Good Friday 2006

Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12

13 Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. 14 Just as many were astonished at you, {My people,} So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men. 15 Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.


1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no {stately} form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. 3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being {fell} upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke {was due?} 9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
10 But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting {Him} to grief; If He would render Himself {as} a guilt offering, He will see {His} offspring, He will prolong {His} days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. 11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see {it and} be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.

Luke 23:33-56

33 When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 34 But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. 35 And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One." 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!" 38 Now there was also an inscription above Him, "THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS." 39 One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" 40 But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 "And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." 42 And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" 43 And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."
44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 because the sun was obscured; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. 46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT." Having said this, He breathed His last. 47 Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent." 48 And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts. 49 And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.
50 And a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man 51 (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God; 52 this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain. 54 It was the preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. 55 Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

Prayer Study

Recent research into prayer seems to show that intercessory prayer is ineffective when it comes to the recovery of patients. Philosopher Richard Swinburne has an interesting take on why this might be the case:

“So what is the point of petitionary prayer? The answer must be that sometimes, perhaps often, it is equally good that what we should pray for should occur as it should not occur, and that God wants to interact with us by answering our requests — so long as we ask for right reasons. Of course God wants to do for the person praying what that person wants just because that person wants it for a right reason.

One right reason is that he prays for a particular sufferer out of love and compassion. In the STEP prayer study, the people praying were not praying out of love and compassion for the particular sufferer. Although the form of their prayer might — dishonestly — suggest that they wanted the well-being of the patient for its own sake, that was not why they were praying. They were praying to test a scientific hypothesis.

Why should a good God pay any attention to these prayers? One might say: “In order to show us more evidentially that he exists.” But if there is a God, he does not need to answer such prayers to do this. If he wanted to do that, he could fill the world with “super miracles.”
There is quite a lot of evidence anyway of God's existence, and too much might not be good for us. The negative result of the STEP study is entirely predictable based on the hypothesis of a loving God who sometimes answers prayers of genuine compassion”. (read entire article)

Gospel of Judas pt. 2

Ben Witherington has two more follow up posts on the Gospel of Judas (here and here).

Articles on Jesus

In my opinion (humble it be), William Lane Craig is the premier(e) Christian apologist currently working. One of his specialities is the historical Jesus and the resurrection. As Easter approaches, it would be beneficial, I think, for Christians to familiarize themselves with the evidences for the resurrection. This page lists a number of Craig's articles on the topic.

Our faith of course is not in the evidences themselves but in the fact of the resurrection. We don't need evidence to be rational in our faith, but it's sure nice to know that it's available.

Gospel of Judas

Ben Witherington has some thoughts on the Gospel of Judas.

Colson Commentary on Christian Music

“The decision by influential Christian broadcasters and music companies to avoid moral controversies could result in the church withdrawing from the culture as it tragically did a century ago. What is the job of Christian radio, after all? To give people what they want, or—as with any ministry—to give them what they need? Music is important in the life of the church and can inspire us to focus on Christ. But it cannot take the place of solid teaching.The great strength of radio, as with books, has been to present in-depth teaching and moral discussion that engages Christians cognitively. This is something Americans find increasingly difficult. According to a recent study, the average college graduate's proficient literacy in English has declined from 40 percent in 1992 to 31 percent today. The study defines proficient literacy as the ability to read lengthy, complex texts and draw complicated inferences. Think about it: One out of three college graduates cannot read a book or absorb a serious sermon.” (read entire article)

Favourite Hymn #15

Immortal Invisible God Only Wise

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish—but naught changeth Thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
But of all Thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart
Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.

All laud we would render; O help us to see
’Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee,
And so let Thy glory, Almighty, impart,
Through Christ in His story, Thy Christ to the heart.

A Pentecostal Looks at Anti-Intellectualism

This is a refreshing interview with a Pentecostal pastor who acknowledges the problem of anti-intellectualism in much of the Pentecostal movement. His insights can also be applied to the evangelical church as a whole as well.

Favourite Hymn #16

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross


When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Da Vinci Inquest

I haven’t read the Da Vince Code but I have seen the commercial for the upcoming film. I do have Holy Blood, Holy Grail on my bookshelf, though I don’t know when I’ll get around to reading it. For those who want a good debunking, Tekton has an article by J.P. Holding, Not InDaVincible which finds the flaws in Brown’s research and claims.

Favourite Hymn #17

Alas and Did My Savior Bleed

Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For sinners such as I?

Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine—
And bathed in its own blood—
While the firm mark of wrath divine,
His Soul in anguish stood.

Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died,
For man the creature’s sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes to tears.

But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give my self away
’Tis all that I can do.

To LIve Happily Ever After

After reading Tess of the D’Urbervilles a while back, I thought, “Now that’s a bit of a downer”. Others seem to agree. Should great (or for that matter good or even half-decent) literature have happy endings?

Shiny Happy Evangelicals?

This CT article reports on a Pew Research survey.

Favourite Hymn #18

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near;
Praise Him in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, Who over all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires ever have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord, Who hath fearfully, wondrously, made thee;
Health hath vouchsafed and, when heedlessly falling, hath stayed thee.
What need or grief ever hath failed of relief?
Wings of His mercy did shade thee.

Praise to the Lord, Who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
If with His love He befriend thee.

Praise to the Lord, Who, when tempests their warfare are waging,
Who, when the elements madly around thee are raging,
Biddeth them cease, turneth their fury to peace,
Whirlwinds and waters assuaging.

Praise to the Lord, Who, when darkness of sin is abounding,
Who, when the godless do triumph, all virtue confounding,
Sheddeth His light, chaseth the horrors of night,
Saints with His mercy surrounding.

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him.
Let the Amen sound from His people again,
Gladly for aye we adore Him.

Thought for Thinkers

An intriguing article on making choices

Favourite Hymn #19

Thine is the Glory

Thine is the glory, Risen, conquering Son;
Endless is the victory Thou o’er death hast won.
Angels in bright raiment Rolled the stone away,
Kept the folded graveclothes Where Thy body lay.

Refrain
Thine is the glory, Risen, conquering Son;
Endless is the victory Thou o’er death hast won.

Lo! Jesus meets us, Risen from the tomb;
Lovingly He greets us, Scatters fear and gloom.
Let His church with gladness Hymns of triumph sing,
For her Lord now liveth: Death hast lost its sting.

Refrain

No more we doubt Thee, Glorious Prince of life!
Life is naught without Thee: Aid us in our strife.
Make us more than conquerors, Through Thy deathless love:
Bring us safe through Jordan To Thy home above.

Refrain

Unreality TV

How real is “reality TV”?

“A novel three years in the making, a painting slowly achieved after years of study, even a long-running television series—these may possibly possess the power to take us more deeply into the mysteries of the condition in which we find ourselves, and may, most crucially, cast a vision of what we might yet become. But "reality TV"? Its tacky melodrama, deus ex machina plots, unending musical manipulations, and pseudo-heroic corporate saviors only undercut what it pretends to be about. Instead of showing us our truest selves, it plays to our worst impulses and misperceptions, making, in the end, a spectacle of our inner lives. Like other forms of voyeurism, it actually diminishes our taste for reality.” (read entire article)

Favourite Hymn #20

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

One irritating thing regarding this hymn is that lately I see that the second stanza is often left out of some hymnals and overhead projections (where hymnals are not used). Ebenezer is the name of the stone that Samuel raised after the Israelites’ (actually God’s) victory over the Philistines (1 Sam. 7:12). To my mind that line is the centerpiece of the hymn. Go figure.

On Hymns

A quote in my hymnal, attributed to Martin Luther goes:

“I wish to see all arts, principally music, in the service of Him who gave and created them. Music is a fair and glorious gift of God. I would not for the world forego my humble share of music. Singers are never sorrowful, but are merry, and smile through their troubles in song. Music makes people kinder, gentler, more staid and reasonable. I am strongly persuaded that after theology there is no art than can be placed on a level with music; for besides theology, music is the only art capable of affording peace and joy of the heart…the devil flees before the sound of music almost as much as before the Word of God.”

C.S. Lewis notes that “for many people…music is the thing known in the present life which most strongly suggests ecstasy and infinity.”

As I write this I’m listening to a composition by Bach set to Psalm 51. Known as “the fifth Evangelist”, J.S. Bach evokes, through his music, heaven like none other I know. That his theology permeates everything he wrote can be seen (or heard) in the fact that his “secular” works sound just as “sacred” as his explicitly religious works (I recommend reading Bach Among the Theologians by Jaroslav Pelikan).

The main musical selections we get in church today are hymns and contemporary worship songs/choruses. For my money, contemporary songs don’t come close to hymns in conveying the depth of emotion, theological conviction, and intellectual formation of the Christian faith. Modern choruses give us, unfortunately (in my view) simply a baptized version of the ubiquitous romantic ballad. Just replace “boy” or “girl” or “him” or “her” with God or “Him”. There are a few contemporary songs I do like though. The next few posts will include my 20 favourite hymns. I might give a few of my favourite contemporary songs as well (at least the ones we sing in my church. If not for those I probably would have little or no exposure to them).

A prayer

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve,
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health, that I might do greater things,
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.

I asked for riches, that I might be happy,
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.

I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men most richly blessed.

-Unknown