Day 27 of Lent :: Fountain of Life

“On that day a fountain will be opened

to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
to cleanse them from sin and impurity.”
(Zechariah 13:1)

The eighteenth century poet, William Cowper penned the famous words to the poem, There is a Fountain Filled with Blood. In it, Cowper vividly captures what the prophet Zechariah spoke of some five hundred years before Jesus.

There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins.
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains,
Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains . . .


E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die,
And shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.

Jesus is the only true source of life. Ironically, it was brought about through death. That’s how the kingdom of God often seems – upside down. In the garden, humanity reached for the forbidden fruit. As they freely exerted their own will, they became enslaved to their own desires. As they acted as one who ruled their own life, they suffered death. At the cross, Jesus surrendered his very life, yet resurrected all of humanity from the grave of sin. He allowed human hands and forces of darkness to nail Him to the cross in the ultimate display of evil triumph over goodness, yet in doing so He led captivity captive, dethroning powers and principalities. This, in part, is the mystery of the Gospel. The cross, once only an instrument of death, now becomes an instrument of new life.

“The very existence of the cross, and of the crucified Christ,” writes Alister McGrath, “forces us to make a crucial decision: Will we look for God somewhere else, or will we make the cross, and the crucified Christ, the basis of our thought about God?”[i]

Prayer: Must I go on, Lord Jesus? I can barely stand to see myself through the gaping wounds on Your back. My stomach churns and I want to walk away. The journey to the cross is fraught with a thousand deaths, and I’m not sure if I am prepared to embrace each one. To know the fellowship of Your sufferings is not so simple. Sustain me in my quest, dearest Savior, and I will seek to share Your sorrow.[ii]

---

[i] Alister E. McGrath, The Mystery of the Cross, 13.

[ii] Prayer by Tricia McCary Rhodes, Contemplating the Cross, 71.

Day 26 :: Healing in the Wounds

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross,
so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; 

‘by his wounds you have been healed.’”
(1 Peter 2:24)

Christ died for the forgiveness of sins. He suffered for the healing of our own wounds. “At the head of the procession of life,” writes Earl Stanley Jones, “is a thorn-crowned Man, His pains healing our pains, His wounds answering our wounds, His love taking our sin.”1 This is the heart of the Gospel, the restoration of our whole person. This is the beauty we discover as we reflect on the bloody, disfigured Person, seemingly, helplessly, hanging on the cross. “When we look at his cross,” Augustine reminds us, “we understand his love. His head is bent down to kiss us. His hands are extended to embrace us. His heart is wide open to receive us.”

Reflection: Are there areas of your life that have yet to experience the healing power of the cross?

    Find a quiet place. Get comfortable. Take a few deep breaths. Open your hands before the One Who’s hands were outstretched on the wooden beam of the cross. His pain was to bring you peace. The strips upon His back are for your healing. His outstretched arms, your embrace.

    Bring you life before Him – all of it – every part.

Prayer: Wounded Savior, I come before you, stained by sin. Show me any area that I’ve not willingly surrendered to You… Is there anything I’m holding back? Are there areas of my soul that have yet to know Your healing touch? (If God shows you something, spend some time telling Him about it or perhaps journaling about it. It is important to identify what He shows you and then intentionally pray-fully bring and give it to Him.) I offer you my whole life. Take my sin. Embrace my pain. Heal my wounds.

    Finish your time of prayer by simply being with-God. Rest in His peace. So feel as if you have to say anything, just be aware of His present-nearness.


1 E. Stanley Jones, Christ and Human Suffering, 169.

Day 25 of Lent :: Suffering Servant

Christ is to us just what his cross is. 

All that Christ was in heaven or 
on earth was put into what he did there . . .
Christ, I repeat, is to us just what his cross is. 

You do not understand Christ 
till you understand his cross. 
(P. T. Forsyth)

Jesus came to bring redemption and forgiveness of sins? But, why did Jesus suffer? In the Old Testament, a lamb was offered as a sacrifice for sin. Jesus was the ultimate Lamb of God, slain for the sins of the whole world (see John 1:36, 1 Peter 1:19, Revelation 5:12, 13:8). Throughout the Old Testament, a lamb was never beaten or mistreated in any way. A quick cut to the throat, the blood flowed on the altar and forgiveness was acquired. So, why did Jesus suffer? Wouldn’t His blood have been enough?

The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews tell us that,

“We do not have a High Priest
who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,
but was in all points tempted as we are,
yet without sin.”
(Hebrews 4:15)

Jesus offers more than forgiveness, He offers understanding. He knows what it’s like to be tempted every way. He experienced injustice and abuse. His friends betrayed Him. He was spit at, mocked, stripped naked, beaten, and raised on a stake as an act of humiliation before the masses. Jesus knows pain. He’s not aloof to human suffering, He’s been there. Why was Jesus beaten? To join us.  Why was He abused? To join us. Why did Jesus suffer? Because, we all in one way or another have suffered.

Reflection: After informing us that Jesus has experienced what we have, the writer of Hebrews encourages us to,

“Then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, 

so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us 
in our time of need.”
(Hebrews 4:16)

How does it make you feel that Jesus can sympathize with your own weakness, sin and suffering?


Of all the pains that lead to salvation this is the most pain, to see thy Love suffer.
How might any pain be more to me than to see Him that is all my life,
all my bliss, and all my joy suffer?
(Julian of Norwich)

Day 24 of Lent :: Crucifixion

“Pilate had Jesus flogged, 
and handed him over to be crucified.”
(Mark 15:15

The Romans didn’t invent crucifixion as a means of punishment, but they did all they could to perfect it. Crucifixion was designed to maximize pain and suffering. It wasn’t merely about killing someone— it was about killing someone in a cruel and excruciating way. Crucifixion was the most disgraceful form of execution. It was usually reserved for slaves, foreigners, revolutionaries, and vile criminals.


Before every crucifixion, one would undergo a flogging or scourging. The scourging was intended to bring a victim to a state just short of death. Roman soldiers were trained to do this with great precision. 

A criminal was usually first forcefully stripped of his clothes and then tied to a post. The scourging began. The brutal instrument used to scourged the victim was called a flagrum. It can readily be seen that the long lashing pieces of bone and metal would greatly lacerate the human flesh.1
This was gruesome sight. Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea, the Church historian of the 3rd century, wrote in his Epistle of the Church in Smyrna, concerning the Roman scourging inflicted on those to be executed: the sufferer's "veins were laid bare, and that the very muscles, sinews, and bowels of the victim were open to exposure."2
The Journal of the American Medical Association, published a medical study of the death of Christ. Regarding the scourging of Jesus, we read:


Flogging was a legal preliminary to every Roman execution, and only women and Roman senators or soldiers (except in cases of desertion) were exempt. The usual instrument was a short whip (flagrum or flagellum) with several single or braided leather thongs of variable lengths, in which small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bones were tied at intervals. Occasionally, staves also were used. For scourging, the man was stripped of his clothing and his hands were tied to an upright post. The back, buttocks, and legs were flogged either by two soldiers (lictors) or by one who alternated positions. The severity of the scourging depended on the disposition of the lictors and was intended to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse or death. After the scourging, the soldiers often taunted their victim.

As the Roman soldiers repeatedly struck the victim's back with full force, the iron balls would cause deep contusions, and the leather thongs and sheep bones would cut into the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Then, as the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh. Pain and blood loss generally set the stage for circulatory shock. The extent of blood loss may well have determined how long the victim would survive on the cross. . . .


The severe scourging, with its intense pain and appreciable blood loss, most probably left Jesus in a preshock state. Moreover, hematidrosis had rendered his skin particularly tender. The physical and mental abuse meted out by the Jews and the Romans, as well as the lack of food, water, and sleep, also contributed to his generally weakened state. Therefore, even before the actual crucifixion, Jesus' physical condition was at least serious and possibly critical.1

Dr. C. Truman Davis, a medical doctor who has meticulously studied crucifixion from a medical perspective, describes the effects of the Roman flagrum used in whipping:


The heavy whip is brought down with full force again and again across [a person's] shoulders, back, and legs. At first the heavy thongs cut through the skin only. Then, as the blows continue, they cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin, and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles. The small balls of lead first produce large, deep bruises which are broken open by subsequent blows. Finally the skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When it is determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner is near death, the beating is finally stopped.2


Reflection: Based on the descriptions of what Jesus would have experienced, reflect on the following prophecy about Jesus.

Just as there were many who were appalled at him
—
his appearance was so disfigured 
beyond that of any human being
and 
his form marred beyond human likeness.

(Isaiah 52:14)

1 William D. Edwards, Wesley J. Gabel, Floyd E., Hosmer, "On the Physical Death of Jesus  Christ," The Journal of the American Medical Association 11 (March 21, 1986): 1457-1458.
2 C. Truman Davis, "The Crucifixion of Jesus," Arizona Medicine (March 1965), p. 185.

Day 23 of Lent :: Against all Odds

“This was to fulfill the word 
of Isaiah the prophet.”
(John 12:38)

There has never been another human to walk the earth like Jesus. Even centuries before He was born, prophecies were spoken about Him. In fact, there are more than 300 messianic prophecies found throughout the pages of Scripture. There has never been another human on earth to which this has been the case.

A number years ago, Peter Stoner wrote a book entitled Science Speaks.1 In it, Stoner proceeds to select eight of the best known prophecies about the Messiah and calculates the odds of their accidental fulfillment in one person as being 1 in 1017.

Imagine filling the State of Texas knee deep in silver dollars. Include in this huge number one silver dollar with a black check mark on it. Then, turn a blindfolded person loose in this sea of silver dollars. The odds that the first coin he would pick up would be the one with the black check mark are the same as eight prophecies being fulfilled accidentally in the life of Jesus.

Or to put it a slightly different way, according to the laws of chance, it would require 200-billion earths, populated with 4-billion people each, to come up with one person whose life could fulfill 100 accurate prophecies without any errors in sequence. Yet the Scriptures record not 100, but over 300 prophecies that were fulfilled in Christ’s first coming alone.2

Reflection: Some eight hundred years prior to Jesus, the Prophet Isaiah described the death of Jesus in great detail. Slowly, read it, imagine it, and allow it to begin to sink into the depths of your soul. As you go throughout the day, reflect on it. This week, commit this passage to memory.

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by others, 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. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him…
(Isaiah 53:2-5)

 

 

1 Peter W. Stoner and Robert C. Newman, Science Speaks: Scientific Proof of the Accuracy of 
Prophecy and the Bible.
2 Dr. Charles Ryrie.

Fasting Focus :: Week Four of Lent :: Nailed

Food and Meals

Jesus is the ultimate example of what it looks like to abandon our will to the will of the Father. We have seen this in various degrees at each stop along the path of Christ’s journey. Abandonment always requires surrender. So, this week, as we reflect on what it was like for Christ to be nailed to the cross, we will physically be practicing abandonment and surrender by fasting food.

Pick either a type of food (like meat or carbs or even “solids”) and fast from them for the week. Or alternately, pick a meal (like breakfast or lunch) to skip on a daily basis. If you skip meals, spend that time you would have spent preparing and eating food in doing something like prayer, reading Scripture or serving others. Perhaps take these blocks of time and find a way to bless someone, even if it’s just time spent listening to them.

Keep journal entries of what it’s like to go hungry, even if it’s just for one meal. What has it been like to begin to assert some mastery over your body these past two weeks? How does your body/mind respond to that?

If you forgo a whole category of food, consider: 

 • What is it like to deny a craving? Is it easy or hard?
 • How does that craving grow the more you deny it?
 • Does it eventually become easier? Why?

Day 22 of Lent :: Unstoppable

“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
(Revelation 12:11)

Many of us have never been ridiculed for our faith.  Some of us have been called holy-rollers or have been looked at as old-fashioned or have experienced the rolling of eyes by a co-worker.  This is a far cry from being abused and persecuted for the cause of Christ.  Many people enjoy the freedom of personal prayer in open places and enjoy public gatherings for the purpose of worship, but this is not the case in numerous places in the world.  In fact, an average of 171,000 Christians worldwide are martyred for their faith each year.1  For countless Christ-followers, taking up their cross means being disowned by family members, being discriminated for employment, and/or suffering violence.

From the beginning, the followers of Christ have suffered.  Around 34 A.D., one year after the crucifixion of Jesus, a young disciple named Stephen was stoned to death.  Martyrdom for Christ was prevalent in Jerusalem during this period.  Over the next several decades, all but one of the twelve Apostles were martyred for their faith. 

Here is what history records:
James the brother of John was killed with a sword during a persecution initiated by King Herod. (44 AD)
Andrew was hanged on the branch of an olive tree. (circa 70 AD)
Doubting Thomas was thrust through with pine spears, tortured with red-hot plates, and burned alive. (Circa 70 AD)
Philip went to Phrygia where he was tortured and crucified. (54 AD)
Matthew was beheaded. (Sometime after 60 AD)
Bartholomew was flayed (skin stripped from his body) for refusing to deny Jesus.  When that did not kill him, he was crucified. (70 AD)
James the lesser was taken to the top of the Temple, and refusing to deny Jesus, he was thrown from the roof.  He survived the fall, so a mob beat him with clubs until he died. (63 AD)
Simon the Zealot was crucified by orders of the governor of Syria. (74 AD)
Judas Thaddeus ministered in Mesopotamia where he was beaten to death with sticks. (72 AD)
Matthias, who replaced Judas Iscariot, went to Ethiopia and was stoned to death while hanging on a cross. (70 AD)
Peter (according to Eusebius, a third-century historian) thought himself unworthy to die in the manner in which Jesus was crucified, so he requested that he be crucified upside-down.  (Circa 67 AD)
John the beloved is the only disciple who died a natural death, but that does not mean he was exempt from persecution.  According to historian, Tertullian, John was plunged into boiling oil in a Roman coliseum, yet suffered no effects from it.  He was then banished to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of the Revelation, and died an old man. (Circa 100 AD)

Persecution did not slow the growth of the Church during the first few centuries after Christ died.  As its early leaders suffered horrible deaths, Christianity flourished throughout the Roman Empire.  It is estimated that 70 million people have been martyred because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Spend time throughout the day praying for our brothers and sisters around the globe who are suffering as a result of their faith in Jesus Christ. 

 The following are a few things to pray for them:

To have physical protection and deliverance
To speak the right words to fearlessly make Christ known
To know God’s grace as sufficient and God’s power is perfected in their weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
To love Christ’s appearing
To rejoice in sharing the sufferings of Jesus
To faithfully endure by more completely trusting in God
To choose ill-treatment and the reproach for Christ’s sake, rather than the pleasures of sin
To overcome sin
To love Christ far more than life itself
To love their enemies
To not enter into temptation, even under the stress of      persecution
To rejoice that they are considered worthy to suffer for His Name
To demonstrate the joy of the Lord before their persecutors
To focus on their future glory
To rejoice that they bear in their bodies the “brand marks of Christ.”

Action: To learn more about the persecution of Christians around the globe visit: www.persecution.com, www.persecution.net, and www.idop.org. 

1 Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (2006).