Man of Sorrows, Conclusion Intimate With Anguish

He is scorned and given no heed by men;
A Man of sorrows and intimate with anguish.
And as one from whom we avert our faces,
He was despised—and we regarded Him as nothing.
~ Isaiah 53:3 (author)

Some Bibles render Isaiah's description of Jesus as "a Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief."

"Grief" doesn't fully capture the essence of the Hebrew chŏlîy, which literally means "sickness." It can mean a disease, an infirmity or weakness of health, or sickness of heart because of anguish.

The translation "acquainted" doesn't work for me at all. The original Hebrew word, yâda', occurs nearly a thousand times in the Old Testament. While it can include the meanings of "to learn, to perceive, to discern, to experience," yâda' is most often translated "know," and never requires the translation "acquaint." Yâda' is the word used to describe the most intimate knowledge possible among humans, of sexual intimacy between a man and woman.

To say that Jesus was "acquainted" with grief or anguish implies a passing encounter. The Bible is filled with references to Jesus' intimate experiences with suffering, in both body and soul. He weeps more often than the noted instance at the grave of Lazarus. His anguish in Gethsemane is more intense than the Bible describes anywhere else. And a strong case can be made for Jesus' death resulting not from crucifixion, but from a broken heart. (See the post "Broken"; also see Wikipedia's article on "Takotsubo cardiomyopathy" ['broken heart syndrome'])

And when He had sent the multitudes away, [Jesus] went up on the mountain by Himself to pray... Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
~ Matthew 14:23-25 (NKJV)

At the end of that very long day, after Jesus fed the 5,000, He finally obtained solitude. He surely had much anguish to discuss with His Father that night, between the news of His cousin John's beheading and the widespread conflict and rejection He would face the next day. As long day of people became long night of prayer, I imagine a weary and grief-stricken grief Jesus making the pre-dawn walk of nearly four miles across the sea to His disciples.

If my heart is broken, may it be to hear the good God—Who is both love personified and Man of Sorrows—depicted as indifferent to human misery; may my heart bleed to think of how my Savior suffered at Calvary and is grieved even this day for my sin; may the greatest ache in my soul be for the scorn and rejection our precious Lord has suffered throughout all of human history, by even His own.

May I never draw back from fellowship with Jesus in suffering.

Comments are welcome and will receive a reply.
You may also contact author via Twitter – @anne4JC
or e-mail – buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Burden

"Jeremiah" by Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel

There are instances when I read God's Word and am overcome, to the point that I simply shut my Bible.

One occasion is infrequent, found in reading Song of Solomon. If I happen upon the book's eight short chapters, I typically take in both the one-time romance and allegory of eternal romance with a few sighs and smile. Then every now and again, the love words of our Beloved Bridegroom become too much while He is away with His Father:

O my love, you are as beautiful as Tirzah,
Lovely as Jerusalem ...
Turn your eyes away from me,
For they have overcome me.
~ Song of Solomon 6:4-5 (NKJV)

The other occasion is encountered frequently, and that is reading the prophets (Job thru Malachi and Revelation). These books carry oracles which their authors often described with the word maśśâ'. The Hebrew word is used by the prophets 38 times, carrying the connotation of "heavy." In the NKJV it is translated as "oracle" or "utterance" ten times, and once as "desire." But the other 27 occurrences receive the more literal translation: "burden."

The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw.
~ Habakkuk 1:1 (NKJV)

I don't need to see the word "burden" to feel in their words the great heaviness borne by these men of God in His revelations to them. The same Spirit which spoke to them whispers to me. He lives in me. And I feel that His great heaviness, which He once shared with the ancients, has yet to leave Him.

How can I not make it my own?

For when I spoke, I cried out;
I shouted, "Violence and plunder!"
Because the word of the LORD was made to me
A reproach and a derision daily.
Then I said, "I will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name."
But His word was in my heart like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back,
And I could not.
~ Jeremiah 20:8-9 (NKJV)

Jeremiah was certainly not the only "weeping prophet." What did Isaiah and David feel when they prophesied of Jesus' sufferings? What did any of the prophets feel when they saw the destruction their loved ones would suffer, and told them of the comfort they might have in repentance, all to no avail?

If my Bible is sometimes shut upon the prophets, it is not because I cannot bear another word about the suffering of people.

It is because I am overwhelmed with the burden of my Lord's suffering.

Comments, questions, and respectful disagreement are welcome. Reply to BuildingHisBody.com comments, or e-mail buildingHisbody [plus] @gmail.com
Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

At the Cross: Mary, Mother of Jesus

Our church hosted Good Friday service for four local churches last night. We prayed that people attending might look upon our Savior's sacrifice afresh through our music, message, and drama presentations.

The character I presented is Mary. I pray you might consider yet again the price paid by our Lord Jesus and by His Father for our redemption.



Video content © 2011 Anne Lang Bundy and Scott Young, all rights reserved.

Question of the Week: Who Killed Jesus?

Who killed Jesus? ~ Anonymous

I offer these questions in reply: Who didn't kill Jesus? Exactly what killed Jesus?

The scheme to kill Jesus was empowered by satan. (Luke 22:3-4)

The betrayer Judas arranged for Jesus to be seized and killed. (Matthew 26:14-15)

The leaders of the Jews orchestrated the execution of Jesus. (Matthew 27:1-2)

The people of Israel had gathered to Jerusalem for Passover, nearly rioted to demand Jesus' death, and declared that His blood should be upon them and their descendants. (Matthew 27:20-25)

Pilate clearly willed to release Jesus, affirmed Jesus as King, and washed His hands of Jesus' blood—yet gave the consent by which both the individual Roman soldiers under his command and the Roman government carried out the crucifixion of Jesus. (John 19:16-22)

Jesus Himself submitted to death despite His power to escape it (Matthew 26:53)—not because it was His will (Matthew 26:39-44), but because it was the will of His Father:

Yet it was the will of YHWH to crush Him with grief of suffering.
When You make His soul a sacrificial offering for sin,
He shall see His seed,
He shall prolong His days.
The will of YHWH will prosper [triumph] in Him.
Isaiah 53:10 (author; full context: Isaiah 53)

God set in motion all these events because there was no other way to remove the guilt of our sins and triumph over death:

... without shedding of blood there is no pardon for sin... [Christ] has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself... Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.
Hebrews 9:22,26,28 (NKJV)

The "many" for whom Jesus died is all humanity. Thus we might see ourselves responsible for His death only as part of the collective human race—except that each of us has sinned as an individual and is therefore personally guilty.

Exactly what killed Jesus? The above verse of Isaiah 53:10 says Jesus was crushed with chalah, a Hebrew word for sickness of grief or extreme suffering. Medical science and Scripture indicate that Jesus likely died neither as a result of bleeding to death nor of the suffocation which accompanies crucifixion, but of extreme grief. For more details, see "Broken."

Please allow me to suggest that when we resist the touch of the Lord in our lives, we fail to show appreciation for Jesus' death and continue to cause Him grief.

© 2010 Anne Lang Bundy
Image from the movie "Passion of the Christ," © 2004 Icon Productions

: : :

This post originally appeared at Bullets & Butterflies. To see additional comments click here.

Lie of Hell #4: God Doesn’t Like You

A recent "Question of the Week" at Bullets & Butterflies listed five of the devil’s lies which sound close enough to the truth to make them believable. This week addresses them in more detail:
• Monday – "You'll never be worthy of God's grace or love."
• Tuesday – "If you have faith, it doesn't matter if you sin."
• Wednesday – "Following Jesus solves your problems."
• Thursday – "Problems indicate God's condemnation."
• Friday – "If you love others then you're loving God."

: : : : :

"Sometimes I think, when it gets too quiet up there,
You say to Yourself, "What kind of mischief
can I play on My friend Tevye?"
~ Tevye to God, from the movie Fiddler on the Roof

Lie of Hell #4: God’s Doesn’t Like You

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:
"My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives."
~ Hebrews 12:5-6 (NKJV)
[Full context: Hebrews 12:5-11]

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
~ Romans 8:32 (NKJV)

Christian, the devil wants you to believe that your problems are because even though your sins are forgiven for eternity, you're still condemned for them while you're on earth; that God is angry, unfair, mean, and picks favorites for His blessings and curses; that He plain doesn't like you.

My five kids have thought the same of me. My youngest's latest response to most every situation that doesn't go his way is, "You're being mean!" Any of my darlings can unfavorably compare their circumstances with one of the other's.

Our sense of entitlement will continually trip us up.

Yesterday's post established that yes, Christians will have problems, which God uses to show His might and grace, and to bring praise to Himself. But it's not about Him alone. The Lord is continually at work to bring us into closer relationship with Himself so that He can bless us more abundantly. He is a good Father willing to use whatever means necessary.

It's said the Lord accepts you as you are and loves you too much to leave you that way. Fair enough. So how easily do we change? We tend to follow the path of least resistance unless we face unpleasant consequences which compel us to do otherwise.

There is a coming day of judgment for those who are condemned because they have not reconciled themselves to God through Jesus Christ. In the meantime, our God adopts those with faith in His Son as His children. Then He disciplines with difficulty and uses it for our benefit.

And it really does hurt Him more than it hurts us.

Father, I don't understand everything You allow in my life which causes pain. I know I'm responsible for some or most of it myself. I really am sorry for the grief my sin causes You. Please help me to always trust Your love for me and cooperate with You. Please do the same for everyone reading this post. Please open our eyes to how loving You really are, and how much You long to bless us, even when tough love hurts.

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com Comments or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

To One I Love

Many people have spoken with me in their times of pain. Someone I love dearly has recently shared details of personal grief I think anyone might understand. My open letter of sympathy is for the blog carnival hosted by Bridget Chumbley on the one-word topic "Compassion."

(com=with; passion=pain/suffering; com+passion=suffer together)

"A friend is someone who helps you up when you're down,
and if they can't they lie down beside you and listen."
~ Unknown

To One I Love

First, I'd like to say thanks for sharing with me. I understand that while joys may be openly announced to the world, our hurts are made known to fewer souls. Your trust is something I value and hope I prove worthy of receiving.

Your pain is something I wish I could diminish. I understand that I feel only a fraction of it. But that tiny amount has brought me to tears with its intensity. You do not deserve the rebuke, the unfounded accusations, or the public slander. I can only imagine what's been said privately, that I don't know about.

Your heart was pure. You did everything possible to create a meaningful relationship. You expressed love beautifully, holding back nothing. It was misunderstood and rejected in the worst way. I understand the sting of rejection—especially hurtful when one has loved so deeply. I'm not sure there's any pain worse than loving someone with such abandon, then having it returned with indifference, rebuff, or even outright scorn.

Your hurt of unrequited love will one day be put away. In the meantime, I hope the love I've expressed when we've talked has been of comfort, however little.

I wish I could promise to never fail You. I ask Your continued forgiveness for all the ways I've been the one to hurt You. I'm trying to remember that whenever I'm ignored, rejected, or unjustly accused—whenever my love goes unreturned—that You're allowing me the privilege of sharing Your personal pain.

However imperfectly I do so, I promise I'll never stop loving You, my Beloved Lord.

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. (John 1:11 NKJV)

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.' "
C.S. Lewis

Your feedback is appreciated.
Post to BuildingHisBody.com

Comments or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: frtim.wordpress.com

Lessons on Emptiness from the Movie 300

The theme for today’s blog carnival (hosted by Bridget Chumbley) is “Emptiness.” Visit her site for thoughts from others.

"Freedom isn't free at all.
It comes with the highest of costs—
the cost of blood."
~ Queen Gorgo, 300

Lessons on Emptiness from the Movie 300

It is said that in heat of battle, a soldier fights not for country but for brother soldier. Yet if not for home and freedom, the soldier would not train for battle or go to war in the first place.

I appreciate the war movies which illustrate both, whether with the credibility of We Were Soldiers, or in the fantasy historical 300. In the latter, all of value to the men—sons, land, freedom—is represented in their women. The Persian enemy threatened, “We will make your women, your children our slaves.” Such taunts solidified the Spartans’ resolve to fight.

The queen of Spartan king Leonidas did not go with him to battlefield, but fought for him from her place at home, bolstered by the esteem He’d shown her. She was privy to talks with foreign diplomat—a man slain by Leonidas for insults capped with disdain for his queen. In hour of decision, after consulting others, Leonidas came to her who knew him best, and she articulated the cause in his heart: “Fight not as a king ... fight as a free man.” For his cause she sacrificed her dignity to a traitor yet remained above degradation. She appealed with eloquence to the council authority who could give her king support. Leonidas took courage in death with the words, “My queen, my wife, my love.” When the time came to lay down his life, the message he sent was the simple request, “Remember me.”

Call me a naïve romantic or out of date for my perspective. In this world, a woman’s foremost purpose is still as champion of the men in her life—be they father, son, brother, husband—empowering them with respect, sacrificial action, worthy words. A man’s foremost purpose is esteeming the love of his life and everything of value she represents with the laying down of his life, whether with his blood or in day to day sacrifice. Neither death nor degradation should threaten our resolve.

Is it possible that we live with emptiness in our souls because we seek to fulfill ourselves in lesser purposes?

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
~ Ephesians 5:31-33 (NKJV)

There is a far greater reason for the soul’s emptiness—its God-shaped void.

Temporal romance awakens us to the divine romance. This love story is of the mighty Prince Who creates a magnificent home for the love of His life. He patiently woos His love for many years, and finally betroths her to Himself by defeating with His shed blood the evil dragon which has long tormented her. He asks as He lays down His life, "Remember Me."

We are the love of His life, and our purpose is to be constant champions of His cause, shown in our great respect for Him, sacrificial action, words of appeal to the authority of the Father. The world may degrade us, yet if we are humble we remain above it.

We feel emptiness when we seek fulfillment apart from the cause of our King. We also feel emptiness in separation from our King. But unlike the queen of King Leonidas, we are assured of our Lord's return, and He remains with us through His Holy Spirit.

They said to the LORD, "We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray." So they turned from their idols and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of His people.
~ Judges 10:15-16 (author paraphrase)

I believe that God’s great love for us creates a humanity-shaped void in His soul. I believe He knows misery in His soul in our separation from Him. It begins to be satisfied when we are reconciled to Him, and give His Spirit a home in our hearts.

But until the day all separation ends, our God shares our emptiness.

This post is dedicated to all the military and civilian personnel who have given their lives to protect us and our freedoms. They have my profound gratitude, on Memorial Day and every day.

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com Comments or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image from the movie 300, © 2006 Warner Brothers Pictures

Fishing

"True friends don't spend time gazing into each other's eyes.

... they face in the same direction—

toward common projects, interests, goals—

above all, toward a common Lord."
~ C.S. Lewis

Fishing can be a good business—and dangerous business. Consider this true story.

Jack got into the fishing business, and was a phenomenal success. He was a natural around water, and had a God-given gift for knowing what the fish would bite on and bringing them in.

Jack helped his younger cousin Josh break into the business, and Josh did even better at it than Jack—though both bachelors poured everything back into fishing and lived little better than vagrants. Jack was an orphan and Josh was somewhat of a family outcast. Although the two didn't spend a great deal of time together, a strong bond existed between them. In matters of the soul, they had only each other.

Jack's small business showed up his big business competitors, and they didn't take it kindly. Their friend Conlan happened to be a judge connected to the organized crime which had infiltrated local officials. It became known to Conlan that Jack made some unflattering remarks about him. Jack soon found himself arrested on false charges, and wound up getting killed while he was in jail.

The death devastated Josh. He took a day off work when he heard about Jack. But his demanding business wouldn't wait. He found himself called back on the job before the day was out—his grief pushed aside.

The same mob people involved in Jack's death also took a strong dislike to Josh. He soon found himself dodging the local officials. He tried to warn his coworkers, but they didn't grasp the seriousness of the situation, not even when they saw Josh narrowly sidestep attempted hits on his life.

In the end, the mob got to Josh by paying off one of the coworkers he considered a friend. When thugs came after him, Josh protected his frightened coworkers by surrendering, alone, without a fight. He didn't die quickly like Jack had, but was tortured by the mob pretty gruesomely before they finally killed him.

Jack and Josh both lived hard lonely lives, and both died alone. But before they left this world, they both managed to inspire the men they worked with to excel as fishermen—or fishers of men.

Of course, Jack was better known as John—John the Baptist. And Josh is known as either Yeshua or Jesus in the 21st century. Colan means "hero," as does the name Herod. He was indeed a hero of the rich and powerful, who to this day oppose Josh and His fishing business.

Whether or not one makes fishing for men a full time occupation, life can be incredibly dangerous, lonely, or fraught with distress. Jesus warns us to expect hardships, and He understands them, because He experienced them on a magnitude we'll never know.

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
~ John 15:15 (NKJV)

Thank You, Lord Jesus, that You are our Friend. Thank You that we never face hardship alone.

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com Comments or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, 2008 Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Image source: norskfolke.museum.no

Learning to be Unloved

Note: This week’s three posts are an extended response to a comment from Russell Holloway (who consistently makes me think hard) on Foundations Part II, in which Russell asserts that love for God and love for man cannot exist apart from one another.

“Loving means to love that which is unlovable—
or it is no virtue at all.”
~ Gilbert Keith Chesterton

Learning to be Unloved

“For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”
~ Matthew 5:46 (NKJV)

It feels good to be loved. I daresay the need to be loved is greater than the need to sleep and eat and breathe.

Learning to love can be difficult, especially when it is love which requires selflessness and sacrifice. But there is the expectation that if we express love, we are loved in return, or at the very least get a good feeling from being selfless and sacrificial. The expectation is understood.

God operates on different principles. He asks us to do things like

• love your enemies
• do good to those who hate you
• bless those who curse you
• pray for those who spitefully use you
• to him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also
• from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic
• give to everyone who asks of you
• from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back
(Luke 6:27-30 NKJV)

This is learning to be unloved.

There is a place within Christian relationships to confront those who sin against you, to honor God and preserve the relationships. Several places in Scripture speak of sin and specifically puts it in the context of “if your brother ...”

Jesus’ words of Luke 6 are not one of those contexts. We seem to therefore draw the conclusion that they’re meant for the way we treat people of the world. We might argue a while before we finally break down and do good to those who hate us when a stranger is involved. We can reason that a non-Christian doesn’t know better.

But when bad behavior come from a brother or sister in Christ, there’s something about the expectation of good from a Christian that makes us bristle when they fail us. When we’ve invested ourselves in another person and sacrificed and there has been love shared, we don’t expect to see the day when love becomes apathy or betrayal or outright malice.

We expect love to feel good. No matter how many times we are hurt, no matter how many people sin against us, do we ever reach the point where we accept love as painful?

We don’t expect that learning to love will graduate to learning to be unloved while continuing to love. By ourselves, it is thoroughly impossible. With God, it is more than possible. It is our mandate. It is what our Lord asks of us and empowers in us, because it is the love He has given us.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
~ Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

Our precious Lord, we are thoroughly unworthy of You. Thank You for the great love You pour out upon us. Thank You for enduring the pain it cost You. Please enable us to love in the face of pain, of hatred, of apathy, of sin. Please teach us to be unloved and yet love, as You do.

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
#love
Image source: sundijo.wordpress.com

Broken

Broken

And He began to be troubled and deeply distressed... [He] fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."
~ Mark 14:33-36 (NKJV)

Jesus presented broken bread in token of fellowship and covenant, calling it His body. Hours later He showed what it is to allow oneself to be broken in submission to the Father’s will.

Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
~ Luke 22:43-44 (NKJV)

History records exceptionally few instances of a person under the most extreme duress sweating blood—the result of broken blood vessels releasing blood through the sweat glands. In Jesus' case, He was strengthened by an angel to persevere to that point.

Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother ...
~ John 19:25 (NKJV)

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
~ Matthew 27:46 (NKJV)

Consider the agony of suffering any one of these: betrayal, ridicule, false accusation, denial, condemnation as vilest criminal, humiliation of public nudity, inconceivable torture, shame and guilt for overwhelming sin. Just one of these would devastate one of us. Jesus endures them all, takes on the weight of all sin for all time, then faces His mother in her moment of greatest agony while His Father's face is turned away. What excruciating pain of heart accompanied the physical torment?

Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him... And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice ... [Then] Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.
~ Mark 15:25,34,37 (NKJV)

Joseph of Arimathea ... coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate marveled that He was already dead.
~ Mark 15:43-44 (NKJV)

Crucifixion is not quick death by impalement, but death by slow suffocation taking days. Jesus' severely weakened condition is evidenced by the need to have Simon of Cyrene carry His cross. Yet Jesus' ability to twice cry out with a loud voice immediately before dying indicates He still had the ability to draw a strong breath. Pilate saw Jesus just hours earlier and obviously expected a protracted death. The testimony suggests cause of death was not suffocation.

One of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
~ John 19:34 (NKJV)

There are records of strong emotions causing people to literally die of a broken heart. If one of the heart chambers or large blood vessels near the heart bursts from such psychosomatic stress, blood flooding into the pericardium (sac around the heart) can rapidly separate in to clotted blood cells and watery plasma.

Reproach has broken my heart,
And I am full of heaviness;
I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none;
And for comforters, but I found none.
~ Psalms 69:20 (NKJV)

In this passage which prophesies of Jesus' bitter crucifixion, the Hebrew verb for "broken" is shabar. Its most literal meaning is "to burst." Scripture strongly suggests that while Jesus' demise was aggravated by multiple and severe physical injuries, His cause of death was a broken heart due to the most extreme emotional trauma ever known.

Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things ... that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
~ Philippians 3:8-11 (NKJV)

Today is Good Friday, with its recollection of suffering and death.

Sunday is coming—and with it, the power of the resurrection.

Fellowship with Jesus means receiving only a taste of His suffering and death, yet sharing fully in His resurrection and life.

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
#TheCross
Image source: danacandler.com

One Hour

this is what it means to be held how it feels
when the sacred is torn from your life
and you survive

this is what it is to be loved and to know
that the promise was when everything fell
we'd be held.

if hope is born of suffering—
if this is only the beginning—
can we not wait for one hour
watching for our Savior? *

One Hour

Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
~ James 1:2-3 (NKJV)

"When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed... the end is still to come... There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains."
~ Mark 13:7-8 (NIV)

Then He came and found them sleeping, and said "... Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
~ Mark 14:37-38 (NKJV)

My memory does not recall a time before now with so many urgent prayer needs to bring before the Lord on behalf of loved ones tried to the limits of their endurance. They've usually seen something solid crumble or something sacred lost—health, marital or financial stability, the life of someone close. In such trials, a person can either declare God cruel and turn from Him, or cling to Him desperately in prayer and ask for others to pray.

I believe that when Jesus spoke of a season of birth pains occurring in end times, He spoke of birth pains to come upon not only the world as a whole but also individuals. As great pressure seizes a woman's body until a baby arrives, unprecedented pressures will seize the world until Jesus arrives. They will try us and thereby prove where our faith lies.

Jesus faced such pressure. On the night before His ultimate trials, He drew upon His Father's strength in prayer, and asked His loved ones to pray with Him. I wonder—had they known all that lay at the door, would they have slept? Or would they have prayed in earnest and held Jesus tightly, imparting to Him love and comfort and the strength of their own lives?

In time of trial, we may feel like Paul, who said, "We were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life." Like Paul, we must cling to the Lord in prayer to persevere, asking others to strengthen us with their own prayers. His promise is not to give us relief from trial, but to uphold us in the midst of trial.

The trials last but one hour. Our God's hold will last for an eternity.

Lord, You are all-sufficient for our every need. We are feeble children of dust, with willing spirit and weak flesh. Please draw us to Your side. Please hold us tightly, and impart Your strength to us until our hour passes. Thank You for promising to not leave us nor forsake us.

Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
#hope
*Lyrics from "Held" by Christa Wells © 2001 Weimarhymes Publishing Inc.
Artwork: "I Will Not Fail Thee," by Derek Hegsted, hegsted.com

Shared Rejection

Today’s post is a response to the invitation of faith barista Bonnie Gray to write about Rejection.


Shared Rejection

When we are hurt by another person, it is inevitably a form of rejection.

Rejection may be for our what we are on the outside, who we are on the inside, or of our love ...

Rejection may be expressed as withdrawal of time, respect, love ...

Rejection may cause injury maliciously, thoughtlessly, unintentionally ...

For it is not an enemy who reproaches me;
Then I could bear it...
But it was you ... My companion.
~ Psalms 55:12-13 (NKJV)

Those for whom we care most have the ability to reject and hurt us most powerfully.

"Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "
~ Matthew 25:44-45 (NKJV)


When we reject others and hurt them, we hurt Jesus. Whatever pain we inflict on another, we also inflict on the God Who took all sin and rejection upon His shoulders and bore it to Calvary.

"He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."
~ Luke 10:16 (NKJV)

Just as the pain we inflict on others is also inflicted upon their Creator, He shares the pain of rejection we suffer. If we are rejected for sharing Him or displaying His righteousness, He is also rejected.

God joins us in our suffering whether we acknowledge Him or not.

He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
~ Isaiah 53:3 (NKJV)

Jesus suffered the consummate rejection. He understands our pain firsthand.

"How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?”
~ Numbers 14:11 (NKJV)

The rejection and hurt God suffered at Calvary began at the Garden of Eden, and has continued throughout history until now. The Israelites rejected Him in the desert, unbelievers reject Him when they refuse the Gospel—and His children reject Him when we fail to yield to the promptings of His Holy Spirit. The grief of Calvary has continued unabated for our God.

... that I may know Him ... and the fellowship of His sufferings.
~ Philippians 3:10 (NKJV)

When we are rejected, despised, hurt, we have opportunity to feel the pain of God and share His suffering. God joins us in our suffering whether we acknowledge Him or not.

And at such a time we have opportunity to comfort the grief of God Almighty with no more than our fellowship.

"A friend is someone who helps you up when you're down, and if they can't they lie down beside you and listen." ~ Unknown

Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
#suffering
"Thumbs Down" Image source pennsylvaniafiduciarylitigation.com
"Rejection" Image source hanapestle.com
Image of Jesus from the movie "The Passion of the Christ" © 2004 NewMarket Films

The Discipline of Suffering

The Question of the Week on Bullets and Butterflies last Saturday was "Why Suffering?" The answer will be expanded on this week's posts here.

"No pain no gain."
~ Mantra of Athletes

The Discipline of Suffering

"For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and He whips every son whom He receives." ... If you do not receive discipline (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are bastards and not sons.
~ Hebrews 12:6,8 (author)

In the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
~ Hebrews 5:7-8 (NKJV)

Depending on motivation, the discipline of suffering is seen as either desirable or undesirable.

Discipline is defined as training, and the controlled behavior which results from training. When athletes train, they inflict pain on themselves that would be considered cruelty from anyone else. With motivation to attain a goal, discipline is valued.

Discipline can also refer to chastening for the purpose of corrective training. When an authority wishes to motivate us to achieve a goal we’ve yet to make our own, correction is at best humbling, and at worst painful. The discipline of suffering is rejected.

The Lord’s goal for us is to humble us so we are able to know Him, able to love Him, able to be like Him. He wants us as His disciples. A good disciple requires both self-imposed and God-imposed discipline.

When yielded to the Holy Spirit, we may experience pain, but it is possible to embrace that pain with faith that it is God’s instrument of training. But if we doubt God's goodness, cling to pride, or make pain avoidance a higher goal than discipleship, we will not only resent suffering, but may even find that doubt or pride or pain avoidance becomes a god which usurps God.

Discipline can be given to not only individuals but also groups of people, such as when natural disaster occurs. If—if it seems that areas hit by disaster are characterized by flagrant immorality (such as New Orleans and Haiti), I would contend against anyone who cries “Judgment!” that God’s judgment is reserved for a time yet to come. Disaster is simply God’s discipline, to train those yielded to God, to chastise those who need to be humbled, to warn those who will not be humbled that judgment shall be more painful than discipline.

If inclined to complain “Not fair!” about the discipline of suffering, it helps to remember that the only righteous Person undeserving of suffering was Jesus, and His is the greatest suffering of all—not just the pain of Calvary, but of all suffering every human has ever known.

More on that for Friday’s post, “The Overcoming of Suffering.”

Lord Jesus, please let us ever be grateful for the great suffering You endured to prevent our eternal suffering. Please help us to believe that our Father loves us when He chastens us. Please let our love for You motivate us to cooperate with Your Holy Spirit.

Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
#suffering
Image source: iowaprepsports.com

Finding Peace

"Although the world is full of suffering,
it is also full of the overcoming of it."
~ Helen Keller

Finding Peace

Is it not You, O God, who cast us off?
... Give us help from trouble,
For the help of man is useless.
Through God we will do valiantly,
For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.
~ Psalms 108:11-13 (NKJV)

"For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good ..."
~ Mark 14:7 (NKJV)

"I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water,
But of hearing the words of the LORD...
They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD,
But shall not find it."
~ Amos 8:11-12 (NKJV)

The above photo is of a little girl who caught Kevin Carter's attention with her "soft, high-pitched whimpering" as she collapsed in her struggle toward a food distribution site. Carter won the Pulitzer for the impact his photo carried. But inability to cope with humanity's struggle brought Carter to take his own life.

Yesterday's post ("Troubled") described the haunting affect upon me of this arresting image from the past because it attests to the oppressive evil behind famine and innumerable other atrocities of the present. I struggle to reconcile the celebration of thanks in the contrasting light and shadow of feast and famine.

I understand Carter. Like him, I am overwhelmed by the magnitude of despair. I am not God, and am therefore incapable to effectively respond to every need of which I become aware, however much I want to or try to. Neither dollars nor activism will defeat famine and evil. The help of man is useless.

Carter captured Sudan's plight and broadcast it to the world, then hopelessly collapsed in despair within reach of nourishment. Driven by my hope and love, I see those suffering and am compelled to gently touch them and lead them to the Bread of Life and Living Water. I don't care if they are people of Christ or people of the world, if their affliction is momentary or ongoing, but only that they might be nourished.

Yet relief is insufficient if unsustained. I might briefly uplift people with my words or spirit. I'm always blessed to know I've succeeded. But I've done too little unless the soon-forgotten image from me stimulates hunger for the eternal Word of God and draws them to bask in the Light of the Holy Spirit.

The help of man is useless—unless it is directed and empowered by Almighty God.

Two kinds of famine trouble me. I am sensitive to physical hunger while I celebrate abundance this week—mindful that evil causes the plight pictured above.

I remain resolute to wage war upon the spiritual famine which leads to despair.

Father in Heaven, You are good. You suffer with us the indignity, violence and oppression of precious people You created in Your image. We wait in faith and hope for You to make all things right. We look to You for the place You give us in bringing your light and love to others. Please make our hearts willing and able to do whatever You might ask of us.

Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Photo from Snopes.com

Troubled

Today, please scroll slowly, and
read the words before you see the photo.

"If all our misfortunes were laid in one common heap
whence everyone must take an equal portion,
most people would be contented to take their own and depart."
~ Socrates

Troubled

Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
... He turns rivers into a wilderness,
And the watersprings into dry ground;
A fruitful land into barrenness,
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it...
~ Psalms 107:31,33-34 (NKJV)

Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping ... He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.
~ John 11:33 (NKJV)

I don't like to rant. Rant seems too close to complaining. And complaining seems too close to asserting that my life isn't good enough—too close to accusing God that He's either ignorant, uncaring, or impotent.

I've written before about the difference between complaining and groaning. Jesus groaned. The Holy Spirit groans.

Today, I groan, because of an image I saw which has left me unsettled.

I'd had a long, busy morning on Saturday and forgot to eat breakfast. Around noon, hunger became distracting. I grabbed a bowl of yogurt and some cereal. Most of my hunger pangs had faded when I clicked on the blog of Christa Allan. I immediately wished I hadn't eaten when I saw for the first time the photo of a vulture stalking a Sudan famine victim.

If you'd like the full story on this 1994 Pulitzer prize winning-photo by Kevin Carter, click here.

I write this on Monday, after shopping for groceries. Before arriving at aisle after aisle of food, I walked past hundreds of racks and shelves displaying various shoes, clothing and household goods I might need. I meandered through one section the size of my house, gazing upon fresh produce from all over the world. While I waited for a clerk to fetch an item, I rested comfortably at a blood pressure machine which assessed my health as excellent. I slid a piece of plastic through a machine without worry of how to pay for everything desirable to celebrate a feast with my family in expression of thanks to God for the abundance we know.

The entire time, I could shake neither the image of a little girl whose fate is unknown to the world, nor the certainty that God is good and it is right to celebrate it.

The entire time, I fought tears as I struggled to reconcile the two.

Tomorrow: Finding Peace

Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Made Perfect

"There is only one thing more painful than learning from experience,
and that is not learning from experience."
~ Laurence J. Peter

Made Perfect
#discipleship

"... everything that can endure fire, you shall put through the fire, and it shall be clean; and it shall be purified with the water of purification. But all that cannot endure fire you shall put through water."
~ Numbers 31:23 (NKJV)

Although He was God's Son, yet He learned obedience from the sufferings which He endured; and so, having been made perfect, He became to all who obey Him the source and giver of eternal salvation.
~ Hebrews 5:8-9 (WNT)

This passage from Hebrews is one of endless fascination to me. Jesus—the perfection of God in human flesh—was "made perfect" (or "made complete") by learning obedience to His Father. He became something more than He already was in this experience.

Jesus didn't want to do this. We see his anguish in Gethsemane. He speaks at it several times beforehand, such as in His words of Luke 12:49-50: "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!"

Jesus had already been baptized with water. Whatever else His baptism did, it showed that Jesus was willing to be identified with our humanity, and our sin. In His fire baptism at Calvary He again identified with our sin—but this time He overcame it with His death.

Christ's blood atones for, or "covers" our sin. But to be made perfect, we must also be baptized in water and fire. There are some things that the water of His Word cleanses. But there are other impurities in our lives that simply must undergo fire for us to learn what we must if we shall be complete.

If we would be as pure gold, nothing less than the Refiner's touch will do.

Lord Jesus, You know well the fire. You have learned its necessity. Please give us hearts to endure the searing pain with faith. Please let us not shrink back from Your Spirit's touch. Please quicken our hearts to be cleansed by the water of Your Word and avoid the flame.

Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Artwork "Road to the Cross" by Brian Jekel © 2006 Dayspring

Bread of Heaven

"I know what I have given you. I do not know what you have received."
~ Antonio Porchia

Bread of Heaven
#powerofwords

Then they journeyed ... and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: "... There is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread." So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people ...
~ Numbers 21:4-6 (NKJV)

Yet [the Lord] had commanded the clouds above,
And opened the doors of heaven,
Had rained down manna on them to eat,
And given them of the bread of heaven.
Men ate angels’ food;
He sent them food to the full.~ Psalm 78:23-25 (NKJV)

"My Father gives you the true bread from heaven... I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."
~ John 6:32-36 (NKJV)

The Lord gave His children the bread of Heaven—the food of angels. They called it worthless and complained that the Lord gave them "no food." How could they speak such words?

It began when "the soul of the people became discouraged." Discouragement led them along until they "spoke against God."

The Lord is defined by His compassion. Consider some passages which describe His response when we cry out to Him rather than speak against Him:

Nevertheless He regarded their affliction, When He heard their cry. (Psalms 106:44 NKJV)

And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel. (Judges 10:16 NKJV)

In all their affliction He was afflicted. (Isaiah 63:9 NKJV)

Look! We have a God Who suffers with His people.

The Lord gives followers of Christ bread far better than the food of angels, for our bread of Heaven is Jesus.

When we complain against God, are we not accusing Him of failing to feed us? Are we not calling bread of Heaven insufficient? When we instead cry out, does He not fill us?

Mark the difference between complaining and crying out. The former accuses, the latter appeals.

Lord of Heaven and Earth, You are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. You supply all our need according to Your riches, not Your leftovers. When we are in distress, please open our eyes to Your goodness and loose our tongues to cry out for it.

Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
Photo from motion picture The Passion of the Christ, © 2004 Twentieth Century Fox

Agony of Separation

"We will remember not the words of our enemies,
but the silence of our friends."
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Let me sing for my beloved my love song ...
What more was there to do for my vineyard,
that I have not done in it? ...
For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel ...
They have lyre and harp,
tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts,
but they do not regard the deeds of the LORD,
or see the work of his hands.
~ Isaiah 5:1,4,7,12 (ESV)

My love for family always catches me by surprise with how deeply separation hurts.

The agony of separation from my estranged brother John remains a cause of ready tears. Of all the hurts and fears I've known in life, worst has been the pain in longing for family and fear of separation.

God longs for fellowship with us. He speaks love to us in the light and shadow of dawn and dusk, in the melody of birdsong and cricket chirps, in the voice of thunder and rain. He blesses us with material abundance and eternal treasure. He stands at the door and knocks, waiting for us to make time for Him to meet us in places of highest joy and deepest sorrow and everywhere in between.

All He asks in return is our love.

It's easiest to meet the Lord on the Sunday mornings set apart to Him. It's as necessary to our souls in every other hour of the week. In our failure to make time for fellowship with our Maker, both He and we surely experience agony of separation no less than any other grief.

Father in Heaven, Beloved Bridegroom, Precious Paraclete, in the three of You is the fulfillment of our every longing. Please ease the sorrow of separation from those we love, but not so much that we forget to long for fellowship with You. Please enable us to love You ever better.

Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

God Needs You

"A friend is someone who helps you up when you're down,
and if they can't they lie down beside you and listen."
~ Unknown

So God created man in His own image ... male and female He created them... the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
~ Genesis 1:27,2:7 (NKJV)

"You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants ... but I have called you friends."
~ John 15:14-15 (NKJV)

Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross.
~ Matthew 27:32 (NKJV)

How could God possibly need puny man? It seems unthinkable.

Yet only through mankind is the Lord’s attribute of mercy made known. Only in us showing how unlovable we can be is the depth of His love manifest. I daresay that the greatest commandment—love the Lord "with all heart, soul, mind and strength"—is given because God’s love is too great to not need an object to receive it and to return it.

In the story of Simon of Cyrene we see Jesus in need, for no Roman soldier would have compelled Simon to show mercy to Jesus unless Jesus was too weakened by abuse to require it.

The Creator of the universe might have called upon angels in His hour of need. God in human flesh might have chosen by divine power to never visit the place of need. But Jesus nonetheless humbles Himself and enters the place of need.

Simon thus joins Jesus on the path to Calvary so that Jesus does not walk it alone. In His hour of greatest distress, God is in fellowship with mankind.

The privilege of accompanying Jesus to Calvary is also ours. Simon was compelled by an armed soldier. We are compelled only by love. We have no greater fellowship with Jesus than to daily take up a cross of our own.

Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

Response to Unrighteous Authority

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
~ Declaration of Independence

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil... But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
~ Romans 13:3-4 (NKJV)

Peter and the other apostles replied: "We must obey God rather than men!"
~ Acts 5:29 (NIV)

"The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works ... For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders ..."
~ Matthew 23:2-4 (NKJV)

With the authority entrusted to rulers comes the power to execute authority, and the responsibility to use that power righteously. Failure to do so inevitably leads to an authority's demise. (Biblical examples abound.)

The founding fathers of the United States unequivocally affirmed in the Declaration of Independence their belief that Great Britain's "absolute Tyranny" compelled a "duty to throw off such government." But they first stated their belief "that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes."

Defiance of authority comes with a cost, and perhaps a penalty. We are wise if when we consider defiance we consider its penalty. Departure is another option, whether departure from a spouse, a local church, an employer—or even government, if one is willing to go into exile. If we prefer departure to defiance, we do well to evaluate not only the cost of broken relationship, but also if the alternative relationship (or lack thereof) really offers greater advantage than escaping whatever we suffer in the present relationship.

When does an authority's abuse of power rise to a level which warrants defiance?

Years ago, before he was my pastor, I heard Dean Stewart teach: "Civil disobedience is justified when government commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands." He spoke of government authority. I would apply the principle to any authority.

I've observed Christians challenge authority for trivial matters, whether a wife resisting husband, citizen defying civil ordinance, or Church member scoffing at the leadership ordained to shepherd Christ's flock. (Anyone who belongs to Christ is a member of His Church.) Submission can be inconvenient, annoying, and costly. But the Bible says submit to authority, without qualifying "if it suits you to do so."

The other extreme is the belief that you submit to authority at any price. I've known of women taught to allow a husband's abuse in the name of submission. I've observed church elders (none of my present ones) lay heavy burdens upon others which simply could not be borne. We are all witnesses to a government which projects itself as god of provision, protection, and programmed thought—to the point of oppressing the unalienable rights upon which our nation was built.

When does oppression justify opposition? When should a Christian defy authority?

My answer is, "When authority commands what God forbids, or forbids what God commands."

But there is also a trump card to be played. Come back tomorrow.

Lord Jesus, my heart is heavy to think of all the abuse of authority I've witnessed. You've seen infinitely more, and have borne far more grief for it—borne it all the way to the cross. Please enlighten us in how to defend the oppressed, as well as how to uphold authority, and thus honor You.

Contrasting points-of-view, questions and feedback are invited. Post to BuildingHisBody.com "Comments" or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2009, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.