Faces in the Crowd: Daily Reading March 16

Monday Day 17 An Unexpected Affirmation Mark 15: 33-39

33 At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."
36 One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

This is an astounding statement for a Roman army officer. This man was in charge of the execution squad and would have seen countless criminals die by crucifixion. He was obviously not expecting anything out of the ordinary but found the death of Jesus so unusual that he was prompted to affirm Jesus as God’s Son. It states that it was because he “heard his cry and saw how he died” (39) that led him to this conclusion. Part of his astonishment was that at the time of death, Jesus still had the strength to shout out with a loud cry. Other factors as well may have led him to this conclusion. The scene was clothed in a supernatural darkness, he heard another cry asking why God had forsaken him and the final shout was accompanied by the ripping of the temple curtain.

The previous verses describe the bystanders as mocking and jeering (30-32) but this bystander did not mock. The religious leaders who were saturated with the Scriptures rejected him and hardened their hearts against him but this man who rightly acknowledged Jesus was not even a Jew let alone one conversant with Scripture. All through Mark’s Gospel the characters puzzled over the identity of Jesus. No human person in the Gospel of Mark rightly acknowledged Jesus by this title Son of God, even though the first verse of the Gospel (1:1) asserts that this is who Jesus is.

The centurion was unlikely to understand all that this title entailed and he spoke more than he knew. In using the term Son of God he is stating where his ultimate allegiance lies. It was common for the Roman emperor to call himself son of God and for his subjects to proclaim him as such. This man, however, states it is Jesus and not Caesar who demands our ultimate allegiance.

We might wonder why this pagan soldier is correct in his assessment of Jesus while all others are either incorrect or unsure. The reason can be stated simply in that he is open to the evidence, while others are not. Our own response to Jesus requires the same honesty. Is it possible we have created a picture of Jesus that is not entirely accurate but which may reinforce our prejudices? Have we so stressed his deity that we deny his full humanity? Is our picture of Jesus more that of a modern North American Jesus than a Jesus who is a first century Jew? Where does our portrait of Jesus need to be brought into sharper focus?

Lord Jesus, I long to know you as you really are and not just as I have hoped you would be. Correct my misconceptions as I study the Gospels afresh. I acknowledge you as the one to whom I give my ultimate allegiance.

Old Testament Reading Psalm 2

Daily Reading: March 10th

Tuesday Day12, The god Mammon, John 12:1-6, Acts 1:18-19)

1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. (John 12)
18 (With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) (Acts 1)

These two passages reveal at least one of the primary motives for Judas’ betrayal of Jesus - the love of money. Judas did not worship the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ but rather at the shrine of the god mammon. The first passage from John shows how money can distort our sense of values. Mary shows her devotion by spending all she has on Jesus but Judas can only evaluate the act in terms of dollars and cents.“How much did it cost?” “What did they pay for that?” These are statements we often hear. When it comes to giving lavishly to spiritual enterprises, our reaction is often the same. “Be careful you do not give too much”, we say. “We have to look after ourselves first”, we rationalize. Certainly we need to be fiscally responsible and living within our means. Such questions about cost are not always out of order. They become dangerous when these issues become the driving force behind all our deliberations and such questions are the only ones we ask. We may find ourselves bowing before the god mammon even though we never intended to do so.
The story in Acts where Peter describes the demise of Judas reinforces the danger. He describes what happens as “the reward he got for his wickedness”. The broken body of Judas lies sprawled on the ground as a warning to what happens when greed grips our heart. It is what Jesus describes as “the deceitfulness of wealth” (Matthew 13:22). The end result seems promising at first, but as Jesus says in another place, we may gain the whole world and forfeit our life (Mark 8:36). We may not have gone as far down this road as Judas did but we need to look into our hearts and ask whether we have taken the first step on the road to ruin.

Lord, I desire to be devoted to nothing else but you and your kingdom. Help me to seek first the kingdom and its righteousness and then I know all else will be added unto me (Matt 6:33). I confess any covetousness, greed or self sufficiency that I find within me.

Old Testament Reading Psalm 55

Faces in the Crowd: Daily Reading March 6

Friday Day 9 Too Close To Home Acts 24:24-27
24 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, "That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you." 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe, so he sent for him frequently and talked with him.

We move back from the shadow of the cross in this story, which again illustrates the far-reaching implications of the decisions we make. Paul had been in prison in Caesarea, the Roman administrative capital of Israel, for only a few days when he came before Felix and his Jewish wife Drusilla for a hearing. Felix, like many people, had an interest in religion in general and the Christian faith in particular.
Paul had previously defended his own actions and had pointed out that he was not a threat to the Roman government. In this interview however he became more pointed and talked about righteousness, self-control and coming judgment (25), so that Felix became understandably uncomfortable. No one needed to hear these truths more than this pair. Felix was described by a Roman historian as having the power of a king but the mind of a slave. Felix had stolen his wife Drusilla away from another man and they both were given to lives of debauchery and lust. As the truth of Paul’s message hit home, the heart of Felix was gripped with fear.
We are often told today that we should not make people uncomfortable and certainly should not use fear tactics in our teaching and preaching but Paul did not hesitate. Felix’ response and decision was not to decide and so he said he would make no decision at that time. Indecision is in itself a choice however, and Felix said they would talk again when it was more convenient. They did talk again and Felix frequently called for Paul and heard him (26). There is no evidence that Felix ever responded in any way except to procrastinate further.
Faced with making a difficult decision we often stall until we “find it convenient”. The convenient time never comes and we continue in our life style because we do not want to change anything. The issues that faced Felix often confront us, namely righteousness and self-control. What is it I have been avoiding because it is unpleasant and hard to face? Is it a relationship that needs to be broken but I procrastinate because the conversation may be unpleasant? What steps in the path of righteousness should I be taking but I delay because it is not “convenient”? Now is the time to break out of my lethargy and make decisions that will honour God in my life.

Forgive me Lord for a life of constant procrastination. I want to deal with any unresolved issues, take any steps of obedience and worship you in spirit and truth. I give the issues of my life into your hands and affirm that I wish to be spiritually proactive, starting today.
Old Testament Reading Joel 3:12-16

Faces in the Crowd, Daily Reading, March 4th

Wednesday Day 7 Caiaphas: A Lesson in Compromise Matthew 26:57, 62-66

57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled ... 62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" 63 But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." 64 "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." 65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?" He is worthy of death”, they answered.

This was the opportunity that Caiaphas had been waiting for. He, along with other Jewish leaders, had been looking for an appropriate time to eliminate Jesus and now it was being placed in their laps. Jesus was being delivered bound and chained before them. We might wonder why there was such hostility between Israel’s chief spiritual leader and Jesus who was Israel’s Messiah. In the Old Testament, the High Priest functioned primarily in a spiritual role, but between the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New this began to change. Since Israel no longer had a king, the office of the High Priest became more and more a political office. High Priests were supposed to be Levites but in these days the office often went to the highest bidder, regardless of their genealogical background. It was imperative then that the High Priest be on good terms with the Roman officials. The fact that Caiaphas had remained in office far longer than his predecessors showed that he had learned how to play the political game.
His antagonism toward Jesus is explained in a scene in John 11 where the religious leaders express fear that everyone will believe in Jesus and “then the Romans will come and take away our place and our nation” (11:48). At this point Caiaphas speaks and says, “You do not realise that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish” (11:49). Caiaphas is saying more than he realises, because Jesus would soon die for the sins of the nation. Caipahas is referring to something different, and is saying that it is better to sacrifice this man than for us to lose our place, our power and our position. Caiaphas is merely protecting his turf. He is thus willing to ignore the clear evidence that Jesus is Israel’s Messiah, and is willing to bend a number of legal principles to get Jesus convicted and put to death.
We also will go to great lengths to protect ourselves. It may be our reputation we are guarding, so we remain silent when we should speak up for Jesus. It may be a new job opportunity that comes our way, but in taking it we will have to bend our Christian principles. It may be holding on to a position we already have, but our Christian faith must not get in the way. Like Caiaphas, we zealously protect our turf. Luther had it right when he said, “Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also. The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever.”

Forgive me Lord, for bending and compromising my Christian principles so that I may further my career, my agenda and my plans. Help me to hold these things loosely and to remember that my ultimate allegiance is to you.

Old Testament Reading Malachi 2:1-9

Faces in the Crowd, Daily Reading, March 3rd

Tuesday Day 6, Signs of New Life, John 19:38-42

38Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39He 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. 40Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41At 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. 42Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Once again we are informed about the burial of Jesus, this time from John’s Gospel. John shares a detail of the story with us that the other Gospels omit, namely that when Joseph asked for the body of Jesus he was accompanied by Nicodemus (39). Nicodemus appears three times, the first being in chapter three where Jesus shares with him the teaching about the new birth. The second is in John 7 where he is sitting in a meeting of the Sanhedrin and he voices a mild objection to their tactics in that they have condemned Jesus without really hearing him. “Does our law condemn anyone without first hearing him to find out what he is doing”, he asks (7:51). The third incident is here in chapter 19 where he has become much more courageous.
There is definitely a progression in these three scenes. In the first scene, he comes to Jesus and shows interest in the miracles he performs, but there is no indication that he is a true believer. When Jesus explains the new birth, he replies by saying, “How can a man be born when he is old?”. He interprets in physical terms what Jesus is explaining in spiritual terms. The interview ends without the reader knowing whether Nicodemus ever opened his heart and was born again.
In John 7 however, we see the stirrings of new life. Nicodemus objects to the unjust procedure being directed against Jesus (7:51). In the previous verses, the leaders ask, “Has any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? No!”. The leaders were wrong because Nicodemus already possessed the life from above. It is demonstrated more clearly in John 19 where he assists Joseph in preparing the body of Jesus for burial. Nicodemus’ faith gets stronger each time we encounter him.
The story of Nicodemus encourages us to look at our own commitments and decisions. Where is the stirring of new life in me? What about others in my family or in my church? Do I see evidence that a new birth has taken place? James reminds us that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Paul tells us, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves” (2 Cor 13:5). Some soul-searching is always in order.

Search my heart O Lord that I may be encouraged by signs of God’s life that I detect within. Help my faith to grow like that of Nicodemus so that each challenge that comes my way is a beachhead that leads to even more daring acts of obedience.

Old Testament Reading Psalm 139:17-24