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Multimedia Lent Devotional – Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent

April 4, 2025

2025:

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent:

  • Scripture (Candy Davidson) – John 7:40-53
  • Reflection (Karen Sculley)
  • Prayer (Kelsey Vick)
  • Videos: John 7:40-53
  • Music: “No One Like You” (Tommy Walker Ministries) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGiSqplkeLc

John 7:40-53 – When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, “This is really the prophet.” Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some asked, “Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” So there was a division in the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not arrest him?” The police answered, “Never has anyone spoken like this!” Then the Pharisees replied, “Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law—they are accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” They replied, “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.” Then each of them went home.

One sentence in today’s passage stands out to me on this reading – “there was a division in the crowd because of him.” It seems like that’s been happening for the last 2000 years. Although Jesus prays for unity among us, any time a crowd gathers, literally or online, people tend to divide over their own ideas of who Jesus is and what he’s about.

I wonder if it’s partly because we don’t like all the parts of Jesus’ story, so we prefer a sanitized version. I wonder if it’s partly because Jesus’ teachings are hard, so we prefer to cherry-pick the sayings that don’t make us too uncomfortable. I wonder if it’s partly because following Jesus is too costly, so we prefer to lay down only some parts of our lives while trying to keep control of the parts we’re not ready to surrender yet.

German theologian, pastor, and martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, wrote about these kinds of struggles in his compelling work on the demands of sacrifice and ethical consistency, The Cost of Discipleship. He says that cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. In contrast, costly grace is … the kingly rule of Christ … the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves their nets and follows him … the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a person must knock.

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a person their life, and it is grace because it gives a person the only true life. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.

Bonhoeffer concludes, “When all is said and done, the life of faith is nothing if not an unending struggle of the spirit with every available weapon against the flesh.”

There have always been and will always be divisions in the crowd. In our struggles large and small, let us resist giving our adulation or allegiance to this leader or that, let us not be so easily swayed by this argument or that, let us refuse to give our hearts or minds over to any other lord. Let us determine to follow Jesus at all costs, giving our total allegiance to Christ and Christ alone.

2024:

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent:

2023:

Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent:

  • Scripture (Faith) – John 1:14ab
  • Reflection (Tamera Neal)
  • Prayer (Jake Keener)
  • Video: John
  • Music: “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” (Altar of Praise Chorale)

Each short Multimedia Lent Devotional is an invitation to set aside time each day during the season preceding Easter. Lent is a solemn 40-day period we observe as we seek to draw near to God prior to the great celebration of Easter. During Lent,

  • we intentionally practice sober reflection, serious repentance, and sincere restitution, in which we more fully recognize our brokenness as humans, looking always to Jesus Christ as our Savior and sanctifier;
  • we seek to live lives marked by simplicity, self-denial, and surrender, in imitation of Christ Jesus, who fasted for 40 days in the wilderness before He began His public ministry;
  • we look for ways in which we express love for neighbors and nations in need in practical ways through generously giving of our time, talents, and treasures.

This collaboration is brought to you by Liberty Vineyard Church

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