questions jesus asks - elm city vineyard lent prayer guide

Questions Jesus Asks — Conversation Starters

At ECV, we believe that God wants relationship with us—including regu-lar conversational back and forth. And the Bible bears this out. Jesus asksmore than 150 questions in the Gospels. Perhaps this might surprise youif you’ve generally thought of Jesus as the Answer Man. But it’s true. Jesusis oen asking people questions, engaging people in conversations thatlead them to see themselves and others in new ways. Most importantly,each of these questions invites a dialogue—a relationship—with Jesus.

In this Lenten season, we’re going to use these questions as entry pointsfor our own relationship with Jesus. In this guide, you will find a devotio-nal for each weekday through Lent (plus the week aer Easter). e for-mat is simple: first, there is a passage from the Bible, with a question Jesusasks in bold. Aer the passage is a short reflection designed to help youengage with Jesus’ question as he asked it in the gospels and as he is ask-ing it of you right now. On the facing page, then, is an opportunity to“continue the conversation” with Jesus, beginning with the question heasks in the bible passage. is page is laid out as a dialogue in a play, be-ginning with Jesus’ question to you and then giving you room to writeyour response. e goal here is to engage in a dialogue, so as you respond,pay attention to how you sense Jesus might be further responding to you.You may find it helpful or even necessary to continue writing what it isyou hear Jesus saying, capturing your sense of his side of the conversationas you go. If this is new to you, it might seem odd at first, but many havefound it quite helpful. Such dialogical prayer journalling has been a partof many Christian traditions for centuries, including among Jesuits andthe old Methodists.

Remember, the goal of responding to these questions is to engage relatio-nally with Jesus. e goal is not to try to get the “right” answers. In manycases this will be obvious enough. In other cases, it may be more temptingto think that there is a clear “right” answer (indeed, in some cases, thecontext of a passage itself provides a best answer). But even if and whenthere is a best answer to be given, answering honestly will serve better tobuild the relationship we’re aer—even if that honest answer is the“wrong” one. Remember, time and again in the gospels, “right” answersserve people poorly and “wrong” answers are overcome. What alwaysmoves people forward is engaging honestly with Jesus. My hunch is that

i

the same will be true of our encounter with Jesus through the questionshe asks us in these pages.

As we’ll see below, some of the questions Jesus asks cut right to the heartof difficult things in our lives. If we decide to let Jesus ask his questionsand resolve to answer them honestly, we’ll be confronted with some uglythings in our hearts and lives we’d rather not deal with. is is to be ex-pected; any good relationship will help us come to know ourselves bet-ter—including seeing our faults more clearly. When this happens it’s veryimportant that we distinguish between conviction and condemnation.Conviction is oen something we experience when we encounter Godwhereas condemnation is never from God. Both come from encounteringthe ugly truth about ourselves. e basic difference is that condemnationis conviction robbed of hope. Condemnation says: you’re ugly, you’re bro-ken and you’re never going to change. Conviction says: there may be ugli-ness, there may be brokenness, but that’s not who you are. Who you are—as God’s beloved creation—is beautiful and whole. And, by God’s grace,you can become—and indeed you are becoming—this truest self.(2Corinthians 3:18) So, let me encourage you, when the questions be-come difficult: remember that while Jesus will convict us of sin, he willnever condemn us. And when he does convict us, he does so in order todraw us forward to transformation into his likeness. So, press throughand listen for the hope.

Matt CroasmunTeaching Pastor

Lent 2013

ii

Lent Prayer Challenges

As we engage Jesus in the questions he asks, it’s crucially important thatwe bring the real things of our lives into the conversation. To this end, inaddition to engaging Jesus on the questions that come out of the scripturewe’ll look at, I also want to invite us to be intentional about praying for atleast these two things:

1. for something it would take God to do in your life. What’sone thing that you would like to see in your life that only God could make happen? Bringing the real desires of our hearts into our conversations with Jesus is important in building the honesty and candor that is the foundation of any meaningful relationship in our lives. Let me just en-courage you: there’s something of an experimental quality tothis, so, even if you haven’t prayed much or haven’t really experienced a lot of answers to prayer, take a risk and pray and see what God might do. Treat it like a “faith experi-ment.” Maybe God will answer your prayer; it could be the beginning of a serious faith adventure.

2. for six people in your life in New Haven who are not try-ing to follow Jesus who you’d like to experience more of the good things of God. Jesus loves people and asks us to love people as well. Praying for people is a great way to in-vest our hearts in their well-being. (e reason to pick folks in New Haven is related to this: by praying for folks right here in our city, we also invest our hearts and minds in our city, in the here-and-now.) Even if you’re not sure what you believe about Jesus or about God, I’d encourage you to pray for others in your life as part of the “faith experiment” as-pect of all of this. Aer all, if there is a God and that God has both the power and compassion to bring about good things in people’s lives, you’d want that God at work in your friends’ lives. If, at the end of these six weeks, it seems like there’s not really anything to this faith thing, well, the prac-tice of regularly praying for folks you care about will at least have helped you grow in love for these folks. And if God is real, then your friends may well benefit from your prayer.

iii

So, as you engage Jesus in the questions he asks, pray about your own de-sires and pray for good things for your friends. In addition, I would en-courage you to invite folks just beginning to consider faith to pray withyou. What a cool blessing to have God answer a prayer (plus, we’ve foundagain and again that God is eager to answer the prayers of folks who aretrying to check out who He is).

I’ll tell you from personal experience one thing that can easily trip up thiswhole process. ere’s actually a hidden first step that can be missed: de-ciding what specific things, people, etc. to commit to pray for. So, take amoment right now to consider at least as a starting point:

What’s one thing that you would like to see in your life that only Godcould make happen? (You’ll have opportunity to reflect on this a bitmore as part of the first two days’ devotionals.)

List a handful of folks in your life in New Haven who are not currentlyoriented towards Jesus who you’d like to experience more of the goodthings of God.

iv

“I will also ask you a question.”— Jesus (Luke 20:3)

Monday, February 25Mark 10:46-52 (NIV)

46en they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with alarge crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means“son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heardthat it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, havemercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but heshouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stoppedand said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On yourfeet! He’s calling you.” 50rowing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feetand came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus askedhim. e blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “yourfaith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Je-sus along the road.

Reflection: It seems almost too good to be true. e famous Jesus not only stops andaddresses Bartimaeus, he gives him a blank check: “What do you want me to do for you?” Could it possibly be this simple? Jesus’ question reveals one of the most striking things about Jesus: he has come not to be served, but to serve. “Rabbi, I want to see.” e answer is honest, the need is real. Jesus responds with compassion. And a new follower is added to Jesus’ community. Jesus is interested in the deep de-sires of our hearts. Not that he always gives us what we ask for (see tomorrow’s pas-sage), but he is interested in what it is that we want, what it is that we desire. And he invites us to come to him for those things. For the past several years at ECV, we’ve taken the time during Lent to bring these deep desires of our hearts to Jesus, totrust him with them and to see what will happen when we answer honestly his question “What do you want me to do for you?” Even if you’re not sure what you believe about God, faith, or Jesus, I encourage you to engage Jesus honestly on this question. Be specific and see what God does. Consider it an experiment. Over the years, we’ve seen Jesus respond to our desires in some pretty amazing ways. Maybe he’ll respond to you and you’ll have a story to add come Easter.

2

Continue the Conversation

Jesus: What do you want me to do for you?

Me:

3

Tuesday, February 26Mark 10:35-45 (NIV)

35en James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” theysaid, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” 36 “What do you wantme to do for you?” he asked. 37ey replied, “Let one of us sit at yourright and the other at your le in your glory.” 38 “You don’t know what youare asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized withthe baptism I am baptized with?” 39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said tothem, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism Iam baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or le is not for me to grant.ese places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” 41 Whenthe ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are re-garded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officialsexercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wantsto become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wantsto be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come tobe served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Reflection: James and John are the other side of the coin from Bartimaeus (above). First of all, they want Jesus to answer before they’ve even asked their question. ey want him committed to do whatever they want without engaging him in relation-ship. Jesus doesn’t bite. He makes no promises. But nevertheless he asks them the same question he’ll later ask Bartimaeus: “What do you want me to do for you?” James and John are looking for what they call “glory.” ey’re looking for prestige, power, and reputation. (is is quite different from how Jesus defines “glory.”) ere are two things that seem to bother Jesus. First of all, Jesus knows that feeding their desire for these things won’t actually help them at all. Jesus only gives good gis and this would be a bad one. Second, Jesus knows they’re barking up the wrong tree. If they want prestige, Jesus’ “glory” is hardly the place they’re going to find it. In the end (Mark 15:27), those on his right and his le are the two criminals crucified with him (spoiler alert: Jesus is in his glory on the cross!). is, presumably, is not what James and John are looking for. So Jesus replies with some clarifying questions about what James and John really want. How might Jesus want to shape your de-sires? What do you really want him to do for you?

4


Jesus: What do you want me to do for you?

Me:

5

Wednesday, February 27John 1:35-39 (NRSV)

35 e next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and ashe watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”37e two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 WhenJesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are youlooking for?” ey said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated meansTeacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and see.”ey came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with himthat day.

Reflection: ese two disciples (students) of John the Baptist (check out the rest of John chapter 1 for more on him) have reason to believe that there’s something in Je-sus worth pursuing. So they start following him. Jesus turns around and asks them: “What are you looking for?” “What are you seeking?” is is another one of these wide-open questions that Jesus asks that reveal the hearts of the folks he addresses. eir answer here, is perhaps deeper than we might notice. ey ask Jesus: “Where are you staying?” e original Greek word here turns out to be a really important word for this entire gospel (that is, the entire work). Later in the gospel, it’s translat-ed “abide.” And Jesus says that this idea of “abiding” is key to understanding who he is and what kind of relationship he’s looking for with us. Jesus’ special way of life is because he abides, he rests in his relationship with his and our Heavenly Father. In turn, he desires that we abide or rest in him so that we can live powerful, purposefuland peaceful lives like his. So these disciples’ response is better than perhaps they even know. ey’re asking “Where are you abiding? What is the source of your life?”Whatever else we’re looking for from Jesus (and remember Bartimaeus; Jesus is onlytoo happy to give us good gis), perhaps our deepest longing is to know Jesus and know where it is he’s found life. Regardless, today I encourage you to go deeper. What is it that you’re seeking? Be honest and see where Jesus takes the conversation.

6


Jesus: What are you looking for?

Me:

7

ursday, February 28John 5:1-9 (NIV)

1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festi-vals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which inAramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five coveredcolonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—theblind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5 One who was there had been an invalidfor thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned thathe had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do youwant to get well?”7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool whenthe water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes downahead of me.” 8en Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat andwalk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

Reflection: Jesus asks if the man wants to be healed. e man answers with an ex-planation of why he can’t be healed. Jesus’ question gets right to the heart of the matter. e answer seems obvious, but apparently the question was worth asking. Do you want to be healed? Do you want to get better? Oen if we pause and let Je-sus ask us this question we’re surprised to find (like the man does in this passage) that we have excuses (or “reasons”) why change isn’t possible. ere’s something else that we’re waiting for, something else in which we’ve put our hope. Nevertheless, Je-sus’ question cuts to the core: do we want to be healed? e man does. And the deepest desires of his heart are fulfilled in Jesus—even if it’s not the way he imaginedit would have to happen.

8


Jesus: Do you want to get well?

Me:

9

Friday, March 1Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,”he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in theLaw?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “ ‘Love the Lordyour God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all yourstrength and with all your mind’ ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is myneighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,when he was attacked by robbers. ey stripped him of his clothes, beathim and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be go-ing down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on theother side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him,passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came wherethe man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went tohim and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. en he put theman on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.35e next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper.‘Look aer him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for anyextra expense you may have.’ 36 Which of these three do you think was aneighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”37e expert in the law replied, “e one who had mercy on him.” Jesustold him, “Go and do likewise.”

Reflection: is religious scholar has a religious question but rather than answer him directly, Jesus asks him first: “What does the Bible say? How do you read it?” e question elicits further conversation, giving us one of the most memorable sto-ries Jesus ever tells. All through Lent, we’re going to be engaging with Jesus through the Bible. And the motivating instinct is this: Jesus wants to know how scripture strikes us. He’s not just interested in the “right” answer (even when the scholar gives the “right” answer, there’s a deeper, heart issue le to address); he wants to know what the text awakens in us, what response it elicits from us. So, take a look back atthis passage, another from this week, or something from the Bible that you’ve been thinking about and answer Jesus’ question: How do you read it? What jumps out? Jesus wants to know what the Bible means to us so he can help us be shaped by it.

10


Jesus: How do you read it?

Me:

11

Monday, March 4John 8:2-11 (NIV)

2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the peoplegathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3e teachers of thelaw and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. ey madeher stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman wascaught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stonesuch women. Now what do you say?” 6ey were using this question as atrap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down andstarted to write on the ground with his finger.7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said tothem, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stoneat her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older onesfirst, until only Jesus was le, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesusstraightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no onecondemned you?”11 “No one, sir,” she said. “en neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared.“Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Reflection: Caught red-handed, dead to rights. ere was no doubt about it. She was a lawbreaker. Dragged to Jesus in order to expose him as a liberal who didn’t care about the law, the woman is a mere prop for the religious officials. But Jesus sees her differently. Jesus concedes that the law says she deserves to be stoned, but hesuggests a particular method for the execution: let the one without sin be the first to throw a stone. One aer another the men walk away and the woman is le alone with Jesus. e only one who could have condemned her by his own rule, Jesus nev-ertheless withholds condemnation. “Has no one condemned you?” Jesus’ question captures the core of God’s extravagant grace. With this question we’re invited to open our eyes, look around, and consider whether Jesus’ forgiveness has indeed freed us from condemnation.

12


Jesus: Has no one condemned you?

Me:

13

Tuesday, March 5Luke 7:36-47 (NIV)

36 When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, hewent to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in thattown who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’shouse, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stoodbehind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears.en she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume onthem. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to him-self, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him andwhat kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.” 40 Jesus answered him,“Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. 41 “Twopeople owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him fivehundred denarii, and the other fiy. 42 Neither of them had the money topay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them willlove him more?”43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. 44en he turned toward thewoman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into yourhouse. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feetwith her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss,but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.47erefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her greatlove has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

Reflection: “Do you see this woman?” Jesus wants to know: does Simon truly see a person like her? Does he see her as she is? Our world is full of people like this woman—people whom we don’t really see, or see just as stereotypes of one kind or another. It might be the homeless, the poor, addicts, convicts or perhaps folks who identify with a particular race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. Je-sus invites us to consider what it would be to really see these folks as they are. And oen, when we’re willing to let God open our eyes to see them as they really are, we find that we have something important to learn from them about what it is to fol-low Jesus—just as Simon had something to learn from this nameless and nearly un-seen woman.

14


Jesus: Do you see this woman?

Me:

15

Wednesday, March 6Matthew 7:1-5 (NIV)

1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judgeothers, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will bemeasured to you. 3 Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in yourbrother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 Howcan you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ whenall the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take theplank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove thespeck from your brother’s eye.

Reflection: e grace we receive when Jesus withholds condemnation—even when we’re caught red-handed (see John 8 above)—is something we’re expected to share with others. Nevertheless, we’re constantly caught up in others’ shortcomings while we remain oblivious to our own. Jesus’ point here isn’t just that this is blatant hypocrisy; it also just makes us less useful to one another as we try to remove the hindrances to our wholeness. Instead, Jesus’ questions here provide a moment for self-diagnosis. e hope is that if we take seriously own own brokenness, in the pres-ence of Jesus’ grace and transforming presence, he can remove the things that distortour vision and prevent us from helping others find their own healing as well. Let’s take some time today to invite Jesus to probe our fear to look at our sin—that stuff that ruins our relationships with others, with God, and with ourselves—and trust that he can bring us healing and make us agents of others’ healing as well. (Remem-ber, even when Jesus’ questions are challenging and convicting as these are, his voiceis never condemning.)

16


Jesus: Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

Me:

17

ursday, March 7Luke 6:32-36 (NIV)

32“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sin-ners love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who aregood to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34And if youlend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that toyou? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35Butlove your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expectingto get anything back. en your reward will be great, and you will be chil-dren of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Reflection: As we saw above (John 8), Jesus’ love for us is reckless, withholding con-demnation even for those of us rightly condemned to die. is reckless love is to be our own paradigm of love. Here, Jesus exposes the feeble brand of love for which we so oen want a pat on the back. In Jesus’ day, perhaps even more blatantly than in our own day, the social hierarchy was built from these exchanges of favors between social equals: the rich exchanging gis with other rich people. Jesus says this isn’t what should pass for love. If we want to be people marked by love, we’ll need to love our enemies and those who can’t pay us back. ese, of course, are exactly the folks we don’t want to love. But, then, the founding of our relationship with Jesus was hardly an exchange of honors between equals. Jesus extended us grace when we stood condemned by sin. What would it look like to extend the same to others around us? e apostle Paul (the ancient church planter) said the question we need to ask ourselves is this: “Why not just be wronged? Why not just be cheated?” (1Cor.6:7) Let’s allow Jesus to probe our sense of what it really looks like—and costs—to love like he does.

18


Jesus: If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?

Me:

19

Friday, March 8Matthew 18:21-35 (NIV)

21en Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I for-give my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesusanswered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23ere-fore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accountswith his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him tenthousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay,the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that hehad be sold to repay the debt. 26 At this the servant fell on his knees beforehim. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’27e servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.28 But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants whoowed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to chokehim. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 His fellow servant fellto his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’30 But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prisonuntil he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had hap-pened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything thathad happened. 32en the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked ser-vant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had onyou?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured,until he should pay back all he owed. 35is is how my heavenly Fatherwill treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from yourheart.”

Reflection: “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” e question of the master in the story becomes Jesus’ own question to us. esimple fact is that we only receive forgiveness when we also extend it to others. I take it that this is not because God is vindictive (despite the admittedly harsh lan-guage used to describe the master in the parable). Rather, this is a natural conse-quence; it’s just the way the world works. As it is said, “Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” Jesus’ question here invites us to consider the ways that unforgiveness is like torture in our lives. Whom ought you forgive today?

20


Jesus: Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?

Me:

21

Monday, March 11Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)

25 “erefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat ordrink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food,and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they donot sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feedsthem. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of youby worrying add a single hour to your life ?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the fieldgrow. ey do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon inall his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothesthe grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown intothe fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do notworry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘Whatshall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run aer all these things, and your heav-enly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom andhis righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.34erefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry aboutitself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Reflection: Why do you worry? is question reveals Jesus’ basic orientation totime. Jesus is all about living in the moment for the sake of what lasts forever: thenow for the sake of the eternal. Everything else—all the tomorrows to come—are a“no-man’s land” in which we’re bound to get lost in worry. And apparently we do—a lot. It can seem like we are all too ready to answer Jesus’ question with a laundrylist of reasons that we worry. For many of us, our worries are not nearly as basic asconcerns about whether we will be able to eat or drink or have clothes to wear. YetJesus insists that God’s provision means that even when our future is uncertain withregard to these basic necessities, we still would not have reason to worry. “e pa-gan world”—the world at large—tells us that we need to chase aer everything weneed and desire in life. Jesus says that God, our Heavenly Father, already knowswhat we need and is ready to provide for us.

22


Jesus: Why do you worry?

Me:

23

Tuesday, March 12Luke 10:1-9, 22:35 (NIV)

1 Aer this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by twoahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them,“e harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest,therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you outlike lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do notgreet anyone on the road. 5 When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to thishouse.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; ifnot, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you,for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.8 When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal thesick who are there and tell them, ‘e kingdom of God has come near to you.’ …”35en Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, didyou lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered.

Reflection: “I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” Life following Jesus is apparently not supposed to be safe. ere’s risk inherent to this way of life and Jesus’sending out of these ancient followers is deliberately tuned to maximize their ex-posure. ey are to depend on the people to whom they are sent: stay in their homes, eat what they are offered. It seems that this vulnerability is somehow essen-tial to their mission to proclaim and demonstrate that the Kingdom of God is at hand (that is, that things can be done God’s way: that things can be set right, that we can know healing and forgiveness and justice and peace). Yet, in the upside-down way in which God’s Kingdom works, even though they are exposed, even though they go out without provisions of the basics—pursue, bag, sandals—they nevertheless lack nothing. What seemed so risky ultimately just proves to be an op-portunity to experience God’s provision.

Given that doing what God would have us do always entails (apparent) risks, Jesus’ question here is a question worth considering ourselves. When we’ve taken risks to do what we thought was right, when we’ve put ourselves out there for the sake of God’s work, how has it turned out for us? Did we ultimately lack what we needed? Did God provide?

24


Jesus: When I sent you… did you lack anything?

Me:

25

Wednesday, March 13Mark 4:35-41 (NIV)

35at day when evening came, he [Jesus] said to his disciples, “Let us goover to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along,just as he was, in the boat. ere were also other boats with him. 37 A furi-ous squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it wasnearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. e dis-ciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!”en the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have nofaith?” 41ey were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the windand the waves obey him!”

Reflection: Don’t you care? In this passage, Jesus’ question comes in response to a pointed question posed by his disciples. Don’t you care? Circumstances have so over-whelmed these guys that they’re starting to question their most basic beliefs about who Jesus is. ey’ve seen him provide for them and for those around him. ey’ve seen him heal people and give them freedom from spiritual forces that were oppress-ing them. But the storm was enough to call all of that into question. Was the storm just really that bad? Many of these guys were fishermen; presumably they knew just how bad things could get out on the open water. eir question at the end of the passage, “Who is this that even the wind and the waves obey him?” suggests that, whatever the surface cause, what’s lying behind their fear is uncertainty about who Jesus is and what he is capable of. But their first question—don’t you care?—exposesperhaps the biggest concern: even if Jesus is someone who is able to help, is he some-one who cares enough to do so? Perhaps the deepest fear here is that God is real andpowerful, but uncaring. What about you? Why are you so afraid? What are the circumstances that make you afraid? What beliefs about Jesus or about God get challenged in the process? Let’s answer honestly and see what Jesus says and does in response.

26


Jesus: Why are you so afraid?

Me:

27

ursday, March 14Luke 9:22-25 (NIV)

22 And he said, “e Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejectedby the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must bekilled and on the third day be raised to life.” 23en he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must denythemselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoeverwants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me willsave it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yetlose or forfeit their very self?”

Reflection: Here Jesus hints at the reason why everything in his world always seems to be upside-down: his future looks like dying and being raised again (this is what we’ll commemorate in Good Friday and Easter at the end of this season of Lent). is shape of Jesus’ life becomes a model for any who would follow him. In-deed, it sets up the “fundamental law” of the Kingdom of God, the source of all of these inversions that we keep seeing: “whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” (We see this fundamental law restat-ed in other terms in passages like Matthew 20:16: “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”) is is what radically relativizes the value of all worldly wealth, power, and prestige.is fundamental law demands that we ask and answer Jesus’ question: What good is it for someone to gain the whole world and yet lose or forfeittheir very self?

28


Jesus: What good is it for you to gain the whole world and yet lose or for-feit your very self?

Me:

29

Friday, March 15Mark 6:31-44 (NIV)

31 Because so many people were coming and going that they did not evenhave a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to aquiet place and get some rest.” 32 So they went away by themselves in aboat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognizedthem and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them,because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teachingthem many things. 35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “is is aremote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people awayso that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buythemselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered, “You give them some-thing to eat.” ey said to him, “at would take more than half a year’swages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them toeat?” 38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” Whenthey found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.” 39en Jesus directedthem to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 Sothey sat down in groups of hundreds and fiies. 41 Taking the five loavesand the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke theloaves. en he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. Healso divided the two fish among them all. 42ey all ate and were satisfied,43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of breadand fish. 44e number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

Reflection: e problem is overwhelming. ousands of people in the desert with nothing to eat. e logistics team dropped the ball on this one. e disciples go to Je-sus with the problem but, shockingly, he turns it back on them: “You give them something to eat.” ere’s no way this group of (now-unemployed) fishermen have enough resources to buy all the food that would be needed. Jesus is undeterred: “How many loaves do you have?” When the disciples check and report back, they get to witness Jesus miraculously multiply the little bit they have so that it is enough to feed thousands. e lesson: Don’t focus on what you lack. Focus on what you have. And believe that Jesus can multiply it so that it’s always enough. I take it that this is as true for who we are as it is for what we have. If I’m honest, I know that, in myself, I am not up to the things God has asked me to do. But put in Jesus’ hands…

30


Jesus: How many loaves do you have?

Me:

31

Monday, March 18John 6:53-61 (NIV)

53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of theSon of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eatsmy flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up atthe last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Who-ever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so theone who feeds on me will live because of me. 58is is the bread that camedown from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoeverfeeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in thesynagogue in Capernaum. 60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “is is a hard teaching. Whocan accept it?” 61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them,“Does this offend you?”

Reflection: Do this offend you? You have to picture Jesus pointing at his body as he says “Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” It’s not hard to imagine the metaphor itself tripping up more than a few people. (Indeed, in the ancient world, Christians were regularly mocked as cannibals because they talked about consum-ing the body and blood of Jesus in their worship meetings.) But I take it that it’s more than the metaphor that is offensive here; it’s the meaning of the metaphor. Je-sus is claiming that his very self is the sustenance we’re looking for—that for every-thing else that we chase aer, we only really need one thing: Jesus. In our world, thisis perhaps the most offensive claim Jesus makes: that he—and only he (v. 53)—is what everyone needs. Many of us don’t like to think of ourselves as having needs. And if we concede that we have needs we imagine that we’re unique enough that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. And then here is Jesus saying that he himself is the source of life for all. Does this offend you?

32


Jesus: Does this offend you?

Me:

33

Tuesday, March 19John 6:66-69 (NIV)

66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer fol-lowed him. 67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have thewords of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you arethe Holy One of God.”

Reflection: Jesus’ offense (see above) is apparently great enough that many start to leave rather than struggle with the offense. Enough were walking away that Jesus turns and addresses his twelve closest followers, his twelve best friends: “You don’t want to leave too, do you?”

Jesus’ exclusive claims can at times seem like enough to make us walk away. Why does he have to claim to be the only way? Jesus’ question, then, is for us, too: Do you too want to leave? Is following me too costly? If this is Jesus’ question to us, perhaps we can take heart from Peter’s answer: “Where should we go? You have the words of life.”

Time and again—for various different reasons—I’ve come to this point in my life with Jesus, to the place where walking away seems like an attractive option. But Peter’s answer has become a paradigm for my own answer in those moments. I’ve just seen and experienced too much. I’ve seen God an-swer prayer. I’ve seen people healed. I’ve known a love and a presence too great for words. Where else can I go? I’m wrecked for any other sort of life. Life following Jesus is the only way from here on out.

“You don’t want to leave too, do you?” It’s important to work out our answerto that question, to know, like Peter, what it is that we’ve come to believe that can anchor us through the storms of worry, of fear, of doubt, and offense.

34


Jesus: You don’t want to leave too, do you?

Me:

35

Wednesday, March 20Luke 6:46-49 (NIV)

46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 As foreveryone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into prac-tice, I will show you what they are like. 48ey are like a man building ahouse, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When aflood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, becauseit was well built. 49 But the one who hears my words and does not putthem into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground withouta foundation. e moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed andits destruction was complete.”

Reflection: Jesus isn’t looking for flatterers. He’s looking for followers. He’s not looking for people to call him “Lord.” He’s looking for people to treat him as Lord. And apparently, this is for our own good. Jesus says that building our lives on obedi-ence to what he says is like building a house on a firm foundation. When the floods come, the house stands firm. A life built on obedience to Jesus, too, can withstand opposition—whether worry, fear, doubt, offense, or what have you. Nevertheless, obedience is difficult. And so Jesus’ question is worth pondering: Why don’t we do what he says? Is it because Jesus’ words are difficult to put into practice? Is it be-cause Jesus’ way is costly—in terms of time, money, reputation, etc.? What is it that entices us to build on less sure foundations?

(Remember, as always, Jesus’ voice does not condemn, though he does oen convict us. Conviction always comes with hope of transformation, while condemnation does not. Let’s press through to look for the hope as we engage honestly with Jesus onthis question.)

36


Jesus: Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I say?

Me:

37

ursday, March 21John 9:1, 6-7, 13-17, 24-25, 34-38 (NIV)

1 As he [Jesus] went along, he saw a man blind from birth… 6 he spit onthe ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means“Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing…13ey brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now theday on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was aSabbath. 15erefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had receivedhis sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, andnow I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “is man is not from God, forhe does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner per-form such signs?” So they were divided. 17en they turned again to theblind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes heopened.” e man replied, “He is a prophet.”… 24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glo-ry to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I doknow. I was blind but now I see!”… 34 And they threw him out. 35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, hesaid, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, sir?” the manasked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” 37 Jesus said, “You have nowseen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” 38en the man said,“Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

Reflection: e start of the story is amazing: a man born blind can see aer his en-counter with Jesus! But then things go off the rails… Somehow the conversation all becomes about Jesus having healed someone on the Sabbath (the religious day of rest) and whether that therefore makes him a sinner. Sadly, this is sometimes how it goes for us: a genuine encounter with Jesus gets crowded out by religious, philosoph-ical, or ethical questions we have—or that others thrust on us. You can hear former-ly-blind-man’s despair: “Whether he’s a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” Jesus hears about all the confusion being foisted upon this guy and asks the question that gets right to heart of things: Do you believein the Son of Man [Jesus’ name for himself]? Do you believe in me? Do you trust me? If so, all the other questions can wait.

38


Jesus: Do you believe [or trust] in me?

Me:

39

Friday, March 22John 13:31-38 (NIV)

31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified andGod is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify theSon in himself, and will glorify him at once. 33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look forme, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, youcannot come. 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, soyou must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are mydisciples, if you love one another.” 36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied,“Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” 37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my lifefor you.” 38en Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Verytruly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”

Reflection: e mystery of Jesus’ glory (see Mark 10:35-45 on Feb. 26 above) is about to be revealed. Jesus is going to the cross. But before he goes, Jesus gives a newcommandment to his disciples: that they love one another the same way that he is about to love them. What exactly this looks like, they don’t quite know. ere have been hints along the way that this sort of following would cost their lives (see Luke 9:23-24 on Mar. 7 above), but for now the disciples are focussed on the fact of Jesus’ departure. “Why can’t I follow you now?” Peter asks. is is the one key they’ve learned about life with Jesus: where Jesus goes, you follow. And yet now, at what seems like the crucial moment they cannot (yet) follow. Desperate to prove his alle-giance, Peter promises: “I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus looks him straight in the eye and asks “Will you really lay down your life for me?”

Ultimately, these are the stakes of the gospel. And it can be easy for us to think we’re ready to make this kind of commitment before we really are. Some parts of our lives can seem relatively easy to lay down; other parts are much more difficult. What part of your life are you able to lay down? What are you still holding back? What is Jesus inviting you to lay down for his sake?

40


Jesus: Will you really lay down your life for me?

Me:

41

Monday, March 25Mark 8:27-35 (NIV)

27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi.On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” 28ey replied,“Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of theprophets.” 29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter an-swered, “You are the Messiah.” 30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer manythings and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers ofthe law, and that he must be killed and aer three days rise again. 32 Hespoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebukehim. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Pe-ter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the con-cerns of God, but merely human concerns.”34en he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said:“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take uptheir cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will loseit, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

Reflection: “What about you… Who do you say I am?” is is perhaps the most important question Jesus ever asks his disciples. It’s the great mystery of the Gospel of Mark (the oldest account of Jesus’ life): Who is Jesus? Different folks answer this question differently. But Jesus wants to know directly from his disciples: who do you say I am? And, as happens so oen in the Bible (especially in Mark), the point isn’t to give the “right” answer. As far as we can tell, Peter’s answer is perfectly “correct”: Jesus is the Messiah (the anointed one, the coming King in the Kingdom of God). But Jesus tells him not to spread that around and immediately following Peter’s con-fession we see why: So long as Peter is invested in broken ideas of power and au-thority, labeling Jesus as Messiah—as King—even though it’s the “right answer,” is just going to lead Peter in the wrong direction (like rebuking Jesus and telling him not to lay down his life). So, it’s not a quiz. It’s not a test. It’s an honest question: Who do you say Jesus is? We’ve been in this season for several weeks now, encoun-tering Jesus in scripture and in prayer. What have you learned of him? What have you come to believe about him? Who do you say he is?

42


Jesus: Who do you say I am?

Me:

43

Tuesday, March 26John 18:28-31, 33-37 (NIV)

[Jesus has been betrayed by one of his disciples and arrested by the religious authorities.]

28en the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of theRoman governor… 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “Whatcharges are you bringing against this man?” 30 “If he were not a criminal,”they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.” 31 Pilate said,“Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” “But we have noright to execute anyone,” they objected… 33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and askedhim, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesusasked, “or did others talk to you about me?” 35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilatereplied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. Whatis it you have done?” 36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If itwere, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders.But now my kingdom is from another place.” 37 “You are a king, then!”said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason Iwas born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone onthe side of truth listens to me.”

Reflection: Jesus’ identification as Messiah (anointed one) has now landed him fac-ing charges of treason against the Roman state. Aer all, that’s all the Roman gover-nor, Pilate, can make of these bizarre religious terms: “Messiah” or “Christ.” But, as we’ve seen, Jesus has been careful to avoid using this language of himself and has asked others not to use it of him. So, when Pilate asks him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus wants to know: “Is that your own idea or did others talk to you about me?” e testimony of the religious authorities was deliberately misleading; they were hoping that Pilate would come to the conclusion that Jesus was guilty of trea-son. Jesus insists: his kingdom is not earthly; that’s why he didn’t resist arrest. His kingdom follows divine rather than human logic (this is the same thing that tripped up Peter above). Jesus is no threat to the Roman state. He is not looking for political power. But Pilate’s mind has been poisoned by what he’s heard. What about you? How have the opinions of others distorted your picture of Jesus? ese opinions come from many sources: from religious authorities (as in the passage), from the media, from the institutions in which we live, from our own brokenness suffered at the hands of others, etc. How can you allow Jesus to be the source of your truth and let him reform your understanding of who he is?

44


Jesus: Who do you say I am? Is that your own idea or did others talk to you about me?

Me:

45

Wednesday, March 27Mark 10:35-45 (NIV)

35en James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” theysaid, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” 36 “What do you wantme to do for you?” he asked. 37ey replied, “Let one of us sit at your rightand the other at your le in your glory.” 38 “You don’t know what you areasking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized withthe baptism I am baptized with?” 39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus saidto them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptismI am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or le is not for me to grant.ese places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” 41 Whenthe ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are re-garded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officialsexercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wantsto become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wantsto be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come tobe served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Reflection: We looked at this passage way back at the beginning, focussing on Jesus’ first question. is week we return to consider Jesus’ second question: Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with? James and John didn’t know what they were asking for when they asked to be on Jesus’ right and le in his glory. With Good Friday only a couple days away now—with only two days until Jesus will be crucified with criminals on his right and his le—we perhaps have a deeper sense of what it is that James and John have unknowinglyasked for. And reading just a bit yesterday about what Jesus suffered in his trial, we’re starting to get a sense of what all is involved in sharing in Jesus’ sufferings: be-ing betrayed by those closest to us, being misunderstood, being rejected by the pow-ers that be. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” Presumably, this is only possible with Jesus’ help.

What of Jesus’ sufferings is he inviting you to enter into? Putting together Jesus’ sec-ond question with his first, we might ask: Does the path to the true desires of your heart lead through participating in Jesus’ sufferings? What is it that you desire that will require dying with Christ?

46


Jesus: Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I ambaptized with?

Me:

47

ursday, March 28John 13:1-10, 12-17 (NIV)

1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour hadcome for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved hisown who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2e evening mealwas in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Si-mon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put allthings under his power, and that he had come from God and was re-turning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing,and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 Aer that, he poured water into abasin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towelthat was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to washmy feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but lat-er you will understand.” 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 9 “en,Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my headas well!” 10 Jesus answered, “ose who have had a bath need only to washtheir feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean…”12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and re-turned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” heasked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that iswhat I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example thatyou should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant isgreater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who senthim. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you dothem.”

Reflection: In some ways, today’s question is the one that the Church has been try-ing to answer for almost 2,000 years. In going to the cross, in suffering and dying forus and yet also at our hands, Jesus’ death as an act of love (v. 1), humility (vv. 13-14), and service (v. 16) is the enduring mystery that we remember this week and, as Jesus insists in this passage, that we must learn to imitate (vv. 15, 17). Whathas Jesus done for you? How do you understand it?

48


Jesus: Do you understand what I have done for you?

Me:

49

Friday, March 29 (Good Friday)Mark 15:22-37 (NIV)

22ey brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “theplace of the skull”). 23en they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, buthe did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, theycast lots to see what each would get. 25 It was nine in the morning whenthey crucified him. 26e written notice of the charge against him read:THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27ey crucified two rebels with him, one on hisright and one on his le. 29ose who passed by hurled insults at him,shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy thetemple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and saveyourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the lawmocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’tsave himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now fromthe cross, that we may see and believe.” ose crucified with him alsoheaped insults on him. 33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the aer-noon. 34 And at three in the aernoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice,“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, whyhave you forsaken me?”). 35 When some of those standing near heardthis, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” 36 Someone ran, filled a spongewith wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Nowleave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

Reflection: Convicted of treason, Jesus is condemned to die. His disciples have fled. ree times, Peter denied knowing him. Passers-by mock him, as do religious lead-ers. e sign above his head mocks his life’s central message regarding the coming Kingdom of God. Abandoned, misunderstood, mocked, and rejected, Jesus hangs onthe cross awaiting God’s rescue. Aer all, he has taught that God is trustworthy to provide all that we need, that God is faithful to those who look to him—that laying down one’s life is the way to save it. Is it true? Mark’s gospel tells us that somehow this is Jesus’ moment of glory. Yet Jesus cries out in honest desperation: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Even in this moment, Jesus turns to God through the words of the prayerbook of his people (Psalm 22:1). is Good Friday, let’s cry out with him. Where in your life are you waiting for God’s rescue? Where do you feel abandoned? Where are God’s purposes in your life difficult to see?

50


Jesus: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Me: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Me:

51

Monday, April 1John 20: 1, 11-18 (NRSV)

1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magda-lene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from thetomb… 11 Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bentover to look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sittingwhere the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other atthe feet. 13ey said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said tothem, “ey have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where theyhave laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Je-sus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said toher, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Sup-posing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carriedhim away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rab-bouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on tome, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothersand say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to myGod and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the dis-ciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said thesethings to her.

Reflection: Mary’s world has been turned upside down. Jesus has died. What to do?Where to go? Mary does what she’s done for the past couple years: she goes to be with Jesus. ough she doesn’t recognize him, Jesus appears and asks her, “Why are you crying? Whom are you looking for?” e second question is almost exactly the question Jesus asked his disciples in John 1:38 (see Feb. 20, above): “What are you looking for?” e question is still about seeking. Where are you pointed? Where are you oriented? Mary’s life, clearly, is still oriented around Jesus; her tears come be-cause she doesn’t know what to do or where to go without him. en Jesus speaks her name. And she recognizes him. “Rabbouni!” she exclaims. is is her teacher, the one whom she follows, whom she seeks. Mary has found the One around whom the arrow of her life is oriented. e question today is this: Who or what is it that your life is oriented around? Where does the arrow of your life point? What is it that brings sorrow if it is lost? It may be that the answer for us is not (or not exclu-sively) “Jesus.” If so, let’s be honest with Jesus about that. And let’s also wait to hear Jesus speak our name so that we know that, no matter how oen we get confused ordistracted, he really is the One whom we have always been seeking.

52


Jesus: Whom are you looking for?

Me:

53

Tuesday, April 2Luke 24:36-49 (NIV)

36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood amongthem and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37ey were startled andfrightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are youtroubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my handsand my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have fleshand bones, as you see I have.”40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And whilethey still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them,“Do you have anything here to eat?” 42ey gave him a piece of broiledfish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence. 44 He said to them, “isis what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilledthat is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and thePsalms.” 45en he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.46 He told them, “is is what is written: e Messiah will suffer and risefrom the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness ofsins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Fa-ther has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed withpower from on high.”

Reflection: It seemed too good to be true. Jesus, their crucified Lord, now standing before them—alive. But Jesus showed himself to them, inviting them to come, touch,and see: it was really him. God had indeed rescued him. rough God’s miraculous intervention, Jesus has conquered death itself.

Almost 2,000 years later, it can still seem too good—or too strange— to be true. at death itself has been conquered. at Jesus’ upside-down way of life has been vindicated. at it really works—that laying down your life is really the way to saveit. Doubts naturally arise. Jesus’ question is still for us. He’s still quite willing to en-gage our doubts. He still invites us to come and experience the reality of his res-urrection in our encounter with him in prayer, scripture, worship, and the commu-nity his presence builds.

54


Jesus: Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?

Me:

55

Wednesday, April 3John 21:1-9, 15-17 (NIV)

1 Aerward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. Ithappened this way: 2 Simon Peter, omas (also known as Didymus),Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disci-ples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, andthey said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, butthat night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on theshore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5 He called out tothem, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. 6 He said,“row your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the largenumber of fish. 7en the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It isthe Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” hewrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) andjumped into the water. 8e other disciples followed in the boat, towingthe net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundredyards. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fishon it, and some bread…15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Si-mon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes,Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered,“Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”17e third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Pe-ter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?”He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said,“Feed my sheep.”

Reflection: Unsure of where to go or what to do, Peter returns to what he knows: fishing. But Jesus has bigger plans for him. So Jesus asks Peter about his priorities: Do you love me more than these (i.e., more than you love your boat, your nets, etc.)? is is no small thing. Fishing was Peter’s life before he began following Jesus; this was his identity. Nevertheless, Peter says “yes.” As a result, Jesus invites Peter to feed and take care of Jesus’ sheep—i.e., to pastor (pastor = shepherd) the communi-ty Jesus is building. e question for us is: do we love Jesus more than the things of life? Do we love Jesus more than our work? more than our studies? more than the identities we had before we began following Jesus? If so, Jesus has invitations for us to invest deeply in the lives of the people around us.

56


Jesus: Do you love me more than these?

Me:

57

ursday, April 4John 21:17-23 (NIV)

Continuing from yesterday’s passage…

17 Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you wereyounger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when youare old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress youand lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicatethe kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. en he said to him,“Follow me!” 20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was followingthem. (is was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supperand had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him,he asked, “Lord, what about him?” 22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what isthat to you? You must follow me.” 23 Because of this, the rumor spreadamong the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not saythat he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until Ireturn, what is that to you?”

Reflection: Aer all that Peter has been through—declaring his devotion to Jesus, denying him three times, seeing Jesus resurrected—the call from Jesus is still the same: “Follow me!” is time, however, Jesus is yet more precise about the cost of obedience. Peter—like Jesus—will glorify God through his death. Peter’s gradually getting the idea. Rather than protest (like he did when Jesus first told him about Je-sus’ own coming death) or run away (like he did at the trial), this time Peter simply wants to know that at least the cost of discipleship is fair. We get the sense that Pe-ter just whips his head around to see who’s nearest to point and ask whether he’s get-ting a raw deal. “What about him?” Jesus’ answer is in the form of a question: “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

e cost of following Jesus is universal (it’s always costly) but by no means uniform (not everyone incurs the same costs). It’s easy to get caught up comparing our life following Jesus with others’, envying someone else’s “easier” path or judging someoneelse for not walking the same path Jesus asked us to walk. Jesus question for us to-day is: are we willing to stop comparing our paths to others’ and simply follow him?

58


Jesus: If I give someone else an “easier” path to follow, what is that to you?

Me:

59

Friday, April 5John 11:1, 3, 17, 20-27, 32-44 (NIV)

1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village ofMary and her sister Martha… 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord,the one you love is sick.”…17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus hadalready been in the tomb for four days… 20 When Martha heard that Jesuswas coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother wouldnot have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whateveryou ask.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha an-swered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Je-sus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. e one who believesin me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing inme will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I be-lieve that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into theworld.”… 32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell athis feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not havedied.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come alongwith her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” theyreplied. 35 Jesus wept. 36en the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 Butsome of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind manhave kept this man from dying?” 38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with astone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But,Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a badodor, for he has been there four days.” 40en Jesus said, “Did I not tellyou that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they tookaway the stone. en Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you thatyou have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this forthe benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that yousent me.” 43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus,come out!” 44e dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped withstrips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take offthe grave clothes and let him go.”

60

Reflection: Martha’s theology is impeccable. When Jesus tells her that her brother will be raised from the dead, she says: Yeah, I believe he’ll be raised at the resurrec-tion—that is, at the end of the world when God’s Kingdom is fully realized. Jesus in-sists that the resurrection is not a future event; it’s a person—that is, Jesus himself is the resurrection. Jesus asks: “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”—not just in the hereaer, but in the here and now. And Jesus shows the truth of what he says: he calls out to the dead man and the dead man walks out of his grave.

Jesus’ questions are for us: Do we believe that life is found in him? Do we expect to see God’s best? As you’ve taken the risk to trust Jesus with the desires of your heart, what have you seen God do? Are there things you’re still waiting to see? As you’ve been praying for folks in your life to experience God’s best, what have you seen God do? What would it look like to continue to trust God to work in the lives of your col-leagues, friends, and neighbors? Jesus’ promise has a paradoxical form: “the one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” As we’ve seen throughout our time in scripture, following Jesus in no way shields us from the pain of life—indeed, here we see Jesus himself weeps with Mary and Martha as they mourn Lazarus’ death. Nevertheless, following Jesus means that we live with hope that God inter-venes in our world with his resurrection power. ank Jesus for what you’ve seen him do this Lent and ask for the endurance to wait in hope for what still lies ahead.


Jesus: I am the resurrection and the life. e one who believes in me willlive, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will nev-er die. Do you believe this? Did I not tell you that if you believe, you willsee the glory of God?

Me:

61

questions jesus asks - elm city vineyard lent prayer guide

Documents