Restoration and Responsibility

²⁵ Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,^[b] here is your son,” ²⁷ and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.  John 19: 25-27

The third word of Jesus from the cross is all about Restoration, Relationships and Responsibility.

I asked a young mother  how did  she feel when her  son had a deep cut on his head, she told  me she was concerned and felt a deep pain to see her son suffer. She then went into action in getting him medical aid. This is natural and all mothers who are at this worship service may have  experienced this emotion. 

Now if a mother were  told that a “ Sword will pierce through your own soul also”  what  would she expect? 

At the cross a mother is seeing the sword  pierce through her heart and soul and she is holding back tears, and is  unable to take action to support her son. She would want to tend that nail pierced hands, and clean the  striped back or  perhaps remove the blood the head.

Her  focus is on the  immediate and now.

The unexpected happens at this context. The person who is being hurt the most is the one who takes the initiative.   While  at the cross, we are  looking at the Cross, on the other hand,  Jesus on the cross is viewing our tomorrow and the day after.  Jesus demonstrates his responsibility through the Third word. 

Jesus foresaw the pain of a widow who will be without her son and responded to that pain.  Dear Friends  Mary did not express her pain.  The message for all Mothers is that Jesus knows your inner fears and pains. You do not have to express them or talk about them.  Jesus understands  your loneliness. You just have to lay them at the cross.

The  third word also  fulfils the commandment ““Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

Jesus entered the Life of Mary and spent 33 years with her.  At Calvary, she feels a loneliness at having  lost  her husband and now an impending loss of a son.  Jesus does not leave you incomplete when he enters your life. In fact  Jesus restores everything.  When we see the tragedy of Judas, we get to see the character of Satan, who enters with our consent and leaves at his will. Jesus will not leave us nor forsake us.

Jesus restored a Relationship which in that society was very important to give Status to a woman. Jesus  gave a son to Mary.

Shall we focus now on the son to whom Jesus gave a mother.

John  was the disciple whom Jesus loved. Jesus had  confidence in him.  The disciple also loved  Jesus.  This  means that  they both shared a good relationship and exchanged ideas.  They would have  discussed  strategy, they would have planned and worked together.   When you love some one do you share a special relationship with that person?

Love is just not a static feeling,  Love implies Sharing, it implies dialogue and action. It also means taking a risk and standing for the person  you who loves you.

John  followed  Jesus to the  cross. 

Jesus loved John so he trusts him with the care of his mother. To put this in perspective  whom can anyone  entrust our mother’s, or daughters when there is a  fear for the   safety of women in our city.  Jesus could trust John  to take care of his mother. 

Jesus said  Here is your  mother  to John.  John took immediate action.

He behaved like a son to  Mary immediately. The reading  says from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.  By behaving like a son, the scene at the cross became a home immediately.

Why did Jesus ask John to take care of his Mother?

Since John loved  Jesus,  he was waiting at the cross. He  has not waiting   at the  cross because Jesus will ask him to take care of His mother. Since John was waiting at the cross he was given this responsibility. Today if we truly love Jesus are  we waiting at the Cross?  Do we dare to be  at the cross despite popular culture says and public opinion? John was at the Cross, Therefore  Jesus gave him a responsibility of Trust. Friends where are we today?  Have we run away scared or  Are we  waiting at the cross to accept  responsibility.  The  harvest is plentiful and the labourers are few

Why did  Jesus call Mary  “ woman “     In the  Gospel of Mathew  Jesus said

⁴⁸ He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” 

There fore  Jesus  addressed  Mary as woman,  He clearly  differentiated His Divinity from His Humanness.  As far as Jesus was concerned who ever does the will of my Father is my brother, sister and mother.   Since we all have a Heavenly Father,  that relationship is not  spoken off.  Jesus has given the universal definition of relationship, today  there are parents who need care and attention and children who need guidance and love.

Dear Friends as We wait at the Cross to do the Father’s will, allow Jesus to Restore our Relationships and give us  Responsibility.

May we  like  Mary  pray “I am the Lord’s servant, May your word to me be fulfilled.” 

What will be your first words from your Cross

Here a few verses from the Bible which are the words of Jesus.

1.       Do not Judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven - Luke 6:37.

2.       But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you - Mathew 5:44.

3.       For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive them your father will not forgive you - Mathew 6:14.

4.       If you hold anything against anyone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven may forgive you - Mark 11:25.

5.       My command is this, “Love one another as I have loved you.” - John 15:12.

What do these familiar verses mean to us? These are teachings of Jesus and we can say they are ideas and concepts. We often say “people say many things but they behave differently”. We also use the expression “actions speak louder than words” and agree with that expression.

Let us move to Calvary and picture Jesus Christ. The same Jesus who fed over 5000 men, who touched lepers, or walked on the water, is now on the Cross. He is crucified; his hands are nailed and he cannot touch a child or a sick person. His feet are nailed and he cannot walk to Lazarus’ or Jairus’ house.

What actions can he perform? He uses his lips – to pray for us. In doing so, see the congruence with his words we heard earlier and this prayer, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”  This prayer is in harmony with his teaching in Mathew 5:44, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

We have two things to learn from this prayer for us.

1.       Jesus forgave sins of people. He has the power to do so, yet in this case he asks God to forgive our sins. Why does he do that? What is the example Jesus is giving us? He is saying, “Even though I am violated and am about to be killed, I will pray for those who persecute me. Those who persecute me may or may not repent of their sins.” In forgiving others we create a forgiving spirit in ourselves. Having a forgiving spirit drives away hatred and malice. It gives healing to our body and spirit. If we nurture hatred, a part of us dies with the hatred.

2.       This is a powerful testimony of being different. In also saying, “I thirst” and “My God, my God why have you forsaken me”, Jesus gives us a picture of his humanness. This is a testimony to others that we are different and dare to be pleasantly different.

 Jesus said, “If any man would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.”

My dear friends, are we willing to take up the cross daily to follow him? It seems practically different, yet we must strive for it.

Here’s a point to ponder: We just heard Jesus’ first words from the cross.  When we take up the cross to follow Jesus, what will our first words from the cross be?

We have three examples of first words from the cross.

1.       There is a word of Ridicule:  The thief on left was angry and irritated. He deplored his plight. May be there was injustice in his case, or perhaps his punishment was greater than his sin. We may never know what his emotion was, but what we know is that his first words were words of ridicule from the cross. In so doing, he failed to see the Saviour.

2.       We next have an example of repentance. The thief on the right, correctly identified Christ. When he looked at Jesus on the Cross and his own cross, it was too difficult for him to bear. He rebuked the other thief’s ridicule and asked for forgiveness. We have an example here, as the repenting thief on the right set himself apart from the world. He was courageous to take a stand. The words of repentance draw us near to Jesus.

3.       Next we have an eloquent example of reconciliation. In forgiving others Jesus brings about reconciliation. It means that you become friends with those who persecute you. Jesus made the prayer of the angels at his birth “peace on earth and goodwill towards men” a reality with forgiveness and love.

When we are hurting, there are three ways to respond, either by

                                                ridicule, 

                                                repentance or

                                                reconciliation. 

We are given a choice... may we choose the right response to glorify God.

Here’s a small prayer to set us on track: O Lord because we often sin, and have to ask for pardon, help us to forgive as we would be forgiven. Neither mentioning old offences committed against us, nor dwelling upon in thought; but loving our brother freely as you freely love us. In Jesus name. Amen.

It is Finished- At the Funeral of My Dear Father Edward David

It is finished- A dimension of achievement orientation

Dear friends, well-wishers and loved ones of Edward David our dear father and brother, as a family we are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, affection and grief at the passing to glory of our dear father.

While we are in grief at dad not being with us, he has taught us to celebrate life and viewed death as the threshold of eternity. I would like to share our journey over the past few weeks, which would give you all a picture of what my dear father experienced and his response to the same. I have chosen for our meditation an apt passage and the words of Jesus. ‘It is finished’ is Jesus' sixth word from the cross. Jesus’ first five words from the cross addressed all his key stakeholders namely:

* Enemies and the world at large.

* Neighbors and those in need.

* Family.

* God.

* And in the fifth word His own need.

Now we come to the sixth word where Jesus addresses his task and mission. Jesus’ task is to save people and to love them; having done that since His birth, “It is finished” is a word of accomplishment. It is not a word of defeat but a word of victory and affirmation. I would like us to understand this from two perspectives.

A. The pre-requisites

B. The positions.

The pre-requisites are just three aspects.

Vision: An understanding that our life on earth is transitory - it is only for a period of about 80 to 90 years or less. This is an important understanding, as we need to have a vision and glimpse of heaven while living on earth. Therefore we have a task to accomplish while on earth.

Ludwig Van Beethoven the famous music composer became deaf at the age of 28. In the last ten years of his life he could hear nothing, but he went on to create masterpieces in music. His last words when he died at age 56 were, “I shall hear music in heaven,” which indicates that he went about his task because he had a vision that he will be able to hear music in heaven. My dad shared with us that he had a burden for the flesh trade in the world, and he prayed that the mountain of flesh trade be thrown into the sea. He had a vision that these girls would be his daughters in heaven. It would be wonderful if each of us prays that this vision be realized.

Task Clarity: For us who know that Jesus is our Savior, we need to fulfill God’s purpose and will in our lives. In fact very often at every Sunday worship we pray, “Thy will be done” from Mathew 6:10. To know the will of God, St. Paul tells us, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.” - Romans 12:2. To make this prayer a reality in our lives, we need to have an understanding of the task at hand and then go about doing it.

Execution: With clarity of task, the next step is execution – this is simply being obedient to God’s will. We not only need to do the big tasks, but also the little and even the not so interesting tasks! Sometimes we tend to get so distracted by our worldly pursuits, that we need simple actions like prayer and Bible reading to steer us back in the right direction. For this we have an assurance in Colossians 1:9-10, “We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”

A few years ago dad shared with me a newspaper clipping with great emotion. It said there was relief for the gold miners in Kolar Gold Fields …. then he showed me his prayer request for the same miners made 6 months earlier. He was overwhelmed that God had heard a humble man’s prayers, which only encouraged him to press on. No issue was too small for dad. He prayed for the nurses, doctors, prayer books … anything that came to his attention.

It is only when we put effort and work, can there be achievement and we can say, “It is finished,” to a task. We also need to say “It is finished” to finish our tasks and move on to more challenging tasks/ assignments.

Having discussed the prerequisites lets us now look at Positions which a person may take.

Jesus spoke the words “It is finished” on the cross. At Calvary I have noticed that there are three positions taken.

I am finished: The thief on the left could only picture his physical survival hence he said, “Save yourself and save me.” While he said that in ridicule, he could just see the end of the road for himself. Hence his position is summed up as “I am finished”. How often do we feel that way when circumstances go against our plans? The last words world renowned playwright George Bernard Shaw said to his nurse were: “Sister, you're trying to keep me alive as an old curiosity, but I'm done, I'm finished, I'm going to die.”

My dear brothers and sisters, when we come to the end of the road in our life and circumstances are adverse, please do not say, “I am finished.” Rather our words should be, “It is not finished.” Please focus on the task at hand than on ego and shame.

We had, as a family, faced many challenges but he refused to get bogged down. One year when dad was not employed he had pledged to give as tithe, more than previous years. My mother was not well for many years and we, as any other family, had our share of sickness, pain and grief, but he always taught us to be positive.

It is not finished: The thief on the right held on to the position - It is not finished. He repented in the last hour and thus was able experience the saving power of Jesus. He has a glimpse of heaven which made him pray, “Lord remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” For him clearly it was not finished.  Those of us who do not have a glimpse of Heaven we need to come to that saving Knowledge.

Accomplishment: The position that Jesus has taken is one of accomplishment. Jesus’ word, “It is finished” communicates closure and completion. It is one of goal attainment. Jesus has given us the example that we need to be goal oriented and execute what we have set out to do.

Having done God’s will we also need to have the inner confidence to say, “Yes it is finished.” Notice the humility of Jesus in saying “It” and not “I have finished the task”. Many a time we are eager to garner credit for ourselves. Jesus’ focus was the task and its accomplishment than on self. Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Friends, the call today, is that all of us work as a team and complete the task at hand. The most beautiful aspect is that every ‘Finish’ gives us the hope of a ‘New Beginning’. May God give us grace and peace to do his will and attempt great things for God even as we expect great things from God.

God Bless you all.  April 23, 2012

I Thirst

The Phoenicians were the first to devise crucifixion. They had tried death by spear, by boiling in oil... I will not get into more of their macabre methods, but they realised that all their methods were too quick. They wanted a means of punishing criminals slowly, over an extended period of time.



The cross suited their purpose perfectly, since not only was the punishment slow and painful, it also served as a deterrent, as it was visible to the public. Sometimes men clung on to life for over two days, hanging on the cross in the scorching sun, presumably screaming in pain.


Initially, the authorities even stripped the wrong-doers, as nudity added to the shame of being on the cross, and at the same time made them helpless as thousands of insects stung them. Since this kind of punishment was generally given outside the city, birds of prey and animals looking for food waited patiently at the foot of the cross... waiting for the men to die.


The scorching sun, stinging insects and hungry wild animals were a lethal combination which could kill even those guarding the prisoners, and they learned that driving nails into the wrists and feet led the men to die in a few hours, rather than a few days if they had been tied with ropes. This was exactly what the authorities wanted and they just left those on the cross to their fate and withdrew the guards posted at the cross... so bad were the conditions around the cross. As for those nailed to the cross, we can assume that they were in a lot of pain from the nails tearing into their flesh, the hot sun, dehydration and the insects.


Jesus was nailed to the cross and suffered this punishment, which was reserved for their worst detractors. But it was not as if he was just brought to the site straight from the prison. He suffered much more torture than was generally meted out to hardened criminals. He was captured the previous night and was on trial the whole night and early the next morning. For nearly 14 hours, he had no food or water. There has been considerable loss of body fluids due to the flogging and torture.


Let’s try and understand the pain we went through: The nailing of the feet was done to provide a cruel ‘step’ for the person to support himself, and breathe. Otherwise, the sagging body would go into spasms which prevented exhalation. The victim would then quickly suffocate due to an inability to use the respiratory muscles. As the hours wore on, the body was soaked in perspiration. Thirst became intense, while pain and shock were tremendous.


Jesus had to use the nail that was driven through his feet, as a step, to hoist himself with his arms, just to speak... the words from the cross are therefore no ordinary words. There must have been an intense reflection and thought on what to say and to say it in those few seconds he could heave himself up.


Jesus by saying “I thirst” communicates a human need. I would like us to meditate on two dimensions in this verse.


Firstly why were we unable to perceive the human need of Jesus? Even if we did, what prevented us from taking action and showing empathy?


This was not the first word of Jesus. He has addressed all His key stakeholders:


- Enemies & World At Large


- Neighbours and those in Need


- Family


- God


Now in this word he expresses His own need. Unfortunately no one has perceived or even taken action to satisfy His need.


We do expect loved ones to respond, but that does not happen. What is the response to this expression?


We notice three possibilities in this situation


Respond : Most obvious to satisfy the need.


Indifference : We may never know the reason for the inaction but consider the residue and hurt it leaves on the person in need.


Being Cruel or Dysfunctional : Causing even more pain instead of helping. Giving vinegar when you need water as an example. Incidentally this was very cheap and a popular drink among the soldiers.


While we may not wish to be in the cruel response, can we at the time pause and say I will be more active and respond to those in need than be inactive or indifferent?


We now come to the second dimension in this incident. Pause with me carefully as we need to refer the verses again.


Psalm 69:21 prophesied, “They gave me vinegar for my thirst.”


Jesus knew the scripture even in pain. He created a context to fulfill the scripture. He did not say give me vinegar. But by saying, “I thirst” created a context for a response.


The soldiers though ignorant of the prophecy had an option to respond with water but chose to be cruel.


Our reflection to this is, “What can I do to fulfill the scripture in my life?”


There are two prerequisites to make this happen.


1) Knowing the Scripture.


2) Allowing the Holy Spirit to work through you.


Why is it important to fulfil the scripture through our lives?


It is said about the young Mary who told Gabriel, “I am the servant, may it be to me as you have said.”


Today an increasing number of people do not know the Lord and his saving power. We as a community of Jesus have the responsibility to make the scripture a reality in their lives. We can also create context to fulfill the scriptures.






Jesus in all his intense pain and anguish said “I thirst.” Can we also say with the same intensity?






I THIRST - For the scripture.


I THIRST - To Fulfil God’s will in my life.


I THIRST - To bring others to Him.


I THIRST – For Integrity, Peace and Justice.


Amen