But It Was Our Sins That Did That To Him

Holy Week 2020

April 9, 2020

Thursday of Holy Week

But It Was Our Sins That Did That To Him

“. . . it was our pains he carried—

   our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.

Isaiah 53:4 (MSG)

In the first sixteen verses of John 19, the irony of the conspiracy to murder Jesus increases yet again. Pilate, who has absolute authority over Israel, vacillates. He is indecisive and fearful. At first, he toyed with the priests; if they wanted to crucify Jesus, he would let Jesus go, just to spite them. Then Pilate senses there is more being played out than he understands and wants to distance himself from the proceedings. Enter the ultimate irony. The priests, who were completely under the authority of Pilate, manipulate Pilate to do their bidding. Pilate capitulates, but the cost to the priests and the crowd is expensive beyond measure. They have repudiated their God by claiming they have no king, but Caesar. They have crucified the First Commandment: “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me.” (Exodus 20: 2-3)

Thus the words of the Prophet Isaiah were fulfilled: (Please read this passage from Isaiah slowly, and outloud.)

“. . . it was our pains he carried—

   our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.

We thought he brought it on himself,

   that God was punishing him for his own failures.

But it was our sins that did that to him,

   that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!

He took the punishment, and that made us whole.

   Through his bruises we get healed.

We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.

   We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.

And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,

   on him, on him.

 He was beaten, he was tortured,

   but he didn’t say a word.

Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered

   and like a sheep being sheared,

   he took it all in silence.

Justice miscarried, and he was led off—

   and did anyone really know what was happening?

He died without a thought for his own welfare,

   beaten bloody for the sins of my people.

They buried him with the wicked,

   threw him in a grave of a rich man,

Even though he’d never hurt a soul

   or said one word that wasn’t true.

(Isaiah 53: 4-9 The Message)

My Takeaway: I’ve got nothing to say. I just need to be still.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

To Know God As Our Strength

Holy Week 2020

April 8, 2020

Wednesday of Holy Week

To Know God As Our Strength

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Psalm 22:1

It is not just this opening line that connects this psalm to the crucifixion of Jesus. Throughout this psalm you can see Jesus on the Cross and you can see the people gathered around Jesus. See the crowd scorning the psalmist in v. 6-8 and compare with Matthew 27:39-43; the gambling for garments in v.18 and compare with John 19:23-24. Also consider the psalmist’s cry in v. 15 “My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth” and Jesus’ cry, “I thirst” in John 19:28. As you read the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion you will see even more parallels. Both Matthew and the writer of Hebrews proclaim that Jesus fulfilled this psalm. Why should that be significant to us today? I can suggest three reasons.

First, all of the Gospel writers want us to know that Jesus, who was crucified, dead and buried, was the Messiah of God, the One the scriptures promised would come and save Israel, save the world. By connecting the events in the life of Jesus to Old Testament prophesies, we can see God at work fulfilling His plan to redeem the world.

Secondly, the psalm points to the coming again of Jesus in final victory. (Psalm 22:27-28) As followers of Jesus, it is important for us to always be mindful that Jesus isn’t finished with his work. He will complete the restoration of God’s Kingdom on earth, and we get to be co-laborers with him in that work.

Lastly, I am writing this meditation in the second week of the Fifteen Day Coronavirus Guidelines, and we have no idea when things will get better. We all are experiencing trials and distress in our lives. In such times, Jesus is our model. As we yield ourselves to him, he will empower us to follow his path that was prophesied in Psalm 22. Like Jesus, we can openly acknowledge to God our sense of despair, to remember God’s past care for our lives, to embrace the reality of our circumstances, and to know God as our strength who comes quickly to our aid.

My Takeaway: Let us proclaim with the psalmist,

“I will praise you in the great assembly.

I will fulfill my vows in the presence

of those who worship you.”

Psalm 22:25

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

“I Am He”

Holy Week 2020

April 7, 2020

Tuesday of Holy Week

“I Am He”

“Who is it you want?”  

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus said.

John 18:4-5

The first half of John 18 details the arrest of Jesus and Peter’s three denials of Jesus. Through these details, God’s grand and glorious ‘do-over’ is becoming more clear. Recall that the Gospels present the story of Jesus in a particular setting. There was the first exodus of God’s people led by Moses. Now God’s Messiah is leading the second exodus. There was the Garden of Eden inhabited by Adam. Now we are in a second garden, Gethsemane. In the first Garden, God, in the cool of the evening, came looking for Adam. In the second Garden, in the cool of the evening, sinful man comes looking for Jesus, God’s second Adam. (The Apostle Paul writes much about the ‘first’ and ‘last’ Adam in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15) Another Garden will be the setting for Jesus’ resurrection.

‘Who are you looking for?” Jesus asked. “Jesus of Nazareth” the soldiers replied.

Those gathered in the Garden heard much more than Jesus’ simple reply, “I am he.” They heard; “I AM.”

“I AM The Bread Of Life.”

“I AM The Light Of The World.”

“I AM The Gate.”

“I AM The Good Shepherd.”

“I AM The Resurrection And The Life.”

“I AM The Way, The Truth And The Life.”

‘I AM The Vine.”

Take a few minutes and ponder these seven I AM statements. Which one captures your attention more than the other six? Stay a while with the one I AM statement that has captured your heart. Listen for the Holy Spirit speaking to you. Is there something God is calling you to do, or to change in your life in response to this statement?

My Takeaway: My heart was captured by, “I AM The Way, The Truth And The Life.” I immediately thought back to Jesus’ three warnings at the end of the Sermon on the Mount and his call to enter into his Kingdom through the narrow gate. I trust that Jesus will empower me to be obedient to his way, his truth and his life.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

That I Myself May Be in Them

Holy Week 2020

April 6, 2020

Monday of Holy Week

That I Myself May Be in Them

“I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

John 17:26

In Chapter 17 of John’s Gospel, we are brought into the inner sanctum, the holy of holies, the very heart of Jesus, where we can sit at the feet of Jesus while he prays for us. I am in awe of Jesus’ prayer that brings his followers into a personal, intimate relationship with the Father. Jesus envisions his followers experiencing the very same unity that is glorified in the unity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

This is a good place to reflect on how the Christian church has said ‘Thanks, but no thanks” to Jesus’ intercession for his church. The disharmony between denominations and blatant disrespect and lack of unity within some denominations is reprehensible. Perhaps the best evidence of sin’s total corruption of humanity is how Christians sing praise to God, all the while refusing to edify their brothers and sisters in Christ in other churches. Could John have been any clearer when he warned the church? “If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness” (1John 2:9).

The way John writes Jesus’ prayer suggests that he may have incorporated the prayer into his own devotional life as well as taught others to pray Jesus’ prayer. This can be a helpful devotional practice for us as well. Here is how I am internalizing Jesus’ prayer in verses 13-19 into my prayer:

“Father, make me holy by your truth; teach me your word, which is truth. Just as you sent Jesus into the world, Jesus is sending me into the world. As Jesus gave himself as a holy sacrifice for me so I can be made holy by your truth, may I glorify you and your Son, Christ Jesus, by being obedient to your truth. Amen”

My Takeaway: This prayer of Jesus highlights the truth that God has called us to go into our world, our culture, but not to be of our world or its culture. It is our life in Christ that allows us to be in, but not be of.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Becoming Fully Human

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount

April 3, 2020

Becoming Fully Human

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise,

like a person who builds a house on solid rock.”

Matthew 7:24

Jesus’ last warning (Matthew 7:24-29) is an invitation to fulfill his charge made earlier in the sermon: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33). When we seek to embody within our lives the teaching of Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount we become fully human, just as our divine master was fully human. Life lived without adhering to his principals is a sub-human life.

A life lived with a focus on greed, or the accumulation of power, or living only for pleasure will all collapse in time. In contrast, those who make seeking the life in Christ their way of life will experience the presence of Christ in their life today and will inherit the promise of eternal life, which is life in Christ uninterrupted by death.

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is saying that ultimately, the only important thing in life is how we perceive God. If we perceive God as generous, gracious, loving and faithful, we will then embrace the Gospel as truly Good News and joyfully enter into the Kingdom of God. In our culture, so many people believe human life is nothing more than billions of years of evolution and survival of the fittest. Such a world-view hardly motivates people to get out of their comfort zone and live self-sacrificial lives.

My Takeaway: Over and against this reality of present-day life, Jesus is saying that if I choose to live under the reign of my generous, gracious, loving and faithful God, my mission is to live my life as salt and light for those for whom the love of God is still a stranger.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Christ-Like Fruit

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount

April 2, 2020

Christ-Like Fruit

Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit,

so you can identify people by their actions.

Matthew 7:20

Jesus’ second warning concerns church leaders. (Matthew 7:15-23) However, the standard which Jesus applied to judging church leaders is a standard we can apply to all leaders, secular and church alike.

Jesus alerts us that the task of evaluating our leaders can be difficult because often they are disguised in sheep’s clothing; often they speak and act in ways that seem authentically committed to building for God’s Kingdom. But what may be missing from their life is a commitment “to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead” (Philippians 3:10). Over and over again the writers of the New Testament make clear God’s goal to form Christ within us. As our lives are transformed to become like Christ, our lives will produce the fruit of Kingdom life. Most notable among Kingdom fruit is the fruit of the self-sacrificial life: “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Luke 22:42).

Jesus includes this teaching in the Sermon on the Mount because it is the responsibility of every one of his disciples to hold our leaders, both within the church and within our societies to a Godly standard of leadership. However, before we start launching an assault on our political leaders, let us remember what we learned in the meditation, Jesus, On Self-Righteousness (March 27, 2020), and before we jump into the fray, first do a gut-check: how is it with our soul? Next, let us first hold our church leaders accountable for their submission to Christ and the fruit of their lives before we take aim at other leaders.

My Takeaway: Do you see? Being a disciple is hard work; it takes time, wisdom, and our own inner-development. Hence, Jesus said the road is hard and the gate narrow.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Enter Through The Narrow Gate

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount

April 1, 2020

Enter Through The Narrow Gate

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 7:13-14 (NRSV)

Jesus concludes his Sermon on the Mount by giving three warnings which we will consider in three meditations. (Matthew 7:13-29) The first warning is about gates, which was a very easy metaphor for his listeners to grasp. Cites had multiple entrance gates, and the gates, and the roads leading to them, varied greatly. When we think of some of our descriptions of God’s Kingdom, such as peace, joy, hope and forgiveness, it is easy to picture the road not as hard, but as expansive, inclusive and beautiful. While these attributes certainly speak to the heart of God’s Kingdom, Jesus is alerting us here to the reality of the difficult choices necessary for us to follow him into the Kingdom.

Remember the blessings in Jesus’ introduction to his Sermon on the Mount: the beatitudes. These blessings are not for the casual passerby; rather, they paint a picture of fully-devoted disciples. When I read the beatitudes, I immediately think of the comment made by G.K. Chesterton: “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” After the beatitudes, before Matthew finished chapter five, Jesus taught on anger, adultery, divorce, vows, revenge, and love for enemies. Many would be disciples of Jesus, seeking the wide road to the Kingdom, found these teachings difficult and left them untried. Read on, the road becomes more narrow and harder in chapters six and seven.

My Takeaway: Even so, for you lovers of Jesus, despair not. Remember, it is God who is at work within you, and things impossible for us are possible for God. As followers of Jesus, we commit our way to the hard road and narrow gate with this promise ringing in our ears:

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

Philippians 1:6

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.