Devotional Thoughts for Today
“A Shattered Body”
Mark 15:16-32
The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 19 Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. 21 A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. 25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews. 27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
In Where is God When It Hurts? (1997), Philip Yancey describes pain as the “gift nobody wants.” To prove his point, Yancey describes a world without physical pain through the eyes of lepers. As leprosy numbs the extremities, lepers are unaware of any accidental cuts or burns, eventually leading to loss of their limbs. Indeed, our body contains “a remarkable network of pain sensors” that keep us from injury. But what if you are exposed to pain and cannot do anything to change your situation? What if pain was not a warning signal but a reminder of your helplessness?
In one of the most famous biblical prophecies, it was foretold that the Savior would “be pierced for our transgressions” and “crushed for our iniquities, upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace and with his wounds we are healed” (Isa. 53:5). Reading through today’s passage, we see that Jesus endured tremendous physical suffering. He was scourged (v.15), which involved a whip containing pieces of bone and metal. His head was fitted with a crown of thorns (v.17) and He was further struck and spat on (v.19). Finally, He carried His heavy cross and was later crucified on it, with nails protruding through His hands and feet.
Through no fault of our own, some of us endure excruciating physical pain today. Perhaps it was inflicted through a freak accident or through abuse of another. Some of us may have been born with physical conditions that prevent us from full health, while others have never fully recovered from injuries. And for those with no present ailments, the pains of attrition and aging eventually catch up to us.
For those of us suffering physically, we can take comfort that the King of Kings, who could have stayed away from all pain, endured the most excruciating death for us. God Himself bore our sins in His body on a tree (1 Peter 2:24). Let us go to the One who is familiar with pain on an unimaginable scale.
Prayer: Jesus, thank You that You lived the life I should have lived and died the death I should have died. What a horrible and painful death it was! Whenever I doubt that You understand my ailments, may I look upon the cross and remember Your nail-pierced hands and feet, Your pierced side and Your crown of thorns. May I never forget the pain You endured so that I may have life and life to the full. In Your name I pray. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: 2 Timothy 3
Lunch Break Study
Read John 20:24-9: Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Questions to Consider
- It is certainly in God’s power to resurrect Jesus in a new body, and yet, Jesus is resurrected in His original body. What could be some reasons?
- Jesus calls those who have not seen and yet have believed “blessed.” While Jesus has ascended, how may unbelievers still see glimpses of Christ?
- How may Jesus use your ailments for His kingdom?
Note
- While the scars serve as proof that this was really Jesus (and not some imposter), they also symbolize a deeper truth—that God can redeem even the most painful of experiences for His glory and for our lives.
- Through His church as she bears her cross. That is why Paul is able to say, “Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church” (Col. 1:24). As much as suffering is difficult, how we handle suffering can provide a tremendous witness to the watching world. For some proof, find out more about Joni Erickson Tada or Vaneetha Rendall.
- Personal response.
Evening Reflection
The apostle Paul spoke about “a thorn in the flesh” that God used to prove the sufficiency of His grace and power (2 Cor. 12:9). How is God making this reality known to you today? Take some time to pray and reflect.
After having worked for a financial corporation in New York City for several years, I have learned that a common theme running through today’s corporate culture is branding. Whether it’s the status of our company or our personal reputation, managing our standing is given high priority. Thus, we meticulously display our best selves on our resumes and social media, and minimize our weaknesses by terming them “areas of improvement.” And if any false accusations are leveled against us—whether through gossip or hearsay—we act quickly to dispel those rumors to maintain our reputation.
The AMI QT Devotionals from April 30-May 6 are provided by Jabez Yeo. Jabez, an alumnus of University of Pennsylvania, just graduated from Columbia International University with a M.A. in Muslim Studies. He is currently working in NYC and serving at Remnant Church-E. He hopes to become a missionary.
One of the strongest ethos of Western society is the self-made person. We are trained to think that if we just work hard, educate ourselves and persevere, we will overcome any obstacles and achieve success. I, of course, am no exception. Yet, many of us live unaware of how our decisions are undoubtedly influenced by others. The explicit or subliminal messages you received from those who have gone before you in your family, church, school or workplace affect the “big-picture” decisions in your relationships, ministries, education and career. Even the most trivial of choices, such as where to eat or what movie to watch, can be made through consulting reviewers on Yelp or Rotten Tomatoes. As human beings, we innately trust someone who has been where we want to go.
Today’s AMI QT Devotionals is provided by Jon Moon, who serves as Children’s Ministry Director at Radiance Christian Church in San Francisco.
I remember the first time when someone came up to me and asked me to pray over him, not giving me anything specific to pray for. I recall getting nervous, thinking about what I would pray for and how I would pray for this person: How can I make my prayer sound good? What can I say to make it sound like I’m praying a good prayer over this person? You see, somehow I grew to think that ministering over someone through prayer—not just praying for someone’s prayer requests—and letting the Spirit speak was something that only seasoned pastors, really mature Christians, or those who could speak in tongues could do. I believed that I wasn’t good enough to pray over people—especially those who were older or more spiritually mature than I was.
As I was reading a blog that I wrote in 1998, I don’t really remember what led to writing this at that time: “The other day my wife confessed that raising three kids has changed her personality for the worst. Why? Well, when you have to yell as often as my wife and I do to prevent my young ones from hurting themselves, not to mention breaking up ‘fights’ between them, you would become a Dr. Jekyll and Hyde too.”
As all parents already know, raising children is very hard work. That could be one reason some folks opt to not have any kids. One aspect to raising children—that is a real stinker (for me, at least)—is the constant feeling of guilt. An undeniable truth is that children do many things wrong. Just the other day, I told Joshua that if he does to another person what he did to his sister when he is grown up, he might end up in jail. (Now, some 20 years later I have no clue as to what Joshua did; therefore, I am thinking, If it was that serious of an offense, how come I don’t remember any of it? Maybe I over reacted.) Only a few days earlier his sister got an earful from me for saying mean things to Joshua. (Again, I don’t remember what she said.) In both cases, they got disciplined pretty severely! But afterwards, I wasn’t sure whether I went about it the right way in terms of the severity of the discipline. Then I heard Ephesians 6:4a echoing in my ear: “Fathers, do not exasperate your children.” I couldn’t help but wonder whether I did that.
The AMI QT Devotionals for April 26-27 are provided by Jon Moon, who serves as Children’s Ministry Director at Radiance Christian Church in San Francisco. Jon, currently a student at Fuller Theological Seminary, is married to Stephanie, and they have one son (Elijah) and another one on the way.
This past March, I had the privilege of, once again, accompanying Dr. Ryun to Cuba to teach at Seminario de La Gracia. During this trip, as I witnessed how the seminary students lived out their lives and how fervently they studied God’s Word, I was reminded once again of the importance of reading and studying the Word of God. In a country where people survive on one or two meals a day, since resources are scarce, and hopes for a better life are almost nonexistent, I was amazed at the joy and hope that these 78 seminarians expressed through their singing, prayers, and study of the Word.
The AMI QT Devotionals for April 23-25 are provided by Myra Huang. Myra, a graduate of Juilliard School (BA) and The Manhattan School of Music (M.A.), lives in NYC with her husband Ed Huang and two lovely daughters: Elie (9) and Abby (7). She has been a member of The Remnant Church since its inception in 1995. Myra travels the world performing concerts with opera singers.
In yesterday’s blog, I mentioned that my last album with my colleague Nick was nominated for a Grammy Award in the “Best Classical Vocal Solo” category (2017).
Last November, I found out that my last album with my colleague Nick was nominated for a Grammy Award in the “Best Classical Vocal Solo” category. I am a classical pianist, and I concertize and record albums with opera singers.
There are so many things we all fear: fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of loneliness, fear of uselessness, fear of not being smart. In my mind, so many of our fears point to one underlying predominant fear: the fear of not being loved.