John 19:38-42

John 19:38-42 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Following the death of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, two wealthy and important members of Jewish society, openly and willingly put their reputations on the line by asking for the body of Christ, taking it away, and preparing Christ's earthly remains for burial out of their love for him. Even though society now considered this man they carefully wrapped in strips of fine linen and anointed with fragrant myrrh and aloes as a criminal, they were willing to spend a significant amount of money on this extravagant fabric and these expensive spices to prepare Jesus' body for entombment. This scene reveals clearly their great respect and reverence for a teacher, a friend, and perhaps a Messiah who could no longer instruct or offer comfort and help or do anything for them, except maybe to besmirch their reputations in the community, especially among the Jewish elite. But Joseph and Nicodemus obviously were men of God who realized Jesus had influenced them with his obedience to God, touched them with his words, graced them with his goodness, and changed them forever. They were not going to abandon him to an unclean burial, lacking the traditional ceremony and the loving hands of friends to fulfill the customs of the day. They tenderly prepared his bruised body, lavished his wounded side and his pierced brow with tender care, and laid him in a new tomb in a garden where no one had been buried before. This was their love offering, the best they could give to the memory of the Jesus they loved. No amount of doubt, fear, or concern for self-preservation could have kept them from completing their assignment. They had seen Jesus crucified, and they knew the time for secrecy was past; they had to bury him.

As human beings with our emotional ups and downs and our spiritual highs and lows, we sometimes retreat from Jesus or stumble in our faith walk depending upon how we feel or what happens. We act as if Jesus is dead to us because things are not working out or our problems seem too big for him to handle because He has not answered our prayers as we think they should be answered. Perhaps we or someone we love or care about is too sick, we are too far in debt, we are too burdened down with obsessive compulsions, we are too overwhelmed with implacable family problems, or maybe we have made such a mess out of our lives we can't see a way out no matter what happens. There is no end to the list of difficulties we could name. Joseph and Nicodemus did not retreat when they faced impossible odds. They incurred the cost of burial, knowing Jesus was the fallen leader of a totally lost cause with a ruined reputation whose followers were scattered; and He had no power or resources of any kind to help them anymore. Certainly, they knew no more profound words of wisdom, no more insightful parables, no more loving touches or miraculous healings would emanate from his dead body. Yet wonder of wonders, they loved him, they cherished him, and they would not let his body be buried without their tender touches and careful burial ministrations. They literally put everything on the line for this dead Jesus: money, reputation, status, their lives. They were all in for a Jesus who could not help them anymore. Something about this man Jesus got hold of their hearts, and they said, "We will follow you, Jesus of Nazareth, even in death." They had begun to question, to seek, to want to know what He meant when He said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man [on the cross], then you will know that I am [the one I claim to be] and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” (John 8:28-29)

Who is Jesus today? Is He the answer man, fulfilling all our requests like a giant computer in the sky? Is He the giver of all things good, all we want and all we need, who hands out presents willy nilly as a Holy Santa Claus, checking off our wish lists because we have been so good and we deserve all the things we ask him to send our way? Do we stop to remember that He is the Son of God, the Holy One, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the One we worship and adore whether we feel him in our lives or not, whether we are on a mountaintop or in a valley because He alone is worthy? He alone rescued us from the miry clay and set our feet upon a rock and put a new song in our hearts when we were without hope. Faith steps far beyond human circumstances, and faith always transcends finite powers of human reasoning. By faith we know Jesus is not dead regardless of our inconsistent feelings or fleshly assumptions. Every new creature in Christ cries out to all the world: "Jesus lives because He lives in me! I was blind but now I see!" Jesus is actually the breath behind our voices. John says, The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. Jesus is that light, that breath of life. Whether we recognize him or acknowledge him, Jesus is that light, that breath, that fulfillment of all that we could not do through our own limited abilities or strength.

When Paul spoke of salvation through faith rather than the law, he showed Christ fulfilled the law: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:8-13) For Christians, as with Joseph and Nicodemus, we bear an everlasting love for our Lord, whether we feel him or not, our love endures, perseveres by faith, even in those times of insecurity or doubt when we wonder whether we will ever again experience the emotional highs or the exultant sense of power and authority we felt in some previous experience. We know by faith in God's Word Jesus is alive and He reigns forever. He lives in us through the power of the Holy Spirit, and we have victory over all things through him. Joseph and Nicodemus did not even realize Jesus would be alive in three days because if they had, they would not have prepared his body in such a manner. But God did not allow Jesus to suffer corruption in the grave. In truth, the Jesus of death Joseph and Nicodemus prepared for burial was the Jesus of eternal life, THE LAMB OF GOD, THE GRACE GIFT OF GOD WHO ROSE AGAIN IN TRIUMPH. May we receive that gift with grace and thankfulness today, knowing He is near, and He is all we need.

John 19:31-37

John 19:31-37 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

John's simple narrative of the treatment of the bodies on the crosses on the day of Preparation reveals the participants in the crucifixion of Jesus again fulfilling Old Testament scriptures pertaining to the death of the only begotten Son of God. When John the Baptist spoke of him, he knew he was preparing the way for One who was greater than he was, who was coming to do a mighty work for God the Father. John said, "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." When John saw the Spirit come upon Jesus as a dove, he declared, “Behold the Lamb of God!” (See John Chapter One) Now we see the broken body of this same Jesus Christ who walked on Earth among men and women, setting captives free and bringing peace to troubled hearts, offered up as the ultimate and perfect Passover Lamb for the sins of all people. Yet He experiences death without the soldiers breaking his legs just as the scriptures foretold by decreeing that no bone of the Passover lamb should ever be broken: In one house it [the offering] shall be eaten; you shall not carry any of the flesh outside the house, nor shall you break one of its bones. (Exodus 12:46) They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break one of its bones. (Numbers 9:12) As with the Jewish Passover lambs, Jesus offered himself to God unblemished, in every way perfect, holy, and in right standing with his heavenly Father. Pontius Pilate said he found no fault in him. Jesus fully paid the penalty for sin. Upon Christ's death the dividing partition, that huge wall of separation between God and mankind, tumbled to the ground just as the temple veil was rent into two pieces as we gained access into the Holy of Holies through the precious blood of the Lamb. No longer would men and women have to remain outside of God's holy presence because of his righteous wrath upon sin.

Now, because of the blood of the Lamb of God spilt on the cross, all who called upon the name of Jesus and trusted in his saving grace could enter boldly into God's presence and call him Abba Father. The true Passover Lamb made it possible for mere men to be the temple of God, inhabited by God's Spirit. The Lamb of God took away our sins so that we might be the very essence, the impression, of God's presence on Earth. Many gospel songs have captured the heart of this miraculous life-changing event. We should not merely sing "He Arose" on Easter. "Up from the grave He arose"; and because He arose, we rise also from all sin and darkness; and we have victory over sin and death forever and ever. He "arose the Victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever with his saints to reign." This is the truth of the gospel. Yet so often we are downcast and discouraged. "He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!" Christ's death was not a victory for the world of sin and darkness. He arose, and because He lives, we live forever. Yes, we live challenging lives, full of distractions, stony places, trials, temptations, and even pitfalls along our paths. But we are not supposed to be taken aback by such events because Jesus warned his disciples they would face troubles and promised to send the Holy Spirit to help them, saying, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me." Christ's followers sorrowed in his death; yet they had hope, a promise from Christ for a better day. He had gone on to speak of glorious things to come: The Helper, the Spirit of Truth, who would come from the Father. Jesus told them "He will bear witness of Me, and you will bear witness also." (John 15:18-21 & 26-27)

We have that glorious hope, that blessed hope through the risen Christ and the power of the resident Holy Spirit. As believers we have every reason to rejoice and to give thanks. The Word is full of reminders, rich and overflowing with light and love, water and food for our thirsty and hungry souls. The Bible shows us we are the redeemed in Christ. We must choose to walk in our inheritance, according to the abundance He has provided for each of his co-heirs regardless of our earthly situation. God does not force us to enter into the Promised Land: we always have a faith choice. We can look at the giants or see the land of milk and honey. Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they (children of Israel) did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. . . It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. . .Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:1-2, 6-10, & 14-16) CHRIST IS THE LAMB OF GOD: our Lamb, our sacrifice, our shelter, our rest, all we need right now. We pray each of you enter in that rest by faith today.

John 19:23-30

John 19:23-30 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. “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 which said, “They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” So this is what the soldiers did. Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

As John looks back in time through the anointing of the Holy Spirit to recount his memory of the crucifixion of his Lord, his description of Christ's death takes on a simplicity. From the moment we hear the people cry, "We have no king but Caesar," until we hear the Son of the Living God cry out, "It is finished," we read very few words, no parables, not discourses or long debates, no detailed accounts of the import or the impact of the situation. John shows us the last moments quickly as the soldiers took charge and Jesus, carrying his own cross. . .went to the place of the Skull where they crucified him. As we saw in our last study, Pilate prepared a sign to fasten to the cross, reading: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Now all the characters in the final moments stand at the foot of the cross in a tableau as John describes what they did, how they acted as Jesus drew his last breaths on this earth. Soldiers divide his garments. Three women, all named Mary, stand near the cross. When Jesus sees his mother, He commits her into John's care, showing that even in the midst of the agony of his death, Jesus exemplifies a servant's heart and models lovingkindness for those witnessing his suffering. Later, realizing He has done all He needs to do, Jesus thirsts and receives a sponge soaked with wine vinegar on a stalk from a hyssop plant, fulfilling these Old Testament prophecies: My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst. (Psalms 22:15 & 69:21) Finally in the most effective use of understatement ever penned, John writes: When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

It is finished! Wonderful words of life, hope, peace, and victory for all who would call upon the name of the Son of God who had just given all for God's beloved sons and daughters that they might find eternal life. Christ's death and his resurrection through the power of the Holy Spirit opened wide the door for every man, woman, and child to find eternal life. Jesus said those words trusting in the Father's love and in the fulfillment of scripture as well: For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Psalm 16:10 KJV) We all memorize scriptures as children in Sunday School or we hear this word preached: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17) But do we realize what these words mean: the power and authority behind the words, the cost to the Godhead. Christ's life, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection fulfilled the plan of God, confirmed Old Testament scriptures regarding the Messiah who would suffer and die to redeem mankind. Jesus' redemptive work on the cross satisfied God's anger and judgment against sin. He paid the penalty of death for all people for all time. Man, originally created in the image of God, would not merely be restored to walking in the garden with God as his created beings. Through the blood of the Lamb, all who received Christ would literally be adopted into God's family as sons and daughters, joint heirs with Christ, partakers of his life and love. With the indwelling Holy Spirit, believers now have a wellspring of living water flowing from our innermost being. As we choose light and love in Christ our old lives are finished and we have new life, new water to quench our thirsty souls and new water overflowing in a dry and thirsty land where others thirst for water that satisfies forever.

Today we know for certain, IT IS FINISHED. We no longer have to display the anger, pain, sorrow without hope, and the viciousness of the flesh that demands an eye for any eye, a tooth for a tooth, and the "I will get even no matter how long it takes" mentality of the world in which we live. We can become as Christ, servants of the world with genuine love and forgiveness in our hearts. Jesus made that possible for each of us by shedding his blood and sending the Spirit of Truth to abide in our hearts, filling us with the fruit of the Spirit that we might show the world we are Christians by our love. As Jesus was dying on a cruel cross between two criminals, He could have done and said so many things. He could have judged the world for its sins and wicked deeds, but He did not. He cried out, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Then when the criminal at his side said, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom, Jesus said, "Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:33 &42-43 KJV) As always, Jesus was doing the work of his Father, listening to the Holy Spirit's voice, loving the unlovely, holding forth mercy and grace, reminding the people God is slow to anger and quick to forgive, full of tender mercies for a fallen people, not willing that any should perish. When we receive God in all his fullness, yielding to his will and not our own, the Spirit leads us into all truth. He shows us the nature of God. If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:1-4) This is the perfect will of God; this is his plan, his purpose, his design. We are his workmanship, his beloved, his chosen ones. Rejoice, the battle is over: Christ has won!

John 19:16-22

John 19:16-22 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others — one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 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. 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.” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

We have seen Christ take the final steps to Golgotha quickly. No jury of his peers debates his fate; no governor ponders long a pardon to free him from an undeserved death on a cross between two criminals. When Jesus tells Pilate he has no power over him except what is given to him from above, Pilate tries to free Jesus. But when Pilate hears the people say, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar," he sits down on his judge's seat and says, "Here is your king." The people do not see a king before them: they shout, "Take him away! Crucify him!" When Pilate asks if he should crucify their king, the chief priests declare, "We have no king but Caesar." Now almost as if he must make a statement contrary to the evidence at hand, Pilate commands that a notice be prepared in three languages that all might know and be fastened to the cross where Jesus will suffer and die, a proclamation he refuses to change even when the chief priests protest yet again. Pilate posts the powerful words: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. How the words must have angered those who cried out against that notice. Pilate may have wanted to ease his conscience a bit or he may have had a sense of wanting to show his authority in the situation by standing firm, saying almost as a prophet, “What I have written, I have written.” Human motivations matter little in eternity except as they line up with the plan and the will of God. What mattered then and remains of eternal significance is that God had the last word. He spoke last as He always does: Behold, my Son; Behold, the Lamb; Behold, THE KING OF THE JEWS! Jesus faced the cross, but He faced it as He was, as the King of kings!

At times believers face trials: difficult circumstances may momentarily dim our focus or draw us away from the Lord or make us wonder why events happen as they do. During the ups and downs of living, we must remember who is in control, where we are heading, and why we are alive. If we read the Bible, countless scriptures tell us life is difficult; regardless, we have a higher purpose than earthly satisfaction and carefree living. We act surprised by trials, but Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Peter wrote to the church: Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. (1 Peter 4:12-14) Under house arrest, Paul told the church to rejoice always and not to focus on earthly things. As he said, Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:8-11) If we are totally cast down and despairing over the trials and struggles of daily living, we need to practice the presence of Jesus. In him is fullness of joy, peace, and all we need to overcome.

We do sorrow and grieve, yet we do not despair as do the rest [of the world] who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13) We know Jesus overcame when He went to the cross for us. We have a King who paid a tremendous price that we might have eternal life: his name is Jesus. We are reminded of his faithfulness in little and large situations. Over the past months, we have struggled with Mom's illnesses and the added stress of PTSD. This past week, her second cataract surgery went well. She is seeing better than she has in years; working at the computer today without making the letters large. This is a tremendous blessing! But other than Mom learning coping and processing methods, God has not taken away the daily pressures of dealing with PTSD. She still has flashbacks that torment her when she is awake and asleep. God has provided a wonderful Christian counselor, and Mom relies upon the Word and the blessed Holy Spirit (the Wonderful Counselor); but God has allowed this affliction to remain. She often describes this disorder as the feeling of losing her essential self and continually drowning with the water lapping at her chin. She knows she is making progress but often feels as if she is treading water rather than making progress toward a distant shore. BUT ALL OF THE TIME, JESUS IS THERE. The tormenters speak lies, BUT JESUS HAS THE LAST WORD, and He says: "I am with you, Jacqueline. I am above you, below you, beside you, behind you. I cover you, hover over you. You can trust me: I will never leave you or forsake you. You will not perish. You will not drown in the deep waters. I will bear you up on eagle's wings. I am the God who heals you; I am your Healer. I am your Strength, your Song, your Joy, your Peace, your Everything, Enough. Abide in me: I am your Dwelling Place, your Shelter in the time of storm." He is always speaking, but we have to believe that He has the words of life, the final words, for He is the King of kings!