Daily Devotion

7 April – See How He loved him

Audio

Prepare
Today is Monday, 7th of April. As we start another week in Lent, let us still our hearts and prepare to hear from the Lord. We begin by praying the Collect for Ash Wednesday:

Almighty and everlasting God,
you hate nothing that you have made
and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent:
create and make in us new and contrite hearts
that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, 
may receive from you, the God of all mercy,
perfect remission and forgiveness; 
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, 
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Psalm

The appointed psalm for today is Psalm 121.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
⁸ The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.

Scripture Reading

We read John chapter 11, verses 28 to 36. This passage is about the death of Lazarus in the village of Bethany and Jesus’s encounter with his grieving sisters, Mary and Martha.

²⁸ When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” ²⁹ And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. ³⁰ Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. ³¹ When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. ³² Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. ³⁴ And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵ Jesus wept. ³⁶ So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 

Reflection

When Jesus arrived at Bethany, the air was filled with the stench of death and the sounds of grief. Yet, in the midst of all that, this passage teaches us something about the meaning of life.

“See how He loved him.” The observing Jews exclaimed when they saw Jesus wept. We too can observe and say, “See how He loved him.”

Earlier in verse 3, the sisters describe Lazarus as “he whom you love.” The Greek word use here is used for friendship love. Jesus, in his earthly life, had close friends. Lazarus was one of them. In verse 35, we have here the shortest verse in the bible containing only two words – Jesus wept. We know that He was already moved emotionally when he saw his sisters and other Jews weeping. Death terminates one of the most precious gifts of life – love and friendships. We can surmise that Jesus wept when he felt the loss of these.

Later on in Chapter 14, he will assure His disciples that He will prepare a “room” for them. He will ensure that “where He is, they will be also.” Heaven is not just about a beautiful place. It is about His presence and the continuation of love and kinship.

This is why the resurrection of Christ gives us so much hope and meaning in life. Love and kinship is not a gift that will be cruelly cut off through death. Instead, it is an eternal gift and investment. This is why he will say later, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you.” (John 13:34)

“See how He loved Him.” Do you know that the Lord loves you just as much as He did Lazarus? Meditate on this thought for a moment.

As you walk with Jesus, will you ask the Lord to help you to love others like Him?

Collect

We close with the Collect of the Day:

Most merciful God,
who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ
delivered and saved the world:
grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross 
we may triumph in the power of his victory; 
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you, 
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen

The Love of God, by Selah

1 The love of God is greater far
than tongue or pen can ever tell;
it goes beyond the highest star,
and reaches to the lowest hell.
The wand’ring child is reconciled
by God’s beloved Son.
The aching soul again made whole,
and priceless pardon won.

Refrain:
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
the saints’ and angels’ song.

2 When ancient time shall pass away,
and human thrones and kingdoms fall;
when those who here refuse to pray
on rocks and hills and mountains call;
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
all measureless and strong;
grace will resound the whole earth round—
the saints’ and angels’ song. [Refrain]

3 Could we with ink the ocean fill,
and were the skies of parchment made;
were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill,
and ev’ryone a scribe by trade;
to write the love of God above
would drain the ocean dry;
nor could the scroll contain the whole,
though stretched from sky to sky. [Refrain]

The Love of God, by Selah – Youtube Link

Link to today’s Morning Office