To help us journey with Jesus towards the cross, each day this week I will post a scripture to read, a face from the journey of the cross on which to reflect, a prayer to pray, and a practice or suggested discipline to carry out.

Read the Scriptures:

John 19:1-30

Reflect on a Face of the Cross:

As much as John must have feared the events of the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, his love ultimately won out over his fear. Whereas Peter fled, John stood fixed at the foot of the cross. One can imagine John soaking in his last moments with Jesus – one last look, one last touch, one last moment with his teacher and friend. 

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, John was known as “the disciple Jesus loved,” and in His last few breaths, Jesus even trusted John with the care of one of His most treasured possessions – His mother.

Do you have a friend like that? A friend who, when every other friend has fled, remains? A friend who, when the skies are blackest, comes to sit beside you to take care of any requests or needs? Few people know friendship like that. But, surprisingly enough, just like John, we are called Jesus’ “beloved” and “friend.” 

The night before He died, Jesus told His disciples, “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends…” (John 15:15). 

Friendship is what the cross was for. Through the cross, Christ pulls us close, draws us in, and we too become privy to His requests and needs. We hear His cries and see His heart, all because, through His sacrifice, He has called us “friend.”

Over the next few days, stand with John at the foot of the cross. Spend time walking, talking, praying, and listening. Just as with John, intimate friendship with Christ is waiting.

Pray:

Father,

Through the death of Your Son, You pulled down every barrier that stood between us and friendship with You. Let us learn to walk with You, delight in You, and talk with You, as much as we would with our most beloved friend.

In Jesus’ Name we pray, amen.

Practice:

To focus on friendship with Christ, spend an extra ten minutes to an hour today (whatever your time allows) reading Jesus’ last words to His disciples in John 14-17. Turn off your phone, screens, or any other distractions. Focus, for that time, on hearing His voice. Hear Him call you “friend.”