Jesus to Be Glorified

Scripture Reading: John 12:20-28

Scripture Focus:

                              “Jesus replied, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

                                             John 12:23 (NIV)

               What did Jesus mean by saying “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified”? My research has shown me something I should have learned a long time ago but didn’t. “The Greeks and Jews took it to mean that subjected kingdoms would grovel before the conqueror’s feet; by glorified he meant crucified. When the Son of Man was mentioned they thought of the conquest of God’s armies of God; he meant the conquest of the cross.” ¹

               Jesus told the people, including the disciples, that he would die several times but they chose to interpret his words to their liking. Is it any wonder the disciples felt betrayed and disillusioned when Jesus’s words came to pass?

               The people who heard Jesus say these difficult things are no different from those of us who live in the 21st Century. We have something in us that sometimes makes us hear what we want to hear.

               King Solomon gives us sage advice when he tells us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding.”(Proverbs 3:5, NIV) Think on this thought as we go through the Lenten season. Have we watered down God’s message to us by applying our thoughts to the message God has for us?

Should we wait and look at these words, as He would want us to?

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1. Daily Study Bible, the Book of John, Vol. 2 by William Barclay Westminster Press © 1975 page 123

Thoughts at the Triumphal Entry

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Scripture reading: John 12:12-19

Scripture focus: 

               “They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

              

                              ‘Hosanna!’

                             

                              ‘Blessed is he comes in the name of the Lord!’

                             

                              ‘Blessed is the King of Israel!’”

               “Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, ‘See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!’”

                                                            John 12:13, 19 (NIV)

               The people traveling to the Feast of the Passover received word that the Teacher was coming to Jerusalem. (My research showed that there could have been close to 2,700,000 people attending this feast.¹⁾

               There were several groups of people in this massive crowd. Those who followed Jesus, those who heard about Him and were curious, and those who were the governing officials—the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

               Those who followed Jesus may have been caught up in the mood of the larger crowd. Those who had heard of the Lord wanted to make Him an earthly king. (Verse 13.) This was not Jesus’ plan. The Pharisees watched and witnessed the horde of people going to where Jesus was and decided that they may have been fighting a losing battle. This scene seemed to cement their resolve to remove Jesus from this earth.

              

               Jesus, who came in peace and not war, did not have it in mind to be an earthly king. He knew what lay ahead for Him. I wonder what He thought when he heard the crowd say, “Blessed is the King of Israel.” Could it be He realized that the people had not been listening to his teachings?

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1. Daily Study Bible: The Book of John Vol. 2 by William Barclay. © Westminster Press. Philadelphia 1975, Page 115

Mary of Bethany

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Scripture reading: John 12:1-11

Scripture focus: 

                            “Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume me; she poured it                             on Jesus’ feet, and wiped his feet with her hair. The fragrance of the perfume filled                              the house But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who would later betray him,                                      objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was  worth a year’s wages.”

                       “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always  have me.”  John 12: 3-5, 7-8 (NIV)

 

               My name is Mary; I live in Bethany. The Master brought my brother back to life. My brother Lazarus hosted a dinner to honor Jesus as a way to thank him for this miracle. My sister Martha served the meal. I wanted to honor the Teacher in a special way for his wonderful deed to our family.

               I had this alabaster jar of pure nard, a gift from a suitor. As I opened the container, the wonderful scent filled the house. I carefully poured the nard onto Jesus’ feet, not wanting to waste any of it. Then, I wiped his feet with my hair, being certain to cover all of them.

               One of his disciples objected to what I had done. He muttered something about the nard could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus spoke up in my behalf. He told that disciple I had been saving this perfume for when He was buried. What he did not say was that the perfume was the most precious thing I possessed. The Teacher could have chided me for doing this but, instead, he spoke words of kindness on my behalf.

               I never forgot what Jesus did for our family when he brought our brother back to us. I will also remember how He stood for me that night when that disciple ridiculed me for my act of love for the Master.

Book Review: 40 Days of Decrease

Author: Alicia Britt Chole

               Mrs. Chole investigates the season of Lent in a very well researched book. She takes the 40 days of Lent and explores various aspects of the season.

               In each days reading, she has a section relating to Jesus’ actions during His last week on earth. She continues with a reflection of what we have read. Next, she tells us what we need to fast (give up) for that day. Mrs. Chole then gives us information about Lent and its history. She ends each daily section with our reading the book of John, chapters 12 through 21,          one section at a time, she has also included a place for us to journal our thoughts about each day’s passage. Those who faithfully read and journal about the book of John will gain intimate knowledge about the last week of Christ’s life.

  

               I would recommend this book for any individual or group who wants to learn more about Lent, the process of fasting, and the ways of Christ in the face of His path to Golgotha. I would also recommend this book to anyone who feels the need to grow in the Lord. I intend to use this study as my Lenten devotional.

               I received this book from Thomas Nelson free of charge. All they asked of me was that I read it and give an impartial review.

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I am posting this on Ash Wednesday as a way to be true to my intention about letting others know about this marvelous book. 

Great is God’s Love

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“Praise the Lord, all you nations;

Extol him, all you peoples.

For great is his love toward us,

And the faithfulness endures forever.

Praise the Lord.”

Psalm 117:1-2 (NIV)

               The psalmist makes it clear to his readers; all the nations are to praise the Lord. The people in those nations are to lift their voices, giving thanks for Who He is.

               God’s love for us is immeasurable. He loves us when we come to Him and confess our wrongdoing, take our emotional bruises and hurts to Him, or just go to His Throne to tell Him that we love Him. Let me say it this way: We cannot quantify God’s love for His children; it is so vast.

               God’s faithfulness never ends. He is as true to His word today as He was to the patriarchs and prophets in the Old Testament.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:7 (NIV)

RJD: 2/2016 Names People Call Us

Journal Entry: Dec. 3, 2015

BACKGROUND:

I received therapy for my broken ankle while I was in the nursing home. My only time out of my room each day (seven days a week) was to receive therapy. I came to enjoy those who worked in that department.

Journal Entry:

               One of the male therapists here at the nursing home/rehab center said something interesting today. His mother does not like to be called ‘honey’ or ‘hon.’ She thinks it sounds demeaning.

               This set me to thinking. When I was in college, one of the guys on campus who worked for the food service, part time, always called the girls in the dorm endearing little names like ‘doll.’ He was in the same fraternity as my boyfriend. One day one of my sorority sisters who also dated another guy from that fraternity house and I asked him why he did that.

               My friend hit upon the idea that he did this because he did not know or could not remember the names of the other girls on campus. However, he had to know our names.

               Here at the rehab/nursing facility, the CAN’s, the nurses, and the therapists use the little cute names because it is quick and easy. The environment can be somewhat cold and daunting to the patients. The use of endearing terms breaks the ice and is meant to put the patient at ease.

               The Bible says God has a special name for each of his children. Each of us will find out what He calls us when we meet Him.

UPDATE:

               Yesterday, I underwent an evaluation for the possibility of continuing my physical therapy. The young woman told me I was doing well, making progress. I could have continued receiving therapy for 30 days. I explained something to her and asked for two more weeks. She agreed to my suggestion.

I will see my regular PT woman three more times and then this evaluator will come back to release me. I am so happy; I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  

Linked to:enthusiasticallydawn.

Abounding in Love

The Lord works righteousness

And justice for all the oppressed.

He made know his ways to Moses,

His deeds to the people of Israel:

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

Slow to anger, abounding in love.

Psalm 103:6-8 (NIV)

               This is another of David’s writings. He writes kindly of the Lord. Let us see what the Shepherd King has to say;

“The Lord works righteousness and justice. . .” In our society, we see times when we believe victims do not receive justice. Either the perpetrators get off free or receive a very light sentence. God will take care of the hurt the victims and their families’ experience.

“ . . for all the oppressed.” When one is beaten down by attitudes and actions of another, sometimes God is the only friend the victims have. When we reach out to God, He accepts us as we are. If we are hurt, anxious, or angry, He listens to us and acts upon our needs.

“He made known his ways to Moses. . .” God took Moses from the land of Goshen and led him through the wilderness. The Father conversed with him on the mountaintop and doled out discipline for Moses and the Israelites.

“His deeds to the people of Israel”; Several times the Lord God had to remind the Israelites of what He had done for them. The Israelite people had very short-term memory—they would forget how God had been with them. Sometimes, we of the 21st Century forget what happened when we miraculously find ourselves on the receiving end of something nice. We do not deserve to be treated the way God treats us—we deserve death. Nevertheless, God gives us His love through His grace.

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious . . .” God exercises compassion to all who come to Him. He never turns any of His children away. He listens intently and then he deals with us with grace—even when his discipline might seem harsh.

“slow to anger, abounding in love.”

One of the hallmarks of God is that he chooses not to do anything without extending grace or giving redemption for our/others’ sins. God provides everything we need in order for us to live; no wonder we learn to love Jesus as we do.