Monday, April 3, 2023
“Read John 19”
As we begin Holy Week on this last Monday of Lent, we are challenged to read one of the more difficult passages in all of Scripture. It’s not difficult to read. That part is easy. The hard part is allowing our emotions to run free with the details of Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
I sometimes wish John wouldn’t give us so much detail. It would be easier to handle the story if I didn’t know how awful the situation was for Jesus. Circumstances appear completely hopeless for Jesus; though we know that the end result will be fantastic, the hours and days leading to that point are terrible.
Today’s Challenge – read John, chapter 19 – is not meant to make us feel bad. Instead, the Challenge is intended for us to have a better understanding of the importance of Holy Week. Beginning in chapter 12, Jesus rides into Jerusalem as a celebrity that we remember on Palm Sunday (yesterday). The next few chapters are Jesus’ final teachings and instructions to his followers about leading a life of service and devotion, finally leading to the events that surround Jesus’ death in Chapter 19.
Take a few minutes today to read this passage in the Gospel of John and consider a few questions:
How does the story make us feel?
How does God provide us with hope and assurance?
If you and I were there as personal eyewitnesses to everything, how would we have responded?
This is Holy Week, the week leading to Easter. In a few days, we’ll be able to break all the commitments we made six weeks ago. But before we release ourselves from our Lenten sacrifices, let’s consider Jesus’ commitment to both God and us. Jesus gave life to all of us, and in doing so, Jesus sacrificed himself.
Let’s start this Holy Week reflecting on Jesus’ final few days. God went through a lot of trouble to give us an opportunity to begin new lives. It seems only fitting that we can give Jesus some of our attention this week.
“Once again I’ll go over what God has done, lay out on the table the ancient wonders; I’ll ponder all the things you’ve accomplished, and give a long, loving look at your acts.” (Psalm 77:11-12, The Message)
