THEY HAVE TAKEN THE LORD

THE EMPTY TOMB JOHN 20:1-10

 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the entrance.  She went running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him.”

Then Peter and the other disciple went to the tomb. The two of them were running, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and saw the linen wrappings, but he did not go in. Behind him came Simon Peter, and he went straight into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth which had been round Jesus’ head. It was not lying with the linen wrappings but was rolled up by itself.

 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, he saw and believed. (They still did not understand the scripture which said that he must rise from death.) Then the disciples went back home.

 

HE WAS BURIED

 THEY BURIAL OF JESUS

JOHN 19:38-42   After this, Joseph, who was from the town of Arimathea, asked Pilate if he could take Jesus body (Joseph was a follower of Jesus, but in secret, because he was afraid of the Jewish authorities.) Pilate told him he could have the body, so Joseph went and took it away.  Nicodemus, who at first had gone to see Jesus at night went with Joseph, taking with him about 30 kilogrammes of spices, a mixture of myrrh and aloes.

 The two men took Jesus’ body and wrapped it in linen with the spices according to the Jewish custom of preparing a body for burial.  There was a garden in the place where Jesus had been put to death, and in it there was a new tomb where no one had ever been buried. Since it was the day before the Sabbath and because the tomb was close by, they placed Jesus’ body there.

(Matt. 27:37-61, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-58) 

Two prominent men who were afraid to identify with Jesus; we must commend Peter for his courage, though he denied Christ. We all have denied him in one way of another. No one could speak to defend His innocence and His good deeds to humanity. Till date we are ungrateful to God for sending Christ to redeem us.

 Why did they come after His death? Perhaps they felt guilty for not identifying with Him, for not defending Him. The evil deeds done, and the belief that all has ended. They might as well bury Him, bury His name, His mission buried also with him.

 Evil can never conquer goodness, nor triumph over goodness. The plan of God remains; that is why God lies hidden. No man can ever discern God’s thought or God’s ways.  He directs and controls the affairs of men. God and His Son only knew their for restoration and redemption of humanity.

DIVINE MERCY

THE PIERCED JESUS JOHN 19:31-37 

Then the Jewish authorities asked Pilate to allow them to break the legs of the men who had been crucified, and to take the bodies down from the crosses. They requested this because it was Friday, and they did not want the bodies to stay on the crosses on the Sabbath, since the coming Sabbath was especially holy.

 

So the soldiers went and broke the legs of the first man and then of the other man who had been crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they did not break his legs. 

One of the soldiers, however, plunged his spear into Jesus’ side, and at once blood and water poured out.  (The one who saw this happen has spoken of it, so that you also may believe. What he said is true, and he knows that he speaks the truth.)

This was done to make the scripture come true: “Not one his bones will be broken.” And there is another scripture that says, “People will look at him whom they pierced.” 

Divine Mercy

IT IS FINISHED

 DEATH OF CHRIST  JOHN 19:28-30

 Jesus knew that by now everything has been completed; and in order to make the scripture come true; he said “I am thirsty”

A bow was there, full of cheap wine; so a sponge was soaked in the wine, put on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted up to his lips. Jesus drank the wine and said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and died.

“I am thirsty” thirsty for love of humanity, thirsty to save humanity, thirsty for souls astray, thirsty for conversion wickedness and evil to goodness, thirsty because his last meal was the last super with his disciples where he ate and drank. That is if the meal was eaten with joy recollecting the bad news of his betrayal by someone closed to him, a disciple chosen by Him. 

"It is finished!” how often has the Lord mentioned that His time has not come.  Now having accomplished His mission he proclaimed that “it is finished”.  How often do we read this passage of our redemption and our eyes are clouded with tears?  “He bowed His Sacred Head and Died”.

 
(Matt. 27:45-56, Mark 15:33-41, Luke 23:44-49)

THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST

JOHN 19:17-27    So they took charge of Jesus. He went out, carrying his cross, and came to “The Place of the Skull”, as it is called. (In Hebrew it is called “Golgotha”.) There they crucified him; and they also crucified two other men, one on each side, with Jesus between them.

Pilate wrote a notice and had it put on the cross. “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,” Is what he wrote. Many people read it, because the place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city. The notice was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.  The chief priests said to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, “This man said, I am the King off the Jews.”

 Pilate answered, “What I have written stays written.”

After the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier. They also took the robe, which was made of one piece of woven cloth without any seams in it. The soldiers said to one another, “Let’s not tear it; let’s throw dice to see who will get it.  This happened in order to make the scripture come true.

“They divided my clothes among themselves and gambled for my robe.”

And this is exactly what the soldiers did. Standing close to Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 

Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there; so he said to his mother, “He is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, ‘She is your mother.” From that time the disciple took her to live in his home.

The highlighted is for those who said Mary the Mother of Christ our Blessed Mother has other children to ponder upon.

 (The Crucifixion: Matt. 27:3-44, Mark 15:21-32, Luke 22:26-43)

Interestingly Pilate, who was afraid when he was told that Jesus claimed to be a King, handed him over to be crucified because he did not want to offend his friend, the Roman Emperor.  At the death of Christ, he proclaimed him to the whole world as King of the Jews. This was his homage and tribute to Christ.

Do we say he was the first pagan convert before the evangelization of Christ’s apostles and disciples? “What I have written stays written,” He said. If we recall during his discussion with Christ when Christ told him about His Kingship and Kingdom, Pilate was afraid.  He knew that Christ was innocent that it was out of envy and jealousy that the Jewish authorities handed Him over to be sentenced to death.

WHERE DO YOU COME FROM

JOHN 19:1-15  Then Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped. The soldiers made a crown out of thorny branches and put it on his head; then they put a purple robe on him and came to him and said, “Long live the King of the Jews!” And they went up and slapped him.

Pilate went out once more and said to the crowd, “Look, I will bring him out here to you to let you see that I cannot find any reason to condemn him. ”  So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Look! Here is the man!” When the chief priests and the temple guards saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”  Pilate said to them, “You take him, then, and crucify him. I find no reason to condemn him.”

 The crowd answered back, “We have a law that says he ought to die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid. He went back into the palace and asked Jesus, “Where do you come from?”  But Jesus did not answer. Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Remember, I have the authority to set you free and also to have you crucified.”

 

Jesus answered, “You have authority over me only because it was given to you by God. So the man who handed me over to you is guilty of worse sin.”  When Pilate heard this, he tried to find a way to set Jesus free. But the crowd shouted back, “If you set him free, that means that you are not the Emperor’s friend! Anyone who claims to be a king is a rebel against the Emperor!”

 When Pilate heard these words, he took Jesus outside and sat down on the judge’s seat in the place called “The Stone Pavement” (in Hebrew the name is “Gabbatha”).  It was then almost noon of the day before the Passover. Pilate said to the people, “Here is your King!” They shouted back, “Kill him, Kill him! Crucify him!”

Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to crucify your King?” The chief priest answered, “The only king we have is the Emperor!” Then Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.

JESUS BEFORE PILATE AND HIS DEATH SENTENCE

  JOHN 19:28-40   Early in the morning Jesus was taken from Caiaphas’ house to the governor’s palace. The Jewish authorities did not go inside that palace, for they wanted to keep themselves ritually clean, in order to be able to eat the Passover meal. So Pilate went outside to them and asked, “What do you accuse this man of?”

Their answer was, “We would not have brought him to you if he had not committed a crime.” Pilate said to them, “Then you yourselves him away and try him according to your own law.” They replied “We are not allowed to put anyone to death. (This happened in order to make the words of Jesus come true, the words he used when he indicated the kind of death he would die).

 Pilate went back into the palace and called Jesus. “Are you the King of the Jews?” he asked him. Jesus answered, “Does this question come from you or have others told you about me?” Pilate replied, “Do you think I am a Jew? It was your own people and the chief priests who handed you over to me what have you done?”

 Jesus said, “My kingdom does not belong to this world; if my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. No, my kingdom does not belong here!”

 So Pilate asked him, “Are you a king, then?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. I was born and

came into the world for this one purpose, to speak about the truth. Whoever belongs to the truth listens to me.” “And what is the truth?” Pilate asked.

Then Pilate went back outside to the people and said to them, “I cannot fine any reason to condemn him. But according to the custom you have, I always set free a prisoner for you during the Passover. Do you want me to set free for you the King of the Jews?”

 They answered him with a shout, “No, not him! We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a bandit).

PETER DENIES JESUS AGAIN JOHN

 John  19:25-27 Peter was still standing there keeping himself warm. So the other officer said to him,

“Aren’t you also one of the disciples of that man?” But Peter denied it. “No, I am not,” he said.  One of the High Priest’s slaves, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, spoke up. “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” he asked.  Again Peter said “No” – and at once a cock crowed. 

Prayer for Mercy:

Lord, look upon us from heaven where you live in your holiness and glory. Where is your great concern for us? Where is your power? Where are you love and compassion? Do not ignore us. You are our father. Our ancestors Abraham and Jacob do not acknowledge us, but you, Lord are our father, the one who has always rescued us. Why do you let us stray from your ways?

Why do you make us so stubborn that we turn away from you?  Come back, for the sake of those who serve you, for the sake of the people who have always been yours. Isaiah 63:15-17

ANNAS THE HIGH PRIEST QUESTIONS JESUS

The High Priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered, “I have always spoken publicly to everyone; all my teaching was done in the synagogues and in the Temple, where all the people come together. I have never said anything in secret. Why, then, do you question me? Question the people who heard me. Ask them what I told them – they know what I said.”

When Jesus said this, one of the guards there slapped him and said “How dare you talk like that to the High Priest!”

Jesus answered him, “If I have said anything wrong, tell everyone here what it was. But if  I am right in what I have said, why do you hit me?”

Then Annas sent him, still bound to Caiaphas the High Priest. 

John 18:19-24

 The disciple well known to the High Priest could not use his influence to save Christ; in this view, they are all guilty of betrayal. Nobody could stop what was destined as predicted by Ciaiphas. Peter was the only one that made effort to save His Master, he was the one that spoke about making altars at the transfiguration, he was the only that tried to dissuade Jesus from embarking on the mission of His crucifixion out of ignorance of what was pre-destined, he was the one who openly confessed Christ identity. Peter tried. It was as if he was alone trying to defend His Master out of love; but John was the beloved disciple probably because of his closeness as His cousin gave him the privilege to be the beloved apostle. (Matt. 26:71-75, Mark 14:69-2, Luke 22:58-62)

 

PETER’S FIRST DENIAL

 18:15-18   Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. That other disciple was well known to the High Priest, so he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the High Priest’s house, while Peter stayed outside by the gate. ‘Then the other disciple went back out, spoke to the girl at the gate, and brought Peter inside. The girl at the gate said to Peter, “Aren’t you also one of the disciples of that man.”  “No, I am not,” Answered Peter.

It was cold, so the servants and guards had built a charcoal fire and were standing round it, warming themselves. So Peter went over and stood with them, warming himself.

Heavenly Father, transform my life by your Holy Spirit.  I know if I am in Peter's place I will deny you. How often have I denied you because I am afraid of being called names, I am afraid of loosing friends, I am afraid of being alone, I am afraid of loosing my comforts, I am afraid so many things that threaten my existence. My lack of faith and my fears give way to my denying knowing you Lord Jesus Christ my Master. Give me the courage to be faithful to you Lord.

I WILL DRINK THE CUP OF SUFFERING DESTINED BY MY FATHER

THE ARREST OF JESUS  JOHN 18:1-14 

After Jesus had said this prayer, he left with his disciples and went across the brook called Kidron. There was a garden in that place, and Jesus  his disciple went in. Judas, the traitor, knew where it was, because many times Jesus had met there with his disciples. So Judas went to the garden, taking with him a group of Roman soldiers, and some temple guards sent by the chief priests and the Pharisees; they were armed and carried lanterns and torches.  Jesus knew everything that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward and asked them. “Who is it you are looking for?”

 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “I am he,” he said.

Judas, the traitor, was standing there with them. When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they moved back and fell to the ground. Again Jesus asked them, “Who is it you are looking for?” “Jesus of Nazareth they said.”  “I have already told you that I am he,” Jesus said “If, then, you are looking for me, let these others go.” (He said this so that what he had said might come true: “Father, I have not lost even one of those you gave me.”)

Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it struck the High Priest’s slave cutting off his right ear. The name of the slave was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back in its place! Do you think that I will not drink the cup of suffering which my Father has given me?’

Then the Roman soldiers with their commanding officer and the Jewish guards arrested Jesus, bound him, and took him first to Annas. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jewish authorities that it was better that one man should die for all the people.

As I re-type the Gospel of John on Christ arrest, it came to my mind that Peter must have denied Christ because in the garden he tried to save his Master, but he was discouraged by Christ. In His Master’s presence he was not afraid, but being alone, and no one to save him, he denied knowing Christ having followed Him all the way.

Christ saw everything. He knew everything. He saw Peter’s heart and intention. Peter demonstrated his word that he would lay down his life for His Master when he tried preventing them from arresting Jesus. Yet His Master would not permit him to use his sword to fight the soldiers. Jesus with Annas, and Peter all alone. He was afraid being alone and Christ wasn't near to save him, like when he walked on the water at his request for the Lord to command him to come to him.  At the garden the Lord commanded him to put back his sword in its place.  Now all alone he lost courage.  (The Arrest of Christ: Matt. 26:47-56, Mark 14:43-50, Luke 22:47-53). Lord teach me, help me see more clearly the great hope to which you call me. Give me the grace and courage in my desire to follow you.

 

JESUS CHRIST THE HIGH PRIEST PRIESTLY PRAYER

Jesus Prayer for His Disciples John 17:1-26   After Jesus finished saying this, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your Son, so that the Son may give glory to you. For you gave him authority over all humanity so that he might give eternal life to all those you  “I have made you known to   those you gave me out of the world. They belong to you, and you gave them to me. They have obeyed your word, and now they know that everything you gave me comes from you. I gave them the message that you gave me, and they received it; they know that it is true that I came from you, and they believe that you sent me.gave him. And eternal life means knowing you,  the only true God, and knowing Jesus Christ, whom you sent. I have shown your glory on earth; I have finished the work you gave me to do. Father! Give me glory in your presence now, the same glory I had with you before the world was made.

 “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those you gave me, for they belong to you.  All I have is yours, and all you have is mine, and my glory is shown through them.  And now I am coming to you; I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world. Holy Father! Keep them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that may be one just as you and I are one.  While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power of your name, the name you gave me. I protected them, and not one of them was lost, except the man who was bound to be lost – so that the scripture might come true. And now I am coming to you, and I say these things in the world so that they might have my joy in their hearts in all its fullness. I gave them your message, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.  I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but I do ask you to keep them safe from the Evil one.  Just as I do not belong to the world, they do not belong to the world. Dedicate them to yourself by means of the truth; your word is truth. I sent them into the world, just as you sent me into the world. And for their sake I dedicate myself to you, in order that they, too, may be truly dedicated to you. 

VICTORY OVER THE WORLD

16:25-33    “I have used figures of speech to tell you these things. But the time will come when I will not use figures of speech, but will speak to you plainly about the Father.  When that day comes, you will ask him in my name, and I do not say that I will ask him on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you.  He loves you because you love me and have believed that I came from God. I did come from the Father, and I came into the world; and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

Then his disciples said to him, “Now you are speaking plainly, without using figures of speech. We know now that you know everything; you do not need someone to ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now? The time is coming, and is already here, when all of you will be scattered, each of you to your own home, and I will be left all alone. But I am not really alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you will have peace by being united to me. The world will make you suffer. But be brave! I have defeated the world.”

Holy Spirit, give me eyes of faith so that I can see people the way the Jesus sees them. Give me the knowledge and courage to lift others to their full potentials. Help see the beauty in every creatures, help see their potentials what they can become by your power and grace,  For through the power of the Holy Spirit Lord Jesus Christ, I will have victory over every challenges.  Psalm 19

SADNESS AND GLADNESS

John 16: 16-24   “In a little while you will not see me anymore, and then a little while later you will see me.”  Some of his disciples asked among themselves, “what does this mean? He tells us that in a little while we will not see him, and then a little while later we will see him and he also says, ‘it is because I am going to the Father.’ What does this ‘a little while’ mean? We don’t know what he is talking about!”.

Jesus knew  that they wanted to question him, so he said to them, “I said, ‘in a little while you will not see me, and then a little while later you will see me.’ Is this what you are asking among yourselves? I am telling you the truth: you will cry and weep, but the world will be glad; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into gladness. When a woman is about to give birth, she is sad because her hour of suffering has come; but when the baby is born, she forgets her suffering, because she is happy that a baby has been born into the world.  That is how it is with you: now you are sad, but I will see you again, and your hearts will be filled with gladness, the kind of gladness that no one can take away from you.

“When that day comes, you will not ask me for anything. I am telling you the truth: the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your happiness may be complete.

O Lord open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise. Psalm 51:15

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

JOHN 16:5-15          “I did not tell you these things at the beginning, for I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me where I am going. And now that I have told you, your hearts are full of sadness. But I am telling you the truth: It is better for you that I go away, because if I do not go, the Helper will not come to you. But I I do go away, then I will send him to you.  And when he comes, he will prove to the people of the world that they are wrong about sin and about what is right and about God’s judgement.  They are wrong about sin, because they do not believe in me; they are wrong about what is right, because I am going to the Father and you will not see me anymore;  and they are wrong about judgement, because the ruler of this world would has already been judged.

“I have much more to tell you, but now it would be too much for you to bear.  When, however, the Spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God, he will lead you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own authority, but he will speak of what he hears, and will tell you of things to come.  He will give me glory, because he will take what I say and tell it to you.  All that my Father has is mine; that is why I said that the Spirit will take what I give him and tell it to you.

Spirit of God breath on me. Blow afresh on every member of the body of Christ. Come and renew the face of the earth. Open my eyes to behold the great inheritance that is mine in Christ. Spirit of Truth abide in me that I may discern what is right and about God's judgement. H.G.



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