Scarborough Chinese Baptist ChurchLent 2013
Daily Devotional
for the sermon series
Seven Words from the Cross
“Dear woman, here is your son …”
(John 19:26)
Week 3: February 25- March 3
The following series of daily readings and questions has been designed by Pastor Tom Cullen to lead up to the sermon for the coming week. There are five daily studies for each week. Allow about 20 minutes a day to complete each daily devotional.
Sermons can be heard online at scbc.com
Each week’s daily devotional guide is also available online at scbc.com under the small group tab – “resources”.
Lent Sermon Schedule
Seven Words from the Cross
February 10 – “Father forgive them…” (Luke 23:34)
February 17 – AGM (no study)
February 24 – “Today you will be with me…” (Luke 23:43)
March 3 – “Dear woman, here is your son…” (John 19:26-27)
March 10 – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
(Matthew 27: 46)
March 17 – “I am thirsty.” (John 19:28)
March 24 – “It is finished” (John 19:30)
March 29 (Good Friday) – “Father into your hands I commit my
spirit.” (Luke 23:46)
Seven Words from the Cross A study of our Lord’s last words from the cross
There is an old hymn entitled “I am Thine, O Lord” and the first verse goes like this,
“I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.”
That is a great sentiment for any Christian. We all want to have an intimate, close relationship with our Lord. And when I think of a close relationship with Jesus I often picture it as the two of us walking through a forest or a garden, a place of peace and serenity. But listen to what the chorus of that hymn says next,
“Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord
To Thy precious, bleeding side.”
The hymn writer wanted to be drawn close to Jesus on the cross. No serene gardens for this composer, she wanted to experience Jesus in the rawness and the horror of Calvary. And she’s not wrong. If we want to truly experience the wonder of who Christ is – it will be at the foot of the cross. If we want to know the depth of his love and the power of his grace it will be at the foot of the cross.
Certainly this is the experience of those brave enough to stand near the cross on that day. Of course we read of the Roman soldiers who had to be there but there were others who were there out of love. There was Jesus’ mother, her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene, and the disciple whom he loved (John 19:25-26) (whom we understand to the disciple John). Of course we can’t physically be near the cross like these five people but we can express the same love and devotion, the same willingness to identify with our Lord and in that sense be very near to the cross. During this next week pray that God will draw you nearer to Jesus – but be sure to ask that you be drawn closer to the Jesus of the cross.
Monday February 25
Draw me nearer blessed Lord
Pray: Dear God, let the words of the hymn be my prayer today, “Draw me nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where Thou hast died; Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to Thy precious, bleeding side.”
Read: John 19:17-22
- This is the first time we have read an account of the crucifixion from John’s point of view. You will notice that like the other gospels John doesn’t give a description of the physical suffering that Jesus experienced on the cross. Consider how one commentary describes crucifixion and write out your reflections on how Jesus died for you.
“Crucifixion was a horrible, painful means of death, usually taking hours before the victim’s heart failed from the combination of blood loss from the scourging, the heat of the unrelenting sun, and restricted circulation and breathing. Only the lowest of the low – criminals and slaves – were crucified, as it was an unspeakable disgrace to die in this manner.”1
- What is the title that Pilate has fastened to our Lord’s cross?
3. In what three languages is the title written?
4. What do the Jewish leaders say in response to the title?
5. Why do you think Pilate wrote this title? Circle one or more …
A. To insult the Jewish people?
B. To enable the many international people to understand what
was going on?
C. To state his belief in Jesus as a king?
D. Other
6. How do the words posted above Jesus end up being an apt
description of who he is?
Reflection and Prayer:
In his commentary on this passage Don Carson writes:
“… Pilate’s malice serves God’s ends. The Lord Jesus is indeed the King of the Jews; the cross is the means of his exaltation and the very manner of his glorification. Even the trilingual notice may serve as a symbol for the proclamation of the kingship of Jesus to the whole world: “Thus did Pilate tell it out among the heathen that the Lord is King.” Thus the two men most actively and immediately responsible for Jesus’ death, Caiaphas (11:49-52) and Pilate, are unwittingly furthering God’s redemptive purposes, unwittingly serving as prophets of the King they execute. “The Crucified One is the true king, the kingliest king of all; because it is he who is stretched on the cross, he turns an obscene instrument of torture into a throne of glory and “reigns from the tree”2
Pray:
“O God, my heavenly Father, I thank you this day that you so loved the world that you gave your only Son for me. I give you thanks for Jesus Christ, my blessed Lord, and for his death upon the cross.
That he was obedient to death, even the death of the cross;
That he loved me and gave himself for me;
That he came to seek and to save that which is lost;
That he gave his life a ransom for many, a ransom for me;
I give you thanks, O God.
O wondrous love! To bleed and die,
To bear the cross and shame,
That guilty sinners, such as I,
Might plead Thy gracious name!
Hear this my prayer, for your loves’ sake. Amen”3
Tuesday February 26
Dear, woman here is your son …
Pray: Dear God, “Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand – the shadow of a mighty Rock within a weary land; A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way, from the burning of the noontide heat, and the burden of the day.”
Read: John 19:23-27
1. What were the Roman soldiers thinking of as Jesus hung on the cross? (verse 23-24)
2. What Scripture do the soldiers fulfill? (verse 24)
3. What do you think Jesus’ mother Mary was thinking as Jesus hung on the cross? (see Luke 2:35)
Reflection and Prayer: Consider this familiar story as you think about your Lord on the cross ….
“There was a simple, hard-working bridge operator who was responsible to raise the drawbridge whenever a boat was passing through the channel and to lower the bridge whenever a train was coming. Day by day and year by year the bridge operator did his job with the precision of a fine Swiss watch.
One day a train was drawing near, and the bridge operator pulled the lever to lower his bridge. The bridge was almost down when he heard a cry. His young son was shouting, “Father, raise the bridge, raise the bridge! The man called to his son, “I can’t raise the bridge – the train is too close!” His son yelled back, “My pants are caught in the gears, and I am being pulled in. If you don’t raise the bridge, I will surely die.
In the flash of a moment, the man had to make a decision. Would he raise the bridge and save his son, thereby sentencing all those in the train to a certain death in the icy waters of the channel below, or would he allow the bridge to continue to descend, giving the train safe passage but committing his son to a bitter and painful death?”4
Of course the similarities between this story and events of the cross are plain – and we may even react against such an emotional story. But we have to realize that this is the scenario that God faced with his son – do you understand? What did God choose? What is the result of God’s choice?
Write out a prayer to God
Wednesday February 27
An example of devotion and obedience
Pray: Dear God, thank you for your revealing yourself to me in Jesus Christ. Enable me to respond to you with devotion and obedience. May I seek to do your will and not my own today.
Read: John 19:23-27; John 2:1-11
1. This morning as you read John 19 again meditate on Mary’s devotion. We don’t worship Mary, nor do we believe that she is the key to approaching Jesus. There is no Biblical warrant for such a thought. But we can appreciate her devotion and we can learn from her character. We assume that Joseph is now dead since Mary is alone. Why do you think Jesus’ brothers are not there? (see John 7:3-5)
2. What do you think Mary demonstrates by being present at the crucifixion?
3. In Matthew 6:25-34 what does Jesus tell us not to do? Why?
4. Do you find it difficult not to worry? Why or why not?
5. What difference would it make if you knew that your Lord will
provide for you?
Reflection and Prayer:
Howard G. Hageman writes this word of insight
Our Lord …”thinks of us before we think of him. The evangelist (the writer of this gospel) records no word from Mary on this occasion. She stands before the cross a silent figure only to discover that even in death Christ was more concerned with what
He could give to her than what she could bring to him. And beyond that insight into the heart of God we cannot go. Do you know the prayer that says that God is always more ready to hear than we to pray? Well, here you see those words enacted in dramatic form. How often in our living and believing we vilify and slander the heart of God, pretending that he shows neither interest nor concern, claiming that he does nothing, shutting our eyes to the countless ways in which he answers our prayers – ways, to be sure, which we did not expect, but ways which surpass the things for which we asked.
God’s concern for us always outruns and outreaches our concern for him. Here is the abiding meaning of this third word from the cross. And what a magnificent assurance for living it is! If our relationship with him were on a cash-and-carry basis, if we could count upon his attention only in response to our attention, how impoverished and empty our lives would be. If God’s favors to us were only the return of our favors to him, how little of God any of us would have in our living.
But that is not the case. He never forgets. He never grows indifferent. …. He who on the cross could not forget his mother can and will never forget us, his brothers and sisters.”5
Pray: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)
Based on your response to those questions, write out a prayer:
Thursday February 28
Our Lord’s provision
Pray: Lord, turn my eyes from worthless things. May I know the wonder of your unfailing love and grant me understanding of your word that I may do your will.
Read: John 19:23-27; Matthew 6:25-34
1. Today we consider our Lord’s provision for his mother. In John 19:26,27 Jesus makes provision for his mother. What does he tell Mary? What does he tell his beloved disciple?
2. What makes Jesus’ statement remarkable?
3. In John 2:1-11 what is the problem that has arisen at the wedding? (verse 1-3).
4. How does Jesus respond to Mary’s request? (verse 4). What do you think he means? Look up the following verses for further understanding: John 12:27; John 13:1; John 17:1.
5. How does Mary respond in verse 5?
Reflection and Prayer:
In John 2 Jesus tells Mary that his time has not yet come. It’s almost as if Jesus denies Mary’s request. Think of how Mary could have reacted to this. She could have whined and complained, “After all I did for you and now you won’t do this for me?”. Or she could have thought, “Maybe he doesn’t love me any more.” But she doesn’t react in any of these ways. Instead she simply tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do. This is a great example of devotion and obedience. She is not anxious, she does not whine, she simply submits to Jesus’ will and leaves it in his hands.
Consider your own life with Christ. How is your obedience? Do you trust him implicitly or are you making demands of him? Do you tell him he must act in such and such a way? Or are you willing to do whatever he tells you and follow him wherever he leads – even to a cross?
Friday March 1
A disciple’s reaction
Pray: “Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.” (Psalm 119:33-35)
Read: John 19:23-27; Isaiah 1:10-20
1. During the last two days we have examined Mary’s devotion and our Lord’s provision. Today, think about the disciple’s reaction. What does John (we believe he is the disciple whom Jesus loved) do in response to Jesus’ words? (John 19:27)
2. In the first chapter of Isaiah why would God speak out against
the offering of sacrifices? (Isaiah 1:12-15; see also Psalm 40:6-