Week 43: He Gave His Life

Day:  300          Verses Memorized:  832          Working On:  John 20:1-18

 

My Progress:

I finished Chapter 19 and am so excited to be at the last two Chapters of John!  The end of 19 went well and I've already got a good handle on the beginning of 20.  I can't believe I'm so close to the end.  Of course, as I keep saying, this will continue to be a work in progress.  I've been plowing through since Chapter 15 and haven't taken much time to go back and review previous chapters.  So when I "finish", I will definitely be spending significant time reviewing the entire book.  I will not let all this hard work slip out of my mind.  I know that there is life-long review in my future and I am happy that God not only called me to the challenge, but has equipped me for the task. 

 

 

Some Thoughts:

I had one of the most eye-opening realizations this week as I studied these verses.  Here it is:

 

Jesus gave His life for us.

 

Now, you may have heard that already.  I know I have certainly heard it many, many times.  But memorizing this chapter has transformed my understanding of the concept of Jesus "giving" His life for us.  I always thought that Jesus willingly went to the cross and allowed the soldiers to crucify Him, killing Him with a terrible death.  While the part about Jesus willingly going to the cross to be crucified is true, Jesus wasn't killed!  I always thought they nailed Him to the cross and He allowed the crucifixion to kill Him.  But this is not so!

 

"When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.'  With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."  (19:30)  Yes, I have heard these verses a trillion times.  It just goes to show you how being "familiar" with Scripture doesn't mean it automatically grants you understanding or impacts your life in any way. 

 

I always thought that Jesus simply allowed the crucifixion to kill Him.  But these verses clearly show that Jesus chose the exact moment when He was going to lay down His life.  Just a few short chapters ago, I memorized, "the reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life - only to take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.  I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again."  (10:17)  In fact, had I not memorized Chapter 10, I still might not have even made this connection.  Jesus had complete authority to choose the very moment that He would lay down His life, which obviously, was much earlier than most victims of crucifixion.  Everything was finished.  He had done everything.  He obeyed and completed every task that the Father had given Him.  And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit.  Amazing.

 

So Jesus was not killed.  He didn't "allow people to kill Him".  He chose Himself to give up His own Spirit.

 

This was a big deal for me.  Maybe this is obvious to lots of people and I'm just spiritually immature, but it was such an incredible experience meditating on these verses this past week.  I was always thankful that Jesus willingly carried His cross up that hill.  But when I realized that Jesus didn't die because of physical injury and that He, in His power and authority, chose the very moment that He was going to lay down His life, I was awestruck.  Already in my mind, He was so amazing and mighty.  It's just incredible that He can continue to reveal Himself to me in new and different ways that make Him even more glorious. 

 

 Jesus gave His life for us.

 

 

 



 

Week 42: Sweet Jesus, My King

Day:  293          Verses Memorized:  810          Working On:  Finishing Chapter 19

My Progress:
I broke the 800 mark!  I couldn't believe it just now when I tallied up the verses and realized that I only have 61 to go.  While I'm happy with my progress in the amount of verses I've done, I have not been too overjoyed with the content of this chapter. Some of the verses are quite difficult and I get angry when I have to go over it so many times because it is heart wrenching.  At any rate, this was a very successful week and the best part was, I caught up to my Pastor who has been preaching on John for the last year!  How exciting it will be next week when he does the scripture reading and I will have it memorized.  And I can't wait to hear the message.  I'm more motivated than ever and I'm looking forward to finishing 19 this week, the longest chapter I have left.

Some Thoughts:
First of all, I feel like a complete idiot because for many months I have been worrying in anticipation of memorizing the crucifixion.  I had no idea that John doesn't really include that many details about it!  "Here they crucified him" is pretty much the extent of the details.  I can't believe I worried for so long about something that wasn't even there.  (Hmm, that about sums up a lot of my life.  How about you?)

While I was pleased that I didn't have to memorize the awful details about beatings, blood, and nails, there was certainly no shortage of disturbing verses:

• "They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying 'Hail, king of the Jews!'  And they struck him in the face."  This verse just makes me so dang angry.
• "When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, 'Dear woman, here is your son,' and to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.'"  Sweet, sweet Jesus.  Who on earth would be thinking of taking care of other people under such horrific circumstances?  As a mother, this is one of the verses in John that has touched my heart the most.
• "A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips."  Can you imagine being the guy who lifted the sponge up to Jesus' lips while He was hanging on the cross?
• "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.'  With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."  I feel unworthy to even comment on this verse.  And the words in my vocabulary are grossly inadequate to express what this verse means to me.

I do believe it's important to meditate on these things.  This is the reality of what Jesus has done for us.  This was God's precious plan from the beginning of time.  We can't lose sight of the Gospel and the picture of not only His infinite love and mercy, but also the immeasurable price that was paid for it.

   

Week 41: Poor Pilate

Day:  286          Verses Memorized:  780          Working On:  Chapter 19:1-16

My Progress:
Wahoo!  I finished Chapter 18 and have a good start into 19.  I'm getting a little sick of memorizing the unraveling of Pilate, but I am so excited to be this close to the end.

 

Some Thoughts:

Pilate, Pilate, Pilate.  Poor Pilate.  I feel so sorry for him.  First of all, I think he gets a bad rap from a lot of people and I'm not certain he deserves as much criticism as he gets.  Of course, don't get me wrong... He is a wimpy coward who had no guts to stand up for what he thought was right and cared more about his political career than his integrity or anybody else besides himself.  However, we are all faced with the exact same decision that Pilate had and dare I say, many of us act in precisely the same way.  (Go back and reread my run-on sentence about Pilate and ask if there isn't some measure of truth in a description of yourself.)

 

Nine times we see Pilate going in and out of the palace.  He talks with the Jewish leaders, he talks with Jesus.  He thinks for a while.  He talks to his wife.  Back outside, back inside.  The poor guy's head must have been spinning.  Pilate repeatedly states that he finds no basis for a charge against Jesus.  And yet, "finally, Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified." 

 

Aren't we all faced with Jesus standing in our palace?  Doesn't He stand before each one of us and give us a choice?  Perhaps some of us are quick to accept and honor Him.  Maybe some will even step out onto the balcony of the palace and put the chief priests in their place.  But how many of us are just like Pilate?  Do we walk in and out of the palace unable to choose whose side we're on?  Do we struggle to hang onto our "power" and reputation in this world?  Deep down, we want to accept Jesus, but we're unable to let go of the things of this world that we hold so dear.

 

I don't believe Pilate hated Jesus or wanted to see Him crucified.  He was just not man enough to do the right thing.  Sadly, many of us wander in and out of the palace as we choose whether to live a comfortable and easy life here, or to deny this world and surrender to the man with a crown of thorns and purple robe.

 

So where do you stand?  Do you walk back and forth deciding when to follow Jesus and when to fit in with the world?  If you do, then leave Pilate alone.