Tag: crucifixtion

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Reliving Jesus’ Resurrection & Seven Sayings

Gill and I had a wonderful Passover-Easter weekend and were invited to teach three services at Immanuel Church in Umhlanga Rocks (South Africa). What a joy and privilege to do the theme of “Reliving with Jesus…”. 

On Thursday night I taught “Reliving the Passover Meal and Gethsemane with Jesus and his Apostles” 
https://youtu.be/yFmpU5yoDZg

On Friday morning I taught “Reliving the Crucifixion with Jesus“
https://youtu.be/Y7m1N7aaHyA

And Sunday morning I taught on “Reliving the Resurrection with Jesus“
https://youtu.be/MhddUFXk91A

You are welcome to watch these three (3) videos if you like and to pass on the links to whoever may be interested.

As followers of Jesus, God’s (Jewish) Messiah, we relive the Passover meal (Pesach) with Rebbe Y’shua HaMoshiach and his disciples (see Mark 14:12-26, Matt 26:17-30, Luke 22:7- 23, 1 Cor 10:15-17 cf. 11:23-26) – when he enacted the prophesied the new covenant (Jer 31:31-34, Ezek 36:24-27), which he made with YHWH for all who believe through him.

Download the Messianic Passover Seder to follow along.

Seven Saying of Jesus on the Cross

The Gospels record that while hanging on the cross for six hours, until his death, Jesus spoke seven times. We do not know the exact order in which each of his ‘sayings’ took place. But reading the context of each of them, I have put them in a possible/probable order from nine till his death at three in the afternoon.

In your time of meditation, picture the entire scene. See yourself standing there before the cross with John the beloved disciple, and Mary, Jesus’ mother. Relive what happened during those six hours. Listen carefully… hear what Jesus says. Receive his words from the cross… what do they mean to you? What is he saying to you… personally? What is your response to him? Do you need to do anything? Use your imagination by the Spirit to be with Jesus, hanging on the cross… how you can be with him in his suffering.

Whichever saying ‘speaks’ to you, or grabs your attention, stay with it, meditate on it. Answer Jesus… dialogue with him… do what you must to do to respond to him. Read the particular text and its context in your Bible so as to personalize it more.

You could also print out a PDF copy to use during meditation…

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”
Luke 23:34. Words of Forgiveness.

“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise”
Luke 23:43. Words of Salvation.

“Dear woman, here is your son… and… here is your mother”
John 19:26-27. Words of Relationship.

“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Mark 15:34, Matthew 27:46. Words of Rejection and Abandonment. 

“I am thirsty”
John 19:28. Words of Distress. 

“It is finished”
John 19:30. Words of Triumph

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”
Luke 23:46. Matthew 27:50. Words of Reunion.

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Post Resurrection Encounters in Following Jesus – Peter’s Call Renewed (Part 1)

The audio is available to listen online or download with notes.

The text: John 21:1-23 (following it over two weeks)

This story of Jesus’ encounter with Peter is but one of Jesus’ appearances over a 40 day period (Acts 1:3), proving his bodily resurrection, restoring his followers and weaning them from his physical presence – for them to depend on the indwelling Holy Spirit.

First, note the broad features of this most tender encounter:

  • The setting on the shore of the sea of Tiberias (Galilee) and the miraculous catch clearly connotes Peter’s original call in Luke 5:1-11 (read it and compare)
  • And by making a fire on that cold early morning and asking Peter three times if he loved him, Jesus recreated and reversed Peter’s threefold denial, which took place around a fire (see John 13:36-37, 18:10-27)
  • The implication: Jesus comes to each of us at critical times to restore and heal, often by recreating and reinterpreting what happened (our disillusionment and death), leading to a deeper honesty and self-knowledge, with a profound renewal (resurrection) of our followership and calling to minister (love) in his name

Second, meditate on the details and layers of meaning in the first story (John 21:1-14):

John 21:3 – Why did Peter go back to fishing? What do you ‘go back to’ when disillusioned… ? Continue reading Post Resurrection Encounters in Following Jesus – Peter’s Call Renewed (Part 1)

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Post Resurrection Encounters in Following Jesus – On the Road to Emmaus

The audio is available to listen online or download with notes.

Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection over a period of 40 days (Acts 1:3), proving that he was alive, restoring them from the trauma of his death (renewing faith and following, e.g. Thomas: “my Lord and my God”). The encounters and disappearances weaned his followers from dependence on his physical presence, so that they live by faith in his invisible presence – the indwelling Holy Spirit. The post resurrection stories are paradigms of how Jesus encounters us today by his Spirit, to restore and heal us.

The Two on the Road to Emmaus
Read this beautiful story in Luke 24:13-35 as an exercise in “Lectio Divina”

  • Lectio: Read the story slowly and prayerfully, asking God to speak to you… then…
  • Meditatio: Meditate on what God says to you through the reading – whatever ‘grabs’ you, a word or phrase that speaks to you, or an image that fires your mind… then…
  • Oratio: Pray orally (or mentally) about your meditation on the text; i.e. respond to God by praying about what he says to you in the text via your thoughts, feelings… and then…
  • Contemplatio: Contemplation is the last step in Lectio Divina, moving from mediation and prayer to complete silence – beyond thoughts, images, words, feelings – to the still point of simply resting in God’s most intimate and loving embrace.

To help you ‘feed off’ this story – and for discussion in your home group – here are some pointers for meditation (the best is to relive the story in your imagination):

Reconstruct the context in your mind: it’s the Sunday that Jesus rose, they are walking home depressed, traumatized by Jesus’ death, confused by reports of him being alive… their Kingdom hopes utterly dashed. How have you been disillusioned? Continue reading Post Resurrection Encounters in Following Jesus – On the Road to Emmaus