12 min
Holy Wednesday 2023. Jesus predicts his death. Seasons. An Advent and Lent Podcast By Willow Park Church
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- Cristianismo
Wednesday, 5 April 2023
Today is Wednesday, the 5th of April, in Holy Week.
Today, as we recognize the presence of God with us, we look to Jesus and him
showing us the great purpose of his death.
As we take a moment to listen to Salt of the Sound sing
Nearer my God to thee, let us take a moment to thank God for the cross and through
the cross, we have every opportunity to draw close to him and be nearer to him.
Today’s reading is from the Gospel of John 12:20-36
Jesus Predicts his death.
As we recognize the presence of God with us on this Holy
Wednesday, we come to the time when Jesus predicts his death.
But what does the crucifixion of Jesus Christ accomplish?
This is one of the few passages in the Gospels where Jesus
offers any interpretative meaning to his death.
He says his crucifixion will accomplish three things:
It will judge the world.
It will cast out the ruler of the world.
It will draw the whole world to him.
The cross of Christ pronounces judgment on the basic
arrangement of the world. The principalities and powers—the rich and powerful,
the structures they represent, and the spirit generated by them—claim they have
the right to rule the world because they are wise and just. But the cross
exposes the principalities and the powers as neither wise nor just, but simply
greedy for wealth and power.
The cross also drives out the ruler of this world, the accuser
who unites people around the practice of scapegoating a vilified other, but the
the cross exposes scapegoating for what it is—the lynching of an innocent victim.
Finally, the cross re-founds the world. When we see Jesus
lifted up on the cross, perfectly displaying God's love by forgiving the world's sin, we find the place where human society is reorganized. Instead
of a world organized around an axis of power enforced by violence, we discover
a world organized around an axis of love expressed in forgiveness. As we gaze
long upon the sacred mystery of Christ crucified, we find ourselves drawn
into the saving orbit of love and forgiveness.
As we read the final section of this passage again
Take some time to process in your own words what you think
Jesus means when he talks about having the light just a little while longer,
but that we are to become children of the light.
Jesus said he would be with them in person for only a short
time, and they should take advantage of his presence while they had it. Like a
light shining in a dark place, he would point out the way they should walk. If they
walked in his light, they would become children of the light, revealing the
truth and pointing people to God.
As Christians we are to be light bearers, letting His light shine through us.
Take the next few moments to walk through the rest of your day and the rest of
your week asking God how you could be a light bearer to those around you.
Lord Jesus, thank you for all that you accomplished on the cross
and thank you for the forgiveness that we have received. As you have called us
to be children of light, may we go forward bringing the light of forgiveness
into this world for everyone to see and receive.
Music by Salt of The Sound, Simon Wester and Dear Gravity
Wednesday, 5 April 2023
Today is Wednesday, the 5th of April, in Holy Week.
Today, as we recognize the presence of God with us, we look to Jesus and him
showing us the great purpose of his death.
As we take a moment to listen to Salt of the Sound sing
Nearer my God to thee, let us take a moment to thank God for the cross and through
the cross, we have every opportunity to draw close to him and be nearer to him.
Today’s reading is from the Gospel of John 12:20-36
Jesus Predicts his death.
As we recognize the presence of God with us on this Holy
Wednesday, we come to the time when Jesus predicts his death.
But what does the crucifixion of Jesus Christ accomplish?
This is one of the few passages in the Gospels where Jesus
offers any interpretative meaning to his death.
He says his crucifixion will accomplish three things:
It will judge the world.
It will cast out the ruler of the world.
It will draw the whole world to him.
The cross of Christ pronounces judgment on the basic
arrangement of the world. The principalities and powers—the rich and powerful,
the structures they represent, and the spirit generated by them—claim they have
the right to rule the world because they are wise and just. But the cross
exposes the principalities and the powers as neither wise nor just, but simply
greedy for wealth and power.
The cross also drives out the ruler of this world, the accuser
who unites people around the practice of scapegoating a vilified other, but the
the cross exposes scapegoating for what it is—the lynching of an innocent victim.
Finally, the cross re-founds the world. When we see Jesus
lifted up on the cross, perfectly displaying God's love by forgiving the world's sin, we find the place where human society is reorganized. Instead
of a world organized around an axis of power enforced by violence, we discover
a world organized around an axis of love expressed in forgiveness. As we gaze
long upon the sacred mystery of Christ crucified, we find ourselves drawn
into the saving orbit of love and forgiveness.
As we read the final section of this passage again
Take some time to process in your own words what you think
Jesus means when he talks about having the light just a little while longer,
but that we are to become children of the light.
Jesus said he would be with them in person for only a short
time, and they should take advantage of his presence while they had it. Like a
light shining in a dark place, he would point out the way they should walk. If they
walked in his light, they would become children of the light, revealing the
truth and pointing people to God.
As Christians we are to be light bearers, letting His light shine through us.
Take the next few moments to walk through the rest of your day and the rest of
your week asking God how you could be a light bearer to those around you.
Lord Jesus, thank you for all that you accomplished on the cross
and thank you for the forgiveness that we have received. As you have called us
to be children of light, may we go forward bringing the light of forgiveness
into this world for everyone to see and receive.
Music by Salt of The Sound, Simon Wester and Dear Gravity
12 min