This is what it means to make a joyful noise. This brought tears to my eyes.
Well, after asking around, I think I’ve finally compiled a pretty good playlist of workout music. I thought I’d share it here.
Reading for Friday, Jan. 27: John 20
I can’t get over how rich this chapter is. So much that speaks directly to us.
It’s been said that Mary Magdalene was the first evangelist, the first to speak the “good news” of the resurrection. She certainly functions as the evangelist to the disciples, since she’s the first to the tomb that Sunday morning. At first, she doesn’t quite get it: she thinks his body has been taken. But after seeing Jesus, she rushes back to tell the group, “I have seen the Lord! (v18)” With those words, the course of human history changed, as these disciples began to understand the fullness of what had just transpired. I love that Mary recognizes Jesus as soon as He calls her by name. What a beautifully intimate portrait of the relationship Jesus desires with us! It hearkens back to what He said in ch10 about His sheep knowing Him, knowing His voice.
Jesus appears to His disciples on Sunday evening and what a joyous occasion that must’ve been. Actually, I’m sure it scared them to death at first! But Jesus calms them with a word of peace: “Peace be with you!” And the text says, then He showed them his side and his hands. It’s as if we can hear Jesus saying, “Because of the violence I’ve endured and absorbed, you may now know true peace.” These scars remain tangible reminders of the cost of our redemption.
John records something unique to the other Gospel stories: Jesus breathes on them, telling them to receive the Holy Spirit. Luke, of course, locates the gift of the Spirit with Pentecost as a fulfillment of Joel 2. I’m not sure how to understand all of this, but it seems as if what’s going on in John is a unique gift of the Spirit specifically for these disciples. I like what the ESV Study Bible says here: “Receive the Holy Spirit,” it is best understood as a foretaste of what would happen when the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost. At any rate, the disciples receive this promised Comforter to equip them for the mission ahead.
Finally, we come to Thomas. As I’ve said before, I’m sympathetic to the guy. (See this article I wrote last year on this episode.) Thomas is actually a man of faith in John’s Gospel. But his lack of faith has caused us to label him “Doubting Thomas”. What’s interesting is that the disciples nor Jesus rejected Thomas because of his unbelief. Surely the disciples spent that week trying to convince Thomas of what they had seen. Yet, even though he remained unconvinced, we find him a week later gathered with the same disciples when Jesus appears. Powerfully, Jesus doesn’t reject Thomas either, but allows him to view and feel the scars if necessary. The bottom line for Jesus seems to be faith. “Look, here they are, Thomas. If this is what it takes, then come and touch these scars. Feel where they drove the nail. It’s okay, Thomas. I did this for you.”
And He did it for me, too.
Reading for Thursday, Jan. 26: John 19
We’ve finally reached the time for Jesus’ death in John’s Gospel. The political movements in the first part of the chapter give us some insight into the climate of Jerusalem and first century Judaism: the crowd who so triumphantly hailed his entry to the city just days earlier now chants for his death and Barabbas’s release. Pilate hems and haws, unwilling to send an innocent man to his death. But he is a politician first and foremost and the crowd forces his hand.
Jesus again demonstrates God’s sovereignty throughout these circumstances. He says to Pilate, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above.” As I said yesterday, John helps us parse our language: Jesus wasn’t “killed”; He willingly gives up his own life as part of God’s redemptive purpose. All of this is happening in God’s timing. Jesus’ sensitivity to his “time” in John has all been building up to this. As John notes at the end of the chapter, what had been prophesied about long ago has finally been fulfilled.
V15 is a chilling microcosm of humanity. Pilate asks the crowd, “Shall I crucify your King?” And they reply, “We have no king but Caesar.” How often do we refuse the lordship of Jesus in favor of worldly rulers and ideals? Jesus says His kingdom is not of this world. And yet, we’re always looking for earthly “rulers” to bow down in front of. Whether it’s wealth, status, power, position, relationships, possessions, fame or something else, the struggle of our lives is a struggle of allegiance: to God or anything else. In their bloodlust, the crowd screams “We have no king but Caesar”, a blatant denial of the first and greatest command. And their cry serves as a reminder for us of how far we can drift, bowing down before the created rather than the Creator.
I love that Mary and some of the women are unafraid to be present at the crucifixion. We get the impression that most of the men (with the exception of John) are too scared to even show up. But these women boldly take their place at the foot of the cross. What an example of faithfulness for us! We also find a familiar face at the end of the chapter: Nicodemus, who joins Joseph of Arimathea (a covert disciple) in giving Jesus a proper burial.
What are your thoughts? I’m sure we could talk for a long time about the enormity of Christ’s death and what it means to us. I hope this is a story that never grows cold in our hearts. I pray that the full significance of Christ’s death on the cross could be the unending pursuit of our lives. May God bless your reading today.
A friend of mine posted this over on my FB page. I wanted to post it here too to archive it.
Sunny, this better not give you any funny ideas!
By the way, I would totally notice if I went to hug somebody and it wasn’t you.
Although there was that one time at Lipscomb when I put my arm around that girl thinking it was you…only to find out it wasn’t.
Still, I’m writing to discourage pastor’s wives everywhere from trying this…no matter how successful you think you’d be at pulling something like this off!
Reading for Wednesday, Jan. 25: John 18
In John 18, the passion of Jesus moves forward swiftly. We begin with Jesus in the peaceful serenity of the garden, a place He and His disciples visited often (v2). The chapter closes with the image of Jesus standing before the angry mob as they chant their desire for Barabbas, not Jesus.
John records an interesting piece of information in v6: As the soldiers approach, led by Judas, Jesus meets them and declares His identity. At this, “they drew back and fell to the ground (v6).” In John’s remembrance of this story, he gives us a little nugget that Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not record. The image emerges here of a powerful Jesus, not a man who has been captured by the might of the temple guard, but rather one who has the power to drive these men to their knees with a single word. At the declaration of His identity as Son of God / Messiah / Lord, this armed guard falls to the ground — a foreshadowing of the event that Paul writes about in Philippians 2, a day when every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Jesus is strong to willingly lay down His life. John will also record for us later that Jesus didn’t “die”; He “gave up His spirit” (19:30). Jesus remains in complete control here, even to the end.
This isn’t Peter’s finest hour. In an act of valor, he strikes off Malchus’ ear, and Jesus rebukes Him for it. In an act of cowardice, he wilts at the simple question of a servant girl. In an act of betrayal, he denies that he follows Jesus. I don’t know about you, but I can relate to all three of these experiences. Sometimes we want to do great things for the Lord, and perhaps our exuberance leads us down a headlong path that He never intended for us to take. In other moments, we find it so difficult to stand up and do the right thing; herd mentality, peer pressure — these are ever present forces in our lives, regardless of our age or position. And the simple confession that brings us life — “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God” — those same words get stuck in our throats sometimes and, just like Peter, our words or our actions betray His lordship in our lives. And yet, as we’ll see, the chapter isn’t finished on Peter here. Jesus still has use for this headstrong, exuberant, fearful, deceptive disciple. And thankfully, He still has use for those of us who are more like Peter than we’d like to admit.
I could write volumes about what Jesus says in v36: “My kingdom is not of this world.” In speaking with Pilate, Jesus is explaining His Kingdom’s origins. I think a better translation is “My kingdom is not from this world.” The Kingdom of God originates elsewhere, but it is a Kingdom FOR this world. As Jesus Himself prays, May your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. In Christ’s Kingdom, His followers do not wage war and conquer enemies in the traditional manner. As Jesus will demonstrate, God’s Kingdom is predicated on self-giving love. And the greatest demonstration of that love is still to come.
What about you? What are your thoughts on John 18?
So lately, I’ve been hitting up the elliptical machine and the treadmill. After fighting through my initial soreness on the elliptical, I’ve actually found a groove. I think I enjoy it!
But I am looking for some new music for a workout playlist. I’ve sort of worn out my current playlist, so I’m open to any suggestions. Here’s what I’ve been listening to lately while I run:
And that’s really about it. I need some suggestions. Help me out here, people.
Reading for Tuesday, Jan. 24: John 17
In this chapter, John records a powerful prayer Jesus prays in these final moments with His closest followers. It’s interesting that the prayer moves out in concentric circles:
1. Jesus prays for Himself
2. Jesus prays for His current disciples
3. Jesus prays for all who will follow Him
Jesus prays in v1, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify You.” My paraphrase: “The time has come for glory, Father.” On various occasions in John’s Gospel, Jesus has dispelled the crowd with a statement like “My time has not yet come.” But now, in the closed quarters of this Passover observance with His disciples, He acknowledges the moment. The hour is at hand.
In v3, He speaks once more of eternal life — a prescient theme given what is about to unfold. He clarifies the relational nature of eternal life by defining it as knowing God and knowing Jesus. Several scholars have observed that to speak of eternal life is to make both a quantitative AND a qualitative statement. That is, eternal life is not just eternal in the sense of unending time; eternal life also carries with it a depth of content, a richness of experience as well. It’s not just that eternal life goes on and on forever and ever; it also goes deeper and deeper, getting better and better as time passes. This is the dynamic element of relationship with God.
In v21, Jesus prays for our unity as His followers. “That they may be one as we are one.” The unity that God experiences in Trinity — Father, Son, Spirit, three in one, eternally bound in love — is the same sort of unity He wants for His followers. Each member of the Godhead is differentiated from the other two; and yet, each member constitutes a part of a greater whole. So too, do we exist in the body of Christ — unique individuals who through our common experience of Jesus have become one in mind, body, and spirit. The incredible part of this prayer is that it’s really up to us whether or not Jesus prayer is answered. That’s because unity is something I willingly choose or reject each day. Will I choose unity with my brothers and sisters in Christ, choosing to acknowledge our differences and our particularities without allowing them to serve as artificial barriers to fellowship? Or will I be a divisive spirit, breeding contempt and enmity among believers? In the final hours before His death, Jesus had us in mind as He prayed. And His prayer for us was that we would be unified.
V15 – Jesus doesn’t pray for us to be taken out of the world, but rather to be a sanctifying presence against the power of evil. As v17 says, this sanctifying (being made holy) process is rooted in the truthfulness of God’s word.
Other thoughts on John 17? As you look at these past 3-4 chapters, this material is pretty much unique to John’s Gospel. Anything else grab your attention?
Reading for Monday, Jan. 23: John 16
This is yet another great chapter of unfiltered teaching straight from Jesus. He begins with an honest warning to His followers with regard to their spiritual futures: they will kick you out of the synagogues; they will kill you in the name of God (v2). Being shunned from religious life was no small matter in Judaism — imagine your home church rejecting you and the anxiety that would bring if you were relationally connected to others there. Jewish Christians faced this sort of revile for their faith in Christ. Moreover, their very lives were at risk because of their faith. We noted at Mayfair this morning that the word “witness” in Acts 1.8 — “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria and to the ends of the earth” — is the Greek word “martys” from which we get our word “martyr”. It’s the same word used to describe the death of Stephen in Acts 22 and the death of Antipas in Rev. 2. Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat it when He tells these disciples what their future will hold. But He bookends this teaching with some strong encouragement: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!” (v33).
Jesus also gives some great insight into the work of the Spirit. According to Jesus, the Spirit convicts; guides the believers in all truth; tells them about the future (v13, NLT). Jesus is supremely confident in the Spirit’s power to lead His followers after He returns to the Father. The Spirit is proof that Jesus has not abandoned us, left us as orphans (John 14.18).
Finally, Jesus makes a bold promise: that the disciples’ grief will turn to joy. The glory of resurrection is the culmination of this promise for every believer. When Jesus walked out of that tomb, all of my grief, all of my sorrow, every one of my tears was transformed, swept up in an abounding, contagious joy in the knowledge that my Savior lives.
God sent His Son
They called Him Jesus
He came to love
Heal and forgive
He lived and died
To buy my pardon
An empty grave is there
To prove my Savior lives
Because He lives
I can face tomorrow
Because He lives
All fear is gone
Because I know
He holds the future
And life is worth the living
Just because He lives
So after two weeks, here’s the way we’re shaping up:
Sunny: 5-3 (a rough 1-3 mark last week)
Jason: 4-4 (mediocre, but I’m only a game back!)
We’re running out of games here, so I’d better make my move this week. I’m tempted to just pick the opposite of whoever Sunny picks (since she’s in the lead, she has to choose first). But I’ll probably just go with my gut and see what happens.
Baltimore at New England
Sunny’s pick: Patriots
Jason’s pick: Ravens
I’ve liked the Ravens all season. I think they’re balanced offensively. I think Ray Rice is a beast. I think Joe Flacco doesn’t lose games for you at QB. I love what their defense can do. Sure, New England puts up points PlayStation style. But have you looked at the guys they’re trotting out there on defense? Still, Sunny is all in on the Pats this year. I asked her why and she looked at me and said, “Uh, Tom Brady? Plus they’re at home.” Why do her picks always make more sense than mine? I don’t care. I’m going with the Ravens. And just for that….
New York at San Francisco
Sunny’s pick: Giants
Jason’s pick: 49ers
…I’m picking San Fran, too. Actually, I’d really like to see a Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh Super Bowl. That’d be a compelling story line. I’m sure Giants / Pats would be a killer rating, but I’m going with my gut here. The 49ers defense plays great and that means a lot come playoff time. Sunny mulled this one over, saying “That one’s tough. But I’m going with the Giants. I don’t think the 49ers have it in them to win again, even though they’re at home.” She has this theory that “a Manning has to make it to the big game.” Well, I’m hoping all the Mannings will be watching from their deluxe suite. Who would’ve thought these two teams would be playing in the NFC Championship Game? That’s crazy.
So there you go. Go big or go home. This is my week to make my move.
