We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
***********************************************************************On the journey to the cross, not only is the heart of Jesus exposed, but our hearts are too.
I must admit that I like uncomfortable comedy, like The Office. I like those cringe-worthy moments when you almost have to turn away because you can’t believe what the person is about to say or do next. I think this is honest comedy.
We all experience those tense and awkward moments in our daily lives. We all find ourselves in embarrassing situations where we would love to roll back the cameras and be granted a retake. We have moments when we are incredibly self-centered, miss the point completely, or lack sympathy. We all find ourselves in situations where we are more exposed than we want to be. We are all haunted by the video replays in our minds. And we’ve all been hurt by others who said or did the wrong thing at just the wrong moment.
Between the “already” and the “not yet” you’d better be ready to have your heart exposed again and again, by words you wish you hadn’t said and actions you wish you hadn’t taken. As he journeys toward the cross, the heart of Jesus is exposed too, but it’s not an awkward and embarrassing exposure; it’s a thing of unparalleled beauty. Again and again, between his manger birth and his rough-hewn cross, you see the tenderness, the humility, the sympathy, the patience, the love, the faithfulness, the grace, and the generosity of the heart of Jesus. But as his heart is revealed, ours is too, and the contrast is not only deeply humbling, but it also exposes just how much we need the sacrificial death that this tender one is marching toward. We clearly see the contrast between the human heart and the heart of the Messiah in this dramatic moment recorded for us in Mark 9:2–37:
[And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.” And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him. And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” ]
I have quoted this lengthy passage because it is the context that sets up the contrast between the heart of Jesus and the hearts of his disciples. Peter, James, and John have just experienced the shocking, heart-rattling glory of the transfiguration of Jesus, with Moses on one side and Elijah on the other. Here is the promised Messiah, displayed in glory, as the complete fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. Here is the one who alone is able to satisfy the law’s demands. Here is the one who alone is able to shoulder the hope of every prophet of old. Here is the hope of humanity. He is the hope that all that sin has destroyed would be made right again.
You have to wonder how Peter, James, and John carried this amazing scene in their hearts, a scene that they were commanded not to share with others.
After seeing Jesus in great glory, we next see him with great power as he does what is unthinkable: he raises a boy from the dead. There is no power in the universe greater than resurrection power. There is no feat that you could witness that is greater than taking the hand of a dead person, and by that act, bringing life back into that dead body.
But there is more. The disciples have been confronted with not only the glory of Jesus and the power of Jesus, but also the shocking reality that he was going to die and, after being killed, would rise again. It is all too much. This one of such glory and power would die? He would somehow rise out of death? You would think that the disciples’ hearts would be filled with sadness at his death and that their minds would be filled with endless questions about what they’d seen and heard. You would expect that what they would be thinking about was Jesus. But here’s where the contrast between the heart of Jesus and the hearts of the disciples is so great.
Jesus, full of power and glory, would not exercise this power to save himself, but he would offer himself as a sacrifice for the sins of others. He knew his glory and he knew his power but he also knew his calling, and he pursued it with joy. Glorious and powerful, he came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). But what occupies the minds of the disciples? Awe in the face of his power? Grief at the thought of Jesus’s death? Confusion as to his resurrection? No, they were thinking of something very different. As they walked along the road, Jesus noticed a debate among them, so when they got to the destination, he asked them what they were arguing about. Embarrassed, not one of the disciples would answer the question, but Jesus knew. They were arguing about who was the greatest. They were not meditating on the messianic greatness they had just witnessed or ruminating over the news of Jesus’s impending death; they were thinking about themselves.
As the greatest one who ever lived was willingly marching to a criminal’s death, those journeying with him were questing to be great. I wish I could say that I can’t relate, but I can. I sadly share this heart, and so do you. I like to be the center of attention. I like to have the strongest argument. I like to be in control. As long as sin still lives inside me, I will still have moments when I want to be great, and when I do, I demonstrate how much I need the grace of this glorious and powerful one, who did not save himself but willingly died to save people like me from myself. On the road to the cross, not only is the heart of Jesus exposed, but ours is too, and there’s grace for everything that gets exposed.
GOING DEEPER
Reflection Questions
1. What aspect of the disciples’ reactions resonates with you? Where do you see yourself and your own sin in their behavior?
2. What characteristics of Jesus’s heart revealed in Mark 9 do you think are surprising to the disciples?
3. What would have to change in your attitudes and actions for you to receive the kingdom of God like a child?
Read James 2:1–13. What insight does this passage add to the story in Mark?
James 2:1-13 New Living TranslationA Warning against Prejudice
1 My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?
2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name[
c] you bear?
8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.
10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. 11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.
12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free. 13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
