Purged With Hyssop A Lenten Devotional

From Psalm 51

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Purged With Hyssop: A Lenten Devotional from Psalm 51 © 2016 Redeemer Christian Church All Rights Reserved Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Redeemer Christian Church 3701 Soncy Rd Amarillo, TX 79119 www.redeemerchristianchurch.com Cover Art: Josh Davis Edited by Sherry Russ

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Fasting for Lent

After Jesus was baptized, he went into the wilderness for a time of prayer and fasting. Following his example, for centuries, Christians fasted during the season of Lent. Many will give up meat on Friday. Some will give up alcohol or chocolate. Others will lay aside some distraction like television or social media. But it should be noted that Jesus didn’t go into the wilderness to reduce his carb intake.

Fasting is not merely a “holy diet”, but it is a discipline that strengthens us as we war against sin. Giving something up, though is incomplete. If you give up lunch on Tuesdays, but spend that time surfing Facebook, you have only taken a half measure. Jesus time in the wilderness was saturated with prayer and reflection on the Scriptures. As noted below, this strengthens him for spiritual warfare against the devil himself and prepares him for the ministry ahead.

When you fast (and you should), replace what you have given up during the season with something you need to take on more regularly. Use that lunch time to pray for the persecuted church or those hours normally spent on Twitter to serve at the food bank or that video game time to read through books

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Purged With Hyssop: A Lenten Devotional from Psalm 51 © 2016 Redeemer Christian Church All Rights Reserved Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Redeemer Christian Church 3701 Soncy Rd Amarillo, TX 79119 www.redeemerchristianchurch.com Cover Art: Josh Davis Edited by Sherry Russ

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Fasting for Lent

After Jesus was baptized, he went into the wilderness for a time of prayer and fasting. Following his example, for centuries, Christians fasted during the season of Lent. Many will give up meat on Friday. Some will give up alcohol or chocolate. Others will lay aside some distraction like television or social media. But it should be noted that Jesus didn’t go into the wilderness to reduce his carb intake.

Fasting is not merely a “holy diet”, but it is a discipline that strengthens us as we war against sin. Giving something up, though is incomplete. If you give up lunch on Tuesdays, but spend that time surfing Facebook, you have only taken a half measure. Jesus time in the wilderness was saturated with prayer and reflection on the Scriptures. As noted below, this strengthens him for spiritual warfare against the devil himself and prepares him for the ministry ahead.

When you fast (and you should), replace what you have given up during the season with something you need to take on more regularly. Use that lunch time to pray for the persecuted church or those hours normally spent on Twitter to serve at the food bank or that video game time to read through books

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of the Bible. Memorize Psalm 51 during the next 5 weeks instead of football statistics.

The item fasted represents the sin in your life that must be removed. The prayer is your acknowledgement of your dependence on God. The charity or volunteering serves your community, but it also represents the virtue you are desiring God to grow in your heart to replace your sin.1

None of these things can save you from your ultimate state of sinfulness. If you place your trust in religious acts to make you holy before God, the benefit will be lost. Instead, we have to acknowledge our dependence on Jesus’ work on the cross to save us. Lent isn’t ultimately about a fast, which can be easily broken. Lent is about a Rescuer who gives us hope despite our weakness.

It begins with Ash Wednesday, an acknowledgment of our mortality, part of the curse brought on by sin. It reaches it’s depth with Good Friday, when Jesus himself suffered death and then in celebration on Easter as he burst forth from his tomb defeating Satan, sin, and death!

May Lent remind you of your need for Jesus and how freely he has given himself to you!

1RobertWebber,Ancient-FutureTime:FormingSpiritualitythroughtheChristianYear,Ancient-FutureFaithSeries(GrandRapids,Mich.:BakerBooks,©2004),113.

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Ash Wednesday Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

- Psalm 51:1-22 Our Need Ash Wednesday is a funeral for the human race.

Death is a reality which haunts every human being. We are aware our lives end in death, yet we do our best to forget. At funerals, we say “she passed away” instead of “she died” to minimize the pain and awkwardness of death. We want to make death seem natural and seamless so that we have to acknowledge our own mortality. The Bible is clear; death is real. It has been with us since Adam and Eve rejected the friendship and fellowship of God (Genesis 3:19). We came from

2ConsidermemorizingPsalm51overthenextfiveweeks.ThePsalmisDavid’sworshipresponsetoGod’sgraceduringhissinfuladulterywithBathshebaandmurderofherhusband,Uriah.David’spositionisnotunique;weareallsinnersinneedofgrace.

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of the Bible. Memorize Psalm 51 during the next 5 weeks instead of football statistics.

The item fasted represents the sin in your life that must be removed. The prayer is your acknowledgement of your dependence on God. The charity or volunteering serves your community, but it also represents the virtue you are desiring God to grow in your heart to replace your sin.1

None of these things can save you from your ultimate state of sinfulness. If you place your trust in religious acts to make you holy before God, the benefit will be lost. Instead, we have to acknowledge our dependence on Jesus’ work on the cross to save us. Lent isn’t ultimately about a fast, which can be easily broken. Lent is about a Rescuer who gives us hope despite our weakness.

It begins with Ash Wednesday, an acknowledgment of our mortality, part of the curse brought on by sin. It reaches it’s depth with Good Friday, when Jesus himself suffered death and then in celebration on Easter as he burst forth from his tomb defeating Satan, sin, and death!

May Lent remind you of your need for Jesus and how freely he has given himself to you!

1RobertWebber,Ancient-FutureTime:FormingSpiritualitythroughtheChristianYear,Ancient-FutureFaithSeries(GrandRapids,Mich.:BakerBooks,©2004),113.

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Ash Wednesday Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

- Psalm 51:1-22 Our Need Ash Wednesday is a funeral for the human race.

Death is a reality which haunts every human being. We are aware our lives end in death, yet we do our best to forget. At funerals, we say “she passed away” instead of “she died” to minimize the pain and awkwardness of death. We want to make death seem natural and seamless so that we have to acknowledge our own mortality. The Bible is clear; death is real. It has been with us since Adam and Eve rejected the friendship and fellowship of God (Genesis 3:19). We came from

2ConsidermemorizingPsalm51overthenextfiveweeks.ThePsalmisDavid’sworshipresponsetoGod’sgraceduringhissinfuladulterywithBathshebaandmurderofherhusband,Uriah.David’spositionisnotunique;weareallsinnersinneedofgrace.

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the dust of the earth, we fight against it for food, and in the end, we will return to dust. But for all of death’s reality, it is wholly unnatural. God did not make a world with death. He is the God of the living after all (Mark 20:38)! He made a world teeming with life and gave Man the job of stewarding that life. Adam, his wife Eve, and their children were to spread the Garden of Eden over the face of the earth. They instead used the garden for their own purposes, eating fruit that had been forbidden to them in a bid to put themselves in God’s place. With the world broken, death entered into the equation. At some level, it was a grace; the amount of damage humanity could do in a broken world that could not now possibly support an immortal race was curtailed by death. But it was also a punishment; being ejected from the Garden of Eden, from God’s presence, Adam and Eve would die and the earth would swallow them. Ash Wednesday reminds us of our mortality. But what if we see death for the enemy it is? What if we openly weep like Jesus (John 11:35) for our friends and family who die instead of glossing over their deaths? Does that mean we have to despair? Not at all!

Because our God is the God of the living.

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Jesus Storybook Bible Connection – “The beginning: a perfect home” and “The terrible lie”, pp 18-353 Thursday Genesis 3 What is the core of the serpent’s lie? What is he trying to convince Adam and Eve that disobeying God will achieve? What happens to Adam and Eve’s relationship after their sin? What happens to their relationship with God?

What are the curses from God and how do you see them play out in everyday life? What hints of hope does he leave Adam and Eve with? Friday John 11:1-44 What initially happened to Lazarus’ body? How does it line up with the curse God gave Adam and Eve? How does Jesus react? Does death trouble him or is he okay with it? What does that show us about our relationship with death? 3 For The Jesus Storybook Bible Connections, refer to Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name (Grand Rapids, MI: Zonderkidz, 2007). This resource will be very helpful in making biblical, Christ-centered connections to Lent for any small children you may have.

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the dust of the earth, we fight against it for food, and in the end, we will return to dust. But for all of death’s reality, it is wholly unnatural. God did not make a world with death. He is the God of the living after all (Mark 20:38)! He made a world teeming with life and gave Man the job of stewarding that life. Adam, his wife Eve, and their children were to spread the Garden of Eden over the face of the earth. They instead used the garden for their own purposes, eating fruit that had been forbidden to them in a bid to put themselves in God’s place. With the world broken, death entered into the equation. At some level, it was a grace; the amount of damage humanity could do in a broken world that could not now possibly support an immortal race was curtailed by death. But it was also a punishment; being ejected from the Garden of Eden, from God’s presence, Adam and Eve would die and the earth would swallow them. Ash Wednesday reminds us of our mortality. But what if we see death for the enemy it is? What if we openly weep like Jesus (John 11:35) for our friends and family who die instead of glossing over their deaths? Does that mean we have to despair? Not at all!

Because our God is the God of the living.

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Jesus Storybook Bible Connection – “The beginning: a perfect home” and “The terrible lie”, pp 18-353 Thursday Genesis 3 What is the core of the serpent’s lie? What is he trying to convince Adam and Eve that disobeying God will achieve? What happens to Adam and Eve’s relationship after their sin? What happens to their relationship with God?

What are the curses from God and how do you see them play out in everyday life? What hints of hope does he leave Adam and Eve with? Friday John 11:1-44 What initially happened to Lazarus’ body? How does it line up with the curse God gave Adam and Eve? How does Jesus react? Does death trouble him or is he okay with it? What does that show us about our relationship with death? 3 For The Jesus Storybook Bible Connections, refer to Sally Lloyd-Jones, The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name (Grand Rapids, MI: Zonderkidz, 2007). This resource will be very helpful in making biblical, Christ-centered connections to Lent for any small children you may have.

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What does Jesus do for Lazarus? What hope does this story leave for us? Saturday Romans 3:9-31 Does anybody dodge the consequences of sin because of race? Religious actions? How does Paul say God is going to rescue his people? What happens to the law? Does it go away?

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First Sunday of Lent For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

- Psalm 51:3-6 Confession King David ruled the nation of Israel because the dynasty of his predecessor, King Saul, was broken. Saul, Israel’s first king, had sinned against God by taking matters into his own hands so God ordained a new lineage to be the true kings of Israel (1 Samuel 13:8-14). David, a shepherd boy of little note was anointed to reign after Saul died. Saul hounded David until his own death at the hands of the Philistines alongside his son, Jonathan. David, at this point a powerful warrior, an accomplished poet, and “a man after God’s own

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What does Jesus do for Lazarus? What hope does this story leave for us? Saturday Romans 3:9-31 Does anybody dodge the consequences of sin because of race? Religious actions? How does Paul say God is going to rescue his people? What happens to the law? Does it go away?

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First Sunday of Lent For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

- Psalm 51:3-6 Confession King David ruled the nation of Israel because the dynasty of his predecessor, King Saul, was broken. Saul, Israel’s first king, had sinned against God by taking matters into his own hands so God ordained a new lineage to be the true kings of Israel (1 Samuel 13:8-14). David, a shepherd boy of little note was anointed to reign after Saul died. Saul hounded David until his own death at the hands of the Philistines alongside his son, Jonathan. David, at this point a powerful warrior, an accomplished poet, and “a man after God’s own

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heart” became king. But David’s reign was tragic. Second Samuel 11 and 12 recount the adultery he committed with Bathsheba, the wife of a loyal soldier, Uriah. When David impregnated Bathsheba, he attempted to cover up his crime by recalling Uriah from the front lines for some rest and relaxation. When Uriah, ever stalwart, refused to take the leave his fellow soldiers had not received, David ordered Uriah’s senior officer to abandon him on the battlefield, where he died. David’s crime did not escape the notice of God. His prophet Nathan came to David and rebuked him publicly. He told David his child would die. David’s family began to crumble, with rape, incest, and ultimately civil war. David’s sin, like Adam and Eve’s affected not just himself, but his heirs. David had hurt many people and many people hurt him. But in the midst of his agony, he wrote Psalm 51. David saw that his sin wasn’t primarily against Bathsheba, Uriah, his children, his soldiers, or his kingdom. His sin was an affront to God. He had disobeyed, breaking every one of the Ten Commandments along the way. He had hurt people created in God’s image. He rejected the gifts God had given him. David was now honest about what he had done.

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But David’s sin wasn’t a one-time affair and he knew it. David wrote that he was “brought forth in iniquity” (Psalm 51:5). He had been a rebel against God since birth. He recognized what a Puritan prayer described: “My sin is not so much this or that particular evil, but my continual separation, disunion, distance from thee, and having a loose spirit towards thee.”4 David saw his need, his sinfulness, went all the way down into his being and was able to appeal to God to reorder and repair his heart. Jesus Storybook Bible Connection – “The teeny, weenie…true king” and “The Good Shepherd”, pp 116-121 and 130-135 Monday 1 Samuel 13 Why do you think that Saul was impatient and took matters into his own hands? What was that such a big deal? Was God surprised by Saul’s actions? Why might have allowed Saul to be the king if his dynasty was never going to last anyway? 4ArthurBennett,ed.,TheValleyofVision:ACollectionofPuritanPrayersandDevotions(Edinburgh:BannerofTruthTrust,2002),30.

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heart” became king. But David’s reign was tragic. Second Samuel 11 and 12 recount the adultery he committed with Bathsheba, the wife of a loyal soldier, Uriah. When David impregnated Bathsheba, he attempted to cover up his crime by recalling Uriah from the front lines for some rest and relaxation. When Uriah, ever stalwart, refused to take the leave his fellow soldiers had not received, David ordered Uriah’s senior officer to abandon him on the battlefield, where he died. David’s crime did not escape the notice of God. His prophet Nathan came to David and rebuked him publicly. He told David his child would die. David’s family began to crumble, with rape, incest, and ultimately civil war. David’s sin, like Adam and Eve’s affected not just himself, but his heirs. David had hurt many people and many people hurt him. But in the midst of his agony, he wrote Psalm 51. David saw that his sin wasn’t primarily against Bathsheba, Uriah, his children, his soldiers, or his kingdom. His sin was an affront to God. He had disobeyed, breaking every one of the Ten Commandments along the way. He had hurt people created in God’s image. He rejected the gifts God had given him. David was now honest about what he had done.

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But David’s sin wasn’t a one-time affair and he knew it. David wrote that he was “brought forth in iniquity” (Psalm 51:5). He had been a rebel against God since birth. He recognized what a Puritan prayer described: “My sin is not so much this or that particular evil, but my continual separation, disunion, distance from thee, and having a loose spirit towards thee.”4 David saw his need, his sinfulness, went all the way down into his being and was able to appeal to God to reorder and repair his heart. Jesus Storybook Bible Connection – “The teeny, weenie…true king” and “The Good Shepherd”, pp 116-121 and 130-135 Monday 1 Samuel 13 Why do you think that Saul was impatient and took matters into his own hands? What was that such a big deal? Was God surprised by Saul’s actions? Why might have allowed Saul to be the king if his dynasty was never going to last anyway? 4ArthurBennett,ed.,TheValleyofVision:ACollectionofPuritanPrayersandDevotions(Edinburgh:BannerofTruthTrust,2002),30.

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Tuesday 2 Samuel 11 What is David’s “big” sin? What are the “little” sins that surround it? Who is injured by David? Why does he say

against God alone has he sinned? Wednesday 2 Samuel 12 Why do you think Nathan approaches David with a veiled rebuke? How does his rebuke parallel David’s sin with Bathsheba? How does David respond? Thursday Romans 5:12-21 How did sin enter the world? What did it bring with it? What is the difference between “the free gift” and “the trespass”? Who gives the “free gift?”

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Friday Matthew 15:1-20 Where does defilement come from? What does the heart have to do with the rest of the person? Are outward appearances of being “okay” reliable? Saturday Ephesians 2:1-10 What quality of life can one expect due to sin? What could sinners expect from God? What does God give instead? How does someone receive this gift from God?

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Tuesday 2 Samuel 11 What is David’s “big” sin? What are the “little” sins that surround it? Who is injured by David? Why does he say

against God alone has he sinned? Wednesday 2 Samuel 12 Why do you think Nathan approaches David with a veiled rebuke? How does his rebuke parallel David’s sin with Bathsheba? How does David respond? Thursday Romans 5:12-21 How did sin enter the world? What did it bring with it? What is the difference between “the free gift” and “the trespass”? Who gives the “free gift?”

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Friday Matthew 15:1-20 Where does defilement come from? What does the heart have to do with the rest of the person? Are outward appearances of being “okay” reliable? Saturday Ephesians 2:1-10 What quality of life can one expect due to sin? What could sinners expect from God? What does God give instead? How does someone receive this gift from God?

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Second Sunday of Lent Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

- Psalm 51:7-9 The Cost David knew he could not possibly repair the brokenness between himself and God. He couldn’t even begin. He was asking God to heal the separation. But David knew that healing had to come at great cost. For God to be just, the price for sin against him had to be paid. After all, David had throughout the Psalms appealed to God’s righteousness and justice in dealing with his enemies. Most of the time, he saw himself as a plaintiff, suing Saul or a Philistine army in God’s court.5 Yet by his own confession, David has been an enemy of God all along. How can a just God forgive his enemies and still be a good judge? 5C.S. Lewis, Reflection On the Psalms, Mariner Books Edition. (New York: Mariner Books, 2012), 16.

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David’s Psalm has a clue. He asks God to “purge me with hyssop” (v. 7). Hyssop had shown up before in the Bible and in the ritual life of every Israelite. Hundreds of years before David reigned in Israel, Israel was a captive people. They lived in Egypt as slaves, serving Pharaoh. He was a wicked king who abused the Israelites, working them to the bone. He ordered the slaughter of innocent Israelite children in an attempt to control the population. And when God demanded that he release his people from their captivity, Pharaoh refused. But God had promised to rescue his people and to bring justice to the slaves. Through Moses, God warned Pharaoh of dire consequences if he did not set the captives free and, after delivering nine economically devastating plagues to Egypt, God promised one last plague. He would take the firstborn of every household in Egypt. There was a way out, though. A family could spread lamb’s blood upon the door frame of their house using a hyssop branch as a makeshift paintbrush. They would then eat the lamb together, and be prepared to immediately pick up and leave their slave masters behind. David’s sin – and our sin – is like the Israelites slavery. It must be paid for and healed with blood. The blood of God’s only Son, Jesus, the “Lamb who

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Second Sunday of Lent Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

- Psalm 51:7-9 The Cost David knew he could not possibly repair the brokenness between himself and God. He couldn’t even begin. He was asking God to heal the separation. But David knew that healing had to come at great cost. For God to be just, the price for sin against him had to be paid. After all, David had throughout the Psalms appealed to God’s righteousness and justice in dealing with his enemies. Most of the time, he saw himself as a plaintiff, suing Saul or a Philistine army in God’s court.5 Yet by his own confession, David has been an enemy of God all along. How can a just God forgive his enemies and still be a good judge? 5C.S. Lewis, Reflection On the Psalms, Mariner Books Edition. (New York: Mariner Books, 2012), 16.

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David’s Psalm has a clue. He asks God to “purge me with hyssop” (v. 7). Hyssop had shown up before in the Bible and in the ritual life of every Israelite. Hundreds of years before David reigned in Israel, Israel was a captive people. They lived in Egypt as slaves, serving Pharaoh. He was a wicked king who abused the Israelites, working them to the bone. He ordered the slaughter of innocent Israelite children in an attempt to control the population. And when God demanded that he release his people from their captivity, Pharaoh refused. But God had promised to rescue his people and to bring justice to the slaves. Through Moses, God warned Pharaoh of dire consequences if he did not set the captives free and, after delivering nine economically devastating plagues to Egypt, God promised one last plague. He would take the firstborn of every household in Egypt. There was a way out, though. A family could spread lamb’s blood upon the door frame of their house using a hyssop branch as a makeshift paintbrush. They would then eat the lamb together, and be prepared to immediately pick up and leave their slave masters behind. David’s sin – and our sin – is like the Israelites slavery. It must be paid for and healed with blood. The blood of God’s only Son, Jesus, the “Lamb who

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was slain” (Revelation 5:12) is the fulfillment of God’s justice and liberation from slavery to sin. The cost for our sin is infinitely high, but God was willing and able to pay the price for us through Jesus. Jesus Storybook Bible Connection – “God to the rescue!”, pp 84-91 Monday

Genesis 22 God had finally given the over hundred year-old Abraham a son. Why might he ask for Isaac back? Was God surprised by Abraham’s obedience? What (or who) does the ram in the thicket point to? Tuesday Exodus 12 Why does God command a Lamb’s blood to be smeared on the lintels and doorposts? What symbolism might that have? Is God true to his word? God takes the firstborn of Egypt, from Pharaoh down. But he spares the firstborn of Israel. Why? What does God know about the death of firstborn sons?

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Wednesday

Isaiah 53 Why does this “Suffering Servant” suffer? What

does he endure? Does he look the way people expect him to?

Where was God? Was he caught off guard by the suffering?

Thursday

Psalm 26 Why does David think he should be vindicated?

Does he actually deserve it? But is this ideal life that David paints unfulfilled?

Does Someone live it out? Friday Hebrews 9:11-28 Is Jesus’ sacrifice like the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament? In what ways was it superior? Do you find it odd that Jesus is both the High Priest and the sacrifice? Why is it important that Jesus is both?

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was slain” (Revelation 5:12) is the fulfillment of God’s justice and liberation from slavery to sin. The cost for our sin is infinitely high, but God was willing and able to pay the price for us through Jesus. Jesus Storybook Bible Connection – “God to the rescue!”, pp 84-91 Monday

Genesis 22 God had finally given the over hundred year-old Abraham a son. Why might he ask for Isaac back? Was God surprised by Abraham’s obedience? What (or who) does the ram in the thicket point to? Tuesday Exodus 12 Why does God command a Lamb’s blood to be smeared on the lintels and doorposts? What symbolism might that have? Is God true to his word? God takes the firstborn of Egypt, from Pharaoh down. But he spares the firstborn of Israel. Why? What does God know about the death of firstborn sons?

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Wednesday

Isaiah 53 Why does this “Suffering Servant” suffer? What

does he endure? Does he look the way people expect him to?

Where was God? Was he caught off guard by the suffering?

Thursday

Psalm 26 Why does David think he should be vindicated?

Does he actually deserve it? But is this ideal life that David paints unfulfilled?

Does Someone live it out? Friday Hebrews 9:11-28 Is Jesus’ sacrifice like the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament? In what ways was it superior? Do you find it odd that Jesus is both the High Priest and the sacrifice? Why is it important that Jesus is both?

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Saturday Revelation 5 Jesus is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah and then immediately shows himself as a Lamb that has been slain. Why the contrast? What has the Lamb’s slaying accomplished for his people? What did he receive as a result?

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Third Sunday of Lent Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

- Psalm 51:10-12 Restoration

Our debt is paid. Our chains are broken. We are freed from slavery, but we return to the mines. David sees this dynamic in his life. He hates his sin, he hates the damage it has caused, and he mourns that he offended God. But he knows something in him still desires his sin. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul puts it this way: “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me” (Romans 7:19). The stain of sin has its own power.

But David doesn’t just pray for justice; he prays for a clean heart. He wants to be relieved of his desire for sin. He knows that he needs his sinful spirit excised from him and replaced by a renewed spirit.

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Saturday Revelation 5 Jesus is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah and then immediately shows himself as a Lamb that has been slain. Why the contrast? What has the Lamb’s slaying accomplished for his people? What did he receive as a result?

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Third Sunday of Lent Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

- Psalm 51:10-12 Restoration

Our debt is paid. Our chains are broken. We are freed from slavery, but we return to the mines. David sees this dynamic in his life. He hates his sin, he hates the damage it has caused, and he mourns that he offended God. But he knows something in him still desires his sin. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul puts it this way: “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me” (Romans 7:19). The stain of sin has its own power.

But David doesn’t just pray for justice; he prays for a clean heart. He wants to be relieved of his desire for sin. He knows that he needs his sinful spirit excised from him and replaced by a renewed spirit.

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He knows that that renewed spirit comes by the Holy Spirit, and that his new spirit will be a willing spirit! Paul says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Being a new creation with a new heart means that while we struggle with the allure of sin, we do not have to settle for it. God has cleansed his people by the blood of Jesus and is, through his Holy Spirit, empowering them to walk in righteousness. The fasting many Christians undertake during Lent is meant to train their hearts to desire certain things less in order that they might desire Christ more. In other words, because they have been given clean hearts and a renewed spirit, they can joyfully set aside a certain food, entertainment, or distraction in order to follow Jesus’ example of self-denial through service and to press deeper in their relationship with him through prayer. Christians sometimes call this daily process of becoming more like Jesus, “sanctification.” He has bought his people from slavery and now he is through the daily trials they face and self-denials they undertake making them holy – set apart. Peter compares this process to purifying gold; it is heated until it melts and the impurities are burnt out (1 Peter 1:7). Sanctification is painful at times, but the end

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product is worth the pain and, as David knows, worth singing about. Jesus Storybook Connection – “The little servant girl and the proud general”, pp 136-143 Monday

Exodus 30:17-21 Why is cleansing so important? What does it

signify? The priests are particularly told to wash before

entering into God’s presence. What are they warned will happen if they don’t?

Why such a severe consequence? Tuesday 2 Kings 5:1-14 Was the king of Israel able to heal Naaman? Why did Naaman resist being dipped in Israel’s waters? Who is given credit for cleansing Naaman of his leprosy? Wednesday Isaiah 6 What did Isaiah recognize about himself in the presence of God?

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He knows that that renewed spirit comes by the Holy Spirit, and that his new spirit will be a willing spirit! Paul says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Being a new creation with a new heart means that while we struggle with the allure of sin, we do not have to settle for it. God has cleansed his people by the blood of Jesus and is, through his Holy Spirit, empowering them to walk in righteousness. The fasting many Christians undertake during Lent is meant to train their hearts to desire certain things less in order that they might desire Christ more. In other words, because they have been given clean hearts and a renewed spirit, they can joyfully set aside a certain food, entertainment, or distraction in order to follow Jesus’ example of self-denial through service and to press deeper in their relationship with him through prayer. Christians sometimes call this daily process of becoming more like Jesus, “sanctification.” He has bought his people from slavery and now he is through the daily trials they face and self-denials they undertake making them holy – set apart. Peter compares this process to purifying gold; it is heated until it melts and the impurities are burnt out (1 Peter 1:7). Sanctification is painful at times, but the end

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product is worth the pain and, as David knows, worth singing about. Jesus Storybook Connection – “The little servant girl and the proud general”, pp 136-143 Monday

Exodus 30:17-21 Why is cleansing so important? What does it

signify? The priests are particularly told to wash before

entering into God’s presence. What are they warned will happen if they don’t?

Why such a severe consequence? Tuesday 2 Kings 5:1-14 Was the king of Israel able to heal Naaman? Why did Naaman resist being dipped in Israel’s waters? Who is given credit for cleansing Naaman of his leprosy? Wednesday Isaiah 6 What did Isaiah recognize about himself in the presence of God?

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What was the response of God’s court? After Isaiah was cleansed, what was his next step? Thursday Matthew 3 What similarities (even symbolic ones) does John’s baptism have to Naaman’s bath? What does John say is better than his baptism? Jesus doesn’t need to be cleansed of any sin, so why do you think he gets baptized by John? What happens? Friday John 13:1-17 Do the men whose feet Jesus is washing deserve to have their feet washed by him? It is a servant’s chore; what does it say that their master performs it? Why does Jesus rebuke Peter? When Jesus says he has not “chosen all of you”, who is he singling out? Saturday 1 Peter 1 Why does Peter say that God allows us to endure “various trials”?

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What does refining gold or silver have to do with a Christian’s sanctification? How is God sanctifying you through the season of Lent? What is he cleansing you of through the power of the cross?

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What was the response of God’s court? After Isaiah was cleansed, what was his next step? Thursday Matthew 3 What similarities (even symbolic ones) does John’s baptism have to Naaman’s bath? What does John say is better than his baptism? Jesus doesn’t need to be cleansed of any sin, so why do you think he gets baptized by John? What happens? Friday John 13:1-17 Do the men whose feet Jesus is washing deserve to have their feet washed by him? It is a servant’s chore; what does it say that their master performs it? Why does Jesus rebuke Peter? When Jesus says he has not “chosen all of you”, who is he singling out? Saturday 1 Peter 1 Why does Peter say that God allows us to endure “various trials”?

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What does refining gold or silver have to do with a Christian’s sanctification? How is God sanctifying you through the season of Lent? What is he cleansing you of through the power of the cross?

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Fourth Sunday of Lent (Rose Sunday) Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

- Psalm 51:13-14 Mission Jesus once told a parable about a servant who accrued a great debt to his master. He owed his master ten thousand talents, something like $7.04 billion.6 (Often in the Bible, a thousand or ten thousand is a way of saying an uncountable number.) Yet when he in fear begged his master for patience, his master took pity on him and forgave him. The man, buoyed in arrogance by his windfall, left the meeting and found a servant who owed him three hundred denarii, about a third of a day laborer’s yearly wages or eleven thousand dollars 6PhilipMassey,“Theparableofthetwodebtorsinmodernterms,”BiolaUniversityChimes,October27,2010,accessedJanuary14,2016,http://chimes.biola.edu/story/2010/oct/27/parable-two-debtors/.

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and shook him violently, demanding restitution. He did not hear the pleas for patience from his debtor and placed him in prison. The master who forgave him in the first place heard what had happened and called for the wicked servant and said, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” The master then imprisoned the first debtor until he could pay off this impossible debt. Jesus is showing us something that David understood implicitly in his Psalm. Forgiveness from God translates to forgiveness for others. Mercy from God becomes mercy for others. Rescue from God is proclaimed to others. David, a man who desires justice for his enemies is so moved by God’s grace towards him that he wants his enemies to know his God, and to return to him. But David doesn’t just want this in principle; he wants to be God’s mouth piece in calling sinners back to him. You have been forgiven by God for much. Perhaps you haven’t committed adultery or killed a man. Maybe you have. Remember, though, sin goes all the way down, corrupting every part of us and blinding us to its power. You, like David, were “brought forth in iniquity” and you can never repay

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Fourth Sunday of Lent (Rose Sunday) Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

- Psalm 51:13-14 Mission Jesus once told a parable about a servant who accrued a great debt to his master. He owed his master ten thousand talents, something like $7.04 billion.6 (Often in the Bible, a thousand or ten thousand is a way of saying an uncountable number.) Yet when he in fear begged his master for patience, his master took pity on him and forgave him. The man, buoyed in arrogance by his windfall, left the meeting and found a servant who owed him three hundred denarii, about a third of a day laborer’s yearly wages or eleven thousand dollars 6PhilipMassey,“Theparableofthetwodebtorsinmodernterms,”BiolaUniversityChimes,October27,2010,accessedJanuary14,2016,http://chimes.biola.edu/story/2010/oct/27/parable-two-debtors/.

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and shook him violently, demanding restitution. He did not hear the pleas for patience from his debtor and placed him in prison. The master who forgave him in the first place heard what had happened and called for the wicked servant and said, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” The master then imprisoned the first debtor until he could pay off this impossible debt. Jesus is showing us something that David understood implicitly in his Psalm. Forgiveness from God translates to forgiveness for others. Mercy from God becomes mercy for others. Rescue from God is proclaimed to others. David, a man who desires justice for his enemies is so moved by God’s grace towards him that he wants his enemies to know his God, and to return to him. But David doesn’t just want this in principle; he wants to be God’s mouth piece in calling sinners back to him. You have been forgiven by God for much. Perhaps you haven’t committed adultery or killed a man. Maybe you have. Remember, though, sin goes all the way down, corrupting every part of us and blinding us to its power. You, like David, were “brought forth in iniquity” and you can never repay

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your debt to God. But by the costly sacrifice of his son, he has forgiven your impossible debt. According to David – and more importantly, to Jesus – that means you should sing God’s praises to any and all who would hear that they can be pardoned as well. Sometimes we use the term mission to describe how Christians tell other people about Jesus and demonstrate his grace through actions. How can you tell others about Jesus? How can you show them grace? Jesus Storybook Connection – “God’s messenger”, pp 160-169 Monday John 1:1-18 Does Jesus stay where he is? Why not? What was John the Baptist’s purpose? What did Jesus do for his people? Tuesday Jonah Why does Jonah not want to be God’s messenger to the Ninevehites?

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Does God leave him much of a choice? What message is so important that it must be given? What was Jonah’s reaction to Nineveh turning from their sin? Why do you think he felt his way? Wednesday Jeremiah 29:1-14 God is allowing the nation of Judah to be exiled to captivity. How does he want them to live out their exile? What ways can we as Christians live out our “exile”? Thursday Matthew 28 What was the first thing Mary Magdalene and the other Mary did when finding out Jesus’s tomb was empty? What example for us do these women set? What is Jesus’ command and how does he equip believers to carry it out? Friday Acts 1:1-11 Who does Jesus tell his disciples to wait for? Why?

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your debt to God. But by the costly sacrifice of his son, he has forgiven your impossible debt. According to David – and more importantly, to Jesus – that means you should sing God’s praises to any and all who would hear that they can be pardoned as well. Sometimes we use the term mission to describe how Christians tell other people about Jesus and demonstrate his grace through actions. How can you tell others about Jesus? How can you show them grace? Jesus Storybook Connection – “God’s messenger”, pp 160-169 Monday John 1:1-18 Does Jesus stay where he is? Why not? What was John the Baptist’s purpose? What did Jesus do for his people? Tuesday Jonah Why does Jonah not want to be God’s messenger to the Ninevehites?

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Does God leave him much of a choice? What message is so important that it must be given? What was Jonah’s reaction to Nineveh turning from their sin? Why do you think he felt his way? Wednesday Jeremiah 29:1-14 God is allowing the nation of Judah to be exiled to captivity. How does he want them to live out their exile? What ways can we as Christians live out our “exile”? Thursday Matthew 28 What was the first thing Mary Magdalene and the other Mary did when finding out Jesus’s tomb was empty? What example for us do these women set? What is Jesus’ command and how does he equip believers to carry it out? Friday Acts 1:1-11 Who does Jesus tell his disciples to wait for? Why?

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Why does Jesus list the places for his disciples to go the way he does? Does the book of Acts follow this template? In Matthew, Jesus told his disciples he’d be with them; how is this possible if he has ascended? Saturday Romans 1:1-16 Why do you think Paul points out that Jesus is descended from David? Does that enhance the meaning of Psalm 51? Why do you think Paul is so eager to visit Christians in other places? How did they get there if he or Jesus never personally went there to set up a church? How can Paul not be “ashamed of the gospel”? Are you ever ashamed of the gospel and what does that mean?

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Fifth Sunday of Lent O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

- Psalm 51:15-17 Worship

Have you ever thought about worship as a missionary act? Or being on mission as a worship act? In Psalm 51, David eschews our convenient lines of separation between worship and mission because we worship Jesus by telling people the good news that he has come and died. We celebrate his love for us, by sharing his love for others.

David does have something to say about the state of our heart in worship – and by extension mission – doesn’t come from a self-satisfied pride in what we’ve given God. It isn’t in our sacrifices that God delights. So why do we have a bad habit of

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Why does Jesus list the places for his disciples to go the way he does? Does the book of Acts follow this template? In Matthew, Jesus told his disciples he’d be with them; how is this possible if he has ascended? Saturday Romans 1:1-16 Why do you think Paul points out that Jesus is descended from David? Does that enhance the meaning of Psalm 51? Why do you think Paul is so eager to visit Christians in other places? How did they get there if he or Jesus never personally went there to set up a church? How can Paul not be “ashamed of the gospel”? Are you ever ashamed of the gospel and what does that mean?

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Fifth Sunday of Lent O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

- Psalm 51:15-17 Worship

Have you ever thought about worship as a missionary act? Or being on mission as a worship act? In Psalm 51, David eschews our convenient lines of separation between worship and mission because we worship Jesus by telling people the good news that he has come and died. We celebrate his love for us, by sharing his love for others.

David does have something to say about the state of our heart in worship – and by extension mission – doesn’t come from a self-satisfied pride in what we’ve given God. It isn’t in our sacrifices that God delights. So why do we have a bad habit of

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telling God all those nice things we’ve done for him? Because we lack a “broken and contrite heart” (v. 14). We don’t worship God properly because we aren’t humbled.

David was deeply humbled by his sin and its effects. It is a constant irony of the Gospel that God uses our weaknesses to pull us closer to him by removing our self-confidences and pride. The king had to see himself as he really was – a thief, a liar, an adulterer, and a murderer – in order to see the King for who he truly was – a giver, truthful, faithful, and a giver of life.

Worship, for us, comes from acknowledging our lowly state before and need for God and his greatness in contrast. But David doesn’t leave us with the impression of beaten submission, the way a vanquished foe might have to acknowledge the dominance of his conqueror. David said he will “declare your praise”. He is bold and confident. His submission to God isn’t as though he is beaten; it is as though he has been restored to a position of victory himself. Paul says in the New Testament, while talking about suffering of all things, that we are “more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Worship, then, can be bold in it’s approach to God.

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If you are in Christ, you are free to worship boldly, because God has come to you at your weakest, in your most humble state. If you do not put your faith and trust in him, I want to invite you to see him as your rescuer in the darkest times of your life, when you know how low it is possible for a person to go and to see that Jesus loves you even then. Jesus Storybook Connection – “A new way to see”, pp 334-341 Monday Exodus 15:1-21 Does Moses focus on what he can do for God? Why or why not? What has God done for the people of Israel? What will he do for them? Tuesday 2 Samuel 1:16-23 Why do you thank David is so abandoned in his worship of God? Why do you think Michal is so in contemptuous of David’s worship? Was Michal mad at David or God?

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telling God all those nice things we’ve done for him? Because we lack a “broken and contrite heart” (v. 14). We don’t worship God properly because we aren’t humbled.

David was deeply humbled by his sin and its effects. It is a constant irony of the Gospel that God uses our weaknesses to pull us closer to him by removing our self-confidences and pride. The king had to see himself as he really was – a thief, a liar, an adulterer, and a murderer – in order to see the King for who he truly was – a giver, truthful, faithful, and a giver of life.

Worship, for us, comes from acknowledging our lowly state before and need for God and his greatness in contrast. But David doesn’t leave us with the impression of beaten submission, the way a vanquished foe might have to acknowledge the dominance of his conqueror. David said he will “declare your praise”. He is bold and confident. His submission to God isn’t as though he is beaten; it is as though he has been restored to a position of victory himself. Paul says in the New Testament, while talking about suffering of all things, that we are “more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Worship, then, can be bold in it’s approach to God.

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If you are in Christ, you are free to worship boldly, because God has come to you at your weakest, in your most humble state. If you do not put your faith and trust in him, I want to invite you to see him as your rescuer in the darkest times of your life, when you know how low it is possible for a person to go and to see that Jesus loves you even then. Jesus Storybook Connection – “A new way to see”, pp 334-341 Monday Exodus 15:1-21 Does Moses focus on what he can do for God? Why or why not? What has God done for the people of Israel? What will he do for them? Tuesday 2 Samuel 1:16-23 Why do you thank David is so abandoned in his worship of God? Why do you think Michal is so in contemptuous of David’s worship? Was Michal mad at David or God?

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Wednesday Psalm 98 Does the Psalmist expect worship of God to be quiet? Why or why not? What aspects of God’s character are worth celebrating? How far will worship of God go? Thursday Acts 9:1-22 Who changes Saul’s perspective? In what way does Saul’s encounter change his life? Do you find your instinct to be like Saul’s – one of excited proclamation – or are you tempted to silence? Friday Romans 12 What does Paul say spiritual worship looks like? Where does worship occur? Paul describes a certain attitude toward our enemies. Who do you think is his example? Saturday Revelation 4

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What does the presence of God cause men and angels to do? Does worship earn anyone anything? Do you have to wait until the New Creation to worship God this way?

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Wednesday Psalm 98 Does the Psalmist expect worship of God to be quiet? Why or why not? What aspects of God’s character are worth celebrating? How far will worship of God go? Thursday Acts 9:1-22 Who changes Saul’s perspective? In what way does Saul’s encounter change his life? Do you find your instinct to be like Saul’s – one of excited proclamation – or are you tempted to silence? Friday Romans 12 What does Paul say spiritual worship looks like? Where does worship occur? Paul describes a certain attitude toward our enemies. Who do you think is his example? Saturday Revelation 4

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What does the presence of God cause men and angels to do? Does worship earn anyone anything? Do you have to wait until the New Creation to worship God this way?

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Palm Sunday Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

- Psalm 51:18-19 Holy Week

David ends his Psalm, not with a plea for personal salvation, which is something he knows God has given him. He instead pleas for Jerusalem, the capital of his kingdom. He asks that right worship be restored by God among all his people. But Jesus’ arrival at Jerusalem seems at first glance to offer a bleak picture. Luke recounts that as Jesus came near Jerusalem, he began to weep saying,

Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you

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and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation (Luke 19:42-44).

Jerusalem had not acknowledged her true King. She did not worship God truly or humbly, with a broken and contrite heart. She did not share the good news of God’s mercy with the nations. She did not confess her need or ask for cleansing. Jerusalem seemed too far gone, and in fact, 70 years after Jesus was murdered on a cross outside the city, a Roman army tore it down. But God was not through with Jerusalem. He will answer David’s prayer when Jesus returns once again, to reestablish the city as his capital in a newly recreated world. This has little to do with the modern city of Jerusalem, but everything to do with Jesus being the true King of God’s people. And when Jesus is properly enthroned – first in the hearts of his people and then on a global scale – all of his people will be able to enjoy God’s good pleasure. There will be no more tears or suffering, no external threats of attack, no internal poison of sin. But in order to secure this end times kingdom of goodness and glory, Jesus will first walk through the darkest week in history…

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Palm Sunday Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

- Psalm 51:18-19 Holy Week

David ends his Psalm, not with a plea for personal salvation, which is something he knows God has given him. He instead pleas for Jerusalem, the capital of his kingdom. He asks that right worship be restored by God among all his people. But Jesus’ arrival at Jerusalem seems at first glance to offer a bleak picture. Luke recounts that as Jesus came near Jerusalem, he began to weep saying,

Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you

34

and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation (Luke 19:42-44).

Jerusalem had not acknowledged her true King. She did not worship God truly or humbly, with a broken and contrite heart. She did not share the good news of God’s mercy with the nations. She did not confess her need or ask for cleansing. Jerusalem seemed too far gone, and in fact, 70 years after Jesus was murdered on a cross outside the city, a Roman army tore it down. But God was not through with Jerusalem. He will answer David’s prayer when Jesus returns once again, to reestablish the city as his capital in a newly recreated world. This has little to do with the modern city of Jerusalem, but everything to do with Jesus being the true King of God’s people. And when Jesus is properly enthroned – first in the hearts of his people and then on a global scale – all of his people will be able to enjoy God’s good pleasure. There will be no more tears or suffering, no external threats of attack, no internal poison of sin. But in order to secure this end times kingdom of goodness and glory, Jesus will first walk through the darkest week in history…

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Jesus Storybook Connection – “A dark night in the garden” and “The sun stops shining”, pp 294-309 Monday Luke 19:28-44 Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, instead of horse like a king normally would. Why does he use this form of transportation? Why doesn’t he rebuke his disciples? Why did Jesus weep over Jerusalem? What are “the things that make for peace”? Tuesday Luke 19:45-20:18 What authority does Jesus have to drive out sellers from the temple? What does the parable of the wicked tenants have to do with the Pharisees’ question? Why do you think Jesus communicates in parables? Holy Wednesday Luke 20:27-47 Does Jesus affirm or deny a resurrection for the dead? Why is David’s calling of the Christ “Lord” relevant? Why does Jesus warn about the “scribes”?

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Maundy Thursday Luke 22:1-23, 39-53 What significance does the Lord’s Supper (communion) carry? What Jewish holiday is it celebrating? What does it foreshadow? As Jesus prays on the Mount of Olives, he asks the Father to remove “this cup” from him. What is the cup, and why does Jesus still “drink” of it? Why do the men arrest Jesus in the dark? Good Friday Luke 23 Does Jesus resist going to the cross? He could have called angels down; why does he not? If Jesus forgives his enemies who are about to crucify him, what does that say about how we should act toward those who oppose us? What does verse 46 show us about Jesus’ relation ship with his Father even at the point of death? How does the cross call to mind David’s hyssop branch?

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Jesus Storybook Connection – “A dark night in the garden” and “The sun stops shining”, pp 294-309 Monday Luke 19:28-44 Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, instead of horse like a king normally would. Why does he use this form of transportation? Why doesn’t he rebuke his disciples? Why did Jesus weep over Jerusalem? What are “the things that make for peace”? Tuesday Luke 19:45-20:18 What authority does Jesus have to drive out sellers from the temple? What does the parable of the wicked tenants have to do with the Pharisees’ question? Why do you think Jesus communicates in parables? Holy Wednesday Luke 20:27-47 Does Jesus affirm or deny a resurrection for the dead? Why is David’s calling of the Christ “Lord” relevant? Why does Jesus warn about the “scribes”?

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Maundy Thursday Luke 22:1-23, 39-53 What significance does the Lord’s Supper (communion) carry? What Jewish holiday is it celebrating? What does it foreshadow? As Jesus prays on the Mount of Olives, he asks the Father to remove “this cup” from him. What is the cup, and why does Jesus still “drink” of it? Why do the men arrest Jesus in the dark? Good Friday Luke 23 Does Jesus resist going to the cross? He could have called angels down; why does he not? If Jesus forgives his enemies who are about to crucify him, what does that say about how we should act toward those who oppose us? What does verse 46 show us about Jesus’ relation ship with his Father even at the point of death? How does the cross call to mind David’s hyssop branch?

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Holy Saturday Psalm 23 What does it mean for the Lord to by your shepherd? Do you think this Psalm might have had some special significance to Jesus’ disciples as he lay buried? How might Jesus have had a table prepared before him in the presence of his enemies? How does he prepare one for you?

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Easter Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

- Matthew 28:1-11

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Holy Saturday Psalm 23 What does it mean for the Lord to by your shepherd? Do you think this Psalm might have had some special significance to Jesus’ disciples as he lay buried? How might Jesus have had a table prepared before him in the presence of his enemies? How does he prepare one for you?

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Easter Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

- Matthew 28:1-11

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The Resurrection

The day has arrived! All of Lent has pointed to this moment! When we started walking through Lent we saw that death reigned over our bodies, eventually driving us back into the earth. But here, on Easter, Jesus undoes his own death and bursts forth from the tomb! It cannot contain him! But he doesn’t just defeat death for himself; we will also one day be restored to life because of Jesus’ work. Paul says 1 Corinthians 15:20

“In fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

Jesus has paid the cost for our sin; he is cleansing us from the stain of sin, and one day, when he restores this world and reigns over it in totality, he will cause us to follow him in being restored to life. That is good news, but the best part of this news isn’t the second chance at life; it is the eternal friendship with Jesus enjoyed by God’s people.

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The Resurrection

The day has arrived! All of Lent has pointed to this moment! When we started walking through Lent we saw that death reigned over our bodies, eventually driving us back into the earth. But here, on Easter, Jesus undoes his own death and bursts forth from the tomb! It cannot contain him! But he doesn’t just defeat death for himself; we will also one day be restored to life because of Jesus’ work. Paul says 1 Corinthians 15:20

“In fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

Jesus has paid the cost for our sin; he is cleansing us from the stain of sin, and one day, when he restores this world and reigns over it in totality, he will cause us to follow him in being restored to life. That is good news, but the best part of this news isn’t the second chance at life; it is the eternal friendship with Jesus enjoyed by God’s people.

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Jesus Storybook Connection – “God’s wonderful surprise”, pp 310-317