Ruminations of Good Friday ...
Jesus, from the very beginning of his ministry, spoke about his death. He spoke about it in very intentional ways. He spoke about how he would die, the process he would take, and what it would gain him. He spoke about his death from the very beginning, so it was no surprise for him when it finally came.
It was a surprise for those who were following him. Even though they heard him speak about the manner of his death, even though they heard him speak of his own intention to die and be raised again, even though they questioned him repeatedly about it, they were all caught off-guard.
In the book of John, Jesus refers to his death several times as being lifted up.
Focus on John 12:32: And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
The word has two meanings:
1) it means to be exalted, or to be brought up from a lowly place, and
2) it means to be lifted up on a cross before all people
The Romans had a custom of lining the roads with Crucifixions. It was part of their strategy of spreading the Pax Romana, the Peace of Rome. If you disrupted the peace, you faced a horrible, excruciating punishment and death.
· As you entered into a town, you were forced to look up and see death.
· Deterrent to crime, thwart those who would oppose
· Recognize who was in charge.
But Jesus is changing how he wants people to see him lifted up.
· He doesn’t want them to see him as a criminal.
· He doesn’t want them to see him as a loser rebel to the greater Roman empire.
Jesus wants people to see him on the cross as if he were on a throne. And that’s very confusing. The cross is far from being a throne.
The cross means nothing of what Jesus intends it to mean.
· It’s debasing, it’s horrible, it’s brutal.
· It’s about power over others. It’s about intimidation.
· It’s about death.
· But Jesus wants it to mean something entirely different.
· When we lift up our eyes and see him, Jesus wants us to see something else. He wants us to see God in a way we’ve never imagined possible.
To accomplish this feat of seeing God in the death of Jesus, Jesus laid the groundwork through his stories. He told one specific story early on in his ministry, in his conversation with Nicodemus.
There’s a story of a different kind of lifting up in the book of Numbers.
· Israelites complaining to Moses about being out in the wilderness.
· The grumbling has angered God who sends “fiery” serpents to add to their complaint.
· God instructs Moses to make a bronze serpent, put it on a pole, and lift it up.
· When people gaze at it, they are healed.
The Rabbis have said that the snake on a pole didn’t have the healing power. It wasn’t some magical potion to heal the people. This instrument of healing was simply a pole with a snake on it.
The act of looking up was really a reminder for the Israelites to lift up their eyes heavenward and be reminded of their God who saves them. The snake on a pole redirects their thoughts away from ‘the danger at their feet’ to God.
The snake which was their point of pain now was their reminder of redemption. The lifted up snake reminded them of God, and they were healed--healed not only of the pain of the snake bite, but also of their own sinfulness that had gotten them to the spot they were in.
Jesus, since day one with his disciples, has been re-framing our thoughts on the cross. He wants us not to look at it as an instrument of torture and death and the absence of God, but as the throne of God where God reigns.
This is scandalous, and it has been ever since Jesus was crucified.
· Who would ever believe that such a powerful God, the One who creates everything there is, would choose to be crucified and die a failure’s death?
· Who would ever believe that God could suffer in this way?
We would expect to see God somewhere else, not gasping for breath and crying out in agony. I would expect to see God at the eastern slope of Breckenridge where all is majestic and beautiful in the world. I would expect to see God in a wonderfully played piece of music. I would expect to see God in the quiet of a butterfly exhibit.
Yet, God doesn’t primarily choose these places to reveal himself to us. It is on the cross where God shows us his face. It should be no surprise to us. Jesus has been telling us this since day one.
On the cross, in human suffering—this is the way that God chooses to operate in our world. He takes what we consider to be death, and flips it on its head to become an instrument of his healing.
What we see on the cross is more than a good man who tells us how to live good lives also. What we see on the cross is more than a wise teacher who reveals to us the hidden secrets to a more enjoyable life.
What we see on the cross is God, hidden in the life of Jesus, and now suffering with him in his death. We see our hidden God who is taking away all the pain of life and putting it to death once and for all. God is taking away all that threatens us and burying it through the very instrument that represents it all—the cross.
We are bitten by life at all sides, just like the Israelites were hundreds of years ago.
We are bitten by the power of death over our lives, a power that takes people from us and leaves us with questions.
We are bitten by the power of suffering in our lives, a power that hurts us and stamps down.
It was a surprise for those who were following him. Even though they heard him speak about the manner of his death, even though they heard him speak of his own intention to die and be raised again, even though they questioned him repeatedly about it, they were all caught off-guard.
In the book of John, Jesus refers to his death several times as being lifted up.
Focus on John 12:32: And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.
The word has two meanings:
1) it means to be exalted, or to be brought up from a lowly place, and
2) it means to be lifted up on a cross before all people
The Romans had a custom of lining the roads with Crucifixions. It was part of their strategy of spreading the Pax Romana, the Peace of Rome. If you disrupted the peace, you faced a horrible, excruciating punishment and death.
· As you entered into a town, you were forced to look up and see death.
· Deterrent to crime, thwart those who would oppose
· Recognize who was in charge.
But Jesus is changing how he wants people to see him lifted up.
· He doesn’t want them to see him as a criminal.
· He doesn’t want them to see him as a loser rebel to the greater Roman empire.
Jesus wants people to see him on the cross as if he were on a throne. And that’s very confusing. The cross is far from being a throne.
The cross means nothing of what Jesus intends it to mean.
· It’s debasing, it’s horrible, it’s brutal.
· It’s about power over others. It’s about intimidation.
· It’s about death.
· But Jesus wants it to mean something entirely different.
· When we lift up our eyes and see him, Jesus wants us to see something else. He wants us to see God in a way we’ve never imagined possible.
To accomplish this feat of seeing God in the death of Jesus, Jesus laid the groundwork through his stories. He told one specific story early on in his ministry, in his conversation with Nicodemus.
There’s a story of a different kind of lifting up in the book of Numbers.
· Israelites complaining to Moses about being out in the wilderness.
· The grumbling has angered God who sends “fiery” serpents to add to their complaint.
· God instructs Moses to make a bronze serpent, put it on a pole, and lift it up.
· When people gaze at it, they are healed.
The Rabbis have said that the snake on a pole didn’t have the healing power. It wasn’t some magical potion to heal the people. This instrument of healing was simply a pole with a snake on it.
The act of looking up was really a reminder for the Israelites to lift up their eyes heavenward and be reminded of their God who saves them. The snake on a pole redirects their thoughts away from ‘the danger at their feet’ to God.
The snake which was their point of pain now was their reminder of redemption. The lifted up snake reminded them of God, and they were healed--healed not only of the pain of the snake bite, but also of their own sinfulness that had gotten them to the spot they were in.
Jesus, since day one with his disciples, has been re-framing our thoughts on the cross. He wants us not to look at it as an instrument of torture and death and the absence of God, but as the throne of God where God reigns.
This is scandalous, and it has been ever since Jesus was crucified.
· Who would ever believe that such a powerful God, the One who creates everything there is, would choose to be crucified and die a failure’s death?
· Who would ever believe that God could suffer in this way?
We would expect to see God somewhere else, not gasping for breath and crying out in agony. I would expect to see God at the eastern slope of Breckenridge where all is majestic and beautiful in the world. I would expect to see God in a wonderfully played piece of music. I would expect to see God in the quiet of a butterfly exhibit.
Yet, God doesn’t primarily choose these places to reveal himself to us. It is on the cross where God shows us his face. It should be no surprise to us. Jesus has been telling us this since day one.
On the cross, in human suffering—this is the way that God chooses to operate in our world. He takes what we consider to be death, and flips it on its head to become an instrument of his healing.
What we see on the cross is more than a good man who tells us how to live good lives also. What we see on the cross is more than a wise teacher who reveals to us the hidden secrets to a more enjoyable life.
What we see on the cross is God, hidden in the life of Jesus, and now suffering with him in his death. We see our hidden God who is taking away all the pain of life and putting it to death once and for all. God is taking away all that threatens us and burying it through the very instrument that represents it all—the cross.
We are bitten by life at all sides, just like the Israelites were hundreds of years ago.
We are bitten by the power of death over our lives, a power that takes people from us and leaves us with questions.
We are bitten by the power of suffering in our lives, a power that hurts us and stamps down.
We are bitten by the power of our own sin, a power that destroys our relationship with God, stains our interactions with others, and ruins our own identities to be God’s loved people in this world.
Instead of torture, we find healing through the cross.
Instead of guilt, we find forgiveness through the cross.
Instead of shame, we find acceptance through the cross.
Jesus said he would be lifted up and that we would be drawn to him. We don’t worship the cross—we worship the God hidden in this cross. And because God chooses to be lifted up in this way, our views on how we see God in this world are changed forever.
We see God in the hidden places of life—in the cries of suffering, in the grief over loss, in the loss of hope. Because God lives in those places, all those places can be transformed by him. These aren’t places lost from God’s reign. They are the very places where God is transforming this world and taking away the sting of death.
The cross is where we are reminded that God is the one who saves. It should be no surprise. Jesus said it from the very beginning. Will we ever trust him? God alone saves.
I’m thankful to the following article for providing some of the thoughts contained herein:
http://urj.org/PrintItem/index.cfm?id=10579&type=Articles
Instead of torture, we find healing through the cross.
Instead of guilt, we find forgiveness through the cross.
Instead of shame, we find acceptance through the cross.
Jesus said he would be lifted up and that we would be drawn to him. We don’t worship the cross—we worship the God hidden in this cross. And because God chooses to be lifted up in this way, our views on how we see God in this world are changed forever.
We see God in the hidden places of life—in the cries of suffering, in the grief over loss, in the loss of hope. Because God lives in those places, all those places can be transformed by him. These aren’t places lost from God’s reign. They are the very places where God is transforming this world and taking away the sting of death.
The cross is where we are reminded that God is the one who saves. It should be no surprise. Jesus said it from the very beginning. Will we ever trust him? God alone saves.
I’m thankful to the following article for providing some of the thoughts contained herein:
http://urj.org/PrintItem/index.cfm?id=10579&type=Articles
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