Surrendered

Recently I read the story of Jesus before Pilate. It was early on Friday morning of Holy Week. The religious leaders had arrested Jesus, tried him, and found him worthy of death. Because execution was forbidden for Jews, they took him to stand trial before Pilate.

After questioning Jesus, Pilate was convinced of his innocence. However, the religious leaders had aroused the crowds, and Pilate was afraid of them. "What shall I do with Jesus?" Pilate asked the people. "Crucify him!" they cried. Ignoring his own convictions and his wife's pleas for Jesus's life, he washed his hands of any guilt and released Barabbas, "the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one [the crowds] asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will" (Luke 23:25).

What a chilling thought, that the holy Son of God would be surrendered to the will of an angry mob.

I noticed a handwritten message in the margin of my Bible, pointing me back a chapter to Luke 22:42. We see Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane on Thursday night, just hours prior to his trial before Pilate. Hear him pray: "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

Jesus was able to survive the experience of being surrendered to the will of the crowd because he had already surrendered himself to the will of the Father.

This is how we, too, can be equipped for those experiences where we seem to have no control of our situation. Perhaps it is illness or a broken relationship, or maybe it is financial strain or the grief over a loved one's death. If we have submitted ourselves to the Father's will we can rest in His loving hands. Surrendered to God, we need not be afraid of "the will of the crowd" concerning us.

In God, whose word I praise—

in God I trust and am not afraid.

What can mere mortals do to me? 

Psalm 56:4

Nailed to the Cross

With a hammer in one hand and a nail in the other, I waited, body heaving, sobs rising up in gasping breaths. "Please don't make me kill my Jesus!" I silently screamed as the moments passed. And when at last I pounded that wretched nail into the rough wood the hammering thundered in my head and the tears streamed down.

Traumatized, I turned to the communion table. 

The bread – his brokenness in exchange for yours. Take, eat. 

The cup – his blood that washes away your sins. Drink.

Quietly, from deep within, I heard singing, as if a puppeteer was pulling together the strings of many hymns and bringing to life a whole new song ~

Love and sorrow 

flow together

from a wooden cross,

nothing left of self

but love alone.

Blood of Jesus,

pure and holy,

spilled for Adam's race

and calling to the Father

on his throne.

Love and mercy

flow together

from the heart of God,

"The saving work is finished!"

cries the Son.

He drops his head 

in victory,

the sun goes dark as night.

Death is conquered

by the dying One.

Grace and mercy

flow together,

so immense and free.

They rap upon my heart;

I let them in.

My soul cries,

"Hallelujah!

Glory to the Lamb

whose sacrifice has freed me

 from my sin!"

© Ginger Kauffman

April 4, 2015

And When He Died...

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open... When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!" (Matthew 27:50-54)

Three o'clock Friday afternoon. Darkness had covered the land since noon, while people stood watching Jesus, the hope of Israel, endure the suffering of the cross. And now, with a loud cry, he died.

Had you been there, you might have thought that all was lost. Perhaps he was, after all, just a man -- brilliant and charismatic with power to heal, yet, still, a man.

But if you had not been overcome with grief -- as were his followers -- or fear -- as were his accusers, -- you might have noticed some of the remarkable occurrences that accompanied his death.

The earth shook and the rocks split and the tombs broke open. Rocks splitting and tombs breaking open are an indication of a tremendous earthquake, the likes of which I cannot comprehend.

We know that the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God (Romans 8:20-21). When Jesus died was the earth groaning from a sense of despair, that its liberator had been overcome? Or was it celebrating the foretaste of its freedom?

Author and speaker Jennifer Rothschild says, "the earth that God himself created was responding to this unbelievable world-altering act. Jesus himself spoke the world into being. I believe that when he was crucified the world itself shook because its creator had done something that was even more amazing than creating the world. He was creating a way for us to know God."  (See her on the Day of Discovery's DVD, Six Miracles of the Crucifixion)

And the curtain in the temple, the heavy curtain that separated the Holy of Holies (God's earthly dwelling) from the people, was torn in two, from the top to the bottom. This could only have been an act of God. The sacrifice that Jesus offered to the Father, his very life, was an acceptable sacrifice, sufficient to cover the sins of the world. The dividing wall between God and man was removed the moment Jesus died and the curtain was rent in two.

Not only was the way opened up for the Jews who worshipped at the temple to have access to God, but through his death Jesus was making it possible for ALL people, Jews and Gentiles alike, to be saved. That is why the centurion, who had guarded Jesus and witnessed his death first hand, could boldly exclaim, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

We always wait till Easter for the big party. After all, it's the resurrection that we celebrate. But don't overlook the amazing victory that was won at the crucifixion. Our Lord opened the way for us, all of us, to know God, and even the earth itself sensed the wonder of it. It seems to me that even in the midst of Good Friday's somber mood a celebration is surly in order!

Holy Week -- Friday

Today is Good Friday -- hard, dark, terrible, agonizing Good Friday. The first video, produced by Christian Fellowship Church in Belfast, Ireland, highlights the events of the day, while the song, My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me? by Scott Brenner, is the first 21 verses of Psalm 22 put to music. It was from this Psalm that Jesus quoted when he called out to God from the cross. (If you want to hear part 2 of Psalm 22, click here.)


CFC Belfast | Good Friday from Christian Fellowship Church on Vimeo.




Scripture for Friday of Holy Week
Matthew 26:47 - 27:61
Mark 14:43 - 15:47
Luke 22:7 - 47-23:56
John 18:2 - 19:42

Behold the Lamb!

Drawing by Tom Kauffman

The image in my mind, as we consider the day of Christ's crucifixion, the long dark waiting, and the day of triumph, is of a lamb. Isaiah talks about the suffering servant as a lamb, led to the slaughter, silent before his accusers. And he talks about us, sheep who have gone astray. The death of the Lamb give us life, and the brokenness of the Lamb provides our healing. John the Baptiser saw Jesus approach and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."

Please take a few moments to watch this moving recitation of Isaiah 53. 

And then I invite you to listen to two songs that celebrate the Lamb. (You can choose between the two if you like, but I simply couldn't make a choice myself!) The first is of Dottie Rambo singing a song which she wrote called Behold the Lamb. The other song is by Andrew Peterson and is called Behold the Lamb of God.

From the Revelation of John, chapter five:

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, 

standing in the center of the throne, 

encircled by the four living creatures and the elders... 

And they sang a new song:

"You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

because you were slain,

and with your blood you purchased men for God

from every tribe and language

and people and nation.

You have made them to be a kingdom of priests 

to serve our God,

and they will reign on the earth."

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, 

numbering thousands upon thousands, 

and ten thousand times ten thousand. 

They encircled the throne 

and the living creatures and the elders. 

In a loud voice they sang:

"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom 

and strength and honor and glory and praise!"

Then I heard every creature in heaven 

and on earth and under the earth 

and on the sea, 

and all that is in them, 

singing:

"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise and honor and glory and power,

for ever and ever!"

The four living creatures said, "Amen," 

and the elder fell down and worshipped.

(verses 6a, 9-14)

Good Friday

Beaten,

broken,

hung on a cross,

carrying all of our sin;

suffering,

groaning,

bearing our shame,

his Father turning from him.

Crying,

dying,

pierced in the side,

lovingly placed in a tomb;

darkness,

sadness,

grief and despair,

"We thought our Savior had come."

Ginger Kauffman

Watch the Lamb

I found a wonderful video for today, but I was unable to download it.  It's Ray Boltz' song, "Watch the Lamb," illustrated by Eric J Jeon.  You can see it here on YouTube.