Lent - Day Thirty Two - You Have To Accept The Whole Package.

Gospel	John 8:21-30 ©

When you have lifted up the Son of Man then you will know that I am He

Jesus said to the Pharisees:

‘I am going away;

you will look for me

and you will die in your sin.

Where I am going, you cannot come.’

The Jews said to one another, ‘Will he kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, “Where I am going, you cannot come”?’ Jesus went on:

‘You are from below; I am from above.

You are of this world; I am not of this world.

I have told you already:

You will die in your sins.

Yes, if you do not believe that I am He,

you will die in your sins.’

So they said to him, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus answered:

‘What I have told you from the outset.

About you, I have much to say

and much to condemn;

but the one who sent me is truthful,

and what I have learned from him

I declare to the world.’

They failed to understand that he was talking to them about the Father. So Jesus said:

‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man,

then you will know that I am He

and that I do nothing of myself:

what the Father has taught me is what I preach;

he who sent me is with me,

and has not left me to myself,

for I always do what pleases him.’

As he was saying this, many came to believe in him.

Uriah says that we will be in Jerusalem by Sunday.  The mountains grow ever closer but it is still as hot as the devil's armpit and this salt we are walking on makes me long for the hot sands of the desert.  Nothing grows here, just like the rest of the desert, but it appears more forlorn and destitute of life.  If you see a bird in the sky you know death has visited the desert because the bird will be a vulture. No scorpions or snakes live here, it is just too hostile and so it is here that we stop early in the afternoon and set up our camp for the night.  After dinner, the Master speaks. 

"Friends, the time growing short.  Soon we will be in the city where it all began two thousand years ago.  You will walk the same streets that Jesus did.  You will follow the path of His march to the Cross.  You will see the place where He lifted up His arms between heaven and earth and where He died and where He arose from the dead. "

"While the death of Jesus is important, after all, we are in the Lenten season and we focus on it. The death of Jesus was not undertaken because of a vengeful Father who would then be like any of the Roman gods who, when angry, looked for revenge.  The death of Jesus had to happen for it is appointed that man lives his life and then casts it off.  You have to accept the whole package that Jesus brought with Him.  It is short-sighted to only think of His death on that dark Friday. He died for you personally, by name and for that, you should be grateful.  He showed just how far God would go to return His children to the path of righteousness.  But if you only consider the death of Jesus, then it loses its meaning for you personally. Consider His death after considering all of the things He brought us through His life. If you do this then the death of the Lord will mean more than just a man hung on a tree.  The torturess death will mean more to you because you will remember and follow Him, walking in His way and yes, maybe even finding a cross with your name on it.  Through it all, you will see that God loves you and spared nothing to prove it, not even His only Son.