He Chose the Nails.... Re-evaluate your life.

“He Chose the Nails”

                In our Lenten reflections for 2017 we will focus on

Jesus and the scene where He is being prepared to die on the cross.  Jesus is on the cross which has become a symbol of our faith. It seems ironic that the cross is simply designed with one beam horizontal, the other vertical but it is who was on it which has made a difference in history and continues today.

The horizontal beam reaches out like God’s love and the other reaches up as does God’s holiness. One represents the width of his love, the other reflects the height of his holiness. The cross is the intersection and where God forgave his children, with out lowering his standards.

God put our sin on his Son and punished it here. Christ never sinned. But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God. (2 Cor 5:21)

Between you and God, suspended between you and heaven, is Christ on his cross. Your sins have been placed on Jesus. Jesus is between you and God, but you are safe—in the shadow of the cross. Why? Because God loved the world-and all are welcome to receive the forgiveness of sins shown through Jesus’ death on the cross. (ch.12)

                After Jesus died on the cross, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Pilate agreed and with Nicodemus’ help, Joseph took the body away. Joseph had a tomb, Nicodemus had brought the spices and linens and together they gave Jesus a proper burial. The linens were a tangible reminder that Jesus was dead and was wrapped in cloth and sealed behind a rock.

But after this occurred John lingered with the body and then went with the disciples. All day Saturday he hung out not knowing what to do. His friend was dead.  He was still around when Mary Magdalene having been at the tomb went back to where they had stayed. Jesus body is missing. Peter and John ran to the tomb. What did he see? Strips of linen cloth that had been around his head. It was folded up and laid in a different place from the strips of linen. John saw and believed. (John 20:8) What had he seen that caused him to believe?  Why had he hung around

REFLECTON:

We often think of the disciples as being in hiding after Jesus’ death and burial. They were afraid because they had been known as his followers and the concern was that they might also be sentenced to death like Jesus. Yet John seemed to not know what to do. We read that John looked after Jesus’ mother through this time. She was grieving her son’s death and John was meeting her needs. Yet once Mary rested, John went and hung around with the disciples- what else could he do? In the time in between- he too needed to mourn, grieve, re- evaluate his life

This is what we are each called to do. Re-evaluate your life.  As we think about Jesus’ death on the cross, remember he chose to do this- for you for the sake of al sinners. This is so that you could live eternally with God. But do you realize how much this love cost? He was dead, buried in a tomb. For you.

PRAYER

Wonderful God of grace and love reveal to us again your son Jesus. Enable us to know him and love him more as we hear again the story of his Passion,- life, death and resurrection. Enable us to know again in our hearts what it means to be forgiven because of the cross and grave clothes of Jesus. In His name we pray. Amen.

Reflections based upon Max Lucado,   He Chose the Nails, ch.12- 13