More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
can mean, “to stay awake,” “be alert,” or “be vigilant.”1 Jesus requested His disciples’ active support.
Luke explained that the disciples’ slumber was neither laziness nor lovelessness. The trio was simply “exhausted from sorrow” (Luke 22:45).
that defied description: something was growing in the shadows.3 Later, Jesus would name it: this was the hour “when darkness reigns” (Luke 22:53). Before the growing darkness overtook them, Jesus, in agony, did in the garden what His disciples would only much later have the strength to emulate: Jesus watched and prayed His way cross-ward.
“He did not want to be that alone.” Jesus requested the disciples’ companionship: their alert presence could have been a comfort to Him. We know that Jesus’ presence is valuable to us, but we rarely consider the possibility that our presence is valuable to Him. Today, reflect upon this concept of Jesus treasuring your companionship.
“I said at the beginning that Lent is about preparation and expectation. What we prepare for, and what we expect, is the risen Lord ‘trampling down death, by death.’
John, another eyewitness, adds, “As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him” (John 13:27). Judas had made his deal with the chief priests before the Last Supper: it was his own choice. But as Judas led the crowds with their clubs and the soldiers with their swords into the garden, internally he was no longer acting alone: this betrayal was a manifestation of satanic opposition.
We expect satanic opposition from the world. But when it comes from around the table, it takes our breath away.
Betrayal of this degree is a toxic mixture of rejection, disregard, and narcissism.
A betrayer sacrifices someone else for their own gain.
Jesus and Judas’s final interaction ended with some name-calling. The last name Judas called Jesus was Rabbi. The last thing Jesus called Judas was friend. The Greek ἑταῖρος (hetairos) was used culturally to refer to a colleague, comrade, fellow worker, or friend.
Judas’s story is a sad one. Some have suggested that he lacked the option of writing a different ending: that he was born a betrayer. Respectfully, I disagree and remain in that messy place theologically where God’s sovereignty and human free will co-exist.
One of the fiercest allies of not-enough-ness is our imaginations. Today, fast daydreaming of “more.” Refuse to allow discontentment brain space.
Jesus had angels at His disposal, yet declined to dispatch them. We dare not mistake these choices for passivity, resignation, or weakness. This dimension of strength was the fruit of power fully submitted to love. Elsewhere, I refer to this strength as the Discipline of Restraint:
Though a cousin of humility, the Discipline of Restraint is not related to timidity.
patience, the Discipline of Restraint is not a form of hesitation. Timidity is fear-driven. Hesitation is doubt-driven. Restraint is obedience-inspired.
The crowds thought themselves the victors as they led their prisoner out of the garden. In truth, prisoners were escorting the Victor to a triumph that would shake the gates of hell.
A long time ago, a fitness trainer taught me that muscles grow through cycles of exercise and rest—not by constant use. In the same way, the gifts and strengths God has entrusted to us grow by cycles of exercising them and resting them.
Resting is also a form of discipline.
Today, think about your greatest strengths and consider how frequently you rest them.
Restricted freedom can come in a wide variety of forms: physical limitations, emotional challenges, dysfunction in those near us, decisions of those over us, laws that limit religious freedom, and economic downturns that affect our budgets and seem to threaten our dreams. Today, consider the restrictions you are experiencing—whether from disease, dysfunction, requirements, or rules. Fast formulas and instead spend time in prayerful discernment asking God to show you His way.
Indulgence is heralded in our day as a form of self-therapy.
“Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” (John 19:7–11)
Jesus knew that man was neither the author nor the director of His life. He was certain that His future did not rest in the frail, fickle, fragile hands of human favor. Consequently, Jesus had no fear for Pilate to exploit.
Judas schemed against Jesus in secret. Peter tried to defend Jesus in public. Judas received compensation for his betrayal with thirty silver coins. Peter pledged to pay for his loyalty with his life. Judas intentionally deceived others. But Peter was unknowingly deceived about himself.
Frankly, we could not handle seeing everything Jesus sees.
Jesus knew Peter better than Peter knew himself.
After Jesus’ arrest, as fear placed a chokehold on Peter’s love, Peter regressed to a state of sheer self-preservation: fight, flight, or freeze. He tried to fight and was told to put his sword away.2 He then resorted to flight but returned to the courtyard of the high priest, anxious to learn more of Jesus’ fate.3 Then when those around the campfire called him out as a disciple of Jesus, Peter froze, denied all knowledge of Jesus,4 and: Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before
...more
Jesus. Peter’s illusion was that he loved Jesus more than he loved his own life.
know “self-confidence” is a highly valued attribute. But when it comes to our hearts, God-confidence is our only hope. Self is a poor discerner of self, whether or not it is confident. God searches our hearts and minds and His faithfulness is worthy of our trust. This surely is where David invested his hope when he prayed, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23–24).
“Jesus endured His suffering for me. He believed—and still believes—that I am worth it.”
Fast mocking Jesus? Who would ever do such a thing in the first place? Perhaps we would when we, like Annas’s official, are more concerned with saving face than honoring truth. Perhaps we would when we, like the religious leaders, act as though Jesus is blindfolded and cannot see what we are doing. Perhaps we would when we, like the guards, use one of Jesus’ names in vain. Perhaps we mock Jesus more than we know.
Jesus’ followers were now only days away from a moment in which the Rejected would be revealed as the Redeemer.
As the faithful were preparing to celebrate the Passover, Jesus was preparing to offer Himself as the Lamb. Reflect on the following Scriptures with gratitude for the One John the Baptist called “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”11
Visual thinning. Lent is a thinning season. The tradition calls us to less, not more; to decrease, not increase; to simplify, not amplify. A beautiful image of this thinning occurs in the Orthodox church on Cheese-fare Sunday as the cry “. . . for I am afflicted!” fills the church, and then, as Schmemann describes so beautifully, “Lent is here! Bright vestments are put aside; lights are extinguished. . . . We will have to wander forty days through the desert of Lent.”
Crucifixion was not a Roman invention. Eastern cultures—such as Assyria, Phoenicia, and Persia—employed crucifixion for almost a thousand years before Rome officially adopted the method for use with non-Roman criminals.5
Crucifixion was part of the job. What we call Good Friday was simply another day of work to them.
Jesus died for our sin. Why then do we work to keep it alive? What benefit do we perceive ourselves receiving?
he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”7 “If God wants him”: my soul responds to the phrase with fire. In the face of such a taunt, it becomes clear that love, not nails, kept Jesus on the cross: love and how much He wanted us.
These were not original taunts. Jesus had heard them before in the wilderness temptation.8
Bearing in mind that Jesus had just been put to death because he was accused of being both an enemy of God and an enemy of the state, Joseph’s actions would seem awfully close to treason or blasphemy, because they protest that Jesus’ life was in fact honorable.
What do you guess happened within Joseph’s mind and spirit that inspired him to boldly and publicly honor Jesus at His death?
Of course it is hard to die to self when we don’t know who we are—a very special modern problem—but this should not deter us, for in opening ourselves to the Christ in others we discover who we are in the deepest sense of the word, far more deeply than by the superficial path of self-affirmation that comes from the insecurity of an undetermined self-image.5
Today, go “outside the camp” with Jesus. Meditate upon the appalling way in which He died. Ponder the grace His death purchased. Mourn over those who still reject Him today.
What did they do after their dream died on the cross? How did they cope?
Then they gave themselves permission to bury their dream. Burial is a symbol of respect. When dreams shatter, we, too, need to give ourselves time to gently collect the broken pieces and wrap them respectfully in tears.
This is not about prematurely abandoning hope.
This is about acceptin...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
Denying Jesus’ death would not return Him to the disciples. It was healthy for them to permit a burial. Faith...
This highlight has been truncated due to consecutive passage length restrictions.
“Labor is a craft, but perfect rest is an art.”
Those who have lost loved ones may need to linger in that favorite old chair.
