Lent Devotional Day 29

Day 29
Wednesday, March 22

John 12:37-50
37 Jesus had done many miraculous signs before the people, but they didn’t believe in him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of the prophet Isaiah:

Lord, who has believed through our message?
    To whom is the arm of the Lord fully revealed?[a]
39 Isaiah explains why they couldn’t believe:

40 He made their eyes blind
        and closed their minds
    so that they might not see with their eyes,
        understand with their minds,
        and turn their lives around—
    and I would heal them.[b]

41 Isaiah said these things because he saw Jesus’ glory; he spoke about Jesus. 42 Even so, many leaders believed in him, but they wouldn’t acknowledge their faith because they feared that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. 43 They believed, but they loved human praise more than God’s glory.

44 Jesus shouted, “Whoever believes in me doesn’t believe in me but in the one who sent me. 45 Whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. 46 I have come as a light into the world so that everyone who believes in me won’t live in darkness. 47 If people hear my words and don’t keep them, I don’t judge them. I didn’t come to judge the world but to save it. 48 Whoever rejects me and doesn’t receive my words will be judged at the last day by the word I have spoken. 49 I don’t speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me regarding what I should speak and say. 50 I know that his commandment is eternal life. Therefore, whatever I say is just as the Father has said to me.”

Reflection
Friends, we as people are so very fragile and we have not been gentle with ourselves. We do not handle ourselves with care. At least I am speaking for myself. I am an imperfect and broken human. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, in fact, I think being vulnerable and honest about one’s own brokenness is a good thing. When we are honest with ourselves, when we can lower our masks and drop the façade, when we embrace our brokenness then we can finally begin to lean into wholeness. You can’t repair something if you haven’t identified where the cracks are.

Remember in John chapter 1 it states that “What came into being through the Word was life, and the life was the light for all people. The light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light.” Jesus is the Word, the life, and was brought into this world as the light for all people. ALL people! Yes, even those people. We are broken people, but even in our brokenness Jesus is the light that shines in our darkness.

This brought to mind a lyric by one of my favorite songwriters, Leonard Cohen. In his song “Anthem” the chorus proclaims: “There is a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” It is our brokenness, our cracks, that allows space to be created for the light of Jesus to brighten our darkness. There is a form of Japanese art called Kintsugi which means “golden joinery”. When you have the time, I suggest looking up Kintsugi to fully grasp the visual.

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with gold, silver, or platinum. The areas of repair stand out due to the material used to mend to chips and breaks in the pottery. Jesus is the golden light that joins our cracks and brokenness and mends us. The repaired parts of me are nothing more than the light and grace of Jesus Christ in my life. We are broken, yet whole in Christ. We are not beyond repair. As a Christian, I am really just a walking Kintsugi with a heartbeat. Let us let that light shine not only for others, but
for ourselves as well, for it is truly the light for all people.

Prayer
Thank you so much for allowing us to meditate upon your word today. I come to you in humility and thanksgiving. Thank you for sending your son Jesus as the light of the world to brighten all darkness. Allow us to be present to dwell in your light so that we may glorify you. May thebrightest parts of me just be a reflection of you, dear God. Amen.

By Zach Adams