Jesus took the cup of suffering for each of us on that Friday.
He was human, and like us, he desired that cup be taken from him so he didn’t have to feel the pain.
He prayed for that three times
Yet he obeyed the father and trusted him.
Jesus was willing to drink from that cup.
cup of suffering
On the cross
Human like we are
Jesus was thirsty
He was dying.
He was thirsty.
He didn’t get that cup of cold water
Jesus didn’t get reprieve from his pain
Jesus got a sponge filled with vinegar to soothe his parched lips
Like Jesus, today I too am thirsty
Thirsty for love
Thirsty for peace for our world
Thirsty for justice and an end to racism
Thirsty for an end to hatred and gun violence, greed and war.
But you and I don’t always get a cup of cold water. We don’t always get the refreshment we desire.
Can I trust that Jesus knows that I am thirsty too?
Am i willing to trust the cups that God brings my way?
Are we willing to drink from them anyway?
Am I willing to drink from the cups that might cause me pain or the ones that belong to people i don’t like?
Too often I want my own cup, my own way.
I want a cup of joy not sadness
I want a cup of love not suffering
I want a cup of abundant lemonade not lament!
Easter Cup
I don’t always like the cups I’m given to drink from ….how about you?
I need to go back to the Last Supper. I need to go back to Thursday night and drink from that cup that Jesus passed around the table to help us remember him.
And really take time to remember HIM and his love and how he lived out love in a very broken and hostile world.
I need to quench my thirst with the Cup of the New Covenant….The Cup of the New Kingdom.
The Cup of Love for all people. The Cup of forgiveness.
Jesus took the cup of suffering and is with us in our suffering
He took the cup of suffering on that Friday and gave us a new way to live.
A Meditation on the Last Words of Jesus
READ/Listen to and Consider the WORDS of JESUS from the Cross
Read what Jesus said from the cross:
“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
Luke 23:34
“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Luke 23:43
“Woman, behold, your son!”… “Behold, your mother!”…
John 19:26-27
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”Mark 15:34
“I thirst.” After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said to fulfill the scripture, “I thirst.” John 19:28
“It is finished”;
John 19:30
“Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!”
Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!”
And having said this he breathed his last. Luke 23:46
What touches you today? Which of these sayings speaks to you? What do you need to hear from Jesus today?
Do you need to be forgiven?
Or do you need Jesus to help you forgive others?
Do you need to know that Jesus wants you to be with him, now and in the future?
Do you need certainty ?
Do you need to know you are not forgotten or abandoned like Mary and John?
Are you feeling forsaken?
What are you thirsty for today?
Do you need the reminder that Jesus is here in the midst of your suffering? That he finished it on the cross?
Are you in need of the reminder that you too are in the hands of the Father? that you too have the Holy Spirit?
Talk to God about where you are today in the middle of this crazy world we live in. Ask Jesus to show you how he is here with you.
DRAW and OUTLINE OF A CROSS
Write down on the cross what you are feeling today.
What do you need to hear from Jesus today? Write that on the cross too.
by Lilly Lewin
©lillylewin and freerangeworship.com