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Suffering Servant

"So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, 'Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.'"
- The Gospel of John 19:17-19.

The crucifix used in these photographs today was carved in Papua New Guinea. I picked it up on a return visit to that country during the 1980s. It has been in my study ever since. I love its misshapen workmanship, because it is the work of an artist who deeply loved the one known to Christians everywhere as, "The Suffering Servant".

The title comes from Isaiah chapter 53, and Jesus is seen as fulfilling the prophecies related to Messiah. But who would have thought of a King who became a servant and died with criminals in the cruelest of Roman executions?

There are many interpretations of this event during Passover 2000 years ago, but people of faith would all agree that something of cosmic significance took place. Here in death (the defeat of the flesh or material realm) is sown the seed of Life Eternal (the realm of the Spirit). "O death where is your sting? O grave, where your victory?" wrote that man of spirit, Paul, convert to the risen Christ on the Damascus road.

The mistake we all make is to believe that defeat in this life cannot be a victory in the Life to Come. "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies," Jesus said, "it cannot bring forth fruit." The Kingdom of God works by the 'upside down principle'. First death and putting off the corruptible world, and then comes Life incorruptible. First the Darkness and then the Dawn.

Seek first this Kingdom Jesus said, but don't expect it to be an easy path. Oh no! The way of the Kingdom of God is the way of suffering and death, for therein lies our salvation. Break free, detach from this doomed world, for every success here will not last and is nothing compared to the Eternal Realm which is ours to come.

Let the Spirit of God release your soul from the prison of the flesh. Learn to travel light. An early community of Christian Gnostics even had a lovely story of "The Laughing Saviour". Whilst Jesus the man on the cross was suffering and crying, "My God, why have you forsaken me?" (a familiar cry down through the ages), his inner spirit was laughing at death, for he knew he had the key to Life that conquers death.

If you want to be inspired this Easter, listen to what I consider is the greatest piece of passion music ever written:
J.S. Bach - St John Passion BWV 245
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMf9XDQBAaI

Bach literally touched the face of God. He is one of those few composers (Mozart and Beethoven the other two) who tapped into the actual music of the spheres. Their genius is beyond genius. It is the divine incarnation of heavenly music.

Taken on: April 8, 2020

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Camera: Nikon D850, f/4.0, 1/800 sec, 105mm, ISO 64 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D850
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/800)
Focal Length:	105mm
ISO:	64
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Capture One 20.0.3 Windows
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