Showing posts with label suffering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label suffering. Show all posts
4/25/2014
Neutrality Helps the Oppressor, Never the Victim
3/21/2011
15) The Cup (Mark 14:32-36)
"God is the source of all love, all life, all light, all coherence. Therefore (Jesus') exclusion from God (on the cross) is exclusion from the source of all light, all love, all coherence. Jesus began to experience the spiritual, cosmic, infinite disintegration (in the garden of Gethsemane) that would happen when he became separated from his Father on the cross. Jesus began to experience merely a foretaste of that, and he staggered." (176)
"As horrible as the cup (of suffering) is, (Jesus) knows that his immediate desire (to be spared) must bow before his ultimate desire (to spare us). (180)
"Instead of perpetually denying your desires or changing your circumstances, you'll be able to trust the Father in your suffering." (181)
Intro: Heroes in history were calm when they faced their death. But not Jesus (Mark 14:32-36). Just before his execution, Jesus opens his heart to God, to his disciples, to the readers of Mark's Gospel, laying bare his struggles, his agony, his fears about facing death.
Why Did Jesus Unravel/Become Undone in the Garden?
1/12/2011
By His Wounds We Are Healed (Isaiah 52:13-53:12)
Previous post: Beautiful Feet That Bring Good News (Isa 52:7)
Isa 52:12-53:13, the 4th and final and most memorable of the Messiah/Servant Songs (Isa 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-9), gives incontrovertible proof that Jesus is the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy. The details are so minute that no human could have predicted them by accident and no impostor fulfilled them by cunning. It is frequently quoted or referred to in the NT (Matt 8:17; Lk 22:37; Jn 12:28; Acts 8:30-35; Ro 10:16; 1 Pet 2:22-25), or alluded to without being quoted (Mk 9:12; Ro 4:25; 1 Co 15:3; 2 Co 5:21; 1 Pe 1:19; 1 Jn 3:5). It explains how the Holy God can bless sinful people: Only the sacrifice, suffering and triumph of the Servant removes the guilt of sin before God. In this passage "I" is the Lord, "he" the servant, and "we" the servant's disciples, who themselves need the servant to bear their guilt (Isa 53:4-6).
1. The Servant was Disfigured and Marred beyond Human Likeness (Isa 52:13-15)
Isa 52:13-15 is a summary and preview of the humiliation and exaltation of the Servant, described in more detail in Isa 53:1-12. In his passion, Jesus underwent inhumane cruelty by being beaten into a shocking mass of wounded flesh, where he no longer looks like a human being. But in his disfigured state, he will perform a priestly work of sprinkling the nations and made them clean, and glorified God.
2. The Servant was Despised and Rejected (Isa 53:1-3)
3. The Servant Bore the Sins of Many (Isa 53:4-6)
The wounds that caused his death has brought salvation to those for whose sins he died (Isa 53:5; 1 Pe 2:24).
4. The Servant Dies in Silence and Innocence (Isa 53:7-9)
"He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth" (Isa 53:7).
5. The Servant was Crushed but Victorious (Isa 53:10-12)
Practical Application: Only Jesus' wounds can heal us (Isa 53:5).
Humble Acknowledgment: "The punishment that brought us peace was upon him" (Isa 53:5). "The Lord makes his life an offering for sin" (Isa 53:10).
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