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The Scriptorium

Glory in Death

Jesus glorified God in His death, so that we could glorify Him in our lives.

The Gospel of John: John 19.1-42

Read and meditate on John 19.25-30.
Jesus’ died loving His mother and fulfilling Scripture. He glorified God to the end, even in the midst of His own great suffering.

                           25And standing there close by
the cross were Jesus’ mother and the wife
of Clopas (who was Mary’s kindred), and
the Magdalene, named Mary. 26Jesus, when
He saw His mother, standing by the one
He loved, said to her, “Woman, see your son.”
27And then, to His disciple, standing there,
He said, “Behold your mother!” So to care
for her, he took her from that hour into
his home.

                 28And after this, when Jesus knew
that all was now accomplished, so that all
God’s Word might be fulfilled, then did He call,
“I thirst.” 29Nearby a vessel that was full
of sour wine sat; they fixed onto a pole
a sponge filled with that wine, and held it to
His mouth. 30And when He took the wine into
His mouth, He said, “Now it is finished.” Then
He bowed His head, and speaking not again,
gave up His Spirit.


- John 19.25-30

Reflect
1.  Jesus cared for His mother even in the midst of His great pain and suffering. How is the glory of God evident in this? What does Jesus teach us here about the lifestyle of serving that He demonstrated in John 13? Complete the following prayer: Lord, too often I’m waiting for someone to do for me. Instead, help me to…

2.  Three people named Mary are present here, and each represents an important part of Jesus’ life and work. What does His mother Mary represent (recall Luke 1 and 2)? How about Mary Magdalene (whom we’ll see again)? And Mary’s kindred – probably a cousin, though John refers to her as Mary’s “sister” – who is specifically mentioned as Clopas’ wife. What does she represent (cf. Eph. 5.23-27)? Each of these women also embodies aspects of God’s glory. Explain. Lord Jesus, help me to see how You can glorify the Father in my life as…

3.  Mary is more than Jesus’ mother. Meditate on Revelation 12.1-6, 13-17. What does Mary represent? What was Jesus signaling by entrusting her to the disciple He loved (John)? How can we see God’s glory in this? Lord, as You entrusted Your mother to the apostle, so You have entrusted to me…

4.  Meditate on Psalm 69.19-21. This Word of God had to be fulfilled, and it was a word from Jesus – “I thirst” – that put in action the movement required to fulfill the ancient prophesy. Dying on the cross, weak from pain and thirst, the Word of Christ still commanded the lives of sinful men. Is this still true (Heb. 1.3; Eph. 1.11)? How can you see God’s glory in this? Lord, Your slightest Word bears more power than all the evil intentions and actions of a sinful world. So as I go out into that world today…

5.  The Greek uses one word to express the sentence, “It is finished.” That word is tetelestai. It is a form of the verb teleo, and relates to the idea of completion or bringing something to an end. It was, among other usages, a word common in the world of commerce in Jesus’ day. This word has been founded on ancient parchments, written across bills of sale, meaning something like, “Paid in full.” What was being “paid in full” by Jesus dying? How is the glory of God seen in this? Do you thank Him for this as often as you should? Bring together your prayers from questions 1-4 into one prayer.

Summary
“Having now tasted the vinegar, the produce of that vineyard that had degenerated in spite of its divine planter and had turned to the sourness of a foreign vine, the Lord says, ‘It is finished,’ that is, the Scriptures are fulfilled. There is nothing more to endure from these raging people. I have endured all that I foretold I should suffer. The mysteries of weakness are completed. Let the proofs of power be produced. And so he bowed the head and yielded up his spirit and gave that body that would be raised again on the third day the rest of peaceful slumber.” Leo the Great (fl. 440-461 AD)

We see the glory of God in the death of our Lord Jesus, but most of the people present at His crucifixion did not see God’s glory. Why not? Should their inability or unwillingness to see the glory of God prohibit us from living for His glory? Explain.

Closing Prayer
Show me Your ways, O LORD;
Teach me Your paths.
Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
On You I wait all the day.
Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses,
For they are from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions;
According to Your mercy remember me,
For Your goodness’ sake, O LORD.
Good and upright is the LORD;
Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.
The humble He guides in justice,
And the humble He teaches His way.
All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth,
To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.

Psalm 25.4-10

Psalm 25.4-10 (Festal Song: Revive Thy Work, O Lord)
Make me to know Your ways, teach me Your paths, O Lord!
My Savior, all day long I wait and seek You in Your Word.

Remember mercy, Lord, and steadfast love to me!
And all my sins before You let them not remembered be!

My sins have been of old, Your love is new each day;
According to Your goodness, Lord, regard my sinful way.

Upright and good are You, You lead us in Your way;
The humble You instruct in truth and guide him day by day.

The paths of God are all of love and faithfulness;
All they who keep His covenant the Lord will surely bless.

T. M. Moore

We are happy to offer each week’s Scriptorium studies in a free weekly PDF, suitable for personal or group use. You can download all the studies in our series on the Gospel of John by clicking here.

Need help learning to pray the psalms? Order the book, God’s Prayer Program, and discover why and how to realize the power of the psalms to transform your prayer life (click here).

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series IV a and b: John, edited by Joel C. Elowsky, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006. Verse translation of John by T. M. Moore.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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