The Cross

Luke 23:22-25

“22 For the third time he spoke to them: “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.” 23 But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.”

Pilate thought Jesus was innocent of a crime and did not deserve the death penalty.  He thought the crowd would be satisfied if he promised to have Jesus beaten, then released.  But the crowd persisted to call for Jesus’ death, and Pilate, though he had the power of Rome behind him, surrendered to their will.

Barabbas, a man who had led a revolt against Rome in which at least one Roman soldier was killed, was released from prison, and Jesus, the Son of God, who taught love and forgiveness was crucified.  To those who were close to Jesus, I am sure they were baffled.

When we look at the events of the world, they often do not make sense.  Sometimes evil seems to win; sometimes hard work and honesty do not seem to be rewarded.  

But to God, the crucifixion of Christ made all the sense in the world; in fact it was necessary for the redemption of the world; necessary for love to triumph; necessary for the forgiveness of sins; necessary for the resurrection and victory over death.

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Father, Forgive Them

 Luke 23: 32-34

“32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”  And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”

Jesus had just been put through a number of trials at which he was falsely accused, was spat upon, mocked, beaten, and whipped.  Now nails were driven through his hands and feet and he was raised on a cross.  

The first words he uttered from the cross were words of forgiveness; forgiveness for those who had lied about Him, spat upon Him, mocked Him, beaten Him and crucified Him.  Jesus had said many wonderful things in His life on this earth.  But none more wonderful than these.

Here we see a living faith.  Christ did not just teach love and forgiveness, He lived it.

In the same way, Christians are called to live their faith.  And whenever we are suffering, or weak, or angry, let us remember the example of our Lord on the cross.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Words of Christ

 Luke 23:1-5

“1 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king.” 3 So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. 4 Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.” 5 But they insisted, “He stirs up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here.”

Anyone who has studied the gospels knows that Jesus never opposed paying Roman taxes.  In fact he said, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are God’s (Matthew 22:21).  

We also know that Jesus never claimed to be an earthly king.  The only charge that was true was the charge that his teachings were having an impact on the people all over Judea.

The religious authorities said that his teachings were “stirring” people up.  The Greek word used for the English word “stirs” can mean excites, shakes up, rouses people to the point that they take action.

Jesus’ teachings were, in fact, shaking up the old way of thinking, causing people to live and act in a different way.  The religious authorities were threatened by the power and the effect of Jesus’ words and they had to put a stop to them.  

The crucifixion was their answer. But the crucifixion served only to make His words more powerful, and more effective.

And for over 2,000 years, millions of hearts have been warmed and stirred by His glorious words.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Kiss of Judas

 Luke 22:47-53

“47 While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him; 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, is it with a kiss that you are betraying the Son of Man?” 49 When those who were around him saw what was coming, they asked, “Lord, should we strike with the sword?” 50 Then one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple police, and the elders who had come for him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a bandit? 53 When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness!”

Judas intended to betray Christ with a kiss.  In Jesus’ time, a kiss between friends was a common sign of greeting, respect, honor and brotherly love.  

Judas hid his true feelings behind the hypocritical kiss.  To betray another person with a kiss meant just the opposite; disrespect, dishonor, and hatred.

We, like Judas, betray Jesus each day with expressions of love that we do not mean, kind words that do not come from our hearts, and promises of prayers that we do not keep.

Judas led a band of people brandishing swords and clubs to arrest Jesus.  But it was the kiss of Judas that would sting hardest long after that fateful night.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Prayer

 Luke 22: 41-46

“41 Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength. 44 In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground. 45 When he got up from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping because of grief, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”

Jesus prayed that God remove the burden of crucifixion from Him.  Here we see the human side of Jesus.  He prayed as we would pray in such circumstances.  God’s plan for the redemption of humanity could only move forward through the sacrifice of Christ.  The weight of this was such that while praying he sweat blood.

But through his anguish, He was able to see that His own will, His own desires, paled in comparison to those of God; that His own good was nothing compared to the good that God desired for all of humanity.

And he arrived at the conclusion that it was not His will that should determine the fate of humanity, but the will of God.

Because of Christ’s sacrifice of his will in prayer and of His body on the cross, all believers are redeemed and have eternal life.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Greatest

 Luke 22:24-27

“24 A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 But he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.”

Around the table in the upper room, the disciples of Christ argued over who was the greatest.  Their view of greatness, even at this point in their ministry with Christ,  did not include servanthood, or lack of pride, or humility. 

They would soon learn that none of them were great.  They would soon all flee for their lives.  They would soon all desert Christ.

In the light of the cross the disciples realized who they were, who Christ was, and their mission on earth.

The sacrifice on the cross gives all believers these things. 

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Last Meal

 Luke 22:17-23

“17 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18 for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21 But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. 22 For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!” 23 Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this.”

Jesus and His disciples shared their last meal, the meal we now observe as Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper.  After sharing the cup, Christ revealed that someone at the table would betray Him.

Even during the most sacred of times, even when we feel the presence of God the most, evil and temptation still reside with us.  We may not recognize it.  We may not admit it.  But it is there, in our hearts, showing us our great need for a savior. 

The new covenant of Christ is a covenant written on our hearts.  But even in our faith we are still weak.  We are still a people in need of forgiveness, of second chances, of unlimited, unconditional, unmerited love.

The sacrifice on the cross gave us those things.

“But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Transfiguration Part 2

 Luke 9:33-36

“33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.”

The transfiguration event was so amazing, that Peter did not know what to say, yet he felt compelled to say something.  Searching for something to say, his mind immediately left the spiritual and went to the everyday, practical, worldly things that he knew best.  He offered to build shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah.

In Christianity, there is a time for the spiritual and a time for the very practical. There are some of us who want only the spiritual and those who want only the practical.  After Peter made his offer to build shelters, God spoke and told the disciples who Jesus was, and that they should listen to Him rather than speak.  Peter had clearly interrupted a sacred spiritual moment with worldly ideas.

There are times when we are called only to listen to God; to sit and observe His work; to watch His miracle unfolding.  Without speaking, without thinking about worldly application or logistics or resources, we are to simply watch as God moves among us.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Transfiguration Part 1

Luke 9:28-32

“28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. “

I once knew a man who could not stay awake if he sat down. This problem turned out to be a disease, but until he was treated he slept through a good part of his life, and his wife and his children’s lives that he would never get back.

In several places in the gospels we read about the disciples being overcome by sleep and sleeping through important events that were happening around them.   In the scripture above, even though they were weighed down by sleep, Peter, James and John stayed awake and saw Jesus in a way they had never seen Him.

A lot of the time, we sleepwalk through our spiritual lives.  We do not take advantage of the things offered by the church. We do not read scripture or pray.  We worship with one eye open.  We do not serve others.

For us to see Jesus, we have to be intentional about our faith.  We have to stay awake spiritually.  And if we do…

we will see Him as we have never seen Him before.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Peter’s Confession

Luke 9:18-20

“18 Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 They answered, “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” 20 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.”

Jesus, on his way to the cross, asked two questions of His disciples: Who do others say that I am?  Who do you say that I am?

On our Christian journey, we will find that there are many and varied opinions about who Jesus is, some grounded in scripture and others not so much.  When we hear what others say about Jesus, we often want to set them straight or argue another opinion.   

But, when it is all said and done, the question that mattered most to Jesus was, “But, who do you say that I am?”   This is an important question to answer.  Our salvation rests on that answer.  And it matters not one bit what others are saying.   

What do you believe?  

Who do you say that Christ is?

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

Jarius’ Daughter

Luke 8:40-42, 49-50, 53-56

“40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 Just then there came a man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, who was dying...  49 While he was still speaking, someone came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the teacher any longer.” 50 When Jesus heard this, he replied, “Do not fear. Only believe, and she will be saved.”…  53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and called out, “Child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then he directed them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astounded; but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.”

Jarius’ only daughter, maybe his only child, was dying.  She was twelve years old, just old enough to be considered a woman (in those days).  Reaching the age of womanhood was supposed to be a time of celebration, but instead it brought death.

Jarius, a leader in the local synagogue, fell at the feet of Jesus and begged him to come to his home to heal his daughter.  But, people who had just come from Jarius’ home told Christ not to bother, the daughter had died.

For the crowd that had gathered at Jairus’ home, death was a finality, an insurmountable obstacle, a closed door.

For Christ, death was the beginning, the pathway, the gateway to resurrection.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)