Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

Galatians 2:20


I have been crucified with Christ and I no
longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life
I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son
of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Reflection:

Galatians 2:20 best describes how I feel in what I term
the day in between. That is the day in between the crucifixion
of Jesus Christ and his resurrection.

In a very real sense, I feel like I've just been crucified with Jesus Christ.
I feel like, to a very small degree, some of the pain, some of the suffering
and some of the degradation that Jesus must have felt. In a very real sense
I feel dead. But yet something is alive and in me today, I discover
that Jesus Christ lives in me, yes he now lives in me.
I now live by faith in the son of God, I have faith in Jesus Christ.
And what is the most exciting thing of all, is that my Savior loves me
and has given himself for me. That makes me special,
because today, the in between day, I realize in my heart, in my soul,
in my very being, that Jesus Christ gave himself and now lives in me.

Prayer:

My dear father I would like to take this opportunity to thank you
for my in between day. I want to thank you God, that today I realize
that you love me so much that you gave your son Jesus Christ for me.
THANK YOU LORD! Today I especially praise you and honor you
for what you have given to me. Thank you Almighty God for your
very special love to me.
Jesus name AMEN.

Matthew 27: 28-56

They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then
twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They
put a staff in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt in front
of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.
30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the
head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took
off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him
away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion of Jesus

 32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named
Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to
a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).
34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but
after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified
him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting
down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they
placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE
 KING OF THE JEWS.

 38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one
on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking
their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the
temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from
the cross, if you are the Son of God!”

 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and
the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he
can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now
from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let
God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of
God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him
also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus

 45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all
the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud
voice, “Eli, Eli,[c] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me?”).[d]

 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said,
“He’s calling Elijah.”

 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with
wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink.
49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes
to save him.”

 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave
up his spirit.

 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from
top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs
broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were
raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection
and[e] went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

 54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus
saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified,
and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

A SIGN FOR THE CHIEF PRIESTS

Scripture:

Read Mark 15:38

"And the curtain of the temple was torn in
two, from top to bottom." (Mark 15:38)

Reflection:

Very unusual things took place at Jesus'
death- the darkness, the loud cry right before
His death- and the temple curtain tearing in two.

God designed the place of worship for Israel.
The temple consisted of two spaces- one room
called the Holy Place where priests entered daily
to minister before the Lord, and another room
called the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies.
Here sat the Ark Moses built to symbolize God's
presence among His people. This Most Holy
Place was separated from the Holy Place by a
thick curtain. No one could pass beyond that
curtain into the Most Holy Place except the high
priest- and he could only enter one day out of the
year. This curtain symbolized the separation from
God which our sin has caused.

When Jesus died that curtain was torn in two from
top to bottom. This was God's sign to Jesus' greatest
enemies- the chief priests. On the cross they thought
they were right and had protected God's reputation.
Now one of their own priests standing in the temple
sees that great thick curtain tear in two. God was
telling the priests they had crucified their Messiah
and His Son. But they too had access to God now-
through faith in Jesus Christ.

The torn curtain shows that our sin no longer
separates us from our God. Jesus Christ has torn
that barrier apart and washed us in His blood by faith.
That means we are free to come before God without
fear or doubt.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus, thank You for tearing down the barrier of
sin that separated us from Your heavenly Father. Keep
us always in this faith. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries Lenten Devotional)