wakened before dawn to go out in the hills to pray. There in his prayers Isaiah reminded him to listen, to listen as those who were taught. What a lesson for us in our own Spirit-driven missions! We think we know the needs of those we’ve been sent to serve, but too often we lead with our tongues rather than our ears. It’s just so hard, when we’re full of good ideas, to shut our mouths and take time to listen. And sometimes even when we do think we’re listening we’re only thinking of the next thing we want to say. Blessed are those teachers who really listen–for it’s as we’re listening that the healing comes.  Often we don’t need to say a word!

Thought for the Day: How are my listening skills?

Mark 11:1-11

“Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields.” vss. 7-8

Sometimes on what used to be called Palm Sunday, congregations would gather first outside the church, palm fronds would be distributed, and everyone would process into the sanctuary, waving the branches and singing. Very occasionally an enterprising pastor would lead the whole group down the street or around the parking lot while riding on a donkey that had been hired for the day. It’s hard to imagine such an elaborate event being done with much dignity! And yet that’s what Jesus chose to do as the whole group of pilgrims from Galilee entered Jerusalem. His feet must have been almost dragging on the ground as he rode the little colt! And that was his point! This triumphant entry was dripping with humility! This king was unlike all other kings, and certainly different from the victorious ruler that Israel had been expecting. Jesus had come to serve and not to be served, and he had come to love sacrificially until his last breath was gone. Today is a time to remember the humility of our Lord, and perhaps yearn for even a hint of such humility in those who love to call themselves our leaders. Yes, it’s hard to be humble, but that’s the way of Jesus, and if we really are his disciples, it’s a virtue to be imitated.

Thought for the Day: What is true humility?

John 12:27-33

“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.” vs. 27

In John’s gospel the coming of the Greeks is a signal to Jesus that the end of his mission is near, and he knows that this will mean his crucifixion. While it may seem that this is all part of the plan and that all things are going as he expected, we should not imagine that this was easy for Jesus. It was a troubling time, and he knew that it would be protracted, difficult, and painful. From his human perspective he undoubtedly wished that there were some way that he could get out of it, that perhaps God had an alternate plan, and he could avoid the agony that was to come. But of course there was no other way–and he had no option but to finish his mission. Sometimes that’s just the way it is, and even though we know what is coming, there’s no way to avoid the inevitable. Many have such feelings as they advance in age and begin to see signs that there will be both physical and mental decline in the years to come. That’s a hard place to be in, and even though we’ve watched others begin to decline, it’s painful to realize that we’re heading down the same path. Somehow it feels good to know that this is all part of the plan, and when our mission is finished, Jesus will be there waiting!

Thought for the Day: How will I feel when decline begins?

John 12:20-26

“Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.’” vs. 23

We might like to know about the Greeks who sought out Philip and said, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus,” but the gospel writer doesn’t tell us a thing. John had a larger purpose in mentioning them. For him the coming of the Greeks was a signal to Jesus that the hour of his death was at hand. Very soon he would die and his work would be over and he’d be able to say, “It is finished,” and the seed of his greater mission would have been planted. No longer would his influence be limited to the Jews. Out of his death would come explosive good news that would transform the lives, not only of Greeks, but of every person under the sun. We now see the fruits of that mission. The good news of Jesus Christ has spread all over the world and is being proclaimed in hundreds of languages. But even in these times and places where there is a church on every corner, people are still searching. They’re saying to us and to anyone who will listen, “We want to see Jesus!” So where will we take them? Will they need to see a pastor? Or could it be that they will be able to see Jesus in our words and deeds? Jesus showed them sacrificial love. What will we share? It’s a hard question, but for many the answer will be a matter of life or death.

Thought for the Day: Do people see Jesus in me?

Hebrews 5:5-10

“In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” vs. 7

Since the writer of Hebrews evidently had an audience for his take on the relationship of Jesus to the temple, his letter eventually ended up in our scripture, where it has produced consistent head-scratching from those trying to understand it. Still, even reluctant readers occasionally stumble across gems. Here Jesus is described as having offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears, which is exactly what we do on our worst days. And somehow it’s a comfort to know that since Jesus has experienced what we do, he understands what it’s like to feel at a distance from God. It’s important to note too, that Jesus didn’t get what he was asking for–he wasn’t saved from death! Sometimes we get the screwy notion that Jesus was okay with all the suffering that he endured. And the truth is that he wasn’t! He didn’t like bodily or spiritual pain anymore than we do, and he cried out for relief. In the end, having endured all that he could, he did what we do. He committed himself into the hands of God, and that reverent submission was his salvation. That knowledge may not be much of a comfort as we struggle through our days of anguish, but it might be just what we need to endure. And that in itself is a blessing!

Thought for the Day: What’s my comfort during days of anguish?

Psalm 51:6-11

“Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.” vss. 11-12

For a couple of generations these verses were regularly sung as a part of liturgical worship in many congregations. We probably didn’t intentionally memorize them, but they became embedded in our brains nonetheless. For many they were a reminder that one of the main reasons we worship is for spiritual renewal. It is both a duty and a joy to regularly bow our hearts before God, acknowledge our sin, and then receive the cleansing assurance of forgiveness. For some it’s been disconcerting to notice that modern liturgies seem to be moving away from weekly confession. Some pastors evidently are feeling that their congregations are put off by reminders of sin and guilt, and that worship should be dominated by joy and praise. While such services can indeed be fun, they fail to deal with our regular need for re-creation. It’s like imagining that brushing our teeth is only an occasional necessity and can be neglected at will. The truth is that our brokenness requires regular attention, and we need frequent assurances of God’s love and forgiveness. The image of God in us can often become blurry and distorted, and prayers for restoration will always be appropriate. And with the renewal, joy and praise will abound!

Thought for the Day: What happens in me during worship?