Christian Reflection and Prayer

Lenten Meditation

Scripture:

Read John 12:20-26.

TEXT: "And Jesus answered them,
'The hour has come for the Son of Man
to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls into the
earth and dies, it remains alone; but if
it dies, it bears much fruit'"
(John 12:23-24).

Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph.
The disciples were convinced He was
about to establish His throne in
Jerusalem, so Jesus had to teach
them a tough lesson.

Christ Jesus stood alone, the only
man whose life on this earth was perfect
and worthy of earning heaven. But
unless He died on the cross in our place
He would remain alone, and we would all
perish eternally in hell. By dying in our
place, taking our sins on Himself and
paying the full price God's justice
demanded, Jesus would save us all,
and open wide the gates of heaven.

Our earthly life is similar in many ways.
If we wish to selfishly save our earthly life,
we will lose it. But if we hate our earthly
life in comparison, longing for that better,
heavenly life, we will keep it for eternity.
Thankfully, Jesus leads the way for us.
He did not love His earthly life so much
that He was not willing to lay it down on
the cross. No, He was looking forward to
a better, eternal life with us-a life made
possible only through His suffering,
death and resurrection.

It's a good time for us as individuals to
stop and examine our attitudes toward
our lives, as well as our willingness to
leave them all behind for Jesus and the
eternal life He gives.

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, thank You for offering
us eternal life through Your Son Jesus
Christ. Help us all to hate this life in this
dark, sinful world that we may keep our
lives eternally in Your light. In Jesus'
Name. Amen.

Lutheran Hour Ministries

Lenten meditation

Read John 12:12-19.

TEXT: "So the Pharisees said to one
another, 'You see that you are gaining
nothing. Look, the whole world has
gone after Him'" (John 12:19).

The great Festival of Passover is near.
Huge crowds make their way across
the countryside toward Jerusalem,
and our Lord Jesus enters Jerusalem
in triumph, riding on a donkey.

The Pharisees throw up their hands in
fear and frustration. They say to each
other "You see that you are gaining
nothing." The situation is totally out of
control. But again they will not stop to
consider Jesus' claims. They only react
in frustration and fear of what Jesus
might do with the huge Passover
crowds gathering around Him in
Jerusalem.

It is fascinating to compare their reaction
to that of the crowds. The crowds cry out
to Jesus, "Hosanna," which means "help"
or "save." And they are right. The Lord
Jesus is the mighty Son of God, who has
come to battle Satan, sin, death and hell.
He alone can save us from our bitter
enemies.

As we begin this week of Jesus' suffering
and death for our sins, we notice He is
completely in control. We will notice He
is in control through this entire week-clear
up to and including His arrest, trials and
crucifixion.

That's important to remember when we
look at our own lives. Often we are as
fearful and frustrated as the Pharisees,
realizing situations in our lives are totally
out of control. We can throw up our hands
like the Pharisees, or call upon Jesus as
the crowds do, remembering that Jesus is
still in control, sitting at the right hand of
the Father and guiding all things for our
good.

PRAYER:

Lord, please help and
save us, especially when circumstances
are at their worst and totally out of our
control. Remind us that they are never
beyond Your control. Amen.

Lutheran Hour Ministries

Lenten Meditation:

Scripture

Read John 12:1-8.

TEXT: "Jesus said, 'Leave
her alone, so that she may keep it
for the day of My burial. For the
poor you always have with you,
but you do not always have Me'"
(John 12:7-8).

Mary is very grateful to Jesus. She
has heard His wonderful words and
received her brother Lazarus back
from death. As her family gathers
around the table with Jesus and His
disciples for dinner, she pours an
expensive ointment over Jesus' feet
and wipes it with her hair.

Her generosity should be an
inspiration for Jesus' disciples. But
it only stirs the darkness in Judas.
He complains how the ointment was
worth nearly a year's wages and that
the money should have gone to the
poor instead. But Jesus stands up in
her defense. He boldly commands
Judas to leave her alone. She has
done this to honor Him, and the
scent of that perfume will linger on
His body throughout His trials,
crucifixion and burial in the coming
days.

Do we have Mary's tremendous
sense of gratitude and love for our
Lord? Do we really appreciate what
He has done for us, what He has
given to us, and the promise of a
glorious future because of Him?

How striking to compare Mary's
devotion with that of Judas-who has
replaced his devotion to Jesus with
a love for money. For, as John tells
us, Judas had no intention of helping
the poor with that money. He only
wanted to get his hands on it-as he
had stolen money from the disciples'
moneybag many times before. Sadly,
in the next few days he will do far
worse for a much smaller amount of
money.

PRAYER:

Holy Spirit, stir up in my heart true
love, gratitude and appreciation for
all Jesus has done for me. I pray in
Jesus' Name. Amen.

Lutheran Hour Ministries