Plymothian

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. ¹⁷ Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). ¹⁸ There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

¹⁹ Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. ²⁰ 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. ²¹ 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.”

²² Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

²³ When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

²⁴ “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,

So this is what the soldiers did.

²⁵ Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” ²⁷ and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Crucifixion

It is hard to write about Jesus’ crucifixion  because everything seems to fall short.  In John’s account many details are added or left out.  Simon of Cyrene is absent, for example.  Why is this? It is because John includes the details that will best illustrate his point.  Pilate declares that Jesus is King of the Jews by placing a sign on the cross.  This declares a truth that the Jewish leaders do not wish to tolerate, but it is allowed to hang there just the same.

Jesus and John may have been cousins which is why Jesus hands off the care of his mother to John.  This would explain how John was connected to the High Priest since Mary’s line was connected to priesthood.

Nothing happens in the narrative that has not been preordained.  Jesus follows a path laid out from the beginning of time.  Sin and death will be vanquished and the price  will be paid.

We can follow the king who endured the cross.  We can trust in one who was following a path and who was not tossed around my chaotic chance.  However, as each one of us looks to the cross we see something of ourselves in the picture.  We see our sin carried away.  We see our saviour.  We need to be quiet.  No prayers or questions today, just quiet reflection as we look at the cross.

Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. ² And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. ³ They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. ⁴ Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” ⁵ So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” ⁶ When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.” ⁷ The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.” ⁸ When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid. ⁹ He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” ¹¹ Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”

¹² From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” ¹³ So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgement seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic^[a] Gabbatha. ¹⁴ Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour.^[b] He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” ¹⁵ They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” ¹⁶ So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

Behold Your King

The one who we celebrate as born in the manger died on the cross.  The beginning of Jesus’ life on earth was ignoble as were his final circumstances.  If Jesus was a king, he was unlike any other king.  Which king gets born in an animal’s feeding trough and then crucified by Roman soldiers on a cross.  Yet at his birth three gifts are offered by magi from the east.  His birth is heralded by angels.  His death is surrounded by strange signs and the Roman governor declares that Jesus is king of the Jews whilst at the same time providing the means to have Jesus killed.

This lack of nobility has been a stumbling block for many through the ages.  Muslims tell of how God replaced his prophet Isa (Jesus) with Judas so that Jesus would be saved from such an ignoble death.  Greeks rejected the idea that anything good could come from crucifixion.  Jewish people saw that those killed by crucifixion were cursed.

However, John gives us the paradox of a king enthroned through execution.  We see a man whose suffering is a sign of a kingdom beyond this world.  Yesterday in class Karas, a student, was teaching and showed Ed’s story http://edsstory.com/ .  Ed has a terrible disease but he says that as he gets older he continues to love the story of Jesus’ resurrection but finds more and more meaning in the story of Christ’s suffering.  This last week my body felt awful after pushing myself really hard doing Workout Kidz.  I wondered if I was seriously unwell.  However, as I read John and felt the windows of relief coming back to my body, I sensed gratitude in ever increasing measure.

Suffering is a mysterious thing.  Seeing Jesus’ dignity and control in the face of excruciating circumstances continues to point to something higher.  Among other things it points to the reality that Jesus is King.  Not the kind of kings we expect, but something deeper and more profound.

Prayer

Jesus is king and I will extol Him
Give Him the glory, and honour His name
He reigns on high, enthroned in the heavens
Word of the Father, exalted for us

We have a hope that is steadfast and certain
Gone through the curtain and touching the throne
We have a Priest who is there interceding
Pouring His grace on our lives day by day

We come to Him, our Priest and Apostle
Clothed in His glory and bearing His name
Laying our lives with gladness before Him
Filled with His Spirit we worship the King

O Holy One, our hearts do adore You
Thrilled with Your goodness we give You our praise
Angels in light with worship surround Him
Jesus, our Saviour, forever the same

Questions

1. What does the crowd declare about Jesus?
2. What does Pilate think of Jesus?
3. Who is Jesus declared to be?
4. How do you react to Jesus the King?
5. How does Jesus’ kingdom flourish through suffering?

²⁸ Then they led Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters.^[e] It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor’s headquarters, so that they would not be defiled, but could eat the Passover. ²⁹ So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” ³⁰ They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” ³¹ Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” The Jews said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.” ³² This was to fulfil the word that Jesus had spoken to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

³³ So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” ³⁴ Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” ³⁵ Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” ³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” ³⁷ Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” ³⁸ Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”

After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him. ³⁹ But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” ⁴⁰ They cried out again, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber.

Easter at Christmas:  Pilate

Russell Crowe as Noah, Christian Bale as Moses, maybe Brad Pitt as Pontius Pilate?  The story of Pontius Pilate will be the theme of a Warner Bros. movie apparently.  Pontius Pilate is certainly a complex character, many people have heard of him.  According to history he was ruthless.  He was a member of the lower aristocracy and knew that his prestige depended on his performance.  The troubled character portrayed in The Passion by Mel Gibson may not be far off.

It was in the interests of the Jewish leadership to have Pilate on their side because they could not execute anyone without Roman permission.  Pilate would have resisted being played by the Sanhedrin and the mob they had pulled together.  However, if Pilate had been served up an insurrectionist by the Jewish people, it was in his interest to have him killed.  Pilate seems baffled by Jesus.  Usually an innocent man in such a predicament will beg and plead but Jesus doesn’t.  His poise and dignity speak of royalty, but Jesus explains that his kingdom is not of this world.

Pilate understands that Jesus causes no real threat to Roman power.  However, law and order is disturbed by the mob baying for Jesus’ blood.  After trying some political moves to release Jesus, Pilate shows the puppet he really is.  His strings are pulled by Rome or the Jewish leaders it would seem.  However, beyond his ken God is working the plan for salvation.  Jesus is crowned king with a thorny crown and given a robe. He is soon to be enthroned on his cross.  Although it looks like the King of the Jews is torn down by Pilate, Pilate is the means by which he will be raised up.

Prayer

We worship you Jesus this Christmas.  You lowered yourself to appear in a manger.  You further submitted to a path of suffering.  God the Father raised you up.  May you rise in our hearts this Christmas and shine like a star leading people to where you are.

Questions

1. What questions does Pilate ask Jesus?
2. How does Jesus reply?
3. How is Jesus shown to be king?
4. How does Jesus’ wisdom in the face of suffering encourage us?
5. What is truth?

²⁵ Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” ²⁶ One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” ²⁷ Peter again denied it, and at once a cock crowed.

Easter at Christmas:  Contrasting Peter and Jesus

As I read through the commentary on the way to work, I was fighting sleep.  My body has not been kind to me since I vigorously did did a Workout Kidz routine with the children and tried to stretch out my back.  Finally last night I got some sleep.  I am reminded each time how the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.  Those are words that Jesus spoke to Peter when he was falling asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane.

In this passage we see Peter finally fail to stand up in a time of trial at exactly the same time as Jesus is succeeding at standing up to interrogation.  The two stories are intertwined to emphasize the contrast between Peter and his Lord.  Peter is asked if he knows Jesus and Peter lacks the strength to stand up to a servant girl.  Despite being struck, Jesus points out to Annas that the trial he is trying to conduct is illegal.  He then forces a formal trial.

Jesus and Peter contrast our own strength from Jesus with our weakness in the flesh.  When we are one with Christ we act like him and face bravely into the most difficult situations.  However, when we try and protect ourselves we fall short.  we deny our faith through our words and actions.  Living in this way becomes a slippery slope and we sometimes talk about Christians backsliding.

Let’s look to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.  Let us consider that he endured such shame.  Let us think about he embraced humility and embodied strength.  then let us run with perseverance the race that is marked out before us.

Prayer

Physically I am weak.  My body does not function as well as it used to.  I do not have the natural capacities I once had.  Please fill me with the strength that I need in order to cling to you.

Questions

1. How does Peter fail?
2. Why does Peter fail?
3. How is Peter contrasted with Jesus?
4. In what ways have you seen people fail like Peter?
5. In what ways have you seen people stand firm like Jesus?

¹⁹ The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. ²⁰ Jesus answered him, “I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. ²¹ Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.” ²² When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” ²³ Jesus answered him, “If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?” ²⁴ Annas then sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Easter at Christmas:  Injustice

There is a sense of injustice in the air in North America.  In New York a grand jury did not bring a policeman to trial and in St. Louis the failure of a grand jury to indict a policeman is now notorious.  There are those who see why the indictment never happened, but there are also those who do not.  It is supposed that a different law is in place for whites and blacks.  It is also thought that policemen can get away with anything and communities are losing their trust in the law.

In Jesus day there was law and order.  The Romans were the higher law, but the lower courts were still run by religious officials or local magistrates.  Jesus is pulled in front of the high priest, but the trial itself is illegal and its proceedings are manufactured to a certain outcome of guilt.  Jesus says very little in the face of this – he endures.  He must not push back because to do so would be to fail in his larger mission.

When we endure injustice and we seem powerless, Jesus has been here before.  Jesus has walked a difficult path and been oppressed.  He has endured domination by Rome as a Jewish citizen.  He has endured false accusation and injustice at the hands of his own people.  We can learn endurance from him.

However, we also know that this is not the whole story.  Jesus triumphs and truth wins out.  This is one of the reasons that ancient philosophers said there must be an afterlife.  For justice to be worked out we need an eternity and we need a saviour to take us there.

Prayer

Jesus, we never quite see the whole picture and we do not know how our own litle story will end.  However, we are thankful that love and justice win out in the end.  Help us to endure.

Questions

1. Why does Peter’s denial bracket this text?
2. How does Jesus show the injustice of his trial?
3. Why does Jesus show the injustice when he will submit to its verdict?
4. How have you suffered injustice?
5. How has injustice in your life taught you and others something important?

 So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him. ¹³ First they led him to Annas, for he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. ¹⁴ It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.

¹⁵ Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest, ¹⁶ but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. ¹⁷ The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” ¹⁸ Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.

Easter at Christmas:  Denial

John, it would seem, has not named himself but is probably the disciple who gets Peter into the high priest’s enclosure.  The pressure, though, is on Peter.  After all, he is the one who cut off one of the high priest’s servants ears.  Maybe some of the gang are still in the courtyard.  Peter, obviously wants to keep a low profile whilst at the same time keeping himself close to Jesus.  It seems very natural to me that Peter would deny knowing Jesus.

When we feel under pressure we do things that we wouldn’t otherwise do.  If we are truly focused on Jesus and what he stands for we wouldn’t buckle.  However, self-preservation and self-focus causes us to take our eyes off the goal.  Peter is very human in this regard, but he had claimed that he would be the best of us.  He had talked a big talk.  He had said that even though all others would fall away, he would stay by Jesus.    Jesus had humbled him by telling him that Peter’s own gifts were just the same as the others.  Now Peter shows that he is not the leader he had hoped he would be.

In spite of Peter’s claim that he could walk alongside Jesus in his final hours, Jesus now walks alone.John and the women will continue at a distance.  Peter had claimed that what Jesus could endure, he could endure too.

Prayer

Jesus you walked alone so that I would not have to.  None of us could walk where you walked.  None of us would endure what you endured.  I believe that we would all deny you in the end unless the Holy Spirit gave us the boldness and the courage to endure.  Let us be a light in the darkness.  Let us reflect you.

Questions

1. What had Peter promised?
2. Why do people think that John had connections with the high priest?
3. Why did Jesus let Peter know he would deny him?
4. How do people over-promise when they commit to God?
5. Why does God let us fail to live up to our commitment to him?

When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. ² Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. ³ So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. ⁴ Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” ⁵ They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. ⁶ When Jesus said to them, “I am he”, they drew back and fell to the ground. ⁷ So he asked them again, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁸ Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.” ⁹ This was to fulfil the word that he had spoken: “Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.” ¹⁰ Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) ¹¹ So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

Easter at Christmas: Betrayal

The Holly and the Ivy is a favourite Christmas song of mine.  Evergreen plants have always been used to decorate the houses of Europeans in the winter.  Decking the halls with boughs of holly provides the hope that although the world seems dead and silent, maybe even shrouded with snow, there is still life and there will be a rebirth in the Spring.  The lyrics of The Holly and the Ivy are:

The holly and the ivy,
When they are both full grown
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

The holly bears a blossom
As white as lily flower
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Saviour
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

The holly bears a berry
As red as any blood
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do poor sinners good
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

The holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Christmas Day in the morn.
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

The holly bears a bark
As bitter as any gall;
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to redeem us all.
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

The holly and the ivy
Now both are full well grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood,
The holly bears the crown.
O the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing of the choir

The song makes a strong connection between Christmas and Easter.  The contrast between Mary bringing Jesus into the world and the destiny that Jesus has to redeem the world through death and resurrection is strong.  It is good at Christmas to remember the joy of God’s peace coming to the earth.  However, it is also good to remember the cost of redemption.  Jesus is born with the cloud of our sin hanging over him.  He grows to understand his fate on the cross.  He walks with purpose into the last day of his life and that is where we are picking up the story in John.

Jesus is betrayed by one of his closest followers, one of the twelve.  He is arrested by a mob even though his power is not diminished.  In this passage Jesus lays down his rights without a struggle.  We know from other gospels that there is an internal struggle, but Jesus does not resist arrest and he walks resolutely into a series of events that will kill him.

Jesus’ example to us here is strong.  We may need to walk into the darkness and lay down our own desires for others.  We may need to walk by faith on the path that God has laid out.  It can be both bitter and sweet at the same time.  It can be Christmas and Easter.  There is the joy of new birth and the pain of a death in the future.  This is living.  But let’s remember the prayers and the teaching that John has just given us.  We are never alone in this struggle.  We are in Christ and Christ is in the Father.  We can have courage like him because one day he will bring us home.

Prayer

Thank you Jesus for enduring such darkness.  Thank you for laying down your rights.  Thank you for embracing a course of action that would lead to your death and our redemption.  Help us to walk in ways that copy you.

Questions

1. How does Jesus walk toward his death?
2. Why does the Bible tell us this place was a familiar one?
3. What is Peter’s role?  Why are we told it?
4. How does Jesus’ walking into the garden scene affect you?
5. How are Easter and Christmas connected?

 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ²² The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Unity

Jesus prays for unity among his followers.  Unfortunately unity is a choice and Christians have historically made poor choices.  Some have made poor choices in doctrine and some have made poor choices out of fear.  Some have even made poor choices out of selfish ambition.  However, although there are many denominations there is one catholic church.  Obviously, this is not the same as the Roman Catholic Church.  Catholic with a small ‘c’ means embracing a wide variety of things, it means all-encompassing.  Those encompassed by the one church are those who truly follow Jesus.  It is hard to discern who are really brothers and sisters in the Lord.  There are conservative evangelicals whose lives reflect fear and hatred more than they reflect love, joy, and peace.  There are liberals who seem to care for the disenfranchised as Jesus did, but who deny the authority of scripture.  None of us have everything right in our theology.  None of us has arrived in our spiritual growth.  However, how can we tell if someone has started?

Jesus prays that his disciples would be one in him and in the Father.  The life we live should be geared toward knowing Jesus and there should be a resonance with others who know him too.  I have often started a conversation with someone and then known that they are my brother or sister in Christ without the subject being addressed.

Prayer

we find so many ways to fall out with each other and move on.  We have made many denominations and founded many churches because we can’t get along.  Preserve unity in the church.  Preserve unity in our families.  Preserve unity in our Bible schools.  Let us examine ourselves before we cause disunity.

Questions

1. What is about to happen to Jesus?
2. Why would unity be a concern?
3. What does Jesus wish for his disciples to see?
4. How is unity broken among Christians today?
5. How is it restored?

⁶ “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. ⁷ Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. ⁸ For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. ⁹ I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. ¹⁰ All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. ¹¹ And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. ¹² While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³ But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. ¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁵ I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸ As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

Jesus Sanctifies His Own

With Jesus there is an in group and an out group which is problematic.  People today struggle with the idea of exclusion.  However, justice and relationship demand boundaries and boundaries speak of inclusion and exclusion.  I set boundaries to know those who are on the inside and those who are on the outside.  If someone commits a crime, we exclude them from society for the safety of those who are left.  If someone chooses not to be our friend, we do not force them to consider themselves as a friend to us.  Inclusion and exclusion are a fact of a healthy life.  This is only true, though, if the reasons for inclusion and exclusion are sound.

In Jesus’ prayer he indicates an in group and an out group.  He shows in other passages of John that he is concerned for the broader community, however, in his prayer he shows that he is devoted to his disciples in a deeper way.  In any relationship, it can only go as deep as both parties will let it.  Those who do not pursue Jesus do not get the rewards that relationship with Jesus brings.  Relationship with Jesus brings unity with the Father.  There is a Trinitarian air to Jesus’ words in John.  One finds oneself in the Father, in the Son and in The Spirit all at once.

Because we are chosen by Jesus and are His, we are not the same as the world outside that does not choose Jesus.  We are to let that difference be seen.  We do not need to fight to assimilate our values and our morals.  Contextualizing the gospel is just an outside change.  We might change how we present ourselves to men or women or Dutch or Jewish people.  However, the essential nature of the gospel is the same.  Jesus sets himself apart for the service of God and we are set apart.  We find ourselves in a relationship with Jesus and we work at it.  However, it is imperative that we keep our eyes focused on Jesus and our relationship with him and not primarily focused on the work.  The work is a byproduct of the relationship.  The relationship is not produced by the work.

Prayer

Jesus, you prayed for us and now I pray to you.  Let me know what it means to be unified with the Father.

Father, through your Son let me know what it is to grow in relationship with you.  This mystery is too deep for me to fathom.

Questions

1. Why does Jesus pray in front of his disciples?
2. Why isn’t everyone included in Jesus’ prayer?
3. What might a sanctified disciple look like?
4. How does this prayer apply to you?
5. Are you okay being part of an exclusive Jesus club?

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, ² since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. ⁴ I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. ⁵ And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

Jesus’ Glory

It is in the humiliation of the cross that Jesus will be glorified.  Jesus will be enthroned on the cross and he will be lifted up as the cure for all mankind.  In this paradoxical reality what looks horrific is actually beautiful because of what it accomplishes.  Jesus’ self-sacrificial love is beautiful.  It is also at the same time horrific.  Somehow the grandeur of the task is related to its horror.

Our images of glory are often clean and opulent.  We see a hero glorified and we expect fanfare and shouts of joy and wonder.  Jesus dies alone and surrounded by mockers.  God’s glory works in ways that we can’t anticipate.

My wife seeks to glorify God today, but she has been weakened by a series of mistakes that any one of us could have made.  She is writing a devotional for a women’s group.  However, her own competency comes into question when she turned off the alarm making me late for work.  She got the kids to school in such a mad rush that she had to drop off her daughter and then go and buy a couple of things that she had forgotten.  She is reminded that if anything good comes together for the devotional, it is not because of her own competence, but God will be glorified through the abundance of his grace.

I missed my train this morning.  I then jumped in the car.  There was an accident on the tollway.  I was late for class.  I had to cancel class.  I couldn’t reach the desk to let the students know.  When I arrived, my boss told me that he is coming to observe my next class.  I am aware that I have no control over life’s ups and downs.  However, I am also aware that if my 11 o’clock class goes well the glory goes to God.  He will work in spite of my weakness.  If the class goes poorly, it is just my own shortcomings and the justice of the world.

In the cross and in each of our lives, God’s mercy triumphs over judgment.  In the resurrection God’s grace is lavished upon us as we all get to live.  Jesus’ glory plays out in every generation.  We can trust in him and walk into all that he has purchased for us.  Even if he purchased it by enduring the shame of the cross.

Prayer

Father, I know that you work in ways that we don’t understand.  At first glance your son’s death looks like you just stood by and allowed your Son to be murdered.  However, you stood by and allowed him to take on a debt that none of us could repay.  You allowed him to defeat sin in creation.  I pray that sin and shortcoming would be overcome in each of our lives and that your glory would be shown in our weakness.  Your wisdom would shine through our feeble minds.  Your words would come from our unworthy mouths.  Your truth would challenge those whose lives we touch and bring the world to you.

Questions

1. What are synonyms for ‘glory’?
2. How is Jesus to be glorified?
3. Why would this series of events be a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles?
4. In what ways does Jesus reveal his glory to you?
5. How is God glorified in your weakness?