Tag: Good Friday

Into the Garden

On the night of Jesus’ betrayal, Jesus longed for support from His disciples. While they gave into their flesh rather than faith, there was still hope for them–and for us today–to return to Jesus.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed, we often remember Judas, who was led by his greedy heart to bring the soldiers straight to Jesus. But Judas wasn’t the only one who abandoned Jesus in His time of need that night.

During the Last Supper, Jesus shared with His disciples what would happen, yet they still weren’t ready to believe. In his typical fashion, Peter boldly declared that he was willing to die for Jesus, but Jesus warned him that he would disown Him that very night.

Today’s Scripture:

Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

-Matthew 26:32 (NIV)

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping.

“Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

-Matthew 26:36-41 (NIV)

Jesus is the Son of God, yet He chooses relationship with us. He didn’t need the disciples to stay awake and pray. God’s will was still done that night. Yet Jesus longed for His disciples, for Peter, to be a friend to Him as He prepared to sacrifice everything to break the barrier between God and man.

Perhaps if Peter had prayed beside Jesus, he wouldn’t have tried to protect Jesus by slicing off a guard’s ear moments later. He might’ve recognized that this was what God was calling Jesus to do. Maybe God would’ve given Peter the courage to not disown Jesus when his faith was put on trial.

But instead, Peter gave into his fleshly desire to sleep–and then later to act on his own instincts rather than surrender to God’s will–which caused him to do exactly the opposite of what he promised Jesus earlier.

I can only imagine the heartbreak Peter experienced as he witnessed his Lord brought away in chains. Perhaps he thought the fight was over, that they had lost. Perhaps he felt a tug-of-war in his heart between faithfulness to his friend and the natural desire to stay safe.

The good news is, Peter later receives a second chance, as do we when we betray Jesus by seeking fulfillment from earthly desires rather than our relationship with Him.

The question is, are you ready to surrender to His love, even when it means sacrificing your comfort zone?

Reflection Questions:

  • Think about a time when you tried to handle a situation on your own, without seeking God’s help.
  • How might have your mindset been different had you relied on God’s strength rather than your own?
  • What do you turn to for fulfillment in your life?
  • How do God’s promises differ from what the world promises? (I’d recommend cracking open your Bible for this one, especially focusing on Jesus’ teachings in the gospels!)

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

Thank you for offering us chance after chance to be in relationship with you. Even though our eyes wander, help us always turn back to you. We’re sorry for the ways we have rejected you and ask for your forgiveness. Thank you for your everlasting love and grace.

Amen.

Faithful God

How have you experienced God’s faithfulness this Lenten season?

“I will sing through fire and thunder
‘Cause You are on my side, I trust You with my life
I know my story, it isn’t over” (I AM THEY, “Faithful God”)

How are these lyrics speaking to your heart today?

During this Lenten season, I’ve been trying to grow in my trust in God. I’ve been making some decisions about my future and working towards handing my life to God. Though the hardest time I’ve had recently with trusting God happened during my trip to Hong Kong two weeks ago.

I was going to visit aging family members who do not know God and who have very little time left on earth. After years apart, I was finally going to be with them and hopefully show them God’s love.

But when plans fell apart and it felt like prayers weren’t being answered, I was very upset at God.

After a few days, as my agenda was altered, I was able to make it home, and I recovered from an exhausting trip, I realized that this was the ultimate test of trust in God. Not a test as in God waiting for me to fail or trying to rate my faith. I don’t believe God works like that.

No, more of a personal growth opportunity for me, if I let it be. Would I trust God even when it felt like the opposite of my prayers were happening?

To be honest, I didn’t trust God right away. But as my heart softened and my eyes were opened to the mysterious ways He as working, I realized that I could see God more clearly because of the difficulties that arose.

I contracted COVID during my trip, yet no one else caught it, including my high-risk grandparents. I was able to fly home, though if I had flown two weeks earlier, I would not have been able to make it back into my home country until getting a negative test. I was given the gift of rest when I returned home. A very valuable gift indeed.

So many little things worked together, though the greatest thing was being vulnerable with God. I expressed anger, fear, and deep grief to Him during this experience. While those feelings are uncomfortable and unpleasant, the more times we allow ourselves to feel those things and share them with God, the closer we will be to Him.

How do we know that we can trust God?

Well, Easter is a great start. The disciples likely didn’t understand God’s plan or why Jesus had to die or if He would even rise again. Though Jesus continued to promise that He would return and that He has power over everything–even death–they still didn’t quite “get it” until it all unfolded before them.

Jesus doesn’t condemn us for not understanding–after all, only He can fully understand everything. I’m so thankful that we have such a patient God who will gently guide us and help us grow in our trust in Him.

As we head into Good Friday and Easter, reflect on these questions:

  1. What has God been teaching you this Lenten season?
  2. How have you been challenged during this time?
  3. Good Friday is a time to sit in hard, sorrowful feelings, but also appreciate Jesus’ love for us. How can you show up vulnerably as you remember Jesus’ sacrifice for you?

I hope and pray you can truly feel God’s love for you during this time and beyond.

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

John 1:14

Holy Week Series: The Pain of Humiliation

How can we learn from Jesus’ example when experiencing humiliating situations?

Today is Good Friday, when Jesus was mocked, flogged, and ultimately killed, events that we should all agree are anything but “good”. There are so many points I could share in this post about Good Friday, but what I’ll focus on today will be the utter humiliation Jesus had to experience before being crucified.

In a study by Psychology Today, they found that when you’re humiliated, “the degree to which your brain is activated is more pronounced than with other emotion-inducing conditions”. I often wonder how much physical pain we’d be willing to endure in order to avoid humiliation. Often during studies of Good Friday, there’s a lot of focus on the physical torturing Jesus experienced. And He went through so many things that no one should experience, not to mention the Son of God! He was flogged, had a crown of thorns put on His head, was struck on the head with a wooden staff, forced to carry a cross that was estimated to have weighed over 300 pounds, hung on a cross with nails pierced into His flesh, and later stabbed in the side with a sword. Even experiencing one of those things would be traumatizing and incredibly painful, yet Jesus endured them all.

But you know what might have hurt even more? Being the most powerful Being in the entire universe, being the Creator of us all, and being spit on, mocked at, striped of clothes, and ultimately feeling the weight of people’s unbelief in who He really is. He died because He is our King, our Messiah. It was out of the “self-interest” or “envy” of His betrayers that He was killed (Matt. 27:18).

And if you think about it, that’s why humiliation exists, huh? If we are envious of someone, we are tempted to put them down in order to feel better about ourselves. Sometimes when we hurt others by humiliating them, it’s because we are putting our needs above theirs. We’d rather get things done quickly, so we don’t phrase things the right way and it stings. We’d rather not deal with the messiness of Christ-centered relationships, so we just dump people. We’d rather think we know everything than admit that someone else is right.

On the flip side, when we are being humiliated, it’s easy for us to get upset at God or others. We don’t believe we deserve the humiliation (and we don’t when others intentionally humiliate us). But still, we can find strength to endure the times when we are humbled through seeing how Jesus responded to being humiliated. And let’s be honest, I highly doubt (and I certainly hope) that any of us will go through what Jesus went through.

Yet, through it all, Jesus was:

  • Self-controlled

Like He told His disciples, He could’ve sent a legion of angels there to defend Him. He had the power to destroy everyone in a single second. He could’ve revealed the deepest, darkest secrets of the people mocking Him. We might be tempted to take revenge against those who humiliate us, but instead we should follow His example and use self-control.

  • Silent

Now, I’m not telling you to suffer in silence if someone is hurting you. Please speak up if you are in a bad situation so that you can be helped.

However, if you are in a humbling situation, instead of getting all upset and egging on the people who are humiliating you, try Jesus’ approach of being quiet. Allow yourself to be filled with God’s love and peace instead of anger and discouragement.

  • Living out “Thy will be done”

Right before Jesus was arrested, He told His Father that while He would rather not suffer through all these painful things, He wanted God’s will to be done. We often pray that same prayer, yet how often do we actually believe it? Aren’t we easily swayed by our own timetables and frustrated when things don’t happen when or how we want them to?

Instead of being fixated on your plan, turn your eyes and heart to God’s plan for your life. Allow your prayer to be sincere and be open to what God wants you to do with your life.

A fact that may encourage you is that while being humiliated causes us to experience many difficult emotions, “the way you feel is a direct function of the way you think” (Psychology Today). Jesus was able to endure all those terrible things because He knew who He was (and is!). He’s Jesus, the One who will rise up again in three days, the One who will defeat the Enemy. When we remember who we are, when we find our worth in who God says we are rather than who the world defines us as, the affects of humiliation will be learning from our mistakes and solidifying who we are in Christ rather than pain, grief, or discouragement.

Today, thank Jesus for all the hardships He endured to save you. He loves you so much. When you are in humiliating situations, remember Jesus’ love for you and don’t take those harsh words of others to heart.

How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 36:7

9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 John 4:9-10