Tag: Matthew 26

Yearning for Unity

Scrolling through my news feed, I’m surprised at how frequently there are articles having to do with the Church or faith-related issues. Sadly, most of the time the articles describe behaviors and attitudes of people who label themselves as “Christian” but have no resemblance to Jesus. I was saddened by a recent one I read that detailed two factions with wildly divergent views whose differences led to a tragic death. It’s no secret that tension and divisiveness have become the norm in our culture today, even in the body of Christ. 

So how do we arrive at the unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17?  How do we respond when others who worship beside us hold different views? Do we reject them and retreat, only associating with those who share the same viewpoints? Do we avoid any subject that might elicit discomfort or a strong reaction?

A good starting place for answering these questions is understanding Jesus’ prayer for unity: “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:20-23, NIV)

First, it’s important to note that unity and uniformity are not the same thing. Uniformity happens when we already think alike. Conversely, unity only comes when we work hard to find ways to agree with others who have differing views. Unity is something we must grapple with as believers. Ultimately, a stronger bond comes when we acknowledge our differing views and demonstrate willingness to listen and find common ground. So, let’s explore three ways we can align with the heart of Jesus and pursue unity as His followers.1

1) Commit to the Mission of the Church (with a capital “C”): Christian churches across the world use different language to convey a common mission: To know Christ and make Him known. Jesus says it this way in His prayer: “I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:23, NIV) Obedience to God includes gathering with others to worship, connect, and serve. We’re meant to do this together to honor the Lord and realign ourselves with His will. As we’re reminded of God’s love, mercy, and grace, we band together to share what we’ve received from Him with the world around us. When we stop gathering and divide into factions, we prize uniformity and become suspicious of others. This inward focus causes us to become critical of anyone not in our closed system. We zero in on other believers who do things differently instead of looking outward to the world that desperately needs to hear the hope of the gospel. “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” (Galatians 5:14-15, NIV)

2) Commit to Being Humble and Others-centric: Our personal opinions feel important and can spark strong emotions, especially in the divisive times we’re living in right now. No one agrees with every decision made by leaders or individuals. But we need to prioritize respecting one another as people and followers of Christ more than we care about being right or airing our opinions. Consider Paul’s wise counsel: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:2-6, NIV)

3) Commit to Sacrificing Your Will:  Jesus prayed for the unity of all believers knowing it would be difficult. He prayed this only hours before He was betrayed, abandoned, arrested, tortured, and killed. This is what He was agreeing to when He prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39, NIV) Jesus gave up His will for our sake. Are we willing to do that for His Church? 

Pursuing unity as a body of believers requires an unwavering focus on Jesus. Consider the wisdom of A.W. Tozer: “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So, one hundred worshipers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”

Author and Bible teacher Kristi McClellan emphasizes: “Oneness is the way of the kingdom of God in the world. Gospel-centered kingdom-oriented unity has always been a unity within diversity. Unity does not occur when we become the same. True, robust, healthy, and vibrant unity happens within our unique and diverse expressions…Jesus prayed we would be one. Let’s do all we can to honor Him as followers of Jesus seeking oneness, unity, harmony, wholeness, flourishing, and delight. The church is best expressed as a bouquet of unique flowers rather than twelve red roses. We are better together…pray our oneness and unity will give the world an ancient taste of Eden and a future taste of the new heaven and the new earth fully realized.”2

As followers of Jesus, let’s commit to pursuing unity and praying for oneness among our fellow believers. Instead of being quick to notice differences that irk us, let’s ask the Lord to reveal where we may be prioritizing our personal agendas. With humility, let’s invite Him to reveal where we’ve gotten in the habit of finding fault, taking offense, or creating division. Let’s ask Him to show the power of His infinite love and grace through us to every person we encounter.

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1. The definition of unity vs. uniformity and the three points below it are based on Sean Morgan’s Leaders in Living Rooms podcast episode “Ugly Bride- Three Essential for Church Unity” from Sept. 13, 2021.

2. Kristi McClellan, When You Pray, Session 7, Lifeway Press, 2023, 200.

Making Holy Week Personal

Let’s push the pause button on talking about When You Pray as we prepare our hearts for Easter. As one of the most significant times of the year for Christians, Holy Week marks the final days of Jesus’ pre-resurrection life on earth. As we observe each unique event, Jesus’ actions provide some powerful examples for us to follow. Let’s examine three of them and see how we’re called to respond.

Maundy Thursday- The Call to Serve Others

The gospels tell us that Jesus gathered with his disciples in an upper room of a home in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover meal. You may remember that this special dinner commemorated God’s faithfulness to the Jews as they fled from Egypt under Moses’ leadership (see Exodus 12 if you need reminder). Ironically, the disciples had no idea Jesus was about to serve as their ultimate Passover lamb the next day when he would be crucified.

Scripture tells us that as the disciples enjoyed the meal, Jesus got up, removed his outer clothing, wrapped a towel around his waist and began washing his disciples’ feet one at a time. Despite the fact that he was their teacher and the most revered person at the table, he humbled himself, taking on the role of a servant.

“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. ‘You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.’” (John 13:12-17, NIV)

Jesus’ directions to his disciples were simple, but not easy: they were called to live as humble servants, putting the needs of others ahead of their own. Those following him today are called to the same thing. We do this as an act of love and obedience to God, whether others appreciate it or not. Jesus promised that we would be blessed by living this way.

Good Friday- The Call to Sacrifice Our Agendas

A few hours after the Passover meal and before he was arrested, Jesus pleaded with God as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He dreaded the fate that awaited him:

“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’…He went away a second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done’…So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.” (Matthew 26:39, 42, 44, NIV)

The “cup” Jesus referred to here was a symbol the deep sorrow and suffering he would experience as his Father’s faced turned away from him while he bore the penalty for the sins of the entire human race.  Despite knowing the physical, emotional and spiritual pain that awaited him, Jesus surrendered to God’s plan of redemption, put aside his own will and submitted to death on the cross to save the world from sin.*

Like Jesus, we’re called to sacrifice our agendas for a greater good. “Then [Jesus] said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’” (Luke 9:23, NIV)

Each time we choose to put aside our will and submit to God’s, we are fulfilling the call to deny ourselves. Doing this requires that we are intentional about praying and asking God to give us strength and guidance for the daily choices we make, both small and large.

Easter Sunday- The Call to Share the Good News

 On the third day after his crucifixion, Jesus rose from the grave, conquering death forever more. He appeared to his amazed followers and told them to share the good news of his resurrection and his message of salvation with the rest of the world.

 “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” (John 20:19-22, NIV)

Just as God sent Jesus to the world to free it from sin, Jesus sent his disciples back into the world to share this tremendous news with others.

Our Response

 It’s not easy to follow Jesus’ example. Serving others, sacrificing our personal agendas and sharing the good news aren’t things we can do consistently on our own strength. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed or inadequate, don’t forget the fact that Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit and promised us peace. Through the Spirit, we have everything we need to walk as Jesus did. Start today by praying and asking the Spirit to equip you with exactly what you need. Once you realize he is the key to fulfilling these calls, you’ll never try to do it without him again.

*Comments about the cup in the section on Good Friday were adapted from the Zondervan NIV Study Bible, 2008 updated edition, page 1512.

*This post was originally published in March of 2016 entitled “Inspired by Holy Week.”

Passover Parallels

The more I study the Bible, the more I marvel at how seamlessly it weaves together God’s plan of deliverance for all people. The story of the first Passover in Exodus 11 & 12 includes so many rich symbols that point the way to Jesus in the New Testament. There are incredible parallels between the tenth and final plague in Egypt and Jesus’ blood that was shed to save humankind. For me, this magnifies God’s capacity to focus on vast plans and intimate details at the same time. Rather than trying to explain or interpret the similarities between the deliverance of the Israelites and the deliverance of all people from sin, I’m going to let the Scriptures speak for themselves. If you’re unfamiliar with the story of the first Passover, take a peek at Exodus 11 & 12 for fuller context. 

Death of Firstborn

“Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well.” (Exodus 11:5)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

New Beginning

“This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year…Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.” (Exodus 12:2 & 17)

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor 5:17)

Lamb Without Blemish

“Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household…The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.” (Ex 12:3, 5-6)

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29)

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)

Saved by Blood

“Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs…The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.” (Exodus 12:7 & 13)

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (Romans 5:8-9)

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (Ephesians 1:7)

Jesus Celebrates the First Communion Using the Passover Meal

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover…

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”(Matthew 26:17-19, 26-29)

After the tenth plague, the Israelites walk freely out of Egypt and leave slavery behind. After Jesus’ death, everyone who believes in Him walks freely out of the slavery of sin. Click here and celebrate this incredible act of mercy and grace by listening to Micah Tyler’s “Walking Free.”

Post inspired by Jen Wilkin’s God of Deliverance: A Study of Exodus 1-18, Lifeway Press, 2021.

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My Cup Overflows

“You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (Psalm 23:5b, NIV)

Anointing people with oil isn’t a common practice in our culture today, which means the beauty of this verse can be overlooked. I’m grateful to have had rare opportunities to experience it on two occasions. The first was alongside church elders praying for a man in the hospital with traumatic injuries. The second was when ministry leaders prayed for me as I was beginning a new leadership role at church. 

Both of my experiences were powerful and in keeping with what Scripture shows: anointing is meant for consecrating or setting someone apart for special service, honoring or blessing a guest, or praying for a person who needs healing.  Jennifer Rothschild explains that it is “a poetic picture of the sweet presence and action of the Holy Spirit in our lives.” (p. 157)

Although you may not have experienced being anointed physically, you’ve been anointed spiritually if you follow Jesus. “When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13b-14, NIV)

To get a more complete understanding, we need to unpack the second part of the verse: “My cup overflows.” Rothschild explains, “The Hebrew word for overflow in Psalm 23:5 means saturated. And it denotes wealth or satisfaction. So, when we are saturated with the good things of God, we will be rich with His Spirit and truth and fully, deeply satisfied.” (p. 165) I think the best example of God’s richness and abundance overflowing is in Jesus’ sacrificial love: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17, NIV)

Jesus elaborated on this the night before His crucifixion using the elements of the Passover table as an illustration: “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (Matthew 26:26-28, NIV) 

Overflowing with love for us, Jesus poured out His life to restore us to right relationship with the Father. When we personally accept Him as our Savior, He anoints us with His Holy Spirit. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand… God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:1,2 & 4b, NIV)

With the Holy Spirit living in us, we have access to all the spiritual riches of God. “The more we stay in the presence of the Lord, sitting at the table He prepares for us, the more we are aware of the presence and power of His Holy Spirit in our lives.” (p. 159) We begin to display qualities we don’t possess naturally: “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22 & 23a, NLT)

It is only through the supernatural presence of the Holy Spirit that any of these qualities show in my life. While we’ve been sheltering at home as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, I’ve been reminded that maintaining an awareness of the Lord’s presence and power makes a significant difference. On days when I spend too much time poring over news stories and tracking the spread of the virus, my whole demeanor changes. I’m anxious, irritable, and short tempered. When I don’t make the time to refresh myself with the overflowing abundance of God’s love and grace, I let our current circumstances color my outlook with fear and negativity. 

On a recent rainy Sunday, I got out of bed late and didn’t have a chance to spend time alone with the Lord. Since we were tuning into an online church service, I figured that would be a good alternative. Although I heard teaching from Scripture and passively participated in corporate prayer, I didn’t connect with any of it personally. Instead, I grew increasingly negative, grumpy, and critical. I was tired of sheltering at home and frustrated that the rain was taking away my chance to find respite outdoors. On top of that, I was stewing on a few frustrating interactions I’d had via text and e-mail the day before.

After the service, I realized I needed to give myself a time-out to be alone with the Lord. Curled up on my bed while rain continued to drum on the roof, I opened my prayer journal and poured out my frustrations to God. Soon, I felt Him leading me to different passages of Scripture that spoke directly to me. I realized my attitude had made me a prime target for enemy attack. I confessed specific situations where I’d been harboring negative thoughts or thinking critically. The Lord showed me some incorrect assumptions and conclusions I was drawing from limited knowledge. Sharing my raw feelings and angst gave Him an opening to speak to me through His Word and to renew my mind. He enabled me to see the same situations and people with a fresh perspective. The rain continued to fall, but my dark mood lightened considerably.

My experience was an unflattering example of Jennifer Rothschild’s words, “When your plans get turned upside down, when you get knocked down, when you start to shake, what brims over from your cup? Only what is inside will flow out.” (p. 164) What spilled out of my cup wasn’t pretty that morning. The Lord was ready and waiting to give me what I needed, but I had to draw near to Him to receive it. Rothschild sums it up, “It’s like He’s saying, What I want to give you is bigger than you can contain. What I want to lavish over your life is more than you have capacity to hold. I want to fill you with grace and peace and joy and My Word so you will overflow with hope and love and rejoicing. When I saturate your life with My goodness, you will be satisfied.” (p. 165)

There’s no better time to see God’s goodness then at Easter. Holy Week looks a little different this year as we celebrate it without the usual fanfare. But maybe having all of the exterior aspects of Easter stripped away will narrow our focus so we can celebrate what it’s really about: The Father’s overflowing love, the Son’s sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection, and the Spirit’s anointing that fills us with His presence and power.

Don’t miss the opportunity to reflect on these truths so beautifully captured in “King of Kings” by Hillsong United. 

Jennifer Rothschild, Psalm 23: The Shepherd with Me, Lifeway Press, 2018.

Image by Scott Warburton, courtesy of pixabay.com