Week 49 Daily Dose of Love
#337 (12/3)
Jesus Meets
Herod
Luke 23:6-12
When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned
that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time.
When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about
him and was hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at some length, but Jesus gave him no
answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. Even Herod
with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then he put an elegant robe on him, and sent him back to Pilate.
That same day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; before this they had been enemies.
Herod had been interested in Jesus
for a long time. He was fascinated by stories of miracles and intrigued by reports of Jesus’ activities
and teachings. Herod was drawn to Jesus out of his own self-interest. This kind of attraction is
easily mistaken for love in our world today. It is actually the opposite of love. Worldly
love attracts us to others because of what they can do for us. God’s love attracts us for what we
can do for others. Reflection/Discussion:
How do we separate our own interests from God’s interests?
Principles of Love:
Decision
Pray Through the Day:
Help us always
To choose love
#338 (12/4)
Pilate Declares Jesus Innocent
Luke
23:13-16
Pilate then called
together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was perverting
the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against
him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death.
I will therefore have him flogged and release him.”
We might be inclined to think that Jesus may have felt some hope when Pilot proclaimed
his innocence. However, this would have been temporary hope based on human decisions and worldly events. The hope that
sustained Jesus through these demeaning and painful times was an everlasting hope based on the eternal love of God for all
of his creation. This hope remains alive no matter what happens to us. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel when we follow Jesus.
Reflection/Discussion:
How can we find hope in times of crisis
and distress?
Principles of Love:
Suffering
Pray Through the Day:
Use our pain
To deepen our love
#339
(12/5)
Jesus or Barabbas
Matthew 27:15-21
Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted.
At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. So after they had gathered, Pilate
said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”
For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. While he was sitting
on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered
a great deal because of a dream about him.” Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds
to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. The governor again said to them, “Which of the two
do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.”
Mark 15:6-11
Now
at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. Now a man called Barabbas was in prison
with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate
to do for them according to his custom. Then he answered them, “Do you want me to release for you
the King of the Jews?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed
him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead.
Luke 23:17-19
Then they all shouted out together, “Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!” (This
was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.)
John 18:38b-40
After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him.
But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of
the Jews?” They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit.
Decisions of a crowd
tend to be worldly choices. The negative campaigning of the Jewish leaders had influenced the crowd.
They had been given just enough information mixed with fear to leave a lasting impression that they never questioned.
It is highly unlikely that any of them understood the full implications of what they were deciding. The world is full
of Barabbas-like choices. Some even have the same name as Jesus. Matthew’s description gives Barabbas’
first name as Jesus; in fact “Bar-abbas” means “son of Abba” (Jesus referred to his father as “Abba.”)
It is only through questioning
and prayerful reflection that we can discern the true effects and consequences of worldly choices. We must
be sure that we choose the Jesus who brings his father’s love to our hearts and not the Jesus that the world tries to
sell us.
Reflection/Discussion:
How do we tell the difference between
the true Jesus and the Jesus that world tries to sell us?
Principles of Love:
Decision; Vision
Pray Through the Day:
Help us always
To choose love
#340 (12/6)
Crucify Him
Matthew 27:22-23
Pilate
said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” All of them said, “Let him be
crucified!” Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more,
“Let him be crucified!”
Mark 15:12-14
Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you wish me to do
with the man you call the King of the Jews?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!”
Luke 23:20-23
Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; but they kept shouting,
“Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I
have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.”
But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed.
John 19:4-15
Pilate
went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.”
So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to
them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” The Jews answered
him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.”
Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. He entered his headquarters
again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. Pilate therefore
said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?”
Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one
who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” From then on Pilate tried to release him,
but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king
sets himself against the emperor.”
When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside
and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it
was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!”
They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify
your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.”
Imagine what Jesus felt when he
heard the crowd shouting these words. The people he came to save, the people he loved, were demanding that
he be tortured and killed. Jesus knows this better than anyone that love is not always appreciated.
He fully understands the pain and struggle when we are rejected or persecuted in spite of honorable intentions and
loving effort. We can discern what was in Jesus’ heart at this most difficult moment based on the history of
his life and his teaching. Jesus loved each one of the people who screamed that he be put to death.
He loved them because he was open to the love of his father. He loved them because it was his mission
and his message to us.
Love endures well beyond temporary
impulses of hate and condemnation. Love is what we are here for, and what we do when we follow Jesus.
Reflection/Discussion:
How can we keep our hearts open when it
feels like we are being persecuted?
Principles of Love:
Decision; Suffering
Pray Through the Day:
Help us always
To choose love
#341 (12/7)
Pilate Delivers Jesus to be Crucified
Matthew 27:24-26
So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather
that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this
man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be
on us and on our children!” So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed
him over to be crucified.
Mark 15:15
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus,
he handed him over to be crucified.
Luke 23:24-25
So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted.
He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus
over as they wished.
John 19:16
Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
“It’s not my fault;” “We’re not responsible;” “I’m not to blame”
are common refrains when bad decisions are made. In the universe of God’s love, there is deep and profound responsibility. In love,
we are connected to decisions we did not make and actions we did not initiate. We cannot wash our hands
and declare our innocence without closing our hearts and revealing our lack of compassion. Love requires that we be responsible,
that we are “able-to-respond” to the challenges of the world from our hearts. We may not be
directly involved or even affected, but when we are connected by God’s love, we must consider even the minute role that
our own actions might play in every situation that could bring harm to others. Reflection/Discussion:
How can we be more responsible for human
action or inaction that affects God’s creation?
Principles of Love:
Decision; Suffering
Pray Through the Day:
Help us always
To choose love
#342 (12/8)
Jesus is Mocked
Matthew 27:27-31a
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s
headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on
him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before
him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on him, and took the reed and
struck him on the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him.
Mark 15:16-20a
Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters); and they
called together the whole cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns
into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. After mocking
him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him.
John 19:1-3
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.
And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe.
They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face.
There is a strong
temptation to buy into the vision of those who inflict pain upon us; to rebel in outrage or collapse in despair.
Jesus showed us that it is possible to maintain our dignity and sustain the commitment to love under any circumstances.
He was mocked, but not humiliated. His dignity was not tarnished in the least by the demeaning and
disrespectful actions of the Roman soldiers. Jesus was able to maintain an open heart by avoiding the common tendency to narrow his
focus on his own fear and hurt. Jesus taught us to love our enemies, to “turn the other cheek.”
He kept in touch with the love of God in the midst of hate and derision from his captors. What happens to us is much less important than what we choose to do with our hearts.
This decision may not affect external circumstances but it has a profound influence on eternal life.
Reflection/Discussion:
How can we learn to open our hearts when
we suffer?
Principles of Love:
Suffering; Acceptance; Vision
Pray Through the Day:
Use our pain
To deepen our love
#343
(12/9)
Road to Golgotha
Matthew 27:31b-32
Then
they led him away to crucify him. As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they
compelled this man to carry his cross.
Mark 15:20b-21
Then they led him out to crucify him. They compelled
a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus
Luke 23:26-32
As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross
on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. A great number of the people followed him, and among them were
women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters
of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are surely
coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’
Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’
For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” Two others also,
who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him.
John 19:17
So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself,
he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.
Sometimes things are as bad as they seem. We receive
a sentence or diagnosis. The writing is on the wall. It is final. When
there are no more choices that can affect external circumstances, one very important choice remains: What will we do with
our heart? Jesus made that choice while carrying a heavy burden on one of the most difficult roads imaginable.
Jesus chose love and showed us that love is a choice available to us no matter where we are headed in this world. When we open our hearts, even the most difficult roads, even those that bring pain and suffering
with every step, bring us closer to eternal life with our loving father.
Reflection/Discussion:
How can we learn to accept pain and suffering?
Principles of Love:
Suffering; Acceptance
Pray Through the Day:
Use our pain
To deepen our love
