The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – John 19:31-37 (day five)

“And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.”
He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that thought I was blind, now I see.”

What is it that you know about Jesus, or that you have seen God do in your life?  What experiences have you had with Jesus that have shaped and changed your life?  We call these testimonies. Just simply telling the truth of what has happened in your heart and life. (It’s what John has done in his gospel) Share what you have seen and experienced- things God has done in your life and the lives of others.

Talk about those things early and often. Talk about what you have seen and experienced (what you know). Tell those stories when you get opportunity. They are your testimony. No one can take them away from you. Share so that others might believe too.

Re:Verse passage – John 19:31-37 (day four)

“Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.”

Have you noticed the small differences in John’s gospel from Matthew, Mark, and Luke? Throughout the whole book, John focuses less on what Jesus said and did, and focuses more on showing us who Jesus really is. Here, John is showing us that Jesus is the true Lamb of God. John takes the time to remind us that this is all taking place during Passover, the annual Jewish festival commemorating God’s faithfulness as the angel of death “passed over” Jewish homes with the blood of a sacrificial lamb over their door. The Jewish people knew that they couldn’t leave the crucified bodies out in public on the holy day of Passover, so they asked for them to be taken down.

It’s ironic, isn’t it? The Jewish people made sure to keep their Passover customs, even though they had just put to death the One who would fulfill the Passover for all eternity. Jesus is the true Passover Lamb, breaking the chains of captivity and sparing His people from death. John is bringing us back to his first chapter, verse 29, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” This was lost on the Jewish people at the time, but John makes it clear that Jesus is the Son of God, the one who’s blood spares the sinner from death. That is who our savior is.

Re:Verse passage – John 19:31-37 (day three)

“Not a bone of him shall be broken.”

Loneliness is one of the most horrific circumstances that a human being can experience. It will lead to severe distress, which can manifest as despair, depression, even psychosis. It is agony. To be lonely is to suffer. Jesus knew loneliness. His hometown turned its back on him. A disciple betrayed him. Hoped-for companionship in the garden of anguish did not materialize. Most of the others left him prior to his execution. His Psalm 22 quote on the cross became his cry of utter abandonment. He remained alone until the very end. No one came to hasten his demise by the breaking of his legs to force bodily collapse and suffocation. He went all the way through without solidarity, without fellowship, without the intimacy of God the Father, without even an assist to speed his death.

Re:Verse passage – John 19:31-37 (day two) 

Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. vs. 31

This verse reminds me of of Matthew 7:3 Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

Or James 3:10  from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.

Those who were in leadership, who were responsible for Jesus’, death were fastidious about keeping Sabbath rules, but had little regard for the atrocity they had just committed. We all have our areas that we keep neat and orderly. Oftentimes it is to have a good outward appearance, and yet there are other areas where we may have no regard for propriety, right, or truth. The Jewish officials reconciled in their own minds how what they were doing was ‘good’ for the people. We, similarly, justify our actions in an attempt to turn our faces from our own sinful nature. Where are those places in your heart that need a radical reshaping?

Re:Verse passage – John 19:28-30 (day seven) 

... knowing that all things had already been accomplished. vs 28

Jesus was born to die. This was the reason for the incarnation. God offered His Only Begotten Son to earth so that His people could become His children. As fully God, Christ could not accomplish what needed to be done. He could not die for sinners. He had to be born a man. Fully God, fully man. This was the only way it could be accomplished. Jesus was born to die.

Jesus was born to die so that we could live. The cloud of sin that prohibited us from having communion with God was lifted as the veil was torn. As the prophecy goes, His name will be called Immanuel. He became God with us so that He could always be God with us. Jesus was born to die so we could live with Him. Mission Accomplished.

Hebrews 2:14-15

Re:Verse passage – John 19:28-30 (day six)

Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end. John 13:1

This is the preface to Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, but it also captures, at least in part, Jesus’ sentiment when he declared “It is finished.” He had been faithful to the very end to care for the men the Father had entrusted into his care. In fact he says as much in his high priestly prayer in John 17.

Why does it matter? Have you faithfully loved all the people entrusted into your care? I, for one, am thankful Jesus’ righteousness becomes my own (2 Corinthians 5:21). He loved his neighbor as himself to the last breath of his life.

 

Re:Verse passage – John 19:28-30 (day five) “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty.”

The days right before and after the new year are often filled with introspect and evaluation. As a result, many will make resolutions for the next year- to get back on track or stay on track. One of the remarkable things about Jesus’ earthly life was His ability to keep focused on the mission and purpose for His coming to live on earth. I believe that for Him (and for us) a life centered on and constantly engaged in the Scriptures provided His clarity and courage. (Notice the reference to the scriptures in verse 28) When He says, “It is finished”, He is making a statement regarding His mission and purpose.

May we be resolved to have that same kind of awareness and commitment to God’s mission and purpose for our lives! May we be resolved to be deeply engaged in and dependent on the scriptures to find God’s mission and purpose for our lives!

Re:Verse passage – John 19:28-30 (day four)

“It is finished.” These three words changed everything. The soldiers who crucified Jesus probably heard them as an admission of defeat, as if Jesus was saying, “Alright, the jig is up. You got me, I’m finished.” But we know that this isn’t the end of the story. We know that it wasn’t an admission of defeat, but a statement of victory. At these words, the whole world became a different place. In a single moment, the veil was torn, the earth shook, rocks split, tombs were opened, the bodies of saints were raised. Heaven broke into earth with a cosmic victory too great for our understanding.

What’s interesting is that even though Jesus said, “It is finished,” the story isn’t actually finished yet. There’s still more coming – Sunday is still coming! The resurrection is still coming! And we still wait on Jesus coming again. But these three small words ushered in a reality that stands outside of time. Jesus won the victory, even though it still looked like defeat to everyone else. The Kingdom of God is here now, yet we still yearn for it to come.  Jesus won a victory so great that it stands outside of time, and we get to share in that victory with him. We know that it is finished.

Re:Verse passage – John 19:28-30 (day three)

“I am thirsty.”

Jesus Christ came in the flesh. That means God the Son was now human for all eternity. He didn’t temporarily cloak himself in a body and then escape it after the cross and resurrection were done. The scriptures make clear that the “man Jesus Christ” is the mediator between God and humans as the writer of Hebrews states. A “temporary human” would be a joke or a ruse or a cringe-inducing attempt at being “one of the gang.” If Jesus were slumming for a little while, you would perhaps perceive him as special – lovely even – but you would know he’s not really part of your experience. On the cross, the simple words Jesus speaks about the state of his bodily dehydration are dear. They show a Lord who doesn’t rage against bodily frailty, but rather embraces his body – and yours.