John 19:28-42 (NIV)
Read by: Clayton Cullaton
Throughout the Gospel of John we’ve been paying attention to the “signs” performed by Jesus--each one a picture of what it looks like when heaven and earth come together. The blind see, the sick are well, the dead are raised…
Some see the crucifixion itself as one of these signs, which forces us to ask the question: how is this a picture of what it looks like when God’s space and our space overlap and interlock? We may be tempted to look away at this moment and say this whole thing makes no sense, but if we have eyes, we can come closer and see… We can see that for these two spaces to be brought back together as they were in the garden, as they will be in new creation… all the evil and death that exists in the world has to go somewhere… it has to be dealt with…
----------REFLECT----------
1. What were your primary emotions as you listened to this passage, how did your body respond?
2. John offers us extraordinary details that are painfully specific and deeply physical. Sometimes we can think of the crucifixion of Jesus as a purely theological event, but it was physical and historical. Take a few moments to remind yourself that this actually happened, consider the sights, the smells, the sounds…
3. The passage in Zechariah that John quotes here is a prophecy about the Messiah--and how God will bring about redemption and deliverance to the world through the Messiah’s suffering. Do you believe that God can bring redemption through suffering in your life? Ask the Spirit to meet you in the places where you need deliverance and redemption, even in your suffering.
----------CONNECT----------
MS. SKIP McDONALD - ANXIETY (LIFE GUIDE)
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