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Midweek Meditation


Link to last Sunday's Sermon

Key Verses:

  • 18:38a - Pilate asked him, "What is truth?"

  • 18:39-40 - "But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” They shouted in reply, "Not this man but Barabbas!"

  • 19:5 - So Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold the man [the human being]!"

  • 19:11a - Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above"

  • 19:15 - They cried out, "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!" Pilate asked them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar."

  • 19:18-19 - There they crucified him and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."

  • 19:30 - When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished."

Meditation


The Throne of Glory

This past Sunday, we moved from the palms of victory to the "Kind of Death" Jesus was to die. In John 18 and 19, the Temple imagery we have followed throughout the Gospel of John and all of Lent reaches its destination. The Cross is not just an execution; it is the Holy of Holies.


The Mercy Seat at Golgotha

John provides a striking "Temple" perspective on the crucifixion. When the Ark of the Covenant sat in the Tabernacle, two cherubim overshadowed the Mercy Seat on top of the Ark, and it was between those angels that the invisible God was present to God's people. On the hill of Golgotha, we see Jesus lifted up between two thieves, Jesus, the True image of God, glorified and enthroned on the Cross of Calvary. It is there on that Cross that we see the Crucified God.


The ironies in John 19 are thick: Pilate thinks he is the judge, yet Jesus sits on the judgment seat. The crowd chooses Barabbas (whose name literally means "Son of the Father") while rejecting the true Son of the Father. Pilate mocks Jesus as "King," unknowingly proclaiming the truth. On the Cross, we see the definitive Image of God: a King who does not take life to rule, but who gives His life for His friends.


Buried in the Water

Our service was marked by the beautiful gift of Baptism, which is our personal participation in this story. To be baptized is to be with Jesus in his rejection, his death, and his resurrection. In baptism, we are washed and made priests in the household of God. We die to the "kingdoms of this world" and to the power sought by the "Pilates" of our age. We are raised into the freedom of the Lamb. When we witness a baptism, we aren't just watching a ritual; we are remembering our own death and our own new life in Christ.


Reflection for the Week

As we prepare for the solemnity of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and look toward the joy of Easter, consider these questions:


  • The King on the Judgment Seat: In what areas of your life does it feel like "Pilate" (the powers of this world, or your own anxieties) has the upper hand? How does it change your perspective to see Jesus—the one who gives His life—as the one truly sitting on the Judgment Seat?

  • Choosing the Son: The crowd chose the "son of the father" they understood (Barabbas) over the Son they didn't. Where are you tempted to choose a "Barabbas"—a worldly solution or a path of force—over the self-sacrificial way of Jesus?

  • Remembering Your Wash: If you have been baptized, you have been washed and "clothed" in Jesus’ death and life. How can you live this week as a "priest" in your neighborhood or workplace, bringing the "scent" of Jesus’ love into a world that often chooses violence?

  • Looking Toward the Garden: As we approach the Triduum (the Three Days), what are you bringing to the Cross this Friday? What are you asking the Lord to raise to new life on Easter Sunday?

If you have questions or are interested in discussing this scripture passage or this sermon with me, please don't hesitate to reach out.


God bless,

Pastor Matt

Recommendations from the Pastor's Desk

What's Pastor Matt been reading, watching, and listening to this week?


Reading: 

Watching:

  • Rick Steves' European Easter (1 hour)

  • I love Rick Steves! Anytime I have traveled, I have had a Rick Steves guidebook or have watched a bunch of his videos to get ready for the trip. Here is an hour-long special on Easter in Europe.

Listening: I listen to so many podcasts, so here are just a few (links are to Spotify):


Feel free to ask me about any of these or to discuss what you thought if you happen to dive in yourself!

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