Lectionary Readings for October 17, 2021
Reading One: Isaiah 53:4-12 (NRSV)
Song: Movement 5, Isaiah 53:10-12 (lyrics here)
Reflection
In today’s lectionary readings we are invited to do nothing less than ponder our salvation. Each of these passages points to the work of Christ on the cross. Each of them gives us powerful and poetic language on which to meditate, words that direct our gaze to the sacrifice of Jesus.
This is not a task to be taken lightly, nor is it a task reserved only for certain times of the year. The cross of Christ is central to our life as followers of Jesus, and worthy of continual reflection. The great pastor and theologian John Stott put it this way:
“Christianity is Christ, and the crucial fact about Christ is his passion on the cross… Scripture portrays the Savior’s death as the basis of every spiritual blessing (Rom 8:31–32), as the source of true Christian living (Rom 6:1–11; 8:3–4), and as the foundation of the church’s sacraments (Rom 6:1-4; 1 Cor 11:26). John tells us that throughout eternity the inhabitants of heaven will sing the glorious praises of the Lamb who was slain. (Rev 5:9–14)” (John Stott, The Cross and Salvation, 167–68)
As we seek to sing the glorious praises of the Lamb who was slain, we begin, appropriately enough, with Isaiah. This passage from Isaiah 53 is a striking description of the Messiah as suffering servant, and it describes with heartbreaking beauty what Jesus would go through on our behalf. There are so many phrases and verses to focus on, but this part of verse 11 stands out for me:
“The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.”
As we spend time this week meditating on the sacrifice of Jesus, the passages we read give us a number of titles and descriptors with which to pray. In this part of verse 11 alone we have:
The righteous one
God’s servant
The one who makes us righteous
The one who bears our iniquities
Of these, which one stirs you the most as you ponder it? Through these words, how is God inviting you into a deeper understanding of the cross of Christ this week?
Spend some time prayerfully considering the ways Christ’s sacrifice is described in this part of Isaiah 53. These words were written centuries before Jesus’ death, yet help us understand that event as if they were written by an eyewitness. What language grabs your attention and why? Does any part of it provoke or disturb you? Bring your reactions and your reflections to God in prayer, and ask him to use this week to draw you closer to Jesus our suffering servant.
Reading Two: Psalm 91:9-16 (NRSV)
Song: Psalm 91 (lyrics here)
Reflection
This section of Psalm 91 isn’t a passage we usually connect with the cross of Christ. In fact, we usually associate it with the temptation of Christ, since the tempter quotes it directly during that event. But in these few verses there are words that can become for us an invitation not ponder the sacrifice of Jesus, words that come from directly from the one who longs for us to know his salvation:
“Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.” (vv. 14-16)
Once again we find words which help us understand what was happening at the cross, phrases that we can look to as ways to see the death of Christ on our behalf:
In the cross, we find our deliverance
In the cross, we find protection
In the cross, we find God’s answer to our cries
In the cross, we find God’s presence in our suffering
In the cross, we find rescue from sin
In the cross, we find our needs satisfied
In the cross, we see the salvation of God
As you read through these, which speaks closest to the needs of your heart and soul right now?
Come before God and spend time praying with each of these words: Deliverance, Protection, Answer, Presence, Rescue, Satisfaction, Salvation. What do these words mean to you? In what ways has God shown himself in ways that reflect these words? Which express the deepest longing of your heart right now? Offer to God your gratitude and need as you continue to think about how these words reflect the cross of Christ.
Reading Three: Hebrews 5:1-10 (NRSV)
Song: Before the Throne of God Above (lyrics here)
Reflection
This passage from Hebrews focuses on priestly work on our behalf, the submission he displayed in going to the cross as the perfect offering for sin. It’s a striking image, holding Jesus up as both the high priest who offers the sacrifice and the spotless lamb who is the sacrifice. It can be hard to wrap our heads around—Christ as both priest and offering.
Under the Old Testament law the priest both represented God before the people and the people before God. Hebrews does a masterful job of showing how Jesus, the incarnate one who serves as mediator, fulfills both roles perfectly. He is God before us, displaying all the wonders of the incarnation. He is also our representative before God, pleading our case and ultimately laying down his life for us.
This is a deep theological mystery, one that pastors and scholars have contemplated for centuries without fully explaining. Perhaps that is because it defies explanation, just as it defied expectation. This was not the way Israel’s Messiah was supposed to come, and it wasn’t what he was supposed to do.
No, in every way it was better.
Not many musicians or lyricists have dared to tackle the imagery of Jesus our high priest. Of those who have, perhaps none have captured it so beautifully as Charitie Lees Smith, an Irish hymwriter from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her composition, “Before the Throne of God Above” remains one of the most vivid images of this aspect of Christ’s work.
You’re invited to read these lyrics slowly and prayerfully. If a word or phrase catches your attention, stop and pray with it for a while. How does God speak to you through this classic hymn?
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea,
A great High Priest whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on his hands,
My name is written on his heart;
I know that while in heav'n he stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart,
No tongue can bid me thence depart.When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on him and pardon me,
To look on him and pardon me.Behold him there! The risen Lamb,
My perfect, spotless righteousness;
The great unchangeable "I AM,"
The King of glory and of grace!
One with himself I cannot die,
My soul is purchased by his blood;
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God,
With Christ, my Savior and my God.
Reading Four: Mark 10:35-45 (NRSV)
Songs: Jesus Paid It All (lyrics here), At The Foot of the Cross (lyrics here), At The Cross (lyrics here)
Reflection
“You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (vv. 42-45)
It doesn’t get any simpler than that. And with these words, we find ourselves back where we began this week’s reflections: contemplating Jesus our suffering servant, who bears our iniquities and makes us righteous. What Isaiah saw, Jesus now fulfills.
To close our time of reflection, we’re going to offer more than one final song. Below you’ll find three songs that each speak to the power of the cross and the sacrifice of Jesus. You’re invited to enter into an extended time of worship and prayer, giving thanks for the most amazing love ever displayed. There is nothing I can add to your reflections on the cross that these songs, and countless others, haven’t already communicated about its meaning and its power. Sit back and let these songs wash over you with the power of Christ’s sacrifice and love.
After you have listened, spend some time thinking about hymns and songs you know that help you focus on the cross of Christ. What about them strikes you as meaningful or powerful? Share the song in the comments on this post—perhaps a song you offer could touch the heart of a fellow Christ-follower.