Week #21 Insights: May 20-26

This week's blurbs come from the pens of Christian Willick (Monday-Thursday) and Pastor Eric Schroeder (Saturday-Sunday).

May 20 – John 19:1-16a: Jesus’ cup of suffering included more than just the guilt of false accusations and the anguish of faithless friends, as we saw yesterday. Today we read that Jesus’ cup also included unmerited public shame and tremendous physical pain, the likes of which we will probably never know. Just as the hymn stanza says, “A crown of thorns you’re wearing, my shame and scorn you’re bearing, that I might ransomed be. My bondsman ever willing, my place with patience filling, from sin and guilt has made me free.” Yes, Jesus willingly withstood all the pain and shame which we deserved so that we might never have to endure it ourselves. But even this was not the full extent of his love for us. He would soon pay the ultimate debt we owed with the ultimate price of his innocent life. Study question: How did Jesus show incredible love for those around him and for you in the face of affliction, whether expressed here or implied?
 
May 21 – John 19:16b-42: My Hebrew professor at Martin Luther College has been teaching us about the Day of the LORD, a day prophesied in the Old Testament of extraordinary judgment on God’s enemies and extraordinary grace for his people. Good Friday serves as a prime example of the fulfillment of this prophecy, where judgment and grace, law and gospel, perfectly meet and intertwine at the foot of the cross of the One who loved us so. The law is painfully clear to us: “Behold the man upon a cross, my sin upon his shoulders. Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers.” “Come, gaze into the darkened eyes that rise to curse and to despise. Will you add your cold refrain? Today the Son of Man is slain!” But the gospel is just as prominent on this day, because Jesus died for you. And as we will see tomorrow, now he lives for you. Study question: What other examples of God’s perfect law and gospel can we see in Christ on this dark day?
 
May 22 – John 20: What mixed emotions those first Easter worshippers must have been experiencing! Despair—alarm—uncertainty—joy—peace. The only way to ride through this roller coaster of emotion is Spirit-worked faith. Just as John records that, as he entered the empty tomb, “he saw and believed,” so also this faith includes even us who have not seen with our eyes. For Jesus says: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed,” and, “These are written that you may believe.” Because Jesus has been raised, his sacrifice is credited to us, and the sorrow of Good Friday ultimately gives way to Easter joy. Because of this faith, we have no mixed emotions about this day, but only joy in knowing that Jesus lives, and that he comes to us in his Word and says: “Peace be with you!” Study question: What roller coaster of emotions are you experiencing right now, and how can you ride through it in faith and Easter joy?
 
May 23 – John 21: It is an interesting episode that John’s Gospel ends with, but one that is still rich with gospel comfort. It begins with a scene reminiscent of another miraculous catch of fish by which Jesus had called his first disciples, and those disciples there must certainly have been reminded of this and saw their faith in the living Jesus strengthened. It continues with a loving test from Jesus to his dear friend and follower Peter, to reinstate him and reinforce his faith. And finally, it ends with a nod to the fact that John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” was indeed the human author of this inspired book, and that “his testimony is true.” The purpose of John’s Gospel has been accomplished—the history of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection has been faithfully preserved so that we may believe. Study question: What are ways you can apply these examples of Jesus strengthening his disciples’ faith for the strengthening of your own faith?
 
May 24 – Introduction to Acts: Every scroll collected by the synagogue is laid out and rolled open. Readers flock around them like grazing sheep around patches of grass, devouring the lines of text and chewing on the young rabbi’s suggestion that the Messiah has come, has suffered death, and has risen again. “Would the Messiah save the Gentiles too?” someone wonders aloud. “Without circumcision, without the customs of the law? How can these things be?” The preaching of salvation through Jesus, confirmed by the gift of the Holy Spirit, “turned the world upside down” (17:6). In Acts, Luke continues the story of Jesus’ work in and through the apostles and other disciples. Acts records the progress of God’s mission to reach the ends of the earth with the promise of forgiveness and everlasting life in Christ – a mission that continues today as the Lord works through his church. Click here for today’s full reading.
 
May 25 – Acts 1: Today we begin our reading of the book of the Acts of the Apostles, which some refer to (rightly) as the gospel of the Holy Spirit. With the festival of Pentecost coming up in the next few weeks, it’s a great time to highlight and emphasize the powerful person and work of the Holy Spirit. Watch for each mention (the first noting of the Spirit is in Acts 1:2, and there will be many more) and see what his divine purpose is—to strengthen disciples of Jesus Christ, create new disciples through Word and sacrament, to shower the Church with spiritual gifts, and through it all, to grow the Church and save sinners in Christ alone. Study question: How can you enable greater opportunity for the Holy Spirit to work in your life through Word and sacrament? How can you enable greater opportunity for the Spirit to work through your life for the benefit of others?
 
May 26 – Acts 2: Just as Jesus promised before his glorious ascension (1:8), the apostles receive power when the Holy Spirit is poured out on them. I know it is easy to focus on the dramatic evidence of his arrival: the sound of wind, the appearance of fire, the ability to speak in languages previously unknown. We can’t miss the Spirit’s presence. As we read on, however, note how the work of God is most beneficial when it doesn’t seem so miraculous: Peter quotes Scripture, unpacks the mystery of prophecy and fulfillment in Christ, and invites the hearers to repent and be baptized. May God help us see the beauty of the means of grace (the gospel in Word and sacrament) and lead us to be confident that the Spirit still works saving wonders as we employ these tools in nurture and outreach today! Study question: How can we be so sure that in this instance, “speaking in tongues” was not merely unintelligible babbling? For more on this spiritual gift, look at 1 Corinthians 14.