Category: 2022 Lent Devotions

Posted in 2022 Lent Devotions

Fear

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“Mirror of the Passion” Lent devotion for March 3, 2022. Photo by The Kaleidoscope on Pixabay.

“They feared the people” (Luke 22:2).

Why did the chief priests and teachers of the law fear the people?

Jesus was popular. When he entered a town, throngs gathered to be healed. When he set out in a boat, they ran ahead to meet him when he stepped ashore. When he taught in the temple, people hung on his words. When he rode into Jerusalem, the crowds hailed him as their next king.

They couldn’t compete. Jesus had them in the palm of his hand. If they didn’t stop him, everyone would follow him, the Romans would step in, and they would lose everything (John 11:48).

Do we know what it’s like to “fear the people?” Do we ever. If they knew what I thought, they’d never talk to me again. If they knew what I did, they’d kick me out. If they knew how I voted, they would be all over me. I’d be so embarrassed if they knew how many times I’d failed. Wow. We sure are afraid of they.

What if they don’t like me? What if they don’t think I have enough experience? What if they think I’m too old? What if I can’t do it? Yeah, we’re afraid of “what if,” too.

Jesus never feared the crowds. He wasn’t afraid when people tried to push him off a cliff. Or when everyone picked up stones to throw at him. Or when a mob showed up to arrest him. Or when the crowd yelled, “Crucify him!” Now those are some crowds to be afraid of!

Jesus didn’t fear the crowds. He loved them. He had compassion. He healed them. He taught them. He fed them. He saved them.

Here’s some good news. The Lord knows what you’re thinking. He knows what you’ve done. He knows how many times you failed. He knows how you voted (even though he probably doesn’t care). He knows. And it doesn’t change a thing. He still wants to be with you, teach you, and take care of you. He loves you.

Sure, we know what it’s like to be in their shoes and be afraid of people. Yet isn’t it amazing that the love of just one – Jesus – outweighs those crowds of people who stir up so much fear? That’s right, “His perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18).

When I’m afraid, Lord, remind me of your steadfast love that endures forever. Amen.

Posted in 2022 Lent Devotions

Rules are rules

Posted on by William Douthwaite

“Mirror of the Passion” Lent devotion for March 2, 2022.

“The chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death” (Luke 22:2).

On the one hand, I easily relate to the chief priests and the scribes. I’m a full-time church worker. I work where people worship. I study and teach the scriptures. It is my vocation. My job. My career. I do it just about every day.

On the other hand, I’ve never conspired to kill someone. So if I’m going to step into their shoes, I need to understand why they were so upset.

It’s all about the Sabbath. The Pharisees are quick to point out that the disciples aren’t supposed to grab grain to eat on the Sabbath (Luke 6:2). In response, Jesus deliberately heals a man with a shriveled hand in the synagogue on a Sabbath (Luke 6:9-10). They were livid. They began to talk about what to do to him.

Everyone knew the rules. You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death (Exodus 31:14). When a man is caught gathering firewood on the Sabbath, God commands that the assembly stone him to death (Numbers 15:32-36). Actions have consequences.

Now I get it. I’m a rules kind of guy. What I mean by that is that I usually toe the line because I’m afraid of getting into trouble. Or worse. When someone once suggested that we run an extension cord under an area rug to conceal it, I reacted, “No! Don’t ever do that!” I remember fire prevention coloring books from elementary school warning me to never, ever do that. I never have. Then I saw a guy using a concrete saw with no eye, ear or nose protection. I cringed. How can you do that? Everyone knows you shouldn’t do that.

OK, so here’s what I think is going on. A focus on the rules distracts you from the person.

The chief priests and teachers of the law work tirelessly to help people stay close to the Lord. But what about when the Lord wants to get close to you? Then it’s not about the rules. It’s about him.

Yes, my actions have consequences. That’s why Jesus came. He came to suffer and die for my sin, for my disobedience, and yes, for my disregard for the rules.

That’s why there’s a Sabbath. That’s why we set aside our work. We create a space on our calendars and to-do lists to gather with the church, listen, pray, eat and drink and experience his closeness. In a world where God can seem very far away, he reminds us to carve our a little space to know him as Immanuel, that is, “God with us.”

Thank you, Lord, for being around. Don’t let me get so wrapped up in the rules that I miss your presence, your power and your peace. Amen.

Posted in 2022 Lent Devotions

The Mirror of the Passion

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Photo by Alex Motoc on Unsplash

I stumbled a theme for this year’s Lent devotions in this tweet:

“Hard to believe Judas would betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, unlike the rest of us who would do it for free.”

If we’re honest, we can see ourselves in many of the people in the cast of the passion of our Lord. From Judas to Peter to a crowd demanding Barabbas be freed, it’s like looking in a mirror. I can see myself, or at least a part of myself, in all of them. So this year I’ll look in the mirror of the passion, step into their shoes and meditate on the rejection, suffering and death of Jesus.

The incarnation of Jesus means he interacted with people just like us. Moms and dads raising families, people going to work, soldiers keeping the peace, vendors with booths in the marketplace, scribes studying the law, and priests serving at the temple all encountered Jesus. Some watched him from a distance. Others slapped him. A few questioned him. A handful asked for his help. Demons shrieked in his presence. Many were healed.

We casually claim, “God knows everything.” He’s omniscient. We forget that part of that knowing is experiential. He was here. He saw, heard and felt what we do. He knows what it feels like to be frustrated, exhausted, incredulous, attacked, and humiliated. He also knows what it’s like to celebrate, enjoy good food, spend time with friends, and hold a child in his arms. Yes, he knows.

And he knows me. He made me. He knows the number of my days and the number of hairs on my head. I’m not just a number; he knows my name. He knows the desire of my heart. He knows what I can do well and what I’ll never be able to do. He knows my sin.

As I see a reflection of myself in the people of the passion in Luke’s gospel, I’ll not doubt learn more about myself, both good and bad. But I’ll learn more about my relationship with Jesus, too. Thanks in advance for walking in their shoes with me.