Battle Scars

Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” [John 20.21-23]

Lest we become out of balance regarding our being "sent as Jesus was sent," we should include another verse or two before the statements above by Jesus for context:

That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! [John 20.19-20]

It was in the context of showing the disciples His wounded hands and feet that Jesus said, “... As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

However, let's also not forget that in showing them His hands and feet, Jesus was not showing them the wounded hands and feet of a dead man, but those of a man victorious over death by crucifixion!

I wonder if Jesus' hands and feet had the appearance of fresh wounds or just scars of where wounds had been? Was the wound (from being pierced) in Jesus' side a gaping hole or a scar where the hole had been?

We might understand Jesus' command, “... As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” a little better if we consider that our being "sent" must also include wounds (or scars from wounds) over which we have emerged alive and victorious! No matter how we look at this scenario, we are indeed called to emerge alive.

One might conclude then, that Jesus' wounds were "battle scars." And here would be a great time to read (or re-read) the article So You Understand? from 10/29/2024. Jesus' battle scars were from unconventional warfare (in the world's estimation), but very much spiritual warfare. Jesus' battle was not against flesh and blood, but against His own will to live. How can this be true?

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. [John 15.13]

Laying down His own life was exactly what Jesus did. It is what He was sent to do. It is what we are sent to do:

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. [Luke 9.23]

Here is where 'genuine followers' will be divided from the 'fluff followers.' Most everyone wants to be involved with the miracles of Jesus, but how many are prepared to engage in the spiritual warfare of dying to self (laying down their lives) to do so? How many understand the implication of Jesus showing His wounds in conjunction with saying “... As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you”?

If we are going to read the Bible, we must read it all. Jesus was not unclear about battle scars!

Father, thank You this is revelation from Your Word - from Jesus under the influence of Your Holy Spirit. May we all understand the implication of Jesus' wounds as they pertained to His being sent. May we understand the implication of Jesus' wounds as they pertain to our our wounds and our being sent! May we not become distraught over the "wounds" but have full joy that we, like Jesus, emerge ALIVE! So be it!

Mindless About The Details?

Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth. Then he took Jesus’ body down from the cross, wrapped it in the cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone in front of the entrance. [Mark 15.46]

I know we tend to read over the details here because they simply don't have great significance. But something stopped me today. Do I mindlessly skim over these details?

Jesus was nailed to the Cross. From all accounts, it would seem the nails were in fact spikes that bore the entire weight of Jesus' body on the Cross. These spikes would necessarily have been substantial enough to bear the weight of a writhing man, but also long enough to be firmly driven into the cross so as not to come out under the weight and resistance of a dying man. It would also have been necessary that the spikes used to crucify Jesus have some kind of "head" on them so as to prevent feet and hands slipping or being pulled off them (unless hands and feet were also tied to the cross).

For all the gruesome details involved with fastening a living man to a wooden cross to kill him, how much more gruesome would it have been to unfasten the resultant dead man from that cross? How did they get the spikes out? How much more damage was done to the body in the process of taking it off the cross?

And, in the case of Jesus, who removed the crown of thorns that was embedded into the flesh of His bruised and undoubtedly swollen head?

Do any of these details and the questions surrounding them even matter?

One thing is for certain, Joseph of Arimathea would have been able to answer every single one of these questions.

Why weren't the eleven remaining disciples the ones to take Jesus' body down?

For some reason, I find this all very unsettling today. 

Father, The time in reading about the crucifixion every year comes and goes so fast... I find myself feeling senseless toward it. I want however to savor the suffering of Jesus and every detail about His crucifixion and burial. Of course, I want to rejoice in His resurrection, but, how can I fully appreciate it if I have not comprehended the preceding suffering? May I not be mindless about the details!

Hanging On To Life?

Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. [John 19.28-30]

I am going to play with words here for just a bit to inspire a thought...

Jesus did not die on the Cross as if it was out of His control. Instead, Jesus gave His life on the Cross in full control. He remained a man on mission even through His last words and final breath.

But, doesn't Matthew's (and Mark's) account beg to say otherwise? 

At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” [Matthew 27.46]

This is where it is critically important to know the Bible (as opposed to knowing just a verse or two). 

Before this time, Jesus never asked a question of anyone that He did not already know the answer to. As the Son of God, this was consistent with God the Father Who also never asked a question for information! The questions God and Jesus asked in the Bible all accomplished a purpose of revealing something not seen by others. God asked Adam and Eve, "Where are you?" not because He had lost them, but because they needed to understand they had lost their way! When Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?" it was not because Jesus needed to 'hear the words,' but because Peter needed to give it more thought!

So, when Jesus asked God, "Why have you abandoned me?" it served to confirm to the Father that Jesus had fulfilled His purpose! John heard it like this, "It is finished!" Either way, consider Jesus' own words about His purpose back in a private conversation with Nicodemus:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. [John 3.16-18]

Why did God abandon Jesus on the Cross? To save the world! What was finished on the Cross? Saving the world!

It is not surprising then, that to understand Jesus' question on the Cross, we must also understand that God's question to Adam and Eve, "Where are you?" was not just for Adam and Eve, but for all mankind!

"Where are YOU?"

Until we understand that we are lost in our sin, we will not understand why God abandoned Jesus. Consequently, Jesus' words, "Why have you abandoned me?" and "It is finished!" then, mean nothing more to us than that Jesus got confused at the end but knew He was about to die... but nothing could be further from reality.

Jesus came to earth, not to live, but to die. His Cross was the plan all along and Jesus NEVER lost sight of it. In fact, Jesus repeatedly reminded His followers that their purpose on earth was also NOT to live, but instead to take up their cross and follow Him. Maybe this explains why so very very many people are confused in this life on earth (both in and out of the Church). The plethora of "possibilities" offered by life can only be confusing when compared to the singular "narrow way" of the cross.

Jesus had another interesting conversation with God in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to the Cross that we should consider here:

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” [Matthew 26.39]

If we must emotionally relate to Jesus' humanity, here is where we should do so (note: this is BEFORE the Cross). No doubt, Jesus knew the events about to take place were going to be filled with pain but He still made the conscious statement of intent to follow through beforehand. If we can see it, we too should ask this question before we commit our faith to follow Christ, "Is there any other way?" Of course, the answer is eternally the same, "No." Jesus answered our question, "Is there any other way?" when He said this:

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. [Luke 9.23]

I fear too many today have believed in a pseudo-salvation that is no salvation at all. They "accept Christ" but then spend the rest of their lives with the goal of living while still wrestling with the idea of what taking up their own cross could mean. It should be stated here: no person effectively portrays Jesus Christ in this life who has not first settled up with his own cross as did Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane!

Too much? Don't use that as an excuse to Jesus! Until the cross is our singular daily goal (not life), we actually have nothing to do with Jesus of the Bible whatsoever.

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. [Luke 9.24]

Father, forgive me for hanging on to my life.

Savor The Suffering

Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called out the entire regiment. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. [Matthew 27.27-31]

Father, I have no words today. But what I do have is a knot in my stomach as I read of the treatment Jesus received. There is a part of me that wishes He could have had more time to teach and heal so that we might understand Him even better. But then, it is clear that He accomplished every single thing He came to accomplish. May Jesus' treatment as revealed today, and His crucifixion following have their full effect on me. Help me to savor the suffering before rejoicing in the resurrection. I don't want to miss a thing...

Son of Man

Then the high priest stood up before the others and asked Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus was silent and made no reply. Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” [Mark 14.60-62]

We would all do well to at least consider, even if we don't understand, Jesus' use of the title 'Son of Man' versus His use of the title 'Son of God.' For the record, Jesus used the title 'Son of Man' for Himself much more than He used the title 'Son of God.'

Here we go...

As much as Jesus was God, He was man. The significance of this is found in His repeated demands upon His followers to "do as He did," - that they were all sent as He was sent. In the cosmic separation of all things "spiritual" and "natural," it would not have made much sense whatsoever for "spiritual God" to tell "natural man," to "Do what I do,"

However, by identifying as the "Son of Man," Jesus' unrelenting demands for faith and miracles from His followers were not unfounded. If He, Jesus, the Son of "Man" could do it, then they also, sons of men, could do it too.

Not the least significant thing Jesus told His followers to do was to take up their crosses and follow Him. In fact, every human being has the capacity to die on a cross (both literally and figuratively). Therefore, Jesus' suffering on behalf of others (on the Cross and elsewhere) was not an action of God, but of man. In other words, any man could do it ...if only he would. Although, only Jesus' perfect blood could perform the spiritual cleansing necessary to save mankind, that does not stop man's blood shed on behalf of others from portraying Jesus to others so they might be saved! God so loved the world... there was a cross. Any man who truly loves others will embrace his cross too:

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. [John 15.13]

When Jesus answered the high priest in the subject passage above, I wonder if He was speaking of Himself then (seated in the place of power at God's right hand...) or of every person who would follow Him? In fact, Christianity "mushroomed" not too long after Jesus' ascension to heaven... [I apologize to the reader if this is unclear...]

"Messiah," in strictly Biblical understanding, represented a new era - a new Kingdom. For Jesus to admit He was Messiah was to also admit that new Kingdom had come. That is precisely why He went on to say, "And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” He was speaking of the Kingdom. 

We are the Kingdom.

How does this translate to modern Christianity as we know it? For the most past, it doesn't translate at all because modern Christianity only talks of power, and, in all but the rarest situations, that power is not seen. Jesus said the 'Son of Man' (replaceable with 'son of man') would be seen seated in the place of power at God's right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven. We should be seen in the place of power because we are seated with Christ in heavenly places, and Jesus should be seen when He comes on the clouds of heaven in His return.

In fact, every time Jesus uses the title 'Son of Man' in His discussions, we should start figuring out how we fit into that situation! Only when Jesus says, 'Son of God' can we relax.

This is a good time and place to read John 17 with all this in mind.

Father, forgive me for being so dull in my understanding of Your Kingdom and my part in it! Help me to "see" so that Your Kingdom might be "seen" in me!

Why, Indeed

Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?” [John 18.23] 

Jesus demands justice here. No less could have been expected of the Son of God. But there is more! Much more... Any time Jesus asks a question, it is not because He doesn't know the answer. It is the same with God - any question He asks is, in fact, a way of making a profound statement.

Here, Jesus simply asked, why are you beating me? The profound statement He was actually making with His question was this:

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. [Isaiah 53.4-5]

That is enough - more than enough.

Father, thank You for Jesus. He didn't get Himself killed... He rescued me by giving His life for me. It was predetermined and preplanned. Selah.

"Ouch" Is The Appropriate Response

I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. [John 17.15]

If Jesus asked this of God, what are the chances of it not being answered? 

Jesus specifically stated who this prayer was for:

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. [John 17.20]

No matter how it is researched, my faith finds its roots in the story of Jesus, told and written, originating from one of Jesus' first disciples. Therefore, in John 17, Jesus prayed for me.

So, among other things, Jesus prayed from my safety from the evil one. 

Who is the evil one and what does he do? He is Satan and his every employee. He is consistent in his methods because he is limited to them. He is a liar - no truth is found in him. And, his lies all have the same intended outcome: death, theft, and destruction...

Back then to the subject passage above: Jesus asked the Father to keep me safe from the evil one. If I am not safe, then something is wrong, but what?

I don't think God told Jesus, "No." 

I don't think God is incapable of keeping me safe. 

I certainly don't think God's character changed anywhere along the way. 

There is ONLY one other possibility and that would be that I have not "believed" (John 17.20). There is a full life of blessings missed by any and everyone who does not believe.

So there! Problem solved! If blessings aren't upon my life, it is because I have simply not believed!

Now, wait just a minute! I know what I have believed! I believe in Jesus! I pray. I read the Bible. I go to church. And, in case no one else is counting, I have published over 6200 articles about faith and the Bible in this setting! And, oh yeah, I was a missionary for six years! SO DON'T TELL ME I AM NOT BLESSED BECAUSE I HAVE NOT BELIEVED!

Well, here's the deal... maybe the problem is that I have believed in me more than in Jesus! I wonder who might trick me into doing that??

Yes, "Ouch!" is the appropriate response...

Father, I know I tend to overcomplicate everything. Help me to take Your Word in the amazing simplicity of faith You tell me to without my logic, my reasoning, and my help. And, in that simple faith, may I enjoy the safety only You can give that Jesus asked for. Please forgive me for trusting in anything or anyone else (including myself).