Miracle of Jesus at Cana Wedding

Bible Study Lesson: John 2:1-11: The Miracle of turning Water Into Wine Q. How were wedding celebrations like in eastern cultures? Who were invited? How long do the celebrations last? In Eastern cultures, weddings are like social events, where family, friends, distant relatives(extended families), neighbors are all invited.  Wedding celebration can last for 2-3, even 7 days or more. Q. The passage begins with 'On the third day', So what was is it referring to? What was Jesus' schedule like? 1st Day -  John the Baptist spoke about the Messiah. (John 1:26-28) 2nd Day - John the Baptist testifies about Jesus (John 1: 29) 3rd Day - Jesus' first disciples are chosen- Andrew and Simon Peter (John 1:35) 4th Day - More disciples - Philip and Nathaniel (John 1:43)   7th Day - Jesus was at the Wedding. (John 2:1) It seems like the Gospel of John gives an account of a major event occurring on every day of the week. This is quite fascinating. In some ways, this gives us idea of what happened during the first few days of Jesus' public ministry.

           Q. Where was Cana?

It was a small town in Galilee . It is  the location where Jesus performed his first miraculous sign, in his public ministry. (John 2:11) Jesus also performed another miracle at Cana. (John 4:46 - "Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.") Cana is also mentioned in John 21:2 as  Nathaniel's home town. Q. What does it mean to run out of food at the Wedding in that culture or any culture? Public disgrace, shame or embarrassment to the families. In some eastern cultures, legal actions can also be taken against the concerned families. Q. Why did Mary tell Jesus about the problem? To report, or just to inform Him, or may be prompting Him to do something about it. Her anticipation is clear by her instruction to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." (Mary may seem like a meddler! But it is quite common for the elders to help out in some critical situation especially during weddings) Q. What do you think about Jesus' address to his mother? "Dear Woman", sounds inappropriate! Nonetheless, it was a respected term. (Jesus used similar words on the cross, John 19:26 -"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..") Q. Why did Jesus tell, "My time has not yet come"? Jesus implies that the time has not yet fully come to publicly reveal his true identity. Compare it with John 12:23, John 12:27, John 13:1, John 16:25 and John 17:1. (Jn 17:1 - "After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you".) Q. What were the six stone jars for? The jars were used by the Jews to store water for purification purposes and for washing of hands prior to eating. Each stone jar, can approximately contain 20 gallons of water. So, its about 120 gallons of water (~450 liters). Q. Who was the master of the banquet? A Wedding planner. Q. What does wine represent in the bible? Wine is often considered to be a symbol of Joy. (Isaiah 55:1) Q. How many people were aware that Jesus had performed this miracle? His mother, his disciples, and the servants. This was the first miracle Jesus performed. It was a very low profile one. Very few people knew about it. It was at the wedding, in a very insignificant town, and performed in front of the servants. Q. What can we learn from this passage? Jesus cares for the insignificant. He can turn our ordinary life or circumstances into exceptional ones for His glory (John 2:11) There is a wonderful poetic expression of the miracle of water into wine: "The conscious water saw its God and blushed."

HE IS FOUND

Lk.15:24, ‘For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.’

In Luke, chapter 15, Jesus talked about three things that were lost and then found. One was the sheep (verse 4), the other- the coin (verse 8) and yet another was the son of a loving Father. Most of us are well versed with this parable.

In the cases of the lost sheep and the coin, their owners i.e. the shepherd and the woman, set out looking for their lost possessions. They sought them till they were found and were carried back to their homes. Both, the lost sheep and the coin did not have any part to play in their return to their masters.

But this was not so in the case of the lost son. Indeed the love of the Father sought the son, but, at the same time, the lost son, who is often called as the prodigal son(ധാരളിയായ പുത്രന്‍ ), had a part to play.         Verse 20, ‘And he arose, and came to his father. ..’. Verse 21, ‘And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.’

1. He arose : It was not the sinfulness which the lost son saw 1st. Instead, it was his starvation which caught his attention 1st. It was his physical hunger that made him make up his mind to return to his father. Often it’s not the realization of our sinfulness that makes us call upon the name of our Lord, but a physical situation from which no one except God Himself can res-cue us. This situation is brought about by God Himself so that we look up and call upon His name.

Though his father’s love and provisions caused him to remember his father’s house, he had to take the 1st step to arise out of his situation of physical and spiritual poverty, unlike the coin and the sheep. By arising out of his situation, the prodigal son said ‘no’ to his lost situation. Unless we decide not to continue in the filth( മാലിന്യം) of sin, we cannot arise to go our Father’s house.

2. He came to his father : As the lost son turned to go to his father, he saw the barrier of sin between his father and himself. Though the pangs of physical hunger caused him to remember his father’s house, the words he decided to speak was not ‘Father, give me food for I am hungry’. Rather, it was, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.’

As the son approached his father’s house, even when he was a great way off, his father saw him. It’s at this point of time, when the father could say, “I found my son who was lost.” Though it was the son who was approaching his father’s house, it was not he who saw his father first. The guilt of sinfulness had caused him to walk with a head, bowed down in shame. But the loving father was quick to run to his son, whose paces were slowed down due to the burden of guilt.

The father could not wait till his son reached the house to embrace him. He saw the pathetic condition of his son, with the filth and smell of swine all over him, a heart full of burden of guilt of sinfulness, a head bowed down towards the ground he walked upon….the father saw his son from a great way off. He could see him from a great distance because his heart had been yearning to see his son. He had been eagerly waiting and watching for the return of his son. Now the very first sight of his returning son filled his father with compassion, so much so that no more could he wait for his son to mutter the pleading words of forgiveness. No more could he wait for his son to reach the house, have his bath first and change the foul smelling clothes. The compassionate father ran to his son, fell on his smelly neck and kissed him lovingly. Even while we were still sinners, He died for us. Jesus could not wait to die till we confessed our sins. He embraced us along with our foul smelling clothes of sin. He had seen us from a great way off….. He had seen our guilt burdened hearts at the garden of Gethsemane….He had seen our slow, exhausted and vain paces towards our heavenly Father much before.

So the father ran that ‘great way’ that still separated him from his father’s house to receive him. Jesus knew that our weak and tired paces, our vain traditions and religions, our imperfect sacrifices could never reach us to our heavenly Father’s house. So, He ran the great way of separation ahead to pay the full price of our sins on the cross and receive us into His loving arms.

3. He confessed : Lk.15: 21, ‘The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The prodigal son was no more prodigal. He now confessed about his sinfulness and worthlessness to his father & thus he destroyed the barrier of sin between his father and him.

Confessing about one’s heart’s condition to our God is very much important. To profess a thing with the mouth is to speak of it; to declare it; to do it openly and publicly. Confessing one’s sinfulness is acknowledging the same. It’s the removal of the ‘covering up’ of sins. It’s a process of owning up one’s sin. It does away with the records accusing us and makes our intercessions stronger. Though the son received the love and warmth of his father’s arms even while he was a great way away from his father’s house, he could receive the best robe, the ring and the shoes only after confessing about his sinfulness.

Another important observation that differentiates the lost son from the lost coin & sheep is what the father spoke about the son…‘For this my son was dead, and is alive again.’ This statement could not be made about the coin and the sheep. Though the places of the coin and the sheep changed in the process of being lost and being found, there was no other change in them. But in case of the prodigal son, besides the place, the very heart of the son changed. In fact, the change of heart caused the change in his place. This son, before being lost, was with this same father, but he could not understand the depth of his father’s love. His knowledge and understanding about his father’s love was limited. Had he known it, he would never have left his father’s house. He was dead. A dead person does not respond to sound, smell, sight, taste or touch . This dead son did enjoy the provisions and shelter of his father, but could never respond to his love by yielding himself to him.

But now, this son saw the depth of his father’s love when he came running from off a great distance….not to accuse him or punish him….but to love him and receive him unconditionally. By confessing about his sinfulness and unworthiness, the prodigal son repented. By offering himself to be a hired servant, he expressed his complete submission to his father’s will thereafter. A hired servant has no choice of his own, but to do what his master asks him to do. Thus, he responded to his father’s love in the right way. Now he was alive. Being alive is not staying with the father or even coming back to the father’s house. It’s being able to respond to the love of our father’s love through repentance and complete submission.

The prodigal son expected to be received only as a hired servant, but his father gave him the spirit of son ship. He made him the heir of all that he was by giving him the robe of righteousness. He made him the heir of all he had by giving him the ring. He gave him a new walk of life of fellowship by giving him the shoes.

Dear friends, there’s none in this world who can ever love us more than our heavenly Father. Let’s not assume and be deceived that our regular attending of the prayer meetings or active involvement in the church activities are the signs of us being found. Even the prodigal son’s brother did that. Let’s not assume that the unhindered provisions and worldly blessings are the assurance of us being found. Even the prodigal son’s brother had that.

Day to day transformation into His image through repentance and submission is the only proof of us being found. Both, repentance and submission is not a onetime process. They are continuous in nature….growing with every step of closer walk with our Lord. Repentance is not saying just ‘sorry’. Instead, it’s saying ‘Sorry….I’ll never do it again.’ Submission is doing away with ‘our will’ and carrying out our Father’s will. Thus can we respond to our Father’s love in the right way, and be His heirs. Rom.8:15-17, ‘The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to son ship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ’

Blessed is the Man - Psalms 1

Q. What actions are not associated with the righteous man (person) in v 1, 2?

• The righteous man does not walk - in the counsel of the wicked.
• He does not stand - in the paths (ways) of the sinners.
• He does not sit - in the seats of mockers.
• He does not participate in the sinful acts of others. It does not mean he does not associate or talk with them.

Q. What was Jesus accused of, in Matthew 9:10, 11 and Matthew 11:19?

• Jesus was accused many times by the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law as a friend of tax collectors and sinners, who spent lot of his time with them.

Q. Compare Psalms 1:1-2 with Matthew 9:10,11 and 11:19? how to follow instruction given in Psalms 1:1-2?

• It means that the righteous,
• Must not follow (walk) the counsel of the wicked.
• Must not participate (stand) in the sinful acts of wicked.
• Must not join (sit) with the  mockers.
• Even though Jesus spent a lot of time with the sinners and tax collectors, His presence brought light and redemption (salvation) in those dark places and lives.

What is the joy of a righteous man?

• To meditate on the Word of the Lord day and night.
• To learn and obey the word of God.

Q. What are the characteristics of the tree planted by the rivers (streams) of the water?

• It is alive and gives us food, shelter and is useful in many other ways.
• Its leaves do not wither. (No fall!)
• It gets the nourishment from water. Its roots are planted near source of life, water.
• It bears fruits in an appropriate season. (The fruits are useful for others not for its own.)

Q. How does the example for the of tree relate to the righteous person?

• He is always growing the the Lord, rooted in the firm foundation of the Word of God. (Ephesians 3:17)
• He bears much fruits. (John 15:8 - "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.")
• Galatians 5: 22 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control."

Q. What are the characteristics of chaff?

• Aimless, Directionless, without purpose. It is of no use.

Q What is the destiny of the wicked described in v. 5-6?

• They will not stand in the judgment of God.
• They will not sit in the assembly of righteous.
• They will be perished.

Application Questions:

1. How is your standing in the judgment of God? Have you received Christ and His righteousness?
2. Are you firmly rooted in the word of God? (Ephesians 3: 17)
3. Do you meditate on the Word of God every day?
4. Do you manifest the fruit of the spirit? (Galatians 5:22)

Spiritual Gifts in the Bible

Bible study passages with the list of spiritual gifts:

• Romans 12: 3-9
• Eph 4: 2-12
• 1 Cor. 12: 1-31
• 1 Peter 4: 10-11

What is a Spiritual Gift?

Spiritual Gift is a special attribute given by the Holy Spirit to Every Member of the body of Christ according to God's Grace for use within the context of the Body.

Why to Discover our Spiritual Gifts?

• Spiritual Gifts assist  in finding God's will in our life (Discovering God's Will)
• Spiritual Job Description
• Commitment of points of our gifts rather than abstract commitment
• More effective service
• Appropriate commitment to Ministry
• Helps overcome feelings of inferiority

Hindrances to Spiritual Gifts:

• False modesty
• Inexperience
• Disobedience
• Lack of commitment
• Unloving Spirit
• Lack of Prayer
• Lack of Environment
• Focusing our weakness

How to discover my Spiritual Gift:

• Understand Gifts
• Accept that You are Gifted
• Analyze yourself
• Your interests
• What gets you excited
• Limitations
• Seek confirmation from others
• Evaluate the Results
• Dedicate yourself to Ministry
• Desire, Joy, Effectiveness

What should I do once I know it:

• Dedicate
• Develop
• Study the Scripture
• Talk to others having same gifts
• Pray for guidance and strength
• Be sensitive to the need of others
• Do not neglect your role

Facts about Spiritual Gifts:

• It is not natural ability or talent
• It is not Fruits of Holy spirit
• Gifts can be abused
• It is received, not achieved, no room for self-choosing
• Diversity within Unity
• Each member is Unique, important and useful
• Gifts are good but only when ministered in Love
• The Gifts are diverse, but all are equally honorable

List of Spiritual Gifts:

• Prophecy
• Leadership
• Healing
• Apostle
• Service
• Teaching
• Exhortation
• Giving
• Mercy
• Wisdom
• Knowledge
• Faith
• Helps
• Administration
• Evangelist
• Pastor
• Hospitality
• Intercession
• Healing
• Miracles
• Discerning of Spirits
• Tongue
• Interpretation of Tongues
• Voluntary poverty
• Martyrdom
• Exorcism
• Intercession
• Celibacy

Resurrection Day!

If anyone is devout and a lover of God, let them enjoy this beautiful and radiant festival.

If anyone is a grateful servant, let them, rejoicing, enter into the joy of his Lord.

If anyone has wearied themselves in fasting, let them now receive recompense.

If anyone has labored from the first hour, let them today receive the just reward.

  If anyone has come at the third hour, with thanksgiving let them feast.

    If anyone has arrived at the sixth hour, let them have no misgivings; for they shall suffer no loss.

      If anyone has delayed until the ninth hour, let them draw near without hesitation.

        If anyone has arrived even at the eleventh hour, let them not fear on account of tardiness.

For the Master is gracious and receives the last even as the first; He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour, just as to him who has labored from the first.

He has mercy upon the last and cares for the first; to the one He gives, and to the other He is gracious.

He both honors the work and praises the intention.

Enter all of you, therefore, into the joy of our Lord, and, whether first or last, receive your reward.

  O rich and poor, one with another, dance for joy!

    O you ascetics and you negligent, celebrate the day!

You that have fasted and you that have disregarded the fast, rejoice today!

  The table is rich-laden: feast royally, all of you!
   
    The calf is fatted: let no one go forth hungry!

Let all partake of the feast of faith. Let all receive the riches of goodness.

  Let no one lament their poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed.

  Let no one mourn their transgressions, for pardon has dawned from the grave.

  Let no one fear death, for the Saviour's death has set us free.

He that was taken by death has annihilated it!

  He descended into Hades and took Hades captive!

  He embittered it when it tasted His flesh! And anticipating this, Isaiah exclaimed: "Hades was embittered when it encountered Thee in the lower regions."

  It was embittered, for it was abolished!

    It was embittered, for it was mocked!

      It was embittered, for it was purged!

        It was embittered, for it was despoiled!

          It was embittered, for it was bound in chains!

  It took a body and came upon God!

    It took earth and encountered ﾎ容aven!

      It took what it saw, but crumbled before what can not seen!

O death, where is thy sting?

  O Hades, where is thy victory?

   Christ is risen, and you are overthrown!

     Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen!

       Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice!

         Christ is risen, and life reigns!

           Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in a tomb!

For Christ, being raised from the dead, has become the first-fruits of them that have slept.

The Day Before Easter

Today's Old Testament Reading: Job 14:1-14

  ¹ "Mortals, born of woman,
   are of few days and full of trouble.
² They spring up like flowers and wither away;
   like fleeting shadows, they do not endure.
³ Do you fix your eye on them?
   Will you bring them before you for judgment?
⁴ Who can bring what is pure from the impure?
   No one!
⁵ A person's days are determined;
   you have decreed the number of his months
   and have set limits he cannot exceed.
⁶ So look away from him and let him alone,
   till he has put in his time like a hired laborer.

 ⁷ "At least there is hope for a tree:
   If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
   and its new shoots will not fail.
⁸ Its roots may grow old in the ground
   and its stump die in the soil,
⁹ yet at the scent of water it will bud
   and put forth shoots like a plant.
¹⁰ But a man dies and is laid low;
   he breathes his last and is no more.
¹¹ As the water of a lake dries up
   or a riverbed becomes parched and dry,
¹² so he lies down and does not rise;
   till the heavens are no more, people will not awake
   or be roused from their sleep.

  ¹³ "If only you would hide me in the grave
   and conceal me till your anger has passed!
If only you would set me a time
   and then remember me!
¹⁴ If someone dies, will they live again?
   All the days of my hard service
   I will wait for my renewal to come.

New Testament Reading: 1 Peter 4:1-8

Living for God

 ¹ Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. ² As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. ³ For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do--living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. ⁴ They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you. ⁵ But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

 ⁷ The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. ⁸ Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

He Dared To Suffer

Lk.24:46, ‘He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,….’.
The sufferings of Christ Jesus has failed to attract many to gospel. Many communities in this world today do believe in the birth and life of Jesus, but when it comes to His sufferings, they raise their eye brows as to how could a holy man or a prophet or the Son of God suffer ? Even the disciples of Christ Jesus could not comprehend this for many days.

Jesus dared to suffer so that we never dare to sin again .

Math.16:15-17, “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.
Math.16: 21-23, ‘From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jeru-salem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

God revealed to Peter the truth about Jesus…that He was indeed the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Since then, Jesus talked about the sufferings He would go through. Jesus had not talked about this before. This makes it clear that the fact of sufferings of Christ cannot be comprehended unless one receives the truth that Jesus indeed is the Messiah.

Peter, who could receive the heavenly truth now could not receive yet another truth. Jesus who re-joiced to see Peter receiving heavenly revelation, now soon rebuked the devil working through him. Many times, we tend to receive the blessing which follows the reception of heavenly truths but refuse to comprehend the cost part of the same. This conflict happens when we try to understand the whole concept with our limited human understanding. Hebr.4:12, ‘For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.’ The divine truths can be comprehended only by the power of Holy Spirit working in us through His Word. It dawns deep into one’s heart, rather than one’s mind set.

Once, a blessed servant of God said, “It’s true that a suffering without a meaning or a purpose wea-ries a person.” Jesus who delivered many from their sufferings due to sicknesses, curses, bondages, natural calamities etc. now was Himself subject to sufferings. But He suffered for a purpose….for a divine purpose. He suffered out of love and He loved as He suffered.

The sufferings of Jesus did not begin on the cross. It began as soon as He took birth in this world. The one by whom all things were created was not spared even a single room….not even a guest room to be laid down. Soon He attracted the attention of King Herod….and even as a child, He became the target of the ruler of the land. The angel warned the family to flee into Egypt to escape this attack. They fled from place to place, with the baby till finally they came and settled in Nazareth. Jesus grew up in wisdom and in stature. Even as He preached and healed during the first three years of His ministry, he was rejected by His own family members.

In the garden of Gethsemane, as He was about to face the sufferings, great drops of sweat ap-peared as blood on the body of Jesus. This was just the beginning of the extreme sufferings He was about to go through. Here, He had a choice. He had a choice to avoid it or take it up. He had a choice to run away or submit. But, He looked at you and me and He dared to suffer.

Mk.14:50, ‘Then everyone deserted him and fled.’ The moment the authorities laid hands on Jesus, His disciples left Him and fled. Being physically wounded is painful indeed, but deeper is the pain of a wounded heart. The disciples, who claimed to love Him and follow Him, deserted Him, all at once. Is.53:3, ‘He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.’ Jesus could have called them back ….but He dared to be abandoned.

Lk.23:1-2, ‘Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.” A series of vehement accusations were put by the multitude, the chief priests and the scribes. Is.53:7-8, ‘He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested?’ Jesus could have answered them back. He could have easily proved the accusations to be false. But He dared to be silent.

They scourged Jesus. They smote Him on the head with a reed. They spat on Him. They crucified Him. Is.53:5, ‘But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the pu-nishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.’ Jesus could have easi-ly escaped all this by using His power, yet He dared to surrender and be crucified.

On the cross, Jesus emptied Himself completely…of His very life…of every drop of blood that was there in His body……just for you and me. There too, He had a choice. He could use His power to get down from the cross. The Jehovah Rafa could have easily healed His wounds immediately. But to save you and me, once and for all, from the deep pit of sin, He dared to bleed to death, offering Himself as an offering for our sins. Is.53: 10, ‘Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes[c] his life an offering for sin,……….’.

Jesus did not have a royal or a peaceful death. He was crucified between two thieves. He died in the midst of mockery and revile. Math.27:39, ‘those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads.’ There, as He lay bleeding on the cross, abandoned by all, He saw even His heavenly Father turning away His face from Him. …and so He cried out aloud, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (Which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). After His death, none of His family members came asking for His body. A rich man, named Joseph begged the Pilate for His body. He laid the body of Jesus in his own new tomb (Math.27:57-60). Is.53:9, ‘He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.‘ Jesus could have taken birth in a palace and die a royal death. But the Savior of this world, found no place of His own after His birth to be laid down, nor after His death…. Yet He dared to die, laying His head on His own shoulder…just for you and me.

Every phase of suffering of Jesus is backed up by prophetic verses from the book of Isaiah and other books of the Old Testament. Hence, we conclude that all this had to happen for the prophe-cies or scriptures to be fulfilled.

But remember friends, though the scriptures had to come true, the deeper truth is that Jesus dared to go through all the pain. He was both, a man in completeness and God in completeness, at the same time. Jesus, as a man travelled by boat in the midst of waves and storms and as God, He walked on water. As a man, He bled to death and as God, He healed many wounds. As a man, He hungered and as God, He fed many thousands. Jesus had the freedom to choose. God, the Father never imposed anything on His head. Just as the 1st Adam was given the freedom to choose, Jesus Christ, the last Adam was also given the freedom to choose. And He used the freedom to dare to go through suffering, pain and abandonment…..only for you and me. He chose to give up self will and take up His father’s will.

Jesus was both, a man and God in completeness, at the same time. He had all the power and authori-ty of God, the Father in Him. But He dared to suffer as a man. He never used His power to over-power the pain of sufferings. He did not use His power to not to feel the pain of the violent lashes falling on His bare back or the pain of the unmerciful nails piercing through His flesh. Neither did He vaccinate Himself with power so as not to feel the hurt of being abandoned or being spit upon. He set aside all His power and dared to suffer as a man. He was in deep agony as a man, in the garden of Gethsemane (Lk.22:44). He prayed earnestly as a weak man, desperately needing divine strength. On the cross, He cried out aloud as a man (Lk.23:46). My Jesus chose to suffer the full penalty of yours and my sins. He even refused the vinegar offered to Him, which would have in-toxicated Him and could have helped Him to lessen the sufferings. He drew strength from God and received grace to suffer for you and me, as a mere man.

How deeply our Lord loved us….so as to dare to give up His own will and to suffer as a mere man. The Scriptures did not come true of it’s own. The prophecies were not fulfilled of it’s own. They came true because Jesus dared to take up His own cross…of self will. They came true because Jesus saw you and me greater than all the pain and sufferings He had to go through. They came true because He chose to love you and me more than He loved Himself. He considered it worth suffer-ing….for our salvation….for our turning away from sin.
Soon after Jesus talked about His suffering to His disciples in Math.16:21, he said (Verse 24), “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” 1 Pet.20-21 : ‘But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.’

A crucified person was nailed to the cross, with either hand stretching to the either utmost ends. The feet were nailed together and then, the cross was lifted and dropped into a hole violently, which disjointed the whole body. The weight of the body hung on nails through the hands and feet. The victim then was left to die of pain and untold sufferings…..which can never find expression in human words.

Taking up our cross might disjoint our lives but will stretch out our faith life. Saying ‘no’ to self will and sin might cause pain and untold sufferings, yet the grace of God shall carry us through till our last breath. Bearing witness for Christ might cause us shame and abandonment. But the glory of God that awaits us, His loving arms to embrace us into eternity, makes us dare to go through all of it. May His love and grace strengthen us to dare to suffer for Christ, who dared to suffer for us.

Just as Jesus gave up self will to follow His Father’s will, we have been called to deny self and the-reby, go through sufferings. Though salvation has been offered as a free gift, becoming His dis-ciples might cause us many things. And unless we make up our mind to dare to go through all of it, the various trials might weary us off the track of faith life. And for this, let’s keep Him in our heart and life, who dared to suffer so that we never dare to sin again

Good Friday

Good Friday: John 18-19

Jesus Before Pilate

 ²⁸ Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. ²⁹So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"

 ³⁰ "If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."

 ³¹ Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law."

   "But we have no right to execute anyone," they objected. ³²This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.

 ³³ Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

   ³⁴ "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"  ³⁵ "Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

 ³⁶ Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place."

 ³⁷ "You are a king, then!" said Pilate.

   Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

 ³⁸ "What is truth?" retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him. ³⁹ But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?"

 ⁴⁰ They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising....

John 19

Jesus Sentenced to Be Crucified

 ¹ Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. ² The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe ³ and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. ⁴ Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” ⁵ When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
 ⁶ As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”
   But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”
 ⁷ The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”
 ⁸ When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, ⁹ and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”
 ¹¹ Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
 ¹² From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”
 ¹³ When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). ¹⁴ It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.
   “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.
 ¹⁵ But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
   “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.
   “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.
 ¹⁶ Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

The Crucifixion of Jesus

    So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. ¹⁷ Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). ¹⁸ There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. ¹⁹ Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. ²⁰ Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. ²¹ The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”
 ²² Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
 ²³ When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
 ²⁴ “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”
   This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,
   “They divided my clothes among them
   and cast lots for my garment.”^[b]
   So this is what the soldiers did.
 ²⁵ Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,^[c] here is your son,” ²⁷ and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

The Death of Jesus

 ²⁸ Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. ³¹ Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. ³² The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. ³³ But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. ³⁵ The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. ³⁶ These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,”^[d] 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”^[e]

The Burial of Jesus

 ³⁸ Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. ³⁹ He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.^[f] 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. ⁴¹ At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. ⁴² Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Holy week---Maundy Thursday's Devotions

Today's Old Testament Reading: Exodus 12:1-14

The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread

 ¹ The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, ² "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. ³Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. ⁴ If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. ⁵ The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. ⁶ Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. ⁷ Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. ⁸ That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. ⁹ Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire--with the head, legs and internal organs. ¹⁰ Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. ¹¹ This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover.

 ¹² "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. ¹³ The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

 ¹⁴ "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD--a lasting ordinance.

New Testament Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-32

 ²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

 ²⁷ So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.²⁹ For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. ³⁰ That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. ³¹ But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. ³²Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.