A Beautiful Gesture

Psalm 22:1 (NRSVue) - My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?

Psalm 22 is a plea for deliverance from hostility and suffering.

Just before His death on the cross, Christ used these words.

Matthew 27:46 (NRSVue) - And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

The question arises: “Why would God forsake Jesus at this critical moment?”

To forsake means to “turn away from.”

So, why did God turn away from Jesus?

The simple answer: because it was necessary.

While on the cross, Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the entire world.

That includes yours and mine.

And when that happened, God, who is completely Holy, had to look away.

Moments later, Jesus died.

His work was finished.

Jesus said as much.

But God did much more than turn away,

He then made one of the most beautiful gestures in all Scripture.

Mark 15:38 (NRSVue) - And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

The moment Jesus died, the barrier separating us from a completely Holy God was no longer needed.

God tore the curtain that separated us in two.

Nothing stood between us and God anymore!

In this world, we sometimes feel alone.

We might even feel forsaken.

We might feel that God has turned away from us.

But these feelings are not true.

Through Christ, God has made sure we are not alone.

Because of Christ, God has not turned away.

Through the love of Christ, nothing separates us from God.

Three days after his death, Christ rose to life once more and conquered death forever.

But His work in making us right with God occurred the moment He died.

It happened the moment His work was finished.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, March 8, 2024.

I will be back here on Friday, March 15, 2024

Continued Love and Mercy

Psalm 118:18 (NRSVue) - The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death.

Psalm 118 is known as a ‘Song of Victory’.

In verse 18, the psalmist acknowledges God’s mercy.

The Lord corrected him, but the Lord did not hand down a sentence of death.

Christ also showed mercy.

He not only healed a man, but He also healed him on the Sabbath.

John 5:5,8-9 (NRSVue) - One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.

This was not the only time Jesus healed on the Sabbath,

In Matthew 12, Jesus entered a synagogue.

A man was there with a withered hand.

The Pharisees tried to trap Jesus and asked, “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath?”

Jesus not only answered them, but He also healed the man in their presence.

Matthew 12:13 (NRSVue) - Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other.

Christ loved the men that He healed.

More importantly, Christ loves all mankind.

Those who experienced His healing touch must have felt special, perhaps for the first time in years.

Today, we are equally amazed when Christ touches our lives,

He still heals the hardest of hearts and turns lives around.

He continues to love those whom society prefers to shun.

As we enter the season of Lent, may we always remember the power of His love for all.

May we be grateful for His continued mercy.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, February 23, 2024.

I will be back here on Friday, March 1, 2024

To the End of the Age

Psalm 102:26 (NRSVue) - They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. You change them like clothing, and they pass away,

Psalm 102 is a prayer.

It is a prayer from one in crisis and in need of help.

It is a prayer to the eternal and unchanging God.

Matthew 28 begins with the resurrection of Jesus.

It ends with the commissioning of the disciples.

Jesus concludes this commission with a reminder; a reminder that He is ever present.

Matthew 28:20 (NRSVue) - and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Our lives, indeed, our world changes.

New islands are formed.

Mountains wear away.

But it is not only the physical world that changes.

Politicians make promises without intending to honor them.

The price of necessities continues to rise.

The list goes on.

But there is something upon which we can rely.

We can rely on an unchanging, ever present, triune God.

The psalmist understood this.

Jesus reminded us of this.

That is something upon which to rely!

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com on Friday, February 9, 2024.

I will be back here on Friday, February 16, 2024