Saturday

"It is finished!" Receipts for taxes found in the papyri have written across them this single Greek word, which mean "pain in full." The price for our redemption from sin was paid in full by our Lord's death.

Sunday is coming!

Good Friday

My students asked me, "Mrs. McKanna, why is it called Good Friday when this is the day Jesus died and it's supposed to be sad?" I love that their minds were thinking in this way. "Because, boys and girls, the message of Easter is of Christ's victory over sin, death, and the devil. When Jesus died, He took all the sins of all of us upon Himself and died in our place. This gift is for everyone. Isn't that the good news?!"

The (Scientific) Death of Jesus

"At the  age of 33, Jesus was condemned to the death penalty. At the time crucifixion was the "worst" death. Only the worst criminals were condemned to be crucified. Yet it was even more dreadful for Jesus. Unlike other criminals condemned to death by crucifixion, Jesus was nailed to the cross by His hands and feet, rather than tied. Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long. The nails were driven into His wrist, not into His palms as is commonly portrayed. There's a tendon in the wrist that extends to the shoulder. The Roman guards knew that when the nails were being hammered into the wrist, that tendon would tear and break, forcing Jesus to use His back muscles to support himself, so that He could breathe. 

Both of His feet were nailed together. Thus He was forced to support Himself on the single nail that impaled His feet to the cross. Jesus could not support himself with His legs for long because of the pain, so He was forced to alternate between arching His back and using his legs just to continue to breath. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering, the courage. Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours. Yes, over 3 hours! Can you imagine this kind of suffering?  

From common images we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to His side, but do we remember the many wounds made to His body? Before the nails and the spear, Jesus was whipped and beaten. The whipping was so severe that it tore the flesh from His body. The beating so horrific that His face was torn and His beard ripped from His face. The crown of thorns (two to three inches long) cut deeply into His scalp. Most men would not have survived this torture. All this without mentioning the humiliation He endured after carrying His own cross for almost 2 kilometers, while the crowd spat in his face and threw stones and insults. All this Jesus endured...so that you and I may have free access to God."  

In the midst of His agony Jesus cries out, "Father, forgive them..." Nate and I watched The Passion of the Christ last night, and I kept thinking how much I wanted the guards and priests to die. But that thought is completely contrary to how Jesus was thinking toward them. He was dying for them. He prayed for them and asked that God would forgive them even though they didn't deserve it, even though they didn't want it, even though they weren't repentant. 

I have long withstood His grace,
Long provoked Him to His face,
Would not hearken to His calls,
Grieved Him by a thousand falls. 

I have spilt His precious blood, 
Trampled on the Son of God,
Filled with pangs unspeakable,
I, who yet am not in hell!

Whence to me this waste of love?
Ask my Advocate above!
See the cause in Jesus’ face,
Now before the throne of grace.

There for me the Savior stands,
Shows His wounds and spreads His hands.
God is love! I know, I feel;
Jesus weeps and loves me still.

-Charles Wesley 

Thursday

The Lord's Supper: In Moses's Passover in Egypt, death was merely avoided. In the Passover Jesus celebrated this night, death wasn't avoided; it was confronted and soon to be conquered for all mankind. They concluded with hymns and prayers taken from Psalm 115-118; 136. Consider these words Jesus prayed and sang from those portions of Scripture on this night before He was betrayed: 

"O LORD, surely I am Your servant, I am Your servant, the son of Your handmaid." (Ps. 116:16)

"The LORD is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" (Ps. 118:6)

"The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone." (Ps. 118:22)

"This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."(Ps. 118:24)

"Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His lovingkindness is everlasting." (Ps. 136:26)

The Betrayals: Those who "forsook all and followed him" (Luke 5:11) now "forsook him and fled" (Matt.26:56).

Wednesday

It seems that Jesus lingered in Bethany when he got back "home" Tuesday night. Scripture is silent about what Jesus did in the middle of this agonizing week...and perhaps that is because Jesus silently retreated with those whom He loved and with those who knew Him best. Did the disciples know that he would be handed over tomorrow? Did they know that this would be the last night he would spend at Bethany? Jesus would never sleep again after this Wednesday night. He was in the company of friends. Even so, he must have felt the pain that all would forsake him soon. Could Jesus even sleep? Was He ready to be parted? Was He ready to give up being fully man?

Tuesday

The wisdom that framed the heavens and the earth silences his foes and fiercest opponents. They were left speechless and could not catch Jesus in anything that he said for they were reckoning with a divine mind. I love how Scripture says, "No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions" (Matt. 22:46). Divine mind, indeed!

Jesus, I imagine, was emotionally exhausted. He had by this time already had his authority challenged, taught and rebuked, answered crafty and tricky questions of those seeking to arrest him, stripped the Pharisees of their self-righteousness, and now after experiencing such righteous anger, Jesus laments over Jerusalem's coming desolation with such sorrow. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!"

Monday

He was born,
-but He had been begotten.
He was born of a woman,
-but he kept her a Virgin.
He was wrapped in swaddling clothes,
-but He took off the swathing bands of the grave by His rising again.
He was laid in a manger,
-but He was glorified by angels, and proclaimed by a star, and worshipped by the Magi.
He had no form nor beauty in the eyes of his people,
-but to David He is fairer than the children of men.
And on the Mountain He was bright as the lightning,
-and became more luminous than the sun, initiating us into the mystery of the future.
He was baptized as Man,
-but He remitted sins as God.
He was tempted as Man,
-but He conquered as God.
He hungered,
-but He fed thousands.
He thirsted,
-but He cried, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink."
He was wearied,
-but He is the peace of all that are sorrowful and heavy laden.
He prays,
-but He hears prayer.
He weeps,
-but He causes tears to cease.
He asks where Lazarus was laid,
-for He was Man;
And He raises Lazarus,
-for He was God.
As a sheep He is led to the slaughter,
-but He is the Shepherd of Israel, and now of the whole world also.
He is sold for thirty pieces of silver,
-but He ransoms the world at a great price - His own blood.
He is bruised and wounded,
-but He heals every disease and every infirmity.
He is lifted up and nailed to the Tree,
-but by the Tree of Life He restores us.
He lays down His life,
-but He has power to take it again.
He dies,
-but He gives life and by His death destroys death.

---St. Gregory Nazianzen (Oration 29)---

Sunday

"A sense of awe fills me as I think about it. The One who died, rose again, and is alive forevermore is none other than the Son of God who became the Son of Man that through His cross, sons of men might become sons of God!" -Herbert Lockyer

This week was a week of loss for Jesus when "God was forsaken by God" - Martin Luther. We can never fully know the depth of that loss. My contemplation this week of my crucified Lord must lead to a crucified life. Spare me from a "do-it-yourself" crucifixion.

"Oh, wean this self from me that I 
         No more, but Christ in me may live!
My vile affections crucify, 
         Nor let one hidden lust survive.
In all things, nothing may I see, 
         Nothing desire or seek, but Thee!"

As I follow His last days on earth, may I know more than I ever have before that all that Jesus willingly endured was for my sake...and yours.

Sunday - Day of Acclaim

It wasn't that triumphal of an entry really. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a beast of burden surrounded by a disorganized mob of humble folk. Jesus, the King of Kings, the heir of all things, the One to whom all knees will bow, had need of a poor despised animal "whereon man never yet had sat." He used the humblest of His creatures. Would you expect any different when His whole life was one of great humility? What authority too in riding an untamed, unbroken colt.

He was not entering with pride, but wept aloud as He beheld the city. Perhaps his eyes were red and his cheeks raw and tear-stained as he rode through the city. "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes." Jesus had come "to guide their feet into the way of peace" but they were blind even as they shouted "Hosanna!" Jesus deserved their praises, but they did not receive Him.

Ultimately, every knee will acknowledge His lordship." At the name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father!"

Lessons from a Sack Lunch

One of my students forgot his lunch today, so his dad left work to bring it to the school. "Somebody loves you," I told my student upon delivering his lunch to which he quickly reminded me, "My dad still would have loved me even if he didn't bring me my lunch." Sweet boy.

Building Faith $100 at a Time

I can’t keep it to myself what God’s done for us these last three days! First, on Sunday one of Nate’s high school teachers saw on facebook that there was something wrong with our car. She said she wanted to send us $100 to go toward the cost of getting it fixed. We were shocked, humbled, and very grateful. Provision #1.

Then, on Saturday I went to get a new pair of glasses now that I have insurance. When the optometrist asked for my old pair, he saw my nosepiece missing and the frames taped together and just smiled graciously. I had an estimated cost in my head, but when I looked over the receipt of what insurance did and didn’t cover I was confused. I went back to the office and someone very patiently explained everything to me. I was satisfied, but still a little discouraged with the price. Well, today I went to pick them up. The optometrist recognized me and begins with, “I’m so sorry for your confusion the other day. I understand you had some questions. We want you to be happy so we’re going to reimburse you a $100. I really didn’t know what that meant, but he came back and handed me a hundred dollar bill! I wanted to give that man a hug! Did God really just orchestrate that?! ONE hundred dollar instance was incredible, and now a second time in just three days?!

We truly do serve a mighty God who takes care of every detail of our life. When we ask God to provide, we can’t imagine the ways He chooses to do so or the people through whom He chooses to work. I’m even convinced He has fun doing it too…like putting it into an optometrist’s heart to randomly give you $100. Our thoughts and prayers are so limited when we think and pray about how God will meet a need. It is very difficult when things are tight, but so richly rewarding. He wants me to live a life of faith…and He sure is making it easy right now. May I prove faithful when it isn’t.

In Pursuit of Science

As I'm walking my class to art one boy scurries to the front of the line after passing a group of older students and anxiously asks: "Mrs. McKanna, one of the older boys just poked me with his toothpick...am I going to be OK?" I pretend like there's something to inspect on his arm..."I think you're going to be just fine." "OK. Are you sure? Thank you, Mrs. McKanna."

Then I learned this side of the story from the science teacher:

"As my students returned to the science classroom, after being asked to select an object to test for bacteria, I asked each of them what object they had chosen. "I chose the door handle" (Student 1). "I chose the trashcan" (Student 2). "I chose one of the little fourth graders" (Student 3). And yes, he was armed with a toothpick."

WELL...that didn't work!

Our conversation on the way to church this morning:
Nate: "You haven't told me what you think about _____."
Me: "Why don't you ask me questions? Draw it out of me...like water from a well."
Nate: "I use tap water."

Jackie-O

I took my students on a field trip today to the JFK museum. One of my little girls (who I believe was Anne of Green Gables in another life) runs over to me and dramatically states, "Mrs. McKanna! I've GOT to show you something!" She grabs my hand and pulls me across the museum, points to a picture and proclaims, "I think you look like this woman!" At that moment I BURST out laughing when I realize the woman she is pointing to is none other than Jacqueline Kennedy! I informed her that I didn't think she realized just how blurry the picture actually was. ;)